A/N: This fic contains potentially triggering subject matter including but not limited to: suicidal references, gun violence, sexual trauma, homelessness, drug abuse, depression, homophobia, and cancer. It may contain inaccuracies. No copyright infringement intended. Thanks for reading!

BOOK TWO - PART TWO - CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

"Cat."

"Hey, Cat."

"Cat, wake up."

Cat blinked awake to find Jade shaking her. Her head was down on the table and Jade, Tori, Robbie and Bryson were all sitting and staring at her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and blushed a little. "Oh, did I fall asleep? I'm sorry."

"It's cool—all we have left is the album cover," Bryson told her. "Anyone know any good artists?"

"I might know a guy," Robbie responded, "He did a lot of the design work on set."

"Oh, yeah—Doug, right? Good idea. I'll call him," Bryson said, pulling out his phone.

"For now, maybe we should wrap it up. We're done in the studio—you should all go relax. You especially, Cat. You really need it," Robbie commented, not unkindly. "We'll all get together once we have the full finished product."

"Want me to drop you off at home?" Jade asked Cat.

"Can we get something to eat first? I'm starving," Cat replied. "I've been trying not to eat in front of Sam 'cause it makes her sick. It's been really hard."

"What sounds good?" Tori asked. "I'll meet you guys there and we can have a late lunch."

"It doesn't have to be anything fancy. How 'bout Chubway?" Cat suggested. "There's one just down the block from here."

"In that case, we might as well just walk," Jade pointed out. "Come on, let's go." She led the other two girls out of the studio, leaving Robbie and Bryson behind.

On the walk there, Cat was dragging her feet. It wasn't long before Jade's patience gave out. "So…"

"What?" Cat asked—she could tell the conversation was aimed at her.

"Are you gonna tell us why you look like you didn't sleep at all last night?" Jade asked.

Cat sighed. "'Cause I didn't sleep at all last night," she responded.

"Why? You got carried away with Sam?" Tori asked teasingly.

"No," Cat answered, then reconsidered and said, "Yes. But not like that. I really would rather not talk about it, you guys."

They arrived at the restaurant, ordered their meals, and then sat down at a table together. But Jade wasn't giving up. "Oh, come on. You have to tell us something. It must've been pretty intense if it literally lasted all night," she remarked.

Cat sighed. She didn't feel like it was really any of their business, but she wanted them to shut up about it. "Sam's stitches got ripped out while we were having sex. We spent half the night in the ER." That seemed to have shut them up, at least.

"They got ripped out? What the hell were you doing?" Jade questioned with a scoff.

Tori noticed the look of discomfort on Cat's face and said, "You don't have to answer that, Cat. I'm really sorry that happened. Is she doing okay now?"

"She's hurting pretty bad. She tries to be tough, but I can tell it's hard for her," Cat replied. "Nothing's gonna happen, though. She'll just take longer to heal."

"Well, you should probably avoid touching her boobs when she's got an incision down the side of one," Jade bluntly remarked. "Like, seriously—did you just grab too hard?"

Cat bit her lip. "I didn't touch her. She flipped me over and I guess she moved wrong. We didn't even notice she was bleeding 'til she was, uh… done."

"Flipped you over?" Tori repeated with a small, teasing smile.

"Yeah. She usually likes to grind on me when she, um… finishes," Cat flicked her eyes to the side suggestively; a bit sheepishly. "She's never done it on my butt before, but... yeah. I guess she got too excited this time. It was really hot anyways."

"She's probably pretty dominating in bed, huh?" Jade said as more of a statement than a question.

But Cat was honest. "No. Not really. She is when it comes to doing stuff to me—but when it's her turn, it's never easy."

"Does she still not let you touch her or anything?" Tori wondered.

"She lets me touch her everywhere but down there," Cat shyly explained. "But last night, she let me actually look for the first time, so that was… good."

"Yeah?" Jade arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. She was so scared—she was actually, like, shaking," Cat told them. "But she's so sexy, you guys. I wanna—" she bit her lip. "I just… wish she felt more comfortable with me."

"Well, if she's letting you look, she must be getting more comfortable," Tori pointed out. "Progress, right? Baby steps. You guys don't need to rush."

"I guess. I'm trying to let her take her time," Cat sighed. "It's hard sometimes, though, 'cause I give her all of me. I wish she'd give that back."

"You'll get there," Jade assured her.

"How long were you and Beck going out before you let him touch you?" Cat asked openly.

Jade hesitated. "I'm… not the best example."

"Jade, please?"

"We had sex a week after we met. We were fifteen," Jade responded dryly. "Is that enough information for you?"

"Oh, jeez." Cat looked at Tori instead. "Tori?"

"I lost my virginity during my freshman year of college. I'd known the guy for two or three months, but we weren't going out," Tori confessed. "So, I guess I'm not the best example either."

"What about with Dylan?"

"Dylan and I were going out for a couple weeks before we did it for the first time," Tori replied, then helpfully added, "But with Sam, it seems like there's a lot of trauma there, so it might take a little longer."

"I don't care. I'll wait forever if I have to," Cat stated. "I'm in love with her, you guys."

Both Jade and Tori smiled. "We know," Jade chuckled. "Have you told her that yet?"

"Yes. Last night, I couldn't stop saying it," Cat admitted. "I just don't ever want her to feel like I want her to leave again, you know?"

"I'm sure she knows, Cat," Tori assured her. "It's okay. If she ever does, we'll help you track her down."

Cat smiled. "Thanks, you guys."