Jade had just started to relax, her head leaning back against the couch, when her phone buzzed on the table. She groaned, half tempted to ignore it, but when she saw Beck's name flashing on the screen, she sighed and picked it up.
"What's up?" she asked, her voice still tinged with exhaustion.
"Uh... hey," Beck began, his tone hesitant. "You got a minute?"
"Kind of," Jade replied, sitting up straighter. "What's going on?"
"I, uh... I went by Ryan's place today," Beck said cautiously. "Wanted to grab that book he borrowed a while back."
Jade frowned, already sensing this wasn't going anywhere good. "And?"
"And... there was someone there. Some girl," Beck said, his words tumbling out quickly. "She was... well, too comfortable to be just a friend. I mean, she was wearing one of his shirts, Jade."
The words hit her like a punch to the stomach, but Jade's expression didn't falter. She let out a sharp laugh, masking her emotions behind sarcasm. "Well, maybe she just likes my taste in guys' clothing."
"Jade," Beck said firmly, his voice softening. "It didn't look good. I thought you should know."
Jade was silent for a moment.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she said flatly, though the tightness in her voice betrayed her. "I'll deal with it."
"Jade—"
"I've got it, Beck," she cut him off, her tone sharper now. "I'll call you later, okay?"
"...Alright," Beck said after a pause. "Take care of yourself."
Jade hung up without another word, staring at the phone in her hand for a long moment. Her chest felt tight, anger and disbelief swirling together in a storm of emotions she didn't have the bandwidth to process.
Her gaze flicked to the door, where the distant sound of Cat's voice could still be heard. Jade stared at her phone, Beck's words still echoing in her head. She knew she should let it sit, at least until she wasn't about to explode, but that wasn't her style. She hit Ryan's contact and dialed, her heart pounding with every ring.
He picked up on the third. "Jade, hey—"
"Cut the crap, Ryan," she snapped, her voice ice-cold. "Are you cheating on me?"
The pause on the other end of the line was damning.
"...I didn't think we were still together," he said finally, his voice low.
Jade's grip on the phone tightened. "What the hell does that mean?"
"I saw the photos of you and Cat," he admitted. "And all the stories—everyone saying you were back together. I figured you didn't bother telling me because... well, you didn't need to."
Jade felt her jaw drop. "You thought we broke up? Are you serious right now?"
"You didn't exactly deny the rumours," Ryan shot back defensively. "You've been touring with her for weeks, Jade. We barely talk. I mean, what was I supposed to think?"
"Oh, I don't know," Jade said, her voice rising. "Maybe call me and ask like a normal person? Instead of just deciding we're done and hooking up with someone else?"
"It's not like that—"
"It's exactly like that," she cut him off. "You thought I was back with Cat, so you decided it was fine to cheat on me. And you didn't even bother to confirm it first!"
"I'm sorry, alright?" Ryan said, his tone defensive but tinged with guilt. "I didn't mean for it to happen this way."
"It shouldn't have happened at all," Jade snapped. "But it did. And you know what? That says everything I need to know about you."
"Jade—"
"Don't," she said sharply. "We're done. For real this time. And just so you know, I was never back with Cat. She's my friend, and she needed me. But clearly, I can't trust you to understand that."
She ended the call before he could respond, throwing the phone onto the couch beside her. Her hands were shaking, and her chest felt tight, but there was also a strange sense of relief. She leant back full on the coach now, her head tilted back against the cushion as tears silently streamed down her face. She hadn't seen Ryan in weeks—not since she'd left to join Cat's tour. And weirdly enough, she hadn't overly missed him. That fact gnawed at her, making her feel simultaneously justified in her anger and deeply upset.
She wiped her face furiously, but the tears kept coming. She wasn't even sure why she was crying anymore. Was it because Ryan had betrayed her? Because she hadn't even noticed their relationship slipping away? Or because some small part of her hated that he'd been so easy to forget?
A hot wave of frustration surged through her. The betrayal, the apathy, the sheer stupidity of it all—she couldn't contain it anymore. With a strangled cry, she grabbed the nearest thing—a remote for the TV—and hurled it across the room. It crashed the vanity mirror, splintering the glass into a web of jagged cracks. The sound rang through the room, sharp and final.
She stared at the broken mirror, her reflection distorted and fractured. Her chest heaved as she wiped at her face furiously, but the tears kept coming, blurring her vision.
"Fuck," she muttered, her voice bitter and shaky. She let out a ragged breath and sank back onto the couch, exhaustion crashing over her. The anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface, but for now, it was just her and the quiet room, waiting for Cat to come back.
Half an hour passed, and Jade had mostly stopped crying. Her breathing was steadier now, though her eyes felt heavy and raw. She stared blankly at the wall, lost in thought, when the door suddenly flew open.
Cat bounced in, still glowing from her post-show high. Her hair was damp and frizzy from the stage lights, her cheeks flushed. "Jade!" she chirped, mid-skip, before stopping abruptly. She looked at Jade, and then the broken mirror across from her.
"I'll pay for that to be fixed." She dismissed.
Cat didn't care about the mirror, not one bit. "What's wrong?"
Jade sniffled and tried to wave her off again. "It's nothing."
Cat wasn't buying it. She crossed the room in three quick steps and plopped down beside Jade, her hand already on Jade's shoulder. "Hey," she said softly. "It's not nothing. What happened?"
Jade hesitated, feeling the lump in her throat return. "Ryan," she said finally, her voice breaking.
Cat's eyes widened. "What about him?"
Jade wiped her face again, though it was futile. "He cheated on me," she admitted. "He thought we'd broken up because of those stupid pictures of us, and instead of asking, he just—he just assumed. And now it's over."
"Oh, Jade," Cat whispered, pulling her into a hug without hesitation. Jade resisted at first but quickly gave in, resting her forehead against Cat's shoulder as more tears spilled out.
"I'm so stupid," Jade choked out.
"No, you're not," Cat said firmly, rubbing her back. "He's the stupid one. He should've trusted you. And even if he thought you broke up, he should've talked to you first."
Jade sniffled. "I didn't even miss him, Cat. I haven't thought about him in weeks. What kind of person does that make me?"
"It makes you someone who deserves better," Cat said simply. "You deserve someone who's going to fight for you, not jump to conclusions and hurt you like this."
Jade couldn't respond, her throat too tight. She just nodded against Cat's shoulder, letting herself be comforted.
After a while, Cat pulled back and looked at her with a determined expression. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do. First, we're going to find something sugary to eat because that always makes me feel better. Then, we're going to find something sharp and maybe destroy his shirts that you packed. Just the ugly ones, though. Sound good?"
Jade let out a surprised laugh, despite herself. "You're ridiculous."
"And you're sad," Cat said, smiling. "So let me be ridiculous for you, okay?"
Jade nodded, a small, reluctant smile tugging at her lips. "Okay."
Cat beamed and grabbed her hand, tugging her up from the couch. "Come on. Let's go wreak some havoc... more havoc." She corrected, looking at the mirror once again.