As the tour moved from Europe to Asia, Jade got more and more concerned for Cat. She'd been on this tour for 2 months straight now and she still had the South American and second North American legs to go. Their calls became less and less frequent due to time zones, and when they did call there wasn't much to say. Cat was getting sick of Jade constantly asking how she was- and Jade was sick of hearing the same lies back. Both girls were just counting down the days until the tour was over- in about 20 more shows.
After seeing a particularly hard to watch video of Cat damn near collapsing on one of her backup dancers at the end of her first Japanese show- Jade instantly clicked on Cat's contact in her phone.
No answer. Of course there wouldn't be, it was like 8am there, she was probably still asleep.
She closed the contact page and sent Tori a quick message minutes ago, hoping to vent. It was something she'd been doing a lot recently.
Jade: Need some girl talk time. Free?
The reply came almost immediately.
Tori: Evan's about to come over, but I can cancel. What's up?
Jade sighed, she didn't want Tori to cancel on her plans. As much as she needed someone to talk to, the idea of disrupting Tori's time with her boyfriend didn't sit right.
Jade: No, that's stupid. Enjoy your date. It's nothing urgent
Her finger hovered over the send button before she hit it, muttering to herself. "Not like I can't handle this on my own." But the truth was, she wasn't sure if she could.
With a frustrated groan, she shoved her phone into her jacket pocket and grabbed her keys. She wasn't going to sit in her room spiralling all afternoon. Without really thinking about it, she found herself driving to Beck's trailer.
Beck opened the door, looking relaxed as always, dressed in sweatpants and a faded t-shirt. "Hey," he greeted, leaning on the doorframe with his usual calm demeanour. "What's up? You look stressed."
"Don't start," Jade snapped, though there wasn't any real bite to her tone. "Can I come in or what?"
Beck stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. "Door's open, as always."
Jade flopped onto his couch, running a hand through her hair. "I needed to get out of my head for a bit. Thought you might be useful for once."
"Flattered," Beck replied with a smirk, settling into a chair across from her. "So what's got you out of sorts this time?"
Jade leaned back on Beck's worn couch, crossing her arms as she stared up at the ceiling. She didn't even know where to start. She hated coming to him to vent, despite how he always had a knack for making her feel like it was okay.
"So," Beck began, his voice soft but expectant. "What's going on, Jade? You only show up unannounced when you're at your wit's end about something."
She huffed a short laugh. "Thanks for making me sound like a walking drama."
"I didn't say that," Beck replied smoothly. "But you're clearly here for a reason."
Jade picked at a loose thread on the couch cushion. "It's Cat. I mean, what else would it be? Everything's... weird right now."
Beck nodded, waiting for her to continue. He knew better than to push her.
"It's this whole tour thing," Jade said after a moment. "She's running herself ragged. I can see it, even when she's pretending she's fine. And then there's all this—this noise. Articles, interviews, rumours about her and Big Shay, of all people."
Beck raised an eyebrow. "Big Shay? That guy with the gold chain that's way too big for his neck?"
Jade snorted despite herself. "Yeah, that guy. He's been riding on her coattails for months now. And everyone loves it, because it makes for good headlines. But it's killing me, Beck. I hate seeing her dragged into this—this circus. And it's like I can't even step in and remind the world she's mine, you know?"
Beck tilted his head, his expression sympathetic. "Why can't you? I mean, it's not like Cat would mind, right?"
"It's not about her," Jade admitted, running a hand through her hair. "It's her label. They've made it very clear that her being tied to anyone—especially me—is a no-go. They think it'll hurt her image or something. And she just... goes along with it. For the music, I guess. For them."
"Or maybe for you," Beck said, his tone careful.
Jade glanced at him sharply. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I think she's doing all of this because she loves what she does," Beck said. "But also because she loves you. And maybe she feels like this is the only way to keep it all together—her career, your relationship, everything. By keeping it seperate. You see how much she has to juggle with this new world shes in, maybe she's trying to make sure you don't get pulled into it all too."
Jade's mouth opened, but no words came out. She hadn't thought about it like that before, and the idea left her feeling oddly guilty.
Beck leaned back, giving her space to process. "She's a fighter, Jade. Always has been. But even fighters need someone in their corner. You just have to figure out how to be there for her without making it harder."
Jade let that sink in, her gaze fixed on the floor. She didn't know what to say.
Before the silence could stretch too long, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw Cat's name on the screen.
"Speak of the devil," Beck murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Without a word, she answered.
Cat's face filled the screen, her vibrant red hair tied up in a messy bun, clearly just woken up. "Hey, Babe!" she greeted, smiling wide for a moment before her gaze shifted to the background. Her expression faltered. "Wait, are you at Beck's? Why are you at Beck's?"
Jade blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. "Why does it matter?"
Cat frowned, leaning closer to the camera. "It doesn't. I - just. Why did you call?"
"Am I not allowed to call you?" Jade pressed, sitting up straighter.
Cat opened her mouth, then shut it. Her cheeks flushed slightly. "I'm sorry." She replied quietly, she hadn't meant to start accusing Jade of anything.
"Don't say that," Jade said, her voice softening. "I saw a video from your show last night - are you okay now?"
Cat rubbed her temple, looking away from the screen. "Yep I'm all good!" She smiled weakly, "We'd gone to this- uh, sushi place and then to - uh." She started trying to recall the say before, failing miserably. "And I was just... tired."
Jade sighed, her chest tightening. "Cat, you don't look okay. You're not hiding it well."
"I'm fine," Cat said, but her voice cracked on the word. She swallowed hard, trying to brush it off. "It's just... you know. Tour stuff." She trailed off, and then, under her breath, she muttered, "It's such a fucking mess."
Jade froze. "Did you just swear?"
Cat's eyes widened, her face turning crimson. "No, I didn't."
"You did," Jade said, almost amused despite her concern. "You never swear, Cat. Now I'm really worried."
"It's not a big deal," Cat said quickly, her words spilling out too fast. "I just—I'm handling it. I always do, right?"
"Cat—"
The connection cut out before Jade could say more, leaving her staring at the blank screen.
Beck, who had been silently watching from his chair, raised an eyebrow. "That didn't look like nothing."
Jade set her phone down on the couch cushion beside her, exhaling sharply. "It's not. She's—she's burning out, Beck. I can see it, and I don't know how to help her. She won't let me."
Beck leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You can't force her to stop. But you can make sure she knows you're there. That's something, at least."
Jade shook her head. "I don't know if that's enough. She's carrying all this pressure, and I'm just sitting here, watching her drown in it."
Beck didn't have an easy answer for that, and the two of them sat in heavy silence for a long moment.
The next morning, Jade sat at her kitchen table with her laptop open, a mug of black coffee cradled in her hands. It had been a restless night; her conversation with Beck, followed by Cat's call, had left her feeling uneasy, more than usual.
She hesitated before typing Cat's name into the search bar, an action she'd come to resent but couldn't seem to stop doing. Clips from the latest show were already flooding the internet—fan-captured videos and polished posts from official accounts alike.
The first video she clicked showed Cat bounding across the stage, her voice soaring over the crowd with effortless precision. Her signature cat ears glinted under the spotlights, and her energy was palpable. She twirled, laughed, and hit every note like it was second nature.
Jade frowned. It wasn't just good—it was flawless.
She opened another video. Then another.
Every angle told the same story. Cat looked... perfect. Radiant, even. Like the exhaustion that had been weighing her down just days ago had evaporated overnight.
It should have been comforting, seeing her like this—seeing her back to the version of herself that fans adored. But to Jade, it was almost more concerning.
The shift was subtle, of course. Anyone else would have just seen an artist at the top of her game. But Jade knew better. She knew Cat.
The small tells were there if you looked closely enough. The extra edge of adrenaline in her movements, the way her laughter seemed a touch too loud, her smile a fraction too wide. It wasn't the same as the natural vibrancy Jade had fallen in love with. It was something... forced.
Jade clenched her jaw. She knew the industry could push people to their limits, but she hadn't thought Cat would— No of course she wouldn't. Not after everything her family went through with Matteo. No way she-
She cut the thought off before it could spiral, closing her laptop with more force than necessary.
She didn't want to assume the worst. Maybe it was just adrenaline. Maybe Cat had finally found a way to balance it all.
But something gnawed at her, a quiet voice in the back of her mind whispering that this wasn't balance.
Jade reached for her phone, her thumb hovering over Cat's contact. She wanted to call her, to ask if everything was really okay. But what would she say? And would Cat even tell her the truth?
She couldn't just sit here and do nothing while Cat burned herself out—possibly worse.
Pulling up her calendar, she stared at the tour countdown she'd set months ago. Each city was marked with precision, a faint reminder of just how much ground Cat was covering in such a short time. Her next show was in two days, in the Philippines and after that another two days later, Mexico City.
She clicked back to the video she'd just watched. Cat's smile radiated across the screen, her energy electric, her movements almost frantic. It didn't feel real—it didn't feel right.
Jade exhaled sharply through her nose, closing the video before it could wind her up any further. If Cat looked like this again during her Philippines show, Jade knew what she had to do.
"College exams be damned," she muttered to herself, flipping to her email. She could already picture the looks on her professors' faces when she explained why she might not make it back for the finals.
But it didn't matter.
If Cat wasn't going to slow down, someone needed to be there to make sure she was okay—or at least try.
Jade didn't hesitate as she pulled up the flight search. Even if she didn't end up needing it, she felt better just seeing the itinerary come together on the screen. She'd fly out the morning after the Philippines show if the videos still looked off.
She leaned back in her chair, staring at the confirmation page without hitting "purchase." It wasn't impulsive—it was necessary.
Her phone buzzed, a message from her study group reminding her about tomorrow's meeting. She ignored it, clicking back to her calendar.
This wasn't the first time she'd questioned how sustainable all of this was for Cat. But this time felt different.
Jade sighed, closing her laptop and leaning her head against the back of the couch. "You better prove me wrong, Cat," she whispered. But deep down, she already knew what she'd be doing in a few days.