Crumbling World

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: IMPORTANT: Okay this update comes with a notice that I think is important to make to avoid any confusion and to discern the difference between pairing and plot piece. Something that may actually become obvious as you read this chapter. There will be no romantic pairing between Trina and Sikowitz, none whatsoever. The incident that occurred between him and Trina in the year 1994 serves as a source of conflict and tension in the story. The students and people that judge Trina and Tori, the people that make fun of them do so knowing that she, as a teenager, had sex with a teacher and produced a baby, Tori. Rumor mill and gossipers are some of the deadliest things around, after all. The ex-boyfriend mentioned in Sikowitz's entries will likely serve as a potential, exclusive love interest for Trina; and he is not an OC...and to my regulars, neither is he the person usually paired with her (Obviously, since she's about 29 here and that guy would be ten years younger)

Chapter 3 (Cruel Fate)

Beck looked into the rearview, squinting at the pair of headlights behind him. Since he left, they'd been following him. He wasn't entirely sure who it was, but if any guesswork occurred, he'd say it was Sikowitz.

Sweat trickled down the side of his face as he started pulling up to a stoplight. The light was yellow, coming extremely close to red. "Not stopping." It was crucial he give this information out; but two whom? In the height of impulsivity, Beck failed to consider the source. "No way I'm letting this bastard keep working as a teacher."

He was furious, and in part he knew revealing the news might reveal Tori as Trina's daughter-and the spiteful part of him didn't care. At the same time, there was a bigger part of him that was pissed at Sikowitz for all the lies and the countless students he likely abused. This couldn't stand, he needed to expose the man regardless of circumstance.

"Fuck it. Sorry Tori, sorry Trina." He slammed down the gas and shot past the streetlight. Headlights flashed in his passenger side windows and another driver punched their horn. He flicked his gaze up to the rearview and a tightness struck his chest when he saw the pair of headlights behind him run the red light. "Fuck!"

Beck turned swiftly onto another street and reached into his glove compartment, frantically searching for a recorder he'd put in about a month back. There was a great fear growing in him and he needed to ensure he was heard. Beck fumbled for his phone after turning on the recorder, he saw a text from Andre saying he was calling the police about what they discovered. Good news by far, but still not enough. The police weren't going to do a damn thing right now; and he wanted to know results would be immediate.

So he called Sinjin, who was busy doing some sort of live late night internet broadcast where Beck knew he was interviewing Principal Eikner about his job description. Hopefully, Sinjin would pause his broadcast long enough to let him talk to Eikner, and Sikowitz would likely lose his job the next day. It would be a faster operation than the police, who couldn't force him out of his job right away.

Glancing back at the rearview, he saw the headlights bearing down upon him. He grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes as Sinjin's voice came over. He heard something about 'special guest' and a noise that indicated he might be on speakerphone; but he thought little of it as his mind was focused on his escape. "Sinjin, I need to talk to Eikner."

"I'm right here Mr. Oliver," Eikner responded. Beck turned his eyes to the road, scanning the darkened streets for any escape route. "What is it?"

"It's about Mr. Sikowitz. He's not the teacher you think he is." The headlights grew closer and Beck let out a yelp as he slammed down the gas pedal. "I found his journal, and I even have a yearbook from '94. You know Trina Vega? She's really like twenty-nine, just looks young…you can find her in the '94 yearbook."

"Okay?"

"Mr. Sikowitz is a student-fucker, and Trina is the cheerleader mentioned in his entry as cheating on her boyfriend with him. She might be Tori's mother, I think." There was an eerie silence, where Beck couldn't be certain if he was believed. "I have the proof in my car. I'm trying to get away, but I think Sikowitz may be following me."

"What are you saying?"

"I might have let on that I knew." Beck started muttering to himself as his eyes caught the glimpse of a ramp entering the nearby freeway. Immediately he regretted taunting Sikowitz. Initially he was going to try and get to the police department, now he thought it would be better to get to Sinjin and Eikner. Still, he could do nothing until he actually got away from the teacher behind him. Beck stuck his head out the window, shouting at the car. "Get away from me, bastard. It's already too late! Andre called the police."

He saw Sikowitz through the windshield, his eyes were wild and filled with a rage he'd never seen in the man. Beck gasped and yanked his wheel to the left. His body jerked with his car into the lane going on the ramp, just in time for Sikowitz to miss it. "Yes!"

Pressing down on the brake, his body began to relax. "I found in Sikowitz's journal. Girls were drawn to him, coming onto him; and he would flirt back. He played around with the idea of forming relationships but it seems like he didn't cross the line until Trina…They had sex, he wrote that she consented; but we all know the statutory laws. Whether or not she instigated it doesn't matter. He didn't stop."

Beck looked to the access road next to the freeway and his heart stopped. Sikowitz's car was still following along at high speeds, and another on ramp was coming. He spoke swifter, trying to give Eikner every detail he possibly could. "She ended up pregnant, didn't know who the father was; and the baby was born around the same timeframe as Tori's birthday. Further entries suggest Sikowitz didn't stop his affairs with his students. He might have felt guilt, not sure though."

"This is…" Eikner breathed in sharp. "…A lot to take in. You say you have the journals with you?"

"Yeah, and even more, I checked the yearbook copy he has. Trina wrote in it, saying she hated him. Why would she do that if she wasn't-"

"It might be a good idea to cut this short, Mr. Oliver."

Sikowitz was behind him once more, filling him with a greater sense of fear and panic. "No please! Help me. Call the police." He told them the highway he was on and the direction he was going. "God I hope he doesn't have a toll sticker or something…"

There was potential to escape via the toll road. If Sikowitz was willing to chase after him and pay for a toll, then that was one thing. He zipped past several cars, now driving close to ninety miles an hour. He didn't think the rust-bucket Sikowitz had could keep up, but when he checked the mirror, Sikowitz was fast on his heels.

"Oh please no. Oh god no."

"Mr. Oliver! Whatever is going on, it's not worth it. Throw out the journal, do whatever it takes to get that man away from you and you out of danger."

"I'm not sure I can do that." He took the curved ramp towards the toll highway, screaming at the top of his lungs as he jerked the wheel to keep from hitting the stone barriers. "He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!"

"How did he even know you knew?"

"I taunted him before leaving. I was impulsive." Tears filled his eyes as he slammed down the gas. "God help me, what have I done?" There was another long pause, and all Beck could hear was the sound of his own heart beating. "Mr. Eikner? Sinjin? Are you guys still there?"

His world seemed to grow as dark as the skies around him, and panic flooded his veins worse the longer he waited for them. Eventually he could hear them murmuring, with Sinjin uttering curses. "Beck, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, man."

"About what?" Beck shifted his gaze to Sikowitz's car behind him, the vehicle was powering down the lane and now moving at a much faster pace. "Sinjin? What is it?"

Sinjin's voice trembled. "I-I forgot to stop recording. You were on speaker." Beck's eyes widened and the shock jolted him from reality, striking him just long enough for Sikowitz to strike the rear left corner of his car. His vehicle pushed forward, climbing over one of the stone barriers.

He let out a violent scream as his car jumped over the barrier and began to spin through the sky. "Help me!" He put his arms in front of his face and closed his eyes as the vehicle tumbled to the ground below.

Back at Sikowitz's home, Tori was getting ready to head on home. She preferred to heed her sister's urgent, if not overprotective plea for her to not stay out too late. Jade had fallen asleep on the couch, Andre was hiding out in Sikowitz's room, and Robbie was in the restroom. Cat had left already since she'd been dozing off and didn't want to fall asleep at her teacher's place.

As she slid off the couch, Jade awoke with a startling cry. Tori froze on the spot and watched as Jade clutched her chest and looked around. "What happened?" She furrowed her brow and her friend shook her head.

"I don't know. All of a sudden my chest hurts like I'm having a heart attack or something." The girl pursed her lip and her voice lowered to a whisper. "Hey. Where are the others? Beck's gone?"

"Not sure where he went. Cat went home cause she didn't want to fall asleep here. Robbie's in the restroom, and I'm really not sure what Andre is up to." Jade lowered her hand to the couch cushion and started to sigh. There was a distinct sorrow reflected in her eyes, concerning Tori greatly. "What's got you feeling down all of a sudden?"

"Like I said. I don't know. It's just a feeling." Jade scratched the back of her head and looked at the front door. "Have you ever felt like…when something ends, but you wish it would never end; and then someone slams the door in your face? Like it's officially over or something?" She was talking nonsense, and judging by the exasperated look on her face, Jade appeared to know it was all coming across gibberish. "How do I explain?"

"Maybe you just need sleep." Tori poked a thumb over her shoulder. "I'm fixing to head out, maybe you can join me." Jade's forehead crinkled and she leaned forward.

"Aw don't be such a spoilsport. The night's still young."

"Yeah, but Trina said she doesn't want me out too late."

Jade crossed her arms, shooting off a look of disapproval. "Trina's not your mom, Tori, she doesn't have to order you around and tell you when you need to be home."

"I know that, but I still want to respect her wishes." She pulled her purse strap over her shoulder and Jade gave in with a shrug. "Besides, I got a text from her saying Dad got called out to a crime scene. She's up by herself at the house. Mom's not even home."

"Really?" Jade looked at the clock on the wall, arching a brow high. "How is your mother not home?" She didn't want to say what she thought; and that was that Holly could be with Detective Malone. At the same time, that affair ended some time ago, and he was probably with David at the moment.

"Couldn't tell you." Jade's phone chimed once more, so she pulled it from her purse and checked it. The message was from a number she didn't recognize, though within the area code. When she read it, a thickness descended over her chest and her blood began to boil.

Your mother's a whore.

"Asshole!" She started to text back in defense of her mother, despite slightly agreeing. That small bit was only a result of her mother's affair with Gary, and nothing more. Jade's brow furrowed and the girl waited calmly as Tori's fingers moved furiously along the screen. "My mother's no whore," she responded, "Plus, she's not seeing Detective Malone anymore either!"

She huffed and pushed the phone back into her purse. Jade leaned forward, pointing at the purse. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," she remarked. She didn't want to think of any drama, and besides, it was just one random text message she didn't quite understand. "Anyway, if Trina's by herself at the house, she's probably up worrying. I think it'd be better to go on home. We could watch a movie or something when we get back to my place, if you wanted?"

Jade smiled gently and looked over her shoulder. "Are you sure? You want to leave the boys here with Mr. Sikowitz? He might bore them to death, actually…with all the books we found."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. I don't want to keep my sister up too much longer than she needs to be." Jade yanked her jacket off the couch and pushed an arm through one of the holes. They made their way to the door and paused to glance around. "We'll text them that we're heading back home."

So it appears Beck has unwittingly let the viewers of Sinjin's late night talk show know some crucial details, and he's gone. You may be the judge of whether he did the right thing or not, or if his intentions were in the right place. What are your thoughts throughout the chapter?