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 THREE - PART TWO- CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ONE

"Okay, I think that pretty much covers everything," Bryson was saying as he folded his laptop shut. He, Cat, Jade and Tori were enjoying brunch together in the rooftop gardens of Tori's mansion. They had gone over a lot of financial and business-related details, since JTC was now temporarily signed to SteelRoad Studios. They were all glad the hard part was over. Bryson stood up. "I gotta get going. Busy day back at the studio."

"'Kay, see you later, Bryson," Cat replied, and they watched him go.

Once he was out of sight, Jade said, "So. How have you guys actually been?"

"Not bad. The first couple of weeks after an unannounced release are always stressful, so I'm sure it'll die down soon," Tori answered. She stopped talking, and no one spoke.

Finally, Jade prompted, "Cat?"

Cat distracted herself by sipping her tea. "Oh, you know. Just the usual."

"Um, that is not a satisfactory response. You have a lot of explaining to do. I feel like we haven't talked in forever," Jade remarked. "First, start with your brother. Is he okay?"

Cat sighed. "Oh, yeah. Frankie's definitely… himself."

"Oh, God, what'd he do?" Tori asked, already cringing.

"He was just really rude when I introduced him to Sam," Cat vaguely answered. She could tell they were waiting for more, so she elaborated, "He asked why one of her boobs was smaller than the other one, like two minutes after meeting her."

"Oh, shit," Jade scoffed. She was smiling, but they all knew it wasn't funny. "Did Sam get pissed off and go on a rampage or something?"

"No," Cat snapped, slightly offended by the assumption. "She ran to the bathroom crying. He hurt her feelings."

"That is a pretty messed-up thing to say," Tori put in.

"She wore her tighter sweatshirt that day, and I knew you could tell a difference, but I expected people to be polite enough not to mention it," Cat explained, feeling guilty for not saying anything. "But Frankie's… Frankie."

"Did Sam meet your parents?" Tori wondered.

"Yeah. It was really awkward. My dad warned Sam about his shotgun and tried to make us sleep in different rooms," Cat mumbled. That had not been a great night.

"Tried to make you?" Jade echoed. "So, what, she snuck in?"

"Ugh." Cat held her head in her hands. "It's complicated."

"Come on, Cat," Tori pushed.

Cat sighed deeply. "At first, she snuck in; yes. My dad found us in bed together—we were just cuddling—but then he literally dragged Sam out of the room," she explained. "It gave Sam a panic attack. And he was basically just too scared to take me away from her after that. We only stayed that one night, anyways."

"Huh. Must've been hard to abstain for your whole trip—you two are always fucking like rabbits," Jade remarked teasingly, trying to lighten the mood. "How'd you manage to do that?"

Cat sipped her tea. Then, avoiding their eyes, she revealed, "Oh, we didn't."

"You didn't what? Have sex?" Jade asked, wondering if she'd misunderstood.

"No. Abstain." Cat finally met her eyes. "We did have sex. More than once. Not that you guys even need to know."

"Yeah, she sent Sam those pics, remember?" Tori spoke up.

"Oh, yeah. Totally hot, by the way," Jade smirked. "Wanna tell us the story behind those?"

Cat blushed and didn't speak.

"Cat, come on. Were you just, like, sexting her, or..?" Jade questioned.

"Not exactly. We were on the plane, and—"

"Mile High Club?" Jade interrupted.

Cat took a breath and continued speaking. "She was in the bathroom, and we were sending pics back and forth. But then all the flight attendants walked away for a minute, so I went into the bathroom with her, and things, um… happened."

"You actually had sex? In one of those tiny little airplane bathrooms?" Tori scoffed. "How'd you even manage that?"

If they wanted details, Cat would give them details. "Well, most of it involved Sam fucking me up against the wall," she openly revealed. "She was on her knees for a while, too. Is that enough information for you?"

Tori didn't answer. She looked uncomfortable.

"That… actually sounds pretty hot," Jade admitted, chuckling. "But wait—you said you had sex more than once. When was the other one?"

"My parents' house. Their guest room. With my dad one room over," Cat mumbled, a bit sheepishly. "Yeah, that one… wasn't planned."

"That's really risky," Tori remarked. "I've only ever had sex with my parents in the same house, like, twice."

'"Yeah, I didn't exactly see it coming," Cat admitted sheepishly. "I woke up to Sam going down on me and I couldn't really stop her at that point. It was, um… a nice way to wake up."

"Jeez. Is it weird that I'm kind of jealous?" Tori asked, only half joking. "Dylan's never done anything like that for me."

Jade laughed. "Just shove him down there next time. He'll get the idea."

"Sam still doesn't let you touch her, huh?" Tori asked.

Cat wasn't shy about most things, but this was a bit of a sensitive subject. Still, she trusted her friends. "Oh, um… no, she does. Just with my hands, though. And she never lets me look too close."

"Really? That's new," Jade remarked. "How'd you finally get her to let you do that?"

"We've been… experimenting," Cat replied. "The first time was really special. She'd never let anyone touch her before, so we took it slow, but… yeah. We made love and she finally didn't feel scared with me. I… I've really fallen for her, you guys."

"Aww, that's sweet," Tori smiled.

"Did you get her off?" Jade asked bluntly.

"Jade!" Tori scoffed.

"What? I'm just curious."

"About what?"

"About whether Cat's good in bed or not," Jade responded simply. She looked at her. "Well?"

"Well, we were… I mean, I didn't… I was just…" Cat struggled for words, then took a deep breath and mumbled, "Yes. We both come almost every time we have sex. Sometimes I do it and sometimes she does it herself. Happy now?"

"Huh. Maybe she'll actually let you go down soon," Jade commented.

"Um, yeah, we're not there yet," Cat admitted. She saw no reason to tell them about their previous failed attempt. "But I'm looking forward to it, if it ever happens."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are," Jade drawled, smirking.

Just then, Cat's phone rang. She pulled it out—it was Sam. She pulled it out and looked at the screen. Confused, she picked up the call and said, "Sam?"