Trigger Warning: Drug mention and use
"How on Earth is that Cat?" Tori blurted, leaning forward on Jade's couch, eyes glued to the TV.
The screen displayed Cat in all her glory, performing her latest hit on an elaborate stage set resembling a glitzy, futuristic cityscape. She wore a metallic silver outfit, sequins glittering under the stage lights, her hair styled in perfect waves that tumbled down her back. Her makeup was sharp and striking, her every movement oozing confidence.
"She doesn't even look like herself anymore," Tori added, voice tinged with disbelief.
"She looks... good," Andre said cautiously from his spot on the armchair, though his brows were furrowed.
"Yeah, but too good," Beck chimed in. "She's like a machine up there."
Jade was quiet, sitting cross-legged in her chair with her arms folded, her gaze fixed on the screen. Cat was commanding the crowd effortlessly, every note perfect, every choreographed move flawless. She should've been impressed. Hell, everyone should've been impressed. But instead, Jade just felt... uneasy. She subtilise in Cat's energy again- like how she's seen on that show in the Philippines, and occasionally since. She tried not to look for it - knowing the signs only hurt her to see. And there was nothing she could do about it either. Cat was a grown woman- it was her choice to do these things.
"She's off her head again," Jade said finally, her voice low.
"Can you really tell?" Tori asked, turning to her.
The room fell silent for a moment, except for the sound of Cat's voice filling the room. She hit a high note, and the audience on screen roared in approval.
"She's been so busy," Andre said, breaking the quiet. "None of us have seen her in, what, a month?"
"A month and two weeks," Tori corrected softly.
Beck let out a low whistle. "Feels like déjà vu. From after her tour. How she just... disappeared."
"Yeah, and look how that turned out," Andre muttered, his tone darker now.
Tori sighed, hugging a pillow to her chest. "I'm worried about her. This new album is gonna be huge, and they're already planning this crazy tour schedule. She barely made it through the last one. What's going to happen this time?"
"Nothing good," Jade said bluntly.
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
They all remembered how Cat had come back from her last tour—a shell of herself. The exhaustion, the stress, the way she'd distanced herself from everyone. It had taken months for her to even start opening up again, and now, with the hype around her third album nearing release, they could all see the same storm brewing on the horizon.
"Maybe we're overthinking it," Beck offered, though even he didn't sound convinced.
"Or maybe we're not," Andre countered. "She's got the weight of the world on her shoulders, and no one's letting up. Not her label, not the media, not even Austin."
Jade finally tore her gaze away from the TV, her expression unreadable. "We can't do anything about it," she said flatly.
"But we should," Tori said, looking at her pointedly.
Jade sighed, her jaw tightening. "And what exactly do you want us to do, Tori? Stage an intervention? Show up at one of her shoots and demand she talks to us? She won't listen. She never does."
Tori looked away, biting her lip.
"Look," Andre said, his voice softer now. "All we can do is be here for her. When she's ready, she'll come back to us. She did before."
"I just hope she doesn't wait too long," Tori murmured, her voice almost drowned out by the sound of Cat's closing notes on the screen.
As the performance ended and the audience erupted into applause, the room fell silent again. The group watched as Cat waved to the crowd, a dazzling smile on her face. She looked radiant, untouchable, like she belonged to a completely different world now.
But to them, she was still Cat. And they couldn't help but feel like they were losing her all over again.
A week later was Cat's 21st birthday, which was less a party and more a full-scale production. The sprawling Hollywood Hills mansion was transformed into a glittering wonderland, every corner curated to perfection. Chandeliers reflected off gilded mirrors, while cascading fairy lights lit up the gardens. Waiters floated through the crowd with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres too fancy for anyone to pronounce. In one corner, a live jazz band played over the low hum of celebrity chatter.
For Tori, Andre, Beck, Robbie, and Jade, it felt like stepping into another world—a world that Cat had fully immersed herself in.
"Is it just me, or does this feel like... too much?" Tori whispered, pulling at the hem of her dress, which suddenly felt cheap next to the sea of couture around her.
"No, it's not just you," Robbie replied, scanning the room. "I mean, it's a birthday party. Not an awards show."
Andre chuckled, though his voice carried a tinge of unease. "Half of Hollywood is here. I bet there are people here who don't even know it's Cat's birthday."
"No," Jade muttered. "It's a networking event."
Tori tugged uncomfortably at her dress, feeling a little out of place among the sea of designer outfits and perfect smiles. "I bet Cat's somewhere trying to actually enjoy herself. This is... a lot."
The gang weaved their way through the mansion, dodging clusters of influencers livestreaming, executives having whispered conversations, and celebrities posing for impromptu photoshoots. Every so often, they'd get curious glances—enough people recognised Beck from his acting gigs —but for the most part, they went unnoticed, the clear outsiders in a sea of A-listers.
"I swear we're the only ones here without at least a million followers," Beck joked, leaning toward Andre.
"Let's just find Cat," Jade snapped, clearly irritated by the glitz, the glamour, and probably everything else about the night.
It took longer than it should have. The mansion was massive, and the party seemed to stretch across every inch of it. They passed by a poker game happening in one room, an acoustic performance in another, and out by the pool, a group of models were being photographed in front of a glowing fountain.
Finally, in a crowded lounge area near the back of the house, they spotted her.
Cat was perched on the arm of a velvet couch, surrounded by people who looked like they'd stepped out of a high-fashion magazine. Her dress shimmered under the soft lighting, a short, sequined number that caught the light with every movement. Her hair was styled in loose waves, her makeup bold yet flawless. But it wasn't just her outfit or makeup that caught the group's attention—it was her demeanor.
Her pupils were blown wide, her smile stretched a little too far. She gestured animatedly as she talked, her movements loose and exaggerated, as if she were floating just above reality. Her laugh rang out above the noise.
"She's high," Jade said bluntly, her tone cutting through the noise around them.
Tori hesitated. "Maybe she's just... tired? You know how she gets when she's overwhelmed."
Jade shot her a withering look. "Tori, she's high. Look at her eyes."
Before anyone could respond, Cat noticed them. Her face lit up as she jumped off the couch, her smile wide.
"Heyyyyy!" she called, her voice carrying over the music. She made her way over to them, her steps quick and determined. "You guys made it!"
She threw her arms around Tori first, then Andre, and Robbie, and even Beck, holding each hug. When she reached Jade, the hug lingered the longest, and Jade stiffened in response.
"Cat, you okay?" Andre asked carefully, his tone light but edged with concern.
Cat pulled back. "I'm amazing!" she declared, throwing her arms out dramatically. "It's my party! Isn't this insane? Look at all these people!"
"We see them," Jade muttered, her arms crossed tightly.
Cat laughed, oblivious to the tension in Jade's voice. "Come on, you guys have to meet Austin's friends. They're so fun. And later, there's gonna be this DJ, and—"
"Cat," Jade interrupted, her voice sharp and low. "Do you even know what's happening here? This isn't a party. This is a circus."
Cat blinked, her grin faltering for a moment before she recovered. "It's my circus," she replied, giggling as she spun in place.
Jade's jaw tightened. Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
"Should we...?" Tori started, her voice trailing off.
Andre sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. Let's go."
One by one, they followed Jade, leaving Cat behind in the glittering chaos she had built for herself. Cat watched them go, her smile slipping just slightly before she turned back to the crowd, throwing herself into the chaos once more. For her, the moment passed in an instant, but for her friends, the image of her wide-eyed and wobbling lingered long after they left.
The group sat in the McDonald's parking lot, the glow of the golden arches illuminating their formal attire. It was a stark contrast: Andre in his tailored blazer, Tori in her cocktail dress, Beck loosening his tie, and Robbie adjusting his awkwardly oversized jacket. Jade sat cross-legged on the hood of Beck's car, still in her sleek black dress, glaring down at her untouched fries.
"Y'know," Robbie said, biting into his burger, "we look like the cast of some indie drama about rich kids slumming it."
"Shut up, Robbie," Jade snapped, but there was no real venom in her tone.
Tori leaned back against the car, the smell of grease mixing with the faint traces of the expensive perfume she'd spritzed on earlier. "We have to do something," she said, breaking the silence that had hung over them since they left Cat's party.
"Do what?" Andre asked, gesturing with a fry. "She's got an entire team around her. Managers, publicists, assistants, a boyfriend who's got biceps is bigger than my head. You think she's gonna listen to us?"
"She'd listen if we made her," Tori said firmly, though there was an edge of desperation in her voice.
Jade scoffed, sliding off the hood and landing with a sharp thud. "Yeah, because that's worked so well in the past."
Tori frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jade crossed her arms, leaning against the car. "It means I've been here before, Vega. I've tried to step in. I've tried to 'help.' And you know what happened? We broke up. Because she didn't want my help. She doesn't think she needs it. She thinks she's fine."
The group fell silent, the weight of Jade's words settling over them.
"She needs support," Tori argued, her voice softer now. "She needs people who care about her to step in before she—"
"Before she what?" Jade cut her off, her tone sharp but her expression tired. "Before she burns out again? Before she crashes? We've been here before, Tori. You can't help someone who won't let you."
"But we're her friends," Tori insisted. "If we don't do something, who will?"
"She has a team," Beck said, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived. "They're supposed to look out for her."
"And they'll milk her for everything she's worth before they care about her as a person," Andre said bitterly.
Robbie, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up. "Maybe... it's not about 'fixing' her. Maybe we just need to be there when she's ready. Like, keep showing up, even if she doesn't listen now."
Tori sighed, running a hand through her hair. "But what if that's too late?"
Jade didn't answer. She just stared down at her fries, her jaw tight.
The group sat in silence for a moment, the hum of the McDonald's drive-thru filling the air. Finally, Andre broke the tension.
"Alright, this is depressing. Someone pass me the ketchup."
Tori let out a soft laugh, and even Jade cracked a faint smile. They weren't sure how to help Cat, or if they even could. But for now, at least, they were all still here, trying to figure it out.