Estrangement

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:

Chapter 4 (Out of Options)

"All I'm asking for is an extension," Tori begged with her landlord, "At least until I can get another job somewhere." The landlord was a very shrewd and sharp-nosed man with thick grey hair and bushy eyebrows. His face seemed etched in a permanent scowl. "I don't have money right now, but I promise you I will pay as soon as I get a job! My mother needs medication and I don't have anywhere to turn to right now."

"Why should I give you an extension?" The man's arms were folded neatly across his chest and his eyes were narrow and cunning. "I've almost always having trouble or giving you an extension on rent. No more." Tori felt a sharp pang in her chest. She had to think of a way to convince this man to give her another chance, just one more. "The way I see it. I evict you, cut my losses and hire a tenant who can pay rent on time without missing. Besides, the money tenants give to me, I can use to make repairs whenever someone's in need of repairs around their house. So by you not paying me, you're really just shortchanging all the other tenants who might need assistance. Is that really fair, Miss Vega?"

"No, but…my mom needs shelter!"

"I'm sorry, Tori. I've given you and your mother plenty of chances." The man took a seat at his desk and folded his hands over his desk. You can't ignore the important things in life." Ignore the important things? Instantly his words made her think of her sister, and of her once best friend Courtney, Sinjin's sister Forgetting things led to consequences, and sometimes consequences were undesirable. "Now, you're being evicted. That's life, I'm afraid."

"I understand…I just-" She took a deep breath and moved her hand to her forehead, sighing heavily. "I knew my sister was right. I should have listened and not chased a damn fantasy…even now I still think it's good, but it's caused me so much." The landlord raised an eyebrow as she slowly rose and made her way to the door. "I understand, I'll just accept the consequences."

"Miss Vega, sob stories don't work on me. So if you're done talking-"

"Fine, I'm leaving. Geez. Thirty days, right?"

"Yeah, pack up and take your things. Sorry about your mother, hopefully you'll find her some help."

"Yeah. Right." What would Trina do if she came to her? Slam the door in her face? Most likely. "I know I can look up the others, maybe they'll be of help…" She didn't want to rely on a sister that she was half certain would throw her ass out.

As she sat out on the balcony of her apartment, she went through her old address book. The numbers listed were Andre, Robbie, Cat, but she didn't have Beck's anymore. Andre probably did, and as such, she contacted him first. Hell, Andre had been a musician, surely he could put her name out there for her.

"Hello? Who's this?" He answered. Tears of nostalgia ran down her face as she started to cheer inwardly, but remembered to speak up.

"Andre! Hey it's Tori!"

"Vega? Hey it's been a while, what's happenin'?"

"Oh nothing much. Look, I was wondering if maybe you could help me out. I know you're a big time musician and all, so maybe you could help me out with a job?"

"I don't know, Tori. I mean, I only had those two one hit wonders, I'm mostly just a street performer now." She cringed and listened as he apologized for the issue. "I didn't know you were still focused on singing. There's not much hope in that field unless you know someone…."

"I know. The problem is I just recently got an eviction, and I don't have money to fill mom's prescriptions, much less set up an appointment. I lost my last job too."

"Wow that sucks. I mean, I'm sorry I can't help you. It seems we've all got tough times going." She nodded and leaned back into her couch, groaning as she and Andre parted. Her stomach was knotted up with aggravation,. She had to think of some way that she wasn't going to have to fly all the way out to New York just to ask her sister for help. One side of her would expect Trina to welcome her with open arms and do everything possible to help, but on the other hand, she didn't expect to get anything at all from her.

Next on the list of people to call was Robbie, who informed her that not only was he unable to pull away from Las Vegas, but he was going through a divorce.

Robbie recently had an affair that cost him quite a bit, and his wife had not been happy with him. So whatever issue there was, he hoped Robbie could work his own problem out while she dealt with hers.

Cat was close, but the unfortunate issue with the girl was she'd sank so far into debt through having a party lifestyle that she couldn't help and risk throwing Tori under the same credit problems.

"Great, none of my old friends can help me out." The balcony door opened and Holly made her way to the set of chairs Tori was at. She looked to her mother with a sad smile, watching as the woman gazed over the rail. "I'm trying to find help, mom."

"Have you looked up your sister yet?"

"No mom. That's kind of a last resort." Annoyance laced her tone, which Holly appeared to pick up on. The elder woman slumped her shoulders and sloped her eyebrows. Tori heaved a heavy sigh and ran her fingers along her forehead. "Seriously though, mom. I have no means to contact her. I have no number for her, I don't' know her address, or even her married name." Holly winced once more. Tori thought on her words and smacked her forehead. Of course she knew Trina's married named, why the hell would she have forgotten?

"She married Sinjin, Tori. Don't you remember?"

"Well it wasn't like she invited us to the wedding, Mom! I'm pretty sure we were blacklisted." She narrowed her eyes and reclined in the chair. "We need to start packing, Mom. We'll find something…even if it's a shelter…"

"You'd rather be homeless than ask your sister for help?" She looked away and shrugged her shoulders. Holly raised an eyebrow and exhaled slowly. "Let me rephrase: You'd rather let your mother be homeless than to let her see her daughter?"

"Now you're going to guilt trip me? Seriously? This has nothing to do with you. I'd rather figure things out myself. In case you're forgetting, she cut us out-"

"And yet she accepted your father when he went to her! He apologized, wanted to be a part of her life, of her children, and she accepted him back. Maybe it took a little time, I remember him saying he had to work to regain her trust, but he did. So maybe, just maybe if you go back needing her help, she'll help us!" Her eyes fell downward and she folded her hands in her lap. Her mom was right, there was that possibility of Trina helping if she swallowed her pride. "What really do we have to lose exactly, Victoria?"

Tori gasped at the mention of her full name. She put her hand to her chest and shook her head. "I don't know Mom. I just…maybe if it helps you. I don't really think-I mean I'm sure there's another way. We just haven't found it."

"What is wrong with locating your sister and asking her for help?"

"Because! It's my responsibility, Mom! I'm the one taking care of you, I'm the one trying to lead a good life. If I have to depend on Trina then what does that say?" She heard the balcony door slide shut and looked back to see Jade watching them.

"It says you're accepting help from your sister," Jade replied, "Though I think she might have a lot of pride and aggravation too, I'm sure she'd help." Jade walked over and leaned back against the railing, staring at the two with a sad smile. "I um, I found Trina's address…among other things."

Tori leaned forward, grinning at Jade. She was eager to know how Trina was holding up in recent years. "What did you find out?"

"A full biography through a Wikipedia page…" She did a double take and was astonished that Trina would have a Wikipedia page about her at all. Holly's jaw dropped and Jade emitted a nervous chuckle. "I kind of already knew this, since I found out recently, but um…Tori, this is hard to say?"

"What? Is she alive at least?" Jade bowed her head and ran her hand through her bangs.

"Oh yes. Yes she is alive. See, I knew I needed to Google her name and knew it would be difficult to find her personal address because these types of people don't often put their actual home address down-"

"Jade. Get to it please." She was beginning to grow irritated. All she wanted to know was where to find Trina, and what she'd been up to.

"Well you see, about a week or two ago, I was working out at Gold's Gym, when they put the picture of the new CEO up in the room." Tori froze as Holly's eyes began to slowly widen. "It was Trina. She's the CEO of Gold's Gym. The one that bought out LA Fitness. She's got three kids, a husband who is a college professor at NYU, who is on the list of people being considered to be the next Dean of the university." Tori began to turn sheet white while Holly teared up, unable to comprehend the fact that Trina could have risen to such feats. "Apparently the biography said she worked pretty hard."

"You knew this but didn't tell me? Why?"

"Because I wasn't sure…I needed to find out for fact before I floored you with it. Regardless, I did find out where she lives. Though, she doesn't have an address listed on the Gold's Gym website, NYU's professors list stated Sinjin's address information, which is obviously Trina's, so…"

"She's in New York, then?"

"Yeah, in one of those upstate places…"

"Where? Queens? Long Island? Brooklyn? Bronx? Manhattan?"

"No, they live in a big house in Staten Island." Jade folded her arms and looked over to Holly. "I suggest we go see them and tell Trina the situation. Your mom needs help, and I don't see her turning her mother away. Granted, she might if it's nothing serious-"

"She's a CEO of a company, Jade?" Tori stood and threw her hands into the air, scoffing loudly. "She's liable to think we just want money!" Jade raised an eyebrow and Holly moved her hand towards her forehead. "Okay, so maybe we do want help with money, and I can see why she'd turn us away if that were the case, I would too if it were me."

"So don't go to her asking for money? Tori, what other options do you have? Just tell her the important stuff, like…the fact that your mom needs a doctor appointment and medication. Her Parkinson's and arthritis is getting worse. Think less about yourself or about what pride you have, and think of your mother. Not only does she have these problems, but doesn't she want to see Trina? Or those children of hers?"

Tori rubbed her neck and looked back to the door. "Well…" She didn't have any other option, but she didn't want to push her sister away any further than she already was by demanding attention. Hell, that was the reason Trina left in the first place, because she hoarded all the attention. Even when Trina needed something, it was almost as if Tori had intentionally tried to shift the energy in the room towards her. How was she supposed to face her elder sister now? After all these years? "If it's for mom…I guess it's worth a try. Jade, you'd come along, won't you?"

"To see you try to make contact with your sister?" Jade's growing smirk sparked a fearful sensation in Tori. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. Either way, I think I might be needed, so yeah…I'll be there."

"Okay, great." She looked to Holly, who had yet to say anything. The woman looked to be in a mix of shock and awe, and tears were running along her cheeks like streams of rivers. "Mom? You okay over there?"

"Y-Yes." Holly put her hand to her chest, curling her fingers beneath the collar of her shirt. "I just…can't believe my baby has become so successful in life. I…I…"

"Always thought it would be me."

Jade snickered once and Tori shot her a quick glare, "Yeah I'd like to see you say that to Trina's face and see how far you get with it. Her page said she worked pretty hard to get to where she is, and she's pretty sharp, so…she sounds like someone that doesn't joke around."

"I would ask what made her that way, but I have a feeling I won't like the answer."

"It's best you don't. Yeah. Anyway, let's get started packing…"

Because I leave tomorrow morning, I will post tomorrow's chapter tonight with Pariah. I don't want to leave you guys on this particular cliffhanger. So tell me what you thought of this chapter.