Estrangement

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N: ANNOUNCEMENT! Please read first: BY SOME MIRACLE I have salvaged both Autumn Leaves and Estrangement! (Which is why I'm posting now in the middle of the damn night because I won't be able to wake up tomorrow morning). My flash drive broke and I hadn't backed it up on the computer for a couple months and lost everything. But THANKFULLY my meticulous habit of using the save-as function and never closing the word document has helped me...I was able to hit Ctrl-Z and get back all the chapters I had written (so far written 16 on AL, and 30 on Estrangement). In the case of Estrangement, one chapter has been permanently lost, but it was an unimportant filler with mild important info that can be written in later if needed. Thank god everything's salvaged (that includes Seeking Origins as well). So yes, this is the old chapter 25 and is now 24

Without further ado, praise the lord almighty, READ ON! Read on...I'm going to go laugh hysterically now and save everything onto a new flash drive.

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Chapter 24 (Hard Work and its Rewards)

As the days and weeks passed, Tori did the best she could at her job. Granted it wasn't much, and she learned it really wasn't hard to pick up the towels. Rather, she was getting used to it, just as she was getting used to the stench of the gym. Nancy and Melinda were still the nicest people at the job site, and she was so eager to start working with Melinda at the smoothie stand, but that promotion just wasn't coming.

She hadn't talked much with Trina, seeing her only on the 30th, when rent was due. She was able to pay it off, fortunately. Zack had taken her on a couple dates here and there, and was proving still to be a good man to have around. She was taking Trina's advice well and holding onto him, especially since she was also getting along very well with his son.

Jade had gone back to LA, but was still in contact via phone and computer, so it really was like she was still there. Tori had spoken with Courtney several times, though there still felt like there was a distance there just as there was with Trina. She hadn't had any real opportunities to grow closer to her.

"Another day another dollar," Tori tossed the most recent towel into the bin and made her way towards the laundry room of the gym. It was time to distribute fresh towels. As she walked, she passed a fellow employee on their lunch break. "Hey there Paul, I'm grabbing some fresh towels. Would you make sure to grab any that are on the floor till I get back?" Paul looked up from his half eaten sandwich and swallowed his bite. "Once you're done eating, of course."

"Sure. I'm just finishing up."

"Thank you." Nancy wasn't in today, but she was still able to be contacted in case anything went wrong. There really wasn't any issue with the gym, but there was always a possibility of something going wrong. At least, nothing in her department went wrong. Passing the smoothie stand, she smiled and waved to Melinda. The woman waved back. "Grabbing some fresh towels Melinda. I asked Paul to help out with any extra towels."

"You're going to be folding them?"

"Yes ma'am." It was a slow day. Not many people came to the gym on Fridays, which made it odd that there were so many employees. Nancy usually put more employees on the odd days though, using the slow days to help clean the gym up well.

"I'll be sure to let Paul know to clean off the towel racks in the weight room."

"Thanks again, Melinda." As she moved into the gym's laundry room, she realized that it was time for her break. She had a tendency to work through her break at times, though it was frowned upon because many companies implemented the 'pay for every second worked' policy. She tried to reserve it only to the slow days and didn't bother Nancy if she worked through her break. Sure, it meant she wasn't getting paid for whatever time she worked during break, but she didn't mind.

Most of the towels were dried anyway, so she spent a good ten or fifteen minutes folding. This left her with half an hour of break time. Around now was a good time to give Courtney a call, as she often tried to do during her breaks. Courtney usually was taking a break of her own at this time. Though she didn't have to work constantly because she owned the kennel, she still maintained it daily and did the work with her employees.

Once Tori had the towels distributed to the main room, she moved to the café and called Courtney. "Tori? What do you need?" Courtney's voice was frantic. Tori jolted up, her state of calm almost instantly diminishing as she worried about what could be wrong.

"Just saying hi. Is everything okay?"

"Sorry about being short. One of my workers left the kennel open and the dogs are everywhere. I'm having a bit of an issue here. Trying to round them up and keep them from getting outside." Tori's eyes widened and she instantly looked to Melinda, fretting as she tried to resist the urge to ask if she could help. With as pregnant as Courtney was, the woman didn't need to be running all over the place trying to catch every dog in the building.

"Where are your workers at?"

"They all left for lunch…"

"Do you need help?"

"I got this." Tori heard a crash, followed by loud barking. Tori moved her hand to her chest as Courtney started to groan. "Yeah…I'm going to let you go." When Courtney hung up, Tori immediately bolted from the table. She had to help with the dogs before they-or Courtney-ended up injured. At the same, she didn't want to upset her bosses by leaving early. She'd call Nancy and explain the situation.

It didn't take Tori long to flag down a taxi and head over to the kennel. She did contact Nancy, who wasn't entirely pleased that she was going to leave work, but she said she understood the emergency.

She made it to the kennel's front door in time to see a brown snout pushing the door open a crack. "Whoa there, not so fast." The dog's head poked out and its eyes gazed up at her. She pulled a rope leash from her pocket, having picked them up from the store while on her way over, and hooked it to the dog's collar. It was a sweet yellow lab with a brown spot on its muzzle. She rubbed the dog's head and praised it for being calm.

Making her way inside, she tried to drone out the sound of furious barking and yowling cats. "Courtney? Courtney I'm here to help!" She closed the door behind her and stepped to the side in time to avoid having a large orange cat fly on her head. "Okay, this can't be accidental."

"Tori?" Courtney stepped out of a nearby room, covered in dirt and smudges. Her hair was a mess. "Shouldn't you be at work right now?"

"I came to help, Nancy understood. What happened?" Courtney rolled her eyes as Tori pulled out a couple more leashes. They weren't entirely necessary as Courtney had a ton of leashes at her disposal.

"One of the workers left all the doors open." Courtney tensed and made her way to the orange cat, now clawing at the door. "Former worker, that is. I had to let one go last week because she wouldn't cut the phone use. Constantly texting and calling while working. I've even had complaints from people adopting, saying she didn't seem to care about whether they were adopting!" Courtney held the cat protectively and motioned towards the door she came from. "I've gotten most of the cats back in. Called the workers on lunch, they're going to try and get over here to help round off the remaining animals."

"How many are left?" Courtney rubbed her forehead and Tori followed close as they moved through a long corridor.

"About half of them." Tori could see all the dogs running past them, there were at least two cats in the hallway. One of which latched onto Tori's back. She winced as the claws dug into her. Thinking fast, Courtney pulled the cat off. They took the cats into the cat room and guided them into their respective kennels. "I normally keep the cat door locked and shut so that the cats can roam around this room freely…"

"That's good." The cat's room was large and full of scratching posts. It was almost like a house for them. "I guess we should keep them in the cages until everything's resolved?"

"Yeah. I see you got Silk." Courtney pointed to the yellow lab and Tori grinned as the pup gazed up at her. "I've been trying to get her adopted. She's usually shy, I'm surprised she let you close to her."

"What can I say? I've got a gift with animals."

"True." Courtney laughed. Tori pet Silk on the head and guided the dog to the back kennels where the dog kennels belonged. At the kennel, Courtney had at least thirty dogs and twenty cats. There was a bird room where she kept a few canaries and parrots, but only ten birds altogether. Her primary care was towards dogs and cats.

"The worker didn't let out the birds did she?"

Courtney's eyes widened and she let out an anxious shudder. "No, thank god. I don't want to be chasing the birds everywhere." They made their way out of the cat area and peered down the hallway. "Well, let's get the rest of the animals."

It was a while before the rest of the workers arrived to help, but when they got there, they were able to put the rest of the animals back in their places without any issue. The workers instantly went to making sure everything was running smoothly, leaving Tori and Courtney in the front room.

"Thanks for coming down to help out."

"It's no trouble." Tori rubbed her neck and chuckled as she tried to fight the worried thought of her sister getting pissed over leaving work early. "I don't think Nancy's going to be upset with me. It's Trina I'm worried about. She might not be so apt to believe I came to help you out."

"You discredit Trina too much, I'm sure she'd believe you." Courtney leaned against the front desk and tapped her fingertips on the counter. Her gaze drifted to the phone and her shoulders rose. "I'll vouch for you if needed, so don't worry."

"You will? Thanks." Tori leaned against the desk as well and watched some of the nearby workers cleaning up a mess on the ground that the animals made. "I guess I just worry because Trina's really toughened up. She's like…so strict."

"She's had it rough, sure, but she's not that bad. At least, I don't think she tries to be scary."

"Scary? That's an understatement." Courtney laughed again and bowed her head, still snickering.

"Believe it or not, she's toned down a lot. She wasn't herself back in college." Tori raised an eyebrow as Courtney lifted her head up. "You just have to know how to talk to her. She values family, values friends, and values hard work. Those are the key things. Before she got pregnant with Megan, she was a mess. Did all sorts of things that just-well, it was rough."

"I know she had a drinking problem back then-but that's about it."

"Yeah, you don't need to know everything, especwially since a lot of that life is over and done with. It is to the point she won't even drink without Emma, Kate, or Nancy around. She doesn't allow alcohol in her house either. Alcohol is a depressant, and when you're already dealing with depression, it only makes things worse. Way worse."

"Like how worse?"

"Like Kate and Nancy climbing out the window to keep Trina from freaking out over how she wound up on the ledge outside her window." Tori's heart stopped as Courtney crossed her arms and shook her head. "Trina. She is-she is a survivor. I will say that much. My brother really is a saint for sticking by her throughout college. I can't count the amount of bottles he's had thrown at his head or the amount of times he's picked Trina up off the street." Trina's heart sank slowly as she pictured the rough life Trina must have had during her first few years away from the family. How hard had she had it, really? She didn't know. "Devotion…if that's not love, I don't know what is. She finally shaped up when Megan was born and she got her bachelor's degree." Courtney scratched at her nose and narrowed her eyes, frowning at a distant memory. "I think back then, way back then-and do not tell her I told you this-a part of her really wanted to…she wanted to end it." Tori's jaw fell and her eyes grew large as her hand moved to her chest. "After the miscarriage, the stress of leaving her family behind when they probably didn't care, it was a lot for her. Summer was the worst for her because she didn't have school."

"Did she ever-did she ever try to-?"

"I can't say." Courtney pushed herself from the desk, sighing heavily. Her silence was enough for Tori to understand, seemingly she had her answer. "I can say there were times she broke down, wishing she stayed with you guys, wishing she could have talked to you about everything…A part of her always knew she couldn't."

"She could have."

"Yeah, but that's just it. It took two decades for you or even your mother to acknowledge it. I think that's what hurts the most." Courtney dusted her pants off and cleared her throat. "Anyway, thanks again for the help. I think you better get back to the gym. If you're worried about Trina blowing a fuse because you took off, don't. I'm sure it will be fine."

"Yeah. I hope you're right."

Tori cried almost the entire way back to the gym, and when she arrived, she made sure to toss a little water on her face and dry her eyes. She couldn't comprehend the fact that she'd never been there for her sister.

She wasn't surprised to see both Nancy and Trina when she got back. They were standing together, watching the door. Trina's hands were at her hips and her eyes narrow, while Nancy's expression was softer, more inviting. "Trina look-I know I shouldn't have run off like that." Tori pleaded her case before Trina had a chance to react, she didn't want to get yelled at. "It was to help Courtney. All the animals got out."

"So what you did was leave your job to help someone else with their own, separate job? That's it?" Trina crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "That's something you should never do unless it is a real emergency, Tori. I can understand wanting to help, but your job is important too." Tori started to frown, but was curious as to why Nancy was smiling.

"Don't mind her Tori, she just wants to give a riot act. She and I know you didn't do anything wrong." Tori perked up instantly as Trina closed her eyes and smirked. Nancy cleared her throat and stepped forward, clapping her hands together. "As a matter of fact. Because you've done such a good job the last couple of weeks, and shown some devotion to your job as well as a willingness to help out a friend, even though it's usually advised that you stick to your job and not help someone else in an entirely different job-"

"For instance, if the McDonalds next to us is having problems serving their burgers, you don't leave your job to help them in the line. They're not the ones paying you." Tori chuckled nervously and nodded, understanding the rule. "I am glad you were willing to help your friend-and maybe a little supportive since she is my sister in law." A grin stretched out on Tori's face.

"Right. So Trina told me to make this decision myself, we consulted, and think it would be a good idea to promote you." Her body froze and she nearly collapsed as Nancy's words struck her with heavy force. Her heart beat rapidly as she listened to Nancy and let her eyes drift to the café. Nancy followed her gaze and laughed. "I know you've been wanting it for a while now, and I think it's a good time to let you work the smoothie stand with Melinda. You'll train with her and be given a pay raise. Keep up the good work and you'll be rewarded again."

"Thank you!" She practically burst for the café, but stopped herself before rushing. Still she knew better than to run off while talking to her bosses. Tori's eyes drifted to Trina's, her heart skipped a beat when she saw a warm, almost serene expression on her sister's face. It looked like Trina was proud of her!

If Trina could do it, if she could survive after everything she'd been through, then Tori knew damn well she could make it. This was just the positive feedback she needed.

"Just don't start getting a big head yet," Trina advised, "It isn't an easier job than towel duty. You now have to deal with customers on a more friendly level. You've been a waitress, so you know how this is going to go…"

"Yeah, I know." She wasn't going to let it throw her off guard, though. "I'm sure I can handle the demanding customers just fine. The customer is always right, right?"

"Yes, and whatever the customer asks, you do, no matter how crazy the order sounds. Don't question them. If they want to put root beer in their peach and mango smoothie with an energy booster-then you put it in." She gagged at the thought and felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Why would anyone want-" She paused to see Trina lift a finger and smirk at her. Tori chuckled and crossed her arms. "Right, put it in and don't question. But seriously, does that happen?"

"Most of the time, no. It usually happens with the children that come here with their parents, but a lot of the patrons like to keep it the way the menu says. You'll learn everything from Melinda, though. Congratulations on your new position."

Believe it or not, this was her first real promotion at any job. It was also the longest she held a job, so there was definitely something to be proud of. "Thank you! I won't let you down, sis."

"Right. I'm…sure you won't." Trina flashed a smile and started for the door. She motioned to Nancy and waved at Tori. "Nancy will take you to talk to Melinda. I need to get back to the family. Bye."

"See you later, Trina."

Also the time gap kind of saves the filler 24. If you must know about the missing chapter it was essentially a date Tori had with Zack. Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter.