Lessons in Humility

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: This tale will be in Tori's perspective, however this first chapter serves as a precursor and an "introduction" of sorts to the timeline and characters around her. For intents of this story and understanding, this chapter is in Trina's perspective around the time that Tori will show up. I got inspired by this idea while at work with my new career that I love with the school district.

Chapter 1 (Turning Tables)

Trina studied herself in the restroom mirror, sighing heavily as she washed her hands and arms. The 'dirty' part of her job was over, so now she could get back to the fun part of it. Of course, she was distracted by the lights needing to be replaced, so she'd have to get to those soon enough.

Some classes were running late, so students were still running about in the school. It made things a little more difficult since she had to watch out for them. As she adjusted the badge she wore like a badge of honor, her picture and the name reflected the lights above her.

The District had been good to her. After a long run of bad luck and serious downfalls, she finally had a career that was worth something. The job carried two weeks of vacation time, which rolled over along with the five days of personal leave and five days of sick leave. She had weekends and holidays off, though she still had to work in the summer.

It came with friends as well, people whom she never expected to be friends with. Granted, those came from teachers who were appreciative of her work.

She pulled her long hair back into a ponytail, not wanting to have it constantly falling into her face or getting into any of the chemicals she worked with, then went to adjust her uniform that proudly boasted her school district on the left chest. The uniform was a light tan button up shirt that she tucked into a pair of jeans.

As she stepped out of the restroom, she pushed the door open slowly and paused when she heard a child's laugh. With a smile she poked her head out and watched as two children whizzed past her. "Don't run in the hall!" Called a teacher.

She turned her eyes towards the teacher, an exasperated woman with a light complexion and dark hair. The woman smiled at her and began moving towards her, her long black skirt caressing the floor. "Sometimes these kids are a handful, Trina." Trina chuckled softly and looked in the direction of the first graders, now drinking from the water fountains. "It was movie night in my class today."

The woman's face turned apologetic and Trina turned to her, knowing what this meant. "Let me guess, snacks all over the floor and paper everywhere?"

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for." Trina picked up the vacuum canister and began to attach it to her back. As she fastened the strap, she looked up at the teacher with a soft gaze. "Honestly, vacuuming is the most peaceful part of the job, Jade." Jade chuckled softly, moving her hands towards her waist and nodding.

"We're glad to have you, Trina. You know, the other custodian here does a decent job, but she doesn't seem to put in as much effort into it."

"You know I have my pride." The job entailed several tasks which she loved, tasks that were who she was. She'd never discovered until some time ago that there was decent opportunity out there for people that enjoyed fixing things or cleaning things up. It had been a secret love of hers so long ago, whenever something broke down she wanted to be there to fix it; and whenever there was something out of place or a mess nearby, she couldn't sit still until it was clean.

"Yeah I know." Jade dropped her arms and looked past her for a moment. "I said no running in the halls!" Trina turned around and watched as the two first graders stopped and began to walk. With a sigh, Jade reached up to her forehead and stroked it. "Remind me never to give my students sugary snacks coupled with sugary drinks."

"Some lessons we learn the hard way."

"Tell me about it." Jade looked to the trolley full of cleaning supplies and pointed to Nature's Miracle. "You might need that cleaner for some spots in there. They had candy." She'd get to Jade's room when she got a chance, fortunately for Jade, her classroom was on the section being worked today.

After a second, she caught Jade eyeballing the vacuum cleaner and stroking her chin. The girl's brow furrowed and she eventually shook her head. "How on earth do you manage to carry that on your back? It must be heavy."

"It's not horrible, but I will admit some schools have crappy ones that do weigh you down. I empty this thing out every night…plus, you carry this thing around enough times, you start to get stronger and more used to it." Jade closed her hand beneath her chin and started to nod.

As she grabbed the plug-in for the long extension cord trailing from the machine, she began walking towards the classrooms. Jade walked with her, carrying the cord as it trailed behind her. "So, how are your studies going anyway, Trina? Pretty good?"

"Getting there." She already had a bachelor's degree, but it was in a subject that her heart wasn't really with. At this point, she was in the maintenance side of the school district, and studying to get a certification in one of the most lucrative trades they had. "HVAC is a hard one to learn, especially when you work evenings and just want to sleep during the day."

Jade laughed. "I hear that. Twelve years ago, I would have thought you were lying when you said you wanted to go into that."

"Yeah, I never wanted people to think I was stranger than they already did by admitting I liked that kind of work." Trina stopped outside Jade's classroom door and turned to her with a slight shrug. "You got to admit, back then I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life or where I was going."

"You did have a tendency to push for the wrong things. I know I was always mean about it, I could have been a better friend back then. Maybe even helped you figure things out, you certainly aren't the only woman in the world that loves working with her hands and isn't afraid to get dirty."

"Well, in your defense, you were going through some shit back then." Trina smirked and Jade let out a heavy sigh.

"Quit excusing bad behavior and using my circumstances in life as a means of explaining away horrible actions. I tell my children all the time, they won't get anywhere in life if they treat other kids with disrespect or by bullying others. I was a bully then, and you know I was."

"You had your reasons."

Jade wagged a finger at her. "Stop that, I said. There is no excuse to treat someone so horribly." The woman dropped her hand and bowed her chin a bit. "I learned that the hard way. Good thing Beck stayed by my side." Jade wrapped her arms around her waist and looked away. Trina felt a tension build in her chest and she reached out, gently placing a hand onto Jade's shoulder.

"It's alright, Jade." Trina looked around as Jade dropped her shoulders. "Where is Beck, anyway? Usually once school lets out, he comes straight for you." There were exceptions, like his class taking a bit longer than usual.

"I think he's cleaning up a bit. He's got his students working on an upcoming school play." Jade's face brightened up and Trina was happy to see the brightness return to her gaze. "He's got them doing Shakespeare, I believe he said he was going to do Hamlet. He wants us to come see rehearsals sometime, and he's also trying to get old Mr. Sikowitz to stop in."

"Really? Again?" When Beck became a drama teacher for the elementary school, he'd always been trying to impress his old mentor. He seemed to have forgotten the cardinal rule of Mr. Sikowitz's class-if you have to ask for approval, you're not doing well enough; and strangely enough, Mr. Sikowitz never stopped in. "Maybe he'll have more luck this time."

"Maybe. No one's perfect, he still blames himself for that fiasco back in the day." Jade rolled her eyes. "He still hasn't gotten around to understanding the faulty wiring underneath the stage wasn't his fault."

Remembering properly what had taken place involved a deal of recollection because she hadn't been there herself. Apparently, Beck had been put in charge of the final school play of their graduation year, and went to perform it for Mr. Sikowitz. Mr. Sikowitz brought his family and sat in the front row, then tragedy struck.

A fire broke out from behind the stage, and that day the sprinkler system was being repaired, so they weren't operational. The fire spread quickly, causing the beams of an old stage to collapse. The curtains fell among the crowd, and flames erupted in the audience. Several people were injured, including Mr. Sikowitz; but a few didn't make it out alive, which included some members of the esteemed teacher's family.

He retired soon after, and to Trina's knowledge, never stepped foot in another school production, much less another school. The fire was so horrific they had to close Hollywood Arts for repair; and now, twelve years later, the school still hadn't been reopened.

"If workers hadn't shut off the pipes, the fire wouldn't have spread as quickly or fast as it did." Trina lowered the vacuum hose and furrowed her brow at Jade. "I never understood why he blames himself, that was an old auditorium and an old stage. Even the wiring was old. Everyone knew it was a deathtrap in waiting, but they kept carrying on. Even Sinjin once said he never wanted to go near it with a ten foot pole; and he worked for the school."

"I know."

Ironically, it was around that point of time that Trina started to become friends with Beck and Jade. The reason was due more to the guilt Beck felt, as she'd been dating one of the members of Sikowitz's family at the time, and that person did not survive. She never held Beck as responsible, and it felt as though she had to tell him that a million times.

"Anyway, Jade, my sister's coming to town." Jade raised her eyebrows and moved her hands to her waist. It had been a long time since anyone heard from Tori, which amazed the hell out of them. "I thought, maybe, we could all get together and give her a proper introduction?"

"I don't know. Beck and I are down for that, but the others might be a little iffy on the reunion."

"Why?" Trina laughed and crossed her arms, standing still as the hose attached to the vacuum tugged her back. "You were all her best friends."

"And exactly when was the last time she came to visit you or your parents? Hm?" Trina frowned and responded with a shrug.

"Doesn't much matter, I mean…She says she doesn't want to expose us to that life, and that she just wants us to have private lives."

"Uh huh." Jade's gaze flattened and her lips twisted a bit, a sign of her skepticism. "More like she's just staying away. I mean what, she's like a big time star now." Jade stretched herself to look taller and put on a smirk while walking on her toes. "Too above her lowly unimportant family members to talk to them, too good for the people she called friends."

"Oh Jade, I'm sure it's not like that."

Jade paused and turned back to her, gently wagging a finger in the air. "No, you were always that way. Even back then, every insult she hurled your way and every bad thing she said behind your back, you always tried to see the good in her. She was a good person back then, but you always let her talk trash, you always let her bully you. It was like, she could say anything she wanted and do whatever she wanted, and had no consequence for it."

Trina blinked, taken aback by Jade's words. She stammered a bit and cleared her throat. "Well, I mean, she-"

"Was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, sheltered by your parents and raised like every other kid out there at the time to think she could have everything she wanted on a silver platter and do whatever she liked without consequence."

"Aren't you being a little bit hard on her right now?"

"Not as hard as the others will be, she dropped us like a hot potato the minute she got 'discovered'."

"She just got busy."

"There you go again, excusing bad behavior." Jade took a deep breath while Trina cast her gaze downwards. After a minute, her friend sighed and slowly shook her head. "Sorry. You know Beck and I will be there, it will be nice to reconnect. I'm just being bitter." For Jade, it hurt the most when Tori left. There came a time when Jade truly needed her, truly needed a friend, and Tori turned her away.

This was during their college years, when Tori was discovered. Tori could be a bit on the diva side, but she didn't start out that way. At least, Trina didn't think so. From what she could tell, the change was a slow progression, where Tori eventually tapered off and stopped contacting her friends and family. She was a pop star now, granted not as famous as some, but still well known.

"Give her a chance, Jade. I think it'll be fine."

"Like I said…" Jade turned around and waved her hand in the air. "Beck and I will be there, but I make no promises of good behavior." Trina sighed and smiled as she watched Jade walk off. In the distance, she saw Beck making his way through the hall, tall and now with a beard to match his shaggy brown hair. He hugged his wife and paused to wave at Trina. Jade waved as well before walking off with him.

Turning back to Jade's classroom, Trina slowly opened the door. It wasn't as chaotic inside as Jade made it sound like, but she could see hard candies and chocolate wrappers strewn about on the floor and under the desks. Paper too large for the long, skinny nozzle on the end of the hose was also spotted in several places.

"Okay, here goes." Jade's room wasn't usually a mess like this, mostly because Jade taught literature and English. Jade herself was an author, though not 'best-selling', she wrote as a means of escape and loved to show off her novels to everyone around her. Even her students got to read her work from time to time, the lighter works.

That weekend, Trina gathered her friends at the usual table outside their favorite coffee shop. Robbie sipped on his coffee, while Andre and Cat shuffled through some paperwork. They were all educators, oddly enough, though Cat was the only one not working with the school district. She was a voice and dance instructor for a small studio she started some years back. She'd grown to be one of the most popular in the area and was doing well for herself.

Now married to Robbie, he was okay not being the breadwinner. Proud of his wife, he taught small arts and craft class in a junior high school.

Andre had possibly grown to be the most successful of the group. He was a high school football coach and piano instructor. He also wrote his own pieces and played in local venues when he had time. Trina loved going to his gigs, and the others were always present as well no matter what the occasion. He was a bit of a local celebrity, and the closest thing to a celebrity that any of them cared to be.

"So how do your parents feel about it?" Robbie inquired. He was talking about Tori coming to visit. They were on the fence, it seemed like, happy to see the daughter they hadn't heard from since she became famous; and at the same time, they didn't know how to feel about the visit. "I mean, she practically forgot them too, didn't she?"

"It's not like that, Robbie."

"No? Deciding she wanted to 'spare' you guys rather than share you with the world?" Robbie shrugged. "What kind of person rises to stardom and doesn't share her family with everyone? It's like she's fucking embarrassed of you guys or something." Trina ran a hand over her neck and started to sink into her chair. Part of her agreed with him, but she still held out hope that they were wrong.

Andre shifted his gaze from the papers he was grading and scrunched his face. "I mean look at my grandmother, Trina. She's psycho, but every time I play somewhere, where is she? Right up front in the best seat possible. All eyes are on her, and I know she's proud of me. Tori should be showing you guys off, rather than hiding you from everyone. You've got to stand up for yourself and your parents, they're not getting any younger."

"True…" David and Holly were glad to have Trina living nearby. They had the house to themselves, but in recent years their health wasn't doing as well as it could be, so they had Trina to call on if ever they needed anything. "I think they're happy to have Tori coming to visit, mostly because like you say, they're not getting any younger. Dad's nowhere the horse he once was."

The engine of a vehicle grabbed Trina's attention for the moment and she turned to see a rather plain white sedan pulling up. The others focused their sights on the car and Trina held her breath once she saw Tori inside and in the driver's seat.

It was a shocking sight, and one that struck her curious. She could see what appeared to be luggage in the backseat of the vehicle, and the license plate had a dealer's insignia on it. Trina stood up as Tori shut off the car and got out. She waved, but Tori flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked around.

"Damn agent couldn't get me a ride last minute, so I had to get a rental." Tori chuckled sorely and walked towards the group as they shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. Tori turned open a bright smile at them. "Hey guys! It feels like it's been forever since I've seen ya'll!"

Trina sat back into her chair and pulled back the seat next to her. "How have you been, Tori?" Cat asked with a mild annoyed tone in her voice. "Haven't heard from you in forever."

"Ugh I know, it's been so busy." Tori laughed airily, a sound that was strange to Trina's ears. "You know, do a show here and do a show there. Go on tour everywhere. Such hard work." Trina caught the rise of Jade's eyebrow and quickly interrupted before Jade had a chance to intervene.

"So Tori, what brings you into town? Can't say I expected you to drive up in a cheap rental."

"Oh god, I wouldn't normally touch the thing, but my agent…" Tori trailed off a bit, her eyes gliding to the right. "My agent just couldn't be bothered. You know how it is, assistants that never get anything right."

"No…" Andre shook his head slowly. "No, we wouldn't know how it is." Tori looked offended for a moment, so once again Trina dove in to try and prevent a situation.

"I've missed you so much." She started to throw an arm around Tori, but her sister ducked away and her face went sour.

"You smell like chemical." Trina blinked twice and a nervous chuckle fell from her lips.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't get a chance to jump in the shower this morning." Tori jerked her head back and shook herself.

"Okay, so don't touch me right now."

"Sure."

In the corner of her eyes, she saw Robbie lean in towards his wife and heard him whisper. "You think Trina would see what's going on here. Fame's got to Tori's head, and she keeps on trying." Cat shut her eyes and exhaled slowly.

"Give it time, she is her sister after all. I wouldn't want to give up on my family either." Trina smiled at Cat's response and shifted her gaze to Beck and Jade. Beck's arms were crossed and he'd grown incredibly silent; but it was Jade that caught her attention most. The woman was glaring daggers at Tori, and looked ready to snap; it was a sight Trina hadn't seen in such a long time.

"So have you stopped in to see Mom and Dad yet, Tori?" Tori shuffled through her bag and shook her head. Trina tilted her head a bit, growing concerned about her sister's wellbeing. "So, where are you staying right now?"

"Oh you know." Tori pulled out a makeup kit and began to paint her lips with mocha colored lipstick. "I'm in this big glamorous hotel downtown, I've got the best room in the house." Trina hummed and started to look around their surroundings. There were no paparazzi, no fans shouting and gathering in recognition of Tori.

Tori applied some mascara with a defeated sigh. This was another oddity, because Trina knew her sister well enough to know she never applied makeup in the public eye. It was already applied for her by people who worked for her long before she went anywhere.

"So, I don't think you answered, what brings you here?"

"Just missing my family and my friends." Tori laughed airily once more and leaned in, taking Jade's hands. "Jade, it's been so long, how have you been darling?" Jade whisked her hands away and twisted to the side, folding her arms across her chest.

"I'm fine. I'm teaching now, literature." Tori frowned as Beck announced he was teaching as well, then Robbie and Cat. Before Andre could speak up, Tori was looking at them all with pity.

"Oh I'm so sorry for you guys. I know you all wanted to be discovered, now you have to do such menial work. It must be awful."

Beck's chest expanded and a bulge formed between his eyebrows. "Excuse me?" Trina leaned forward, waving her hand between Tori and the others.

"Hey, Andre's become a local artist." Tori's eyebrows shot up and she looked at Andre with eagerness. Andre puffed up with pride, grinning from ear to ear. "He's not that well-known, but most people around here are quick to recognize him."

"So, wait, he's not become national yet?" Tori pulled away and Andre suddenly looked like a balloon had burst. "Oh Andre, I'm so sorry. You'll get there…" Trina was starting to sweat. The meeting wasn't going as well as she'd hoped, but she couldn't control how tense her friends were before they came in.

Tori meant well from what she thought, but they were angry and hurt. It didn't help that Tori just insulted their livelihood, whether she meant to do so or not. "Hey Sis, I've got an amazing career started finally." Tori flashed a smile at her, raising her eyebrows. "I'm working with the school district as an auxiliary custodian."

"C-Custodian?" Tori stammered a bit and her smile started to crack into a laugh. Trina leaned back slowly, her heart starting to sink. Jade's glare grew in intensity as Tori continued to laugh. "Of all the meaningless jobs out there, you're cleaning up after little kids now? I can't believe it!"

Taken aback, Trina looked away as her sister's voice filled the air. She was beginning to grow angry herself, and was holding back from snapping at Tori. To her, the job wasn't meaningless, it had purpose. She kept the schools safe and clean for teachers and students alike, and they appreciated her.

Hell, just the other day she had a second grader present her with a drawing that had a thank you note written on it: Thanks for keeping our school clean, Miss Vega. It was moments like those, and every thank you from a teacher that filled her with pride and a sense of belonging. She was worth something finally, and that mattered to her.

"Hey guys, you remember back in the day when she was always trying to butt into everything?" Her friends sank back, each looking back and forth from the other while Jade continued to stare Tori down. "She had no talent, but kept going at it. Never had a talent for anything, never contributed, and now she's got the most talentless and worthless job-"

"I'm sorry," Cat interrupted, "But what exactly what purpose does your job hold?" Trina rose her head up and closed her mouth. Her eyes were stinging and she was holding back the urge to cry, so Cat speaking up was a relief. "From what we see, nothing. You have no meaning, no purpose in life. We all do."

"What?" Tori jerked back, gasping in shock. "I provide music to thousands of fans that adore me."

"Really?" Andre chuckled and his expression grew dark. "One of what? Thousands of other singers?"

Jade leaned forward, her voice menacingly low and deep. "What fans, Victoria? You're a pop singer, do you know what that means?" Tori began to shake, her hand closed over the left and she bowed her head. "That means you're adored by little preteen children that, as they grow up, they're going to throw you away like a used ejaculatory cloth." Trina coughed as her sister's eyes widened. Jade smirked cruelly and narrowed her eyes. "You're a fad. You know why they call 'em 'pop-stars'?"

"Jade," Trina warned. It was to no avail, because Jade raised a hand to her and continued her fiery glare onto Tori.

"It means you pop up, have a little burst of fame for a few years. Your residue hangs around longer than you do, because you'll soon pop like a fucking bubble and fade away. Songs will stick, but you'll fade into nothingness."

Jade rose from her seat, towering over Tori and letting her shadow fall over her. "Meanwhile…" Jade put a hand over her chest. "We teach children, we teach them critical lessons and inspire them to grow up and do great things." Tori started to shake as Jade's voice rose. People were beginning to look over and Trina wanted to disappear from the scene.

"Your sister keeps our schools clean, functional, and in tip top shape. She's one of the most appreciated people working for the school district, her job is just as important as anybody's. She has finally found purpose in doing something she loves."

"What is this?" Tori scoffed and looked around. "You all used to insult her constantly, I mean-"

"Someone's got to stick up for her if she won't do it for herself. That is your sister, and you were always her harshest critic." Jade brandished her hands in the air, laughing out. "It's mind-boggling, because no matter what you do or say, she still holds out hope for you! Still believes in you, still cares for you. While you continue to insult her. You don't deserve a goddamn thing, Tori, and don't you go thinking you do."

"I don't need to be treated like this."

"Oh I think you do." Jade leaned in, poking a finger in Tori's face. "Because you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth. You were sheltered by your parents, given everything you could ever ask for, and even became the most popular student at school; and yet you weren't as much of a diva then as somehow you are now! You're a selfish, shallow, entitled piece of shit, Tori."

"No. No, I'm not." Tori shook her head vigorously and Beck started to reach up to his wife, gently tugging on the back of her shirt.

"Jade, I think that's enough."

Jade swatted his hand away, hissing angrily. "Someone has to put her in her place, and it might as well be me. If Trina won't do it, I will." Jade threw her arm outwards, pointing off to the side. "You might as well go back to your great and glamorous lifestyle, having everything catered to you and molded to your will. If you're too good for us, too good for your own family, then leave-because no one wants you here."

Finally lowering her voice, Jade sank down and leaned dangerously close to Tori. "No one likes you, anymore." Tori gasped aloud, freezing up like a statue. Her mouth hung open and a breathy sound came from her throat like a broken record player.

"Jade!" Beck stood up and wrapped his arms around his wife. "Come on, I think it's time to leave." He looked at Trina, who was on the verge of tears at this point. She was thankful for Jade coming to her defense, but at the same time, this was a horrible moment. "I'm sorry, Trina. I know you wanted this to be different, but your sister's changed too much."

"She hasn't changed that much," Trina whispered, "You guys just haven't given her a chance."

"No Trina, we did. You're just not seeing her the way we are, you've got your family blinders on. We understand, we'd want to see the best in our siblings and relatives too; but sometimes it's hardest to see them for what they become when they take the wrong path."

"No." Tori spoke finally, her voice calm and quiet. Everyone watched as she slowly rose up, her fists clenched her sides. "You don't have to go anywhere. I'll leave." Her voice started to break. "I-I don't know what I was thinking."

"Tori…" Trina reached up, placing her hand on her sister's wrist. Without looking up, Tori pulled her hand away and turned around.

"Leave me alone. I'll leave you all alone. I'm sorry I interrupted your lives."

As Tori started for her car, Trina jumped out of her seat and called out to her, but the girl quickened her pace.

Within the hour, miles away in a cheap and smoky old motel room, Tori sat on a dusty bed with a faded picture in her hands. The picture had a weathered and broken frame, and it reminded her of days long gone. It was a family photo, one that had been stuffed away in her belongings years ago.

She raised her head, her mascara running down her cheeks, and stared in the mirror straight across from her. Her heart was breaking and each breath fell from her lips as a mournful sob. She didn't mean all the things that came out of her mouth earlier, at least not horribly; but things came out wrong and she managed to insult everyone without trying. She didn't know the right things to say, after all she was too nervous and too proud to admit when things were crashing down on her. Part of her envied all of them, even her own sister, who'd become so happy and confident.

Her broken reflection glared back at her, taunting and ridiculing her. Questioning where and when things could have gone so wrong. After several minutes, she let out a horrific scream and threw the picture at the mirror, shattering both the mirror and the glass over the picture.

"Why?" She screamed at the busted mirror, tensing her muscles and clenching her fists. "Why!" Tori proceeded to yank the drawers from the dresser and knocked off the television.

Eventually, after trashing the place with the contents of her luggage, she came across a bottle of prescription medication. It was prescribed for panic attacks, an anxiety medication. She tore open the lid and grabbed several pills from the bottle before tossing them into her mouth and throwing herself onto the bed.

So we know something's up with Tori, we know a lot of stuff has happened since high school. Clearly. What are your thoughts? What will happen now?