The Good, The Lazy, The Chaotic

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: This was inspired by some people at my new job, among other things, so here it is. Mainly, I want to apologize to a lot of my main readers, since moving in with my aunt and uncle and starting a new job, I've not had a lot of time to write-so bear with me please because I will get through my stories. Thank you and keep reading, and enjoy this as I believe you certainly will.

Chapter 1 (Start of Something New)

"Why am I still here?" Trina mumbled as she looked up from her laptop. All around her was the empty house she grew up in. Her father was home, but that mattered little since he was away in his study as always.

A scowl drifted across her face as her eyes moved back towards the laptop. "Because I'm not good enough to live by myself." She wasn't smart enough, her senses were so terrible she could hardly detect smells or hear people as well as she could when she was younger. Everything about her was less than perfect, and people made sure she knew it.

She'd been putting job applications in everywhere she could, having just graduated college with her degree in Criminal Justice. The problem was she wasn't hearing back from anywhere, and her father didn't care enough to get her a job with the police force.

"Find your own way", David would say. Still, even now she wanted a job that would bring in some sort of income, though she didn't know what there was she'd be good enough to do, or if there was any employer that would accept her.

Her goal was a simple one: Earn money enough to live find her own apartment while searching for a job in Criminal Justice. She hardly believed she could make it, so part of her questioned if there was any point in looking.

"Sure you are," Answered a voice from the computer. It was Cat, the one person that befriended her in recent years-despite the tumultuous years of knowing her and all Tori's friends.

Cat swayed back and flung her hair over her shoulder, speaking melodramatically. "I don't know where you get this lack of confidence." Trina's brow wrinkled and the corner of her lip twisted into a smirk.

"Where were you every time Jade said nobody gave a shit about me, and how many years have you seen how little my parents show any concern whatsoever for me?" Cat looked off to the right, twirling her finger absently in her hair while tucking the corner of her lip under her teeth. "I know you still remember Yerba."

"That was years ago Trina, things are somewhat different now…"

"No they aren't-they're worse." Trina poked a finger at the screen and raised an eyebrow. "Mom ran off and hasn't even talked to us since Tori graduated. Dad is even more reclusive and doesn't even want to be in the same room as me half the time-and don't even get me started on Tori. Jade was and is a terrible influence on her…"

She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. Tori was beginning to treat people like dirt much like Jade had always done. Trina felt it had more to do with the girl seeing that she could treat her own family like shit and get away with it, therefore she could do the same to everyone else.

Cat bemoaned Trina's words and shut her eyes tight, groaning under her breath as though she'd been struck in the gut. "Tori's just going through a phase or something, right?" The redhead opened her eyes and shrugged. "She'll come back around, right?"

Trina shot a skeptical look at the girl and shook her head slowly. "She sings in dismal bars, barely makes enough money to earn a living, relies on Jade to pay all bills for her, and still thinks she's better than anyone else." She crossed her arms and leaned back into the sofa. "That wasn't the Tori I knew before she met Jade. That was a slow transformation from a sweet little sister to a monster."

Cat hummed a bit and cocked her head to the right. "I know you and Tori haven't gotten along the last few years, but don't you think you're being a tad harsh?" She had to process the question for a moment, though the shock and absurdity of it derailed her.

"You were there for the big fight with Beck, her and Jade." She squinted and wiggled her nose at the cringing redhead. "'Harsh' seems light, don't you think? All those years of Jade's paranoia and insanity, and not once did Beck ever legitimately cheat on her. All those years-"

Cat raised her hand and Trina fell quiet. "I know, I know." The girl rubbed her temples, groaning softly. "Maybe…" Cat dropped her hand with a sigh and shook her head. "Maybe you're right, maybe some of Jade's manipulation and craftiness rubbed off on Tori."

Tori and Jade were roommates now, and Beck was out of the picture. "Tori decided against college, Cat." She heard a noise and looked over her shoulder at the door to David's study. Nothing was different, so she shrugged it off and turned back to Cat. "She tells me she thinks Jade's right, that even though I have a college degree, I'll never amount to anything. I'll always be dependent on Dad, and I'll never make it…"

Tori's own words were she thought Trina might spend the rest of her life living off David's money until the day he died, then if she didn't marry someone rich, she'd end up homeless or in a women's shelter.

Trina sniffled and ran her thumb across her eyes. "Maybe they're right," Trina gasped. Cat's lips parted and she shook her head. "I mean, all these applications and I can't land a job-I can't even get an interview!"

"Just keep trying."

"I'm close to giving up, Cat. You don't even know." She took a deep breath to steel her nerves, but it shook out upon release. Anger laced her words and tears stared to slide from her eyes. "Tori sings in bars, relying on Jade to pay the bills while Jade goes to college, and she has the nerve to tell me I'll spend the rest of my life dependent on a father that doesn't even want me around?"

"Trina."

"Fuck, what am I doing with my life Cat? Maybe they're right. I can't hear very well, I can't smell as well as I used to, and my resume is practically blank so I have no skills and just about any hick off the street could perform a job better than I can."

"Have more faith in yourself."

"How? Cat? How?"

"I don't know." Cat threw her hands up with an exasperated sigh and shrugged. "I know it's been rough, and I'm trying to be that supportive friend, but some things I can't figure out for you. I don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said…I'm sorry."

She took a few more breaths, mentally acknowledging her behavior was getting overwhelming for Cat. They'd only been friends for a few years-since the big fight that split Tori's friends apart after graduation-so Cat was still overwhelmed by learning so much of Trina's life in so little time.

"No I'm sorry." She spoke softly and closed her eyes. "It's hard. I'm feeling sorry for myself and I shouldn't. I'm not trying to take it out on you or put it all on your shoulders, I just-"

"It's okay." Cat smiled softly and the moisture in her eyes glistened beneath the light. "I know it's difficult. Going your whole life feeling like your family doesn't want you…" She put her hands to her chest and shrugged. "Look at me. I went through the same thing when my parents took off with my brothers a few years back. So I get that, I do."

Cat lowered her hands and turned her eyes to the right. She sniffled and dropped her shoulders. "I mean, maybe I was a part of the problem back in high school when Jade and the others treated you like trash, and I'm sorry." Trina pressed her lips together and watched as Cat's eyes drifted back into hers. "I'm sorry that I saw them taking advantage of the fact that Tori and your parents could step on you like they did, and I did nothing to stop that."

She ran her hand along her arm and shut her eyes, taking in Cat's words as they calmed her spirit. "I'm sorry I was a part of the blows to your self-esteem, your confidence, but that's the past. It can and will get better for you, you just have to see."

There was a prolonged moment of silence before she felt like speaking up again. When she did, her voice was quiet and trembling. Tears dripped from her chin and she wiped her eyes. "You know something Cat?"

"What?"

"My dad…when I was younger. He was abusive, but only to me. Mom didn't care, she never cared." Cat's eyebrows moved together and her lips twisted. "That's why Tori felt like she could get away with it-because that's all she's ever known." Trina wiped her cheeks and took a deep breath. "All she's ever known is 'it's okay to beat your sister, it's okay to tell her no one loves her because no one does.'. It's not her fault."

"It's not excusable."

"It isn't her fault."

"It's still not excusable, Trina."

"My own grandparents never wanted anything to do with me." Trina wiped her eyes with her shirt sleeve and cleared away her throat. "G-Grandma told me once…there was something wrong about my being born. That it wasn't right and she hated me because of it."

Cat shook her head and Trina could hear her clicking her tongue off her cheek. "Oh Trina. You had no control over how you were conceived. You have no control over how your parents or your sister treated you growing up." She put her hand over her chest and gasped out. "You have every bit of control over your future and where your life goes."

"You don't understand. I'm not worth anything to anyone." Trina looked to her phone on the end table and a wrinkle popped up on her forehead as her hands trembled over the computer keys. "How could I even hope to get a job when I'm so utterly incompetent?"

"I'm sure something will pop up."

"All that's been popping up have been HR emails saying they've gone another direction with candidates…"

"Don't give up Trina, you're going to find something. You just need to have patience."

"Even if I did get something, once someone better comes along-"

"No!" Cat pointed at the screen, causing Trina to flinch and jerk back. "Don't you talk like that. You don't even know how you'd perform on a job. Don't you dare sell yourself short before you're even given a chance to show what you've got."

"What I've got is a bunch of rejections." Just then her cell phone lit up in the corner of her eyes. She grabbed the phone and raised her eyebrows when she saw a text message from a number she didn't recognize. "Hold on. I just got a text…"

"Alright."

She checked the message and her eyes started to enlarge.

From Subway Restaurants, we want you to come in for an interview tomorrow at eleven AM. Please text back yes or no to confirm.

"What is it?" Cat's eyebrows rose as Trina continued to stare at the phone, too shocked to move. "Well?"

"I-I got a text for an interview." She didn't know companies sent text messages, so this was a first. She wasn't sure she'd be hired, but it felt like a start. Cat cheered for her, drawing her attention back to the computer. "At Subway though."

"It's something, Trina. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"But it's-"

"Give it a shot. Maybe it will turn out well."

Trina smiled back at her and nodded gently. "Yeah." She glanced back at the phone and started to type 'yes' in the response. "It might."

So the tone of the first chapter kind of sets up a little of the background, but not the overall theme of the story. The idea follows Trina as she begins work and tries to make something of herself despite her own feelings of inadequacy. That holds her back from her goal obviously. Some things that happen will give her confidence, plus some coworkers here are based off coworkers I've actually had-some of those have ended up being enough that I wanted to write a story about them. Here, enjoy