Estrangement

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:

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Chapter 28 (Trina's Offer)

Tori had the smoothie making process down and the menu memorized within three weeks. Approximately the amount of time it took Trina when she first started. Of course, the positive reinforcement from Melinda was a great help. She'd been able to focus primarily on the job, with the exception of spending some time on her dates or hanging out with Courtney, or even talking to Jade.

Sadly, Jade still had to stay in LA, but she was almost always available online or on the phone. Jade was going to try and come up in a couple of weeks to have another group session with Tori and Trina, to hopefully get them to really reestablish their connection as sisters. Jade did make a suggestion that they hadn't tried yet, and that was to build Trina's trust in Tori being around her family by letting there be supervised visits at first. Trina was still hesitant, and hadn't said anything about the offer.

There wasn't much time for Tori to think about it as she was so often busy with the smoothie stand. It was indeed harder work than she thought, especially on days like this day, when they were swamped by large crowds. Tori had to work fast to get the smoothies out before the customers started complaining about it taking a long time.

Not to mention the amount of stress she was dealing with in the fact that Trina was with Nancy, Kate, and Emma in the corner table of the café. They were watching the long line going all the way to the door. The problem here was that Melinda decided today, of all days, she was going to let Tori take the reins and watch as she served the customers. The sad thing was, she wasn't doing it as fast as Melinda was, but she was still getting them out without much issue.

"I want the banana-mango," Stated a mother of two kids. Tori rinsed a blender and smiled as the mother spouted off orders for her kids. "My son will have the berry burst and my daughter wants the peach sunset." She heard the daughter complain about wanting a different order all of a sudden. Tori cranked out the mom's order, the son's, then started on the daughter's. Of course, halfway through that, she heard the dreadful change.

"Mommy I think I'd rather the strawberry!"

"Oh! Ma'am, do you think you could change that?"

"Yes ma'am," Tori looked to Melinda with a frown as she dumped out the half made smoothie, rinsed the blender out and began working on a new bit. Then the daughter changed up again. She kept her resilience, but felt the burning eyes of everyone in the room. One of the customer's in the line shouted out a complaint to the woman.

"Hey miss! Tell your daughter to make up her mind! We all want something here!"

"Everyone will get a smoothie," Tori assured. She wiped her brow with her forearm and rinsed the blender out as the daughter made a final decision. Tori looked to the mother politely, then to the young girl. "Okay let me understand that order again. You want the Mango-passion fruit?" The girl nodded and smiled back at her. She wanted to avoid any further hassle for the customers still waiting. "Remember, the customer's always right, so I'll make whatever you like."

The young girl tapped her chin and an innocent look spread across her face. "Yes ma'am, sorry about changing so much. I'm sure this time! I promise." The mother was appreciative and Tori immediately went to work.

"Okay. I'll get it right out for you. Now, would you like milk with that?"

"Yes please. Also, ice cream?" The other customer grumbled a bit, but looked like he was cooling off now that the order was underway.

"Well then." Tori started on the smoothie and looked towards the ice cream as she prepared. "We have strawberry, vanilla, sherbet, and chocolate. Which one would you like?" She spoke calmly and clearly, not daring to show any frustration with the process.

"Vanilla please."

"Okay." She had the smoothie prepped and ready. The second she handed the young girl her smoothie, the mother and her son grabbed theirs off the counter. Tori rang up the price. "That will be 19.24. I hope you enjoy your drinks, and thank you for your patience."

"Thank you," The mother replied. The woman paid and moved on with the kids. Tori glanced over to Trina's table, all four women were watching her closely now. Trina twisted around in her seat and was hanging her elbow over the edge as her eyebrows arched high. Nancy only had to look sideways while Emma and Kate stared directly ahead. "Why are they here? It's making me nervous…Am I in trouble?"

She pushed them out of her mind as Trina turned back around. She continued through the customers, dealing with them as patiently as she could. It truly was difficult work and as much as she loved the smoothie stand and working with Melinda, she knew in her heart this wasn't where she wanted to remain for the remainder of her life.

Still she'd not managed to get anywhere near the college she wanted, so that was creating a bit of an issue. Everything was fine as far as her apartment and job were concerned, she was keeping up payments on her bills and saving up her paychecks the best she could. Her relationship with Zack was growing strong with every date they had, and Alex had grown close to her too.

Speaking of whom, as the line of customers came to an end, she was surprised to see them at the end. "Tori!" Alex waved. Trina looked back and pressed her lips together as the boy ran up to the smoothie stand. "Dad and I came to say hi, and to get a smoothie." Tori's heart swelled up as she gazed down tenderly at him.

"Well it's good to see you, Alex. What would you like?"

"Just a banana and peach smoothie, please!"

"I'll have the same," Zack chimed. Tori nodded and immediately went to work on the smoothies. "I worked at a smoothie stand when I was on that cruise ship. It was a good time."

"It really is a good job," Tori made sure they wanted milk, then poured it in. "I told you it's definitely more than I was making as a towel dispenser." True, when she got her promotion, she'd begun making close to twelve dollars an hour. "You meet a lot of nice people too."

"True." Tori poured the smoothie into the cup and leaned forward, handing Alex his. She smiled brightly as Alex begun sipping his drink.

"Enjoy the smoothie, Alex. Made with a little extra love too." Alex grinned as Tori leaned upright, hesitating for a second as her eyes drifted to Zack. She watched him pat Alex on the back, then began working on his smoothie in silence. Her heart began beating as nervousness descended upon her. Had the words come out of her mouth? She wasn't sure. The feelings she had for Zack and his son had grown to such lengths that it amazed her, she could be comfortable with them. "Here you are, Zack." She handed him the smoothie and started to smile as she gazed into his handsome eyes. When he reached for the cup, his fingers overlapped hers, sending a subtle spark through her body. "Enjoy the drink. I um…I hope you love it-like it!" Zack chuckled softly and nodded his head.

"I do. How much?"

Tori started to swoon, oddly enough. "A lot-wait a minute…" Melinda cleared her throat while Trina and the women smirked at her. Her cheeks flared up and she quickly moved to the register. "11.95…" Zack paid for the drinks then moved to a nearby table with Alex. She bowed her head, cursing mentally. "Wow that was stupid of me. I don't know what just happened…"

"You're fine," Melinda chuckled, "There are no more customers. Go ahead and take a break. You worked hard, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you…" She walked around the stand and started for Zack when she heard someone whistle. Her gaze drifted to Trina, who was motioning her over. She winced inwardly, afraid she was in a world of trouble for her recent slip up. "Hey Trina, what's up?"

"Have a seat, Tori." Trina motioned to the empty chair to her right. Tori sat down carefully. To her right was Emma and Kate, then Nancy sat straight across from her. "Let's have a chat."

"I'm not in trouble am I? I only just slipped up!" She leaned forward, growing more and more anxious by the second. "I just-I think I might-"

"You're not in any trouble, and how you feel about your boyfriend is not an issue here." Trina smirked knowingly as Tori sank back into her chair. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, still worried something was wrong. "I have to say, I'm impressed with how well you're working. You've shown a lot of dedication to your job. I am definitely proud of you in that aspect. I know other people are as well."

"Thank you." She didn't know who else Trina would be talking about besides Nancy, however. She looked over to Melinda at the stand and drew in a slow breath as she remembered what she talked to Kate and Emma about a few weeks ago. "Trina?"

"Yes?"

She was taking a big risk here, but it had to be said. The one thing she wanted to go to college for. She folded her hands on the table and met Trina's sharp gaze. "I love working here. I love working at the smoothie stand, but…but it's not where my heart is. I mean-it's not what I want to do with my life." Trina raised an eyebrow at her and started to frown. "I-I know you want me to be successful, and I want to be too. But I also think that I don't have to be successful like you, but in something I really want to do. I believe I can do it, and I know what I want to be, what my dream is."

Trina took a long pause of silence until her lip cracked up into a subtle smirk, surprising Tori. "I know. I wanted you to be able to make that decision for yourself." Trina clasped her hands together on the table and closed her eyes. "I also wanted you to learn responsibility, work ethic, the tools you need for survival in the real world. You need to have realistic goals and dreams with realistic ways of achieving them. I want you to be the best you can be in whatever it is you want to be. Why? Because you are my sister, I want for you the same thing I did when we were younger…That is why, I have an offer to make with you."

Tori's eyes widened as her heart began to pound. "W-What?" Was this another sign for Trina's trust? Was this another chance to prove something, or had she already proven it? She didn't know. "What is it? Do you even know what I want to do? I've been trying to get into a college…"

Trina brandished her hand in the air and shook her head, "You're not going to be able to get into college for a while, Tori. Even still, you'd have to pay out of state charges for at least a year." She slouched at the realization, ashamed that she'd forgotten about that fact. "Your best bet, to become an apprentice."

"Yeah right, I don't even know where to look for that…"

"Lucky for you-I do." Trina leaned back as Tori froze, speechless. "In fact, this whole time you've been watched by three mentors currently looking for an apprentice." Tori gasped and nearly jumped from her seat with excitement.

"What? Who are they? What trades?"

"That's my offer for you. For you to decide what route you want to go." Trina pointed to the others at the table and Tori felt a sudden shockwave hit her. Emma? Kate? Nancy? Were they the mentors? Her jaw fell and her body began to grow numb as Trina's lips turned up coyly. "Your expression tells me you realize…"

"You mean your friends-"

"Well it's one of three paths. You should know that I have connections as a CEO. I recognize your Hollywood Arts dream, the dream you had before that, and well, your current job. As it happens, and you're in luck…Take a look around. They've been watching and each are impressed with how well you've been growing."

She looked to Kate first. The woman had a gentle smile and a determined look in her eyes. She didn't know what her profession was, or even Emma's, but she'd definitely been curious. Kate took a deep breath as she locked her eyes with Tori, pulling her in and holding her gaze. "Tori, I'm a veterinarian. I know Courtney's told you a little bit because I help her out at the kennel." Tori's jaw dropped and her heart stopped in mid beat. How had she missed it? Kate even mentioned working with animals on that very first day! "I was glad you went to help Courtney out at the kennel, it showed a lot of effort and loyalty. Honestly? I know you wanted to be a veterinarian. I don't know if that's still your dream or if you want something different, but I'm offering to teach you and help you get your bachelor's degree." Tori's hands flew to her mouth and she resisted the urge to weep. Kate folded her arms on the table and looked over to Emma. "Who knows, maybe Emma will pull you in first."

"E-Emma?"

Emma brushed her hair back and nodded, "I'm the actress Nancy told you about on your first day of work." Tori's eyes widened as she instantly looked to Trina.

"I thought that was just a trick!"

"No trick. I'm Emma Ross, my mom and dad were famous actors. I work on Broadway now, but I am looking for someone to train that might take my place one day. I'm getting older and the people on Broadway are looking for fresh faces." How was that supposed to make her feel any better? Tori furrowed her brow and slid her eyelids halfway.

"I'm like the same age as you…"

"True, but you're a beautiful woman that the directors would love to have on stage. You need connection to be an actress, and it's something you've wanted, so I'm here to offer you the opportunity if you really want that." Tori pulled her lips back into a slight uncertain grimace. It was something she could contemplate, but at the same time, that dream sickened her.

"I don't know…" She turned to Nancy, surprised to see her in the same situation. She was starting to see these three now as a representation, symbolizing her dreams and where she was now. Whether or not that was the case. "Nancy? You-what are you offering?"

"Well you already know me," Nancy laughed, "General store manager. I just think it would be good to train you on management. Maybe you'd like to take over. Maybe in a few years, if all goes well, you can be a store manager too. Hell, even a franchise owner."

"All good things to consider," Trina pointed out. "I think you have what it takes and a willingness to learn…Kate and Emma seem to have observed it, and Melinda says you did a great job paying attention and learning the ropes with her. So I've decided…this is what I'm going to offer you, a chance to finally decide what it is you want to do in your heart. If you decided on something different, I'm sure we can arrange something-"

"N-No this is fine. I um…I don't know." This was a big decision for her. At the same she knew instantly where her heart was. She started to smile as she closed her eyes and thought of the sweet yellow lab at Courtney's kennel. "You know what? I do know. I've decided, actually." She took a deep breath and looked towards Emma. "Emma, I appreciate the offer…" Emma started to frown and nodded as an understanding expression grew on her face. "I-I know acting isn't for me. I've learned so much and I know that…well…I have to be honest with you. Chasing that dream got me to this whole mess-so much that it's just about traumatizing." Emma chuckled as Tori shook her head. "I don't want to go anywhere near showbiz. It's not my true goal anyway, it was just something I thought was good because I had a whole bunch of friends that thought it was-and it's a good hobby, but-not for me."

"I understand," Emma replied, "It's fine though. I'm glad you know what you want, and like we tell Trina…you're her sister, we're sure you can do whatever you set your mind to, just like her." Trina muttered and Tori smirked at her. "So what's it going to be, then? What is your plan? You could work your way to becoming a veterinarian like you wanted or work with Nancy on becoming a manager."

"I've really thought about this over the last month. Helping Courtney out and seeing just how much help she could use at her kennel-especially with a child on the way." Trina raised an eyebrow as Tori took a deep breath. She didn't want to be a manager, she didn't want to go that route as it was boring. "No offense Trina, Nancy, I kind of thing management and business administration is kind of boring…"

Trina stifled a chuckle as Nancy laughed, "It's fine," Nancy chimed. Kate smirked as Nancy playfully nudged Trina in the ribs. "So you want to work at the kennel with Courtney? Do you think she'd let you?"

"That's just part of it. I really want to be a veterinarian. I always have, and I still do." Kate's eyebrows shot up as Tori glanced with confidence in her direction. "So Kate, if you're really offering to teach me…I'd love to learn." She looked to Trina, half fearful of what her sister would be thinking. "If it's okay with Trina, because I know that means leaving the gym…"

Trina crossed her arms and huffed, "I was the one that made the offer, Tori. Of course I'm okay with you. You just need to understand that if you do this,, you're still expected to work hard, pay attention and do your best. I can't help you this time because this time I'm not your boss. Kate will be your boss, your teacher, and guidance." Trina shrugged her shoulders and closed her eyes. "Personally, I think it's better this way, and I think they agree. They think I'll be softer on you." She opened one eye and smirked. "They wish."

"I know. I know what's expected of me." She couldn't help but to chuckle. Though, as she looked towards Melinda, she felt a bit of sadness pull at her. "I feel like I just got started with Melinda, though. You think-"

"She already knows about this offer. She'll be happy for you because it is something you want to do. Right?"

"Of course!"

"Okay. Kate? When do you think Tori can start working with you?" Kate ran her finger over her chin and rolled her head to the side.

"You know what? I'm swamped at the office this week, but next week I don't have as many appointments scheduled. Tori, can you start first thing next week?"

Without missing a beat, Tori answered, overly eager to begin learning all she could from Kate. "Yes ma'am."

"Great! So you can come in Monday morning. Take this week to relax and prepare. I've got a lot I can teach you."

"Thank you!" Tori got up from the chair, ready to announce the good news to Melinda. She paused for a moment and turned graciously towards Trina. "Trina, can I hug you?" Trina shrugged and lifted her hand.

"I'd rather you-" Without further warning, Tori hugged Trina tight around the neck. The woman sighed and pat her arm, smiling softly. "Okay, okay, that's enough of that. Get back to work…"

"Trina I-I really appreciate this. I know this is a sign of trust, right? You trust me?"

"Don't get all mushy on me please…" Tori grinned as the others laughed. She pulled away from Trina and hurried over to Melinda. She couldn't believe her stroke of luck! This had to be the best day of her life, so far. When she made it to the smoothie stand, she saw Trina watching with a tiny smile. She was feeling more and more confident that her sister was slowly opening up to her, though not saying it outwardly. They were right, she just needed to give Trina time to adjust to her, to welcome her back in her own way. To be patient, Tori could do it, without a doubt she knew things would work out.

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Looks like Trina's finally seen some viable work ethic. Glad to see no one picked up on Emma, hah. Tori chose to go the route of Veterinarian, I'd say it's a good path. Now, Trina's just got to let her back in as far as family goes.