Jade stepped off the plane into the quiet, night air of the Phoenix night, her bag slung over her shoulder. Her steps felt heavy, like each one might pull her back toward the boarding gate, back to LA, back to Cat. The thought of Cat finding the note twisted her stomach—what if it made things worse? What if Cat thought she was running away for good? What if-
No. Jade shook her head, her jaw tightening. She couldn't think like that. She needed to be gone for a bit- to let Cat have the space she needed.
As she made her way through the terminal, she scanned the sparse crowd for Beck. It had been a while since they'd hung out 1-on-1. Their relationship now was… complicated. Civil, sure, but there was still a tension, an unspoken weight between them. Beck had left her heartbroken a year and a half ago, and while she'd found her footing again—found Cat—she never really let herself trust him the same way again.
And yet, he was here. The only person she could think to call. The only person, apart from Cat, who truly knew her, flaws and all.
She spotted him leaning casually against a pillar, his hands in his jacket pockets, his long hair tied back loosely. When he caught sight of her, his expression softened, though there was still that same old flicker of caution in his eyes, like he wasn't sure what version of Jade he was about to get.
Jade slowed as she approached him, her bag suddenly feeling heavier than it had a moment ago. Beck pushed off the pillar and met her halfway, his gaze scanning her face like he was trying to read the storm behind her sharp blue eyes.
"Hey," he said softly, his voice familiar in a way that made her chest ache.
"Hey," Jade replied, her voice quieter than she intended. She shifted her bag on her shoulder, unsure what to say next. What was the protocol for running to your ex in the middle of a personal crisis?
Beck seemed to sense her hesitation, offering a small, understanding smile. "Rough night?"
"You have no idea," Jade muttered, her voice laced with exhaustion.
Beck tilted his head slightly, studying her. "I might have some idea. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't bad."
Jade let out a hollow laugh, looking away for a moment. "That obvious, huh?"
"Jade," he said, his tone gentle but firm, "you're in Phoenix. At one in the morning. Of course it's bad."
She met his gaze, and for a moment, she saw the version of Beck she used to trust—the one who didn't let her down, who held her hand when the world got too loud. It was strange, being here, relying on him again after all they'd been through. But somehow, it felt… okay.
"Thanks for letting me crash here," she said, her voice softer now.
Beck shrugged, but his smile held a hint of sincerity. "What else am I gonna do? Say no?"
"Wouldn't put it past you," Jade quipped, a hint of her usual edge slipping into her voice.
"There she is," Beck teased lightly, motioning toward the exit. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."
As they walked through the terminal together, Jade felt a small weight lift from her chest. Things weren't okay—far from it—but at least she wasn't completely alone. Beck might not have been the person she expected to lean on, but for now, he stepped up to help her.
Crushed wasn't a good enough word to describe how Cat felt that next morning after going home to find the letter. She sat on the couch, the letter clutched tightly in her trembling hands. She'd read it at least five times since finding it on the coffee table that morning, and each time, it hit her the same way—a sinking heaviness in her chest, like her heart was folding in on itself.
I'll be in Phoenix with Beck.
Her mind tripped over those words, turning them around, trying to rationalise them, but the ache in her chest refused to let up. Jade had left. Not just left the house—left her. She'd been so sure, even after the fight, that they could fix this, that Jade would still be here, waiting for them to talk things through. Instead, she was in another state, in another city, with someone who had once broken her heart.
Was this it? Was this the end of them?
So no, crushed wasn't the right word. It didn't even begin to cover it. Cat felt hollow, like every piece of her had been scraped out and replaced with this unbearable, gnawing sadness. And the worst part? She couldn't even fully blame Jade for leaving. She'd been cruel in the fight, lashing out in ways she hadn't meant. She'd made Jade feel like she was the problem when that was just never the case.
She curled up on the couch, her knees pulled to her chest, her fingers still clutching the letter. She'd spent most of the night at Tori's thinking, replaying the argument in her head. She knew she'd let her anger get the better of her. She'd been so consumed with proving she was right, with defending her music, that she hadn't stopped to think about what Jade was actually saying—or how she was feeling.
But even if she'd made mistakes, she couldn't ignore the hurt that came with this. Jade hadn't waited. She hadn't given them the chance to talk it through before deciding to leave. That choice, more than the fight itself, made Cat's chest ache in a way she didn't know how to fix.
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, jolting her from her spiraling thoughts. She glanced at the screen and saw Tori's name, a text asking if she'd made it home okay. Cat let out a shaky breath, and picked up her phone and started opening her chat with Jade, her thumb hovering over the keyboard. No - Jade needed space. That's what she wanted right?
She needed to do something. Sitting here, staring at the letter, wasn't helping. And she couldn't sit in this house alone, letting her thoughts spiral further out of control.
With a deep breath, she got up and got ready to go to the studio. Recently it had started to feel like a place of no control for her, but when she started writing 'Why Try' it felt like she was claiming a bit of the album back. That song might have been what got her into this mess- but until Jade had heard it, it had genuinely made her feel better letting those emotions out. Theres no way it would stay on the album now but- these feelings she had right now needed to be felt, so maybe another song would brew from this. A song that Jade could listen and only hear the good things Cat had to say about her, about how much she meant. Not despite anything. Just how much she meant, period. How she was her everything.
The studio was quiet when Cat arrived, the early morning sun barely breaking through the blinds. She hadn't even stopped to eat breakfast, heading straight here after grabbing her bag. The knot in her chest was still tight, but now it burned with something else—determination.
The second she walked in, her manager looked up from a desk piled with notes and schedules, raising an eyebrow. "Cat, you're early."
"I want to pull Why Try off the album," she said, her voice firmer than it had been in months.
Her manager blinked, clearly caught off guard. "What? Cat, we're weeks away from finalising—"
"I don't care," she cut in, her tone sharper now. "I don't want it on there anymore."
The manager stared at her for a moment, likely weighing whether or not to argue. They must have seen something unshakable in her eyes because, with a resigned sigh, they nodded. "Fine. But we'll need something else to replace it."
"I'm working on it," Cat said briskly, already heading down the hall toward one of the recording booths. "I need Andre."
"Andre's not on the roster for this project," her manager called after her.
Cat spun on her heel, her hands clenched at her sides. "Then get him here," she said, her voice steady but resolute. "I'm not recording anything else until I work with him."
The manager hesitated again, but Cat didn't budge. She'd never stood her ground like this before, always the agreeable one, always bending to make everyone else happy. But not this time. This time, she had leverage. Problem set to be released in a few days, and the label had too much riding on this album to alienate her.
After a long pause, the manager relented. "Fine. I'll make the call."
By the time Andre arrived, Cat was well into pacing the studio, a notebook clutched tightly in her hands. She looked up when he walked in, relief washing over her at the sight of his familiar, easygoing grin.
"Cat Valentine, summoning me like I'm a wizard or something," Andre teased, setting his bag down. "What's up?"
"I need your help," she said, her voice softening slightly as she stepped closer. "I want to write something. Something real. And I don't want anyone else touching it but you."
Andre's teasing grin faded, replaced with a look of understanding. He nodded, pulling up a chair. "Alright. Tell me what's on your mind."
She hesitated for a moment, the words caught in her throat. Then, with a deep breath, she sat across from him and opened her notebook. "Jade and I had a fight," she said quietly. "She left last night to go to Phoenix. I want to write her a song about how much I—how much we love each other, even now. I don't want it to be polished or perfect. I just want it to be real."
"Oh." Andre replied, his voice small. It hurt him to see Cat hurt, especially when knowing Jade was hurting too. These girls were like sisters to him, and he had forever dreaded the day of their first big fight. "I can help with that- yeah."
For the first time that day, Cat felt the knot in her chest loosen ever so slightly. She wasn't sure if this song would fix everything, but for now, it was a start. A way to channel all the hurt, anger, and love swirling inside her into something she could understand—and maybe, something Jade could too.