Pariah of the Town

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N: This is a testament to my loyal readers that I appreciate very much (Invader Johnny, Fanfic-reader, Mai, etc), and new readers who I hope will enjoy this. This is literally turning the tables, and if you've seen Taken, the movie inspired the concept but that's not what this is about. It's not going to be action packed, but it is a search, a hunt for redemption, in a way. Read and see.

Chapter 1 (Jealousy)

Trina Vega. Sister to the ever popular student at Hollywood Arts, Tori Vega. She was two years older, a junior when Jade and the others made arrived into Hollywood Arts as Freshmen, sophomores when she was a senior. There was a time when she had it all. Friends, a steady schedule, and a black belt in tae-kwon-do. She even had a boyfriend who was a year older, Sinjin.

Sinjin stayed around, Jade knew he worked as a teacher's assistant, but they still teased him about it. He never acted like he cared. Because he worked for Sikowitz, the man to give him his big break, Trina came around often.

As a devoted student, Jade pushed herself to improve, but she hated to see the smile on Trina's face. The girl left a legacy as one of the top athletes in the school, though she often thought of herself a singer. Despite this, she was always surrounded by her closest friends. Lindsay, Salome, Bryan, Quinn, and Sinjin. It was Jade who was behind the fall that made Trina lose her friends, all except Sinjin and Lindsay. Unfortunately, Lindsay had moved to the other side of the state.

When she sent her sister in, Tori became what Trina had not been able to achieve, to be a singer. Someone was honing in on Jade's dream, and she hated it. It turned out there had not been a thing wrong with Tori, and the two quickly became friends, but she made sure to help Tori realize that she could not survive without stepping on a few feet, including those who helped her become who she was. Without her sister, she wouldn't have had the courage to set foot in Hollywood Arts, but Tori forgot that.

In the process, Tori let Jade and the friends get away with calling her elder sister names and poking fun at the girl. They did disrespect Tori's family, and Tori never did anything about it. Even after Trina graduated and started college, working towards becoming a police officer, Jade still scathed at her.

The woman always seemed unaffected, like Sinjin. The two must have known each other forever, they talked about things they did together on playgrounds when they were young. Jade didn't know the history, she didn't care.

In the hot and sweltering day in the beginning of May, Jade sat at her table with a smoothie. She figured the tables turned when she became a senior. As Trina lost her friends, Jade gained friends. Andre, Cat, Robbie, Tori, and of course her boyfriend, Beck. They were her posse and the most popular kids in school. No one messed with them, no one topped them, and nobody could ever shake them from their throne.

Unlike Trina, the former queen of Hollywood Arts, who abdicated her seat for her little sister. A seat Jade would covet, even in the final month of school. In her envy, she'd done many things over the years. Though, the others had done less than proper things as well. Some of these things were to hurt Tori, some were to make Trina's life miserable.

One thing that Jade honestly found hilarious, only because she didn't have to do anything, was when Trina got put in the hospital after falling off a rope holding her above the stage. Robbie cut the rope holding her up, Andre was making a big scene with the counselor about foregoing any questioning and moving on to a date with some girl. Tori was the only one acting like she cared.

To her credit, Tori was getting annoyed with their actions lately. She was sick of seeing her sister mistreated, and they'd even been ushered out of the room by Mr. Vega, who was very protective of his daughters. Even Holly would look down on them with disgust from time to time. Most infuriating, however, was a night or two ago Tori told them they needed to start treating her family as a whole properly. No more telling Trina she was ugly, putting her through horrible pranks, telling her no one would love her, despite Sinjin, and a whole abundance of obscenities. In effect, Tori had finally chosen her sister over them, and none of the friends were happy.

The only reason for this was Tori's investigation of the security footages in her house from when Trina spread a rumor some time ago about her and Beck. An obvious attempt to get back at them for something, Jade was sure of it. Trina was deathly loyal to Sinjin and would never cheat on him, and her rumor had only been staged to the point that the friends knew about it. Then again, people might have believed it, not many knew Sinjin and Trina were actually together, the two didn't talk about their relationship.

Currently the only one with her was Beck, talking about some quizzical thing that she honestly cared less about. She loved him, sure, but it was hot days like this that she couldn't focus on him. Much less, focus on anything at all. She had to put her attention on something, and it was.

At the grub truck in front of them a ways, the former queen stood beside her much beloved king, Sinjin. He was on break while she was waiting to pick up her sister. Jade watched as Trina played with her hair and laughed at something Sinjin said. The man moved his the hotdog in his hand to his mouth and Trina leaned over to take a bite, her eyes toying with his.

Jade shriveled in disgust and slowly looked over to Beck. Their relationship wasn't like Trina's and Sinjin's. No, they had a rocky on and off relationship. It was filled with insecurity and drama. She would love to be strong and secure like the Vega family, but she wasn't.

"Why do you hate her so much?" She lifted her lips form the straw as Beck folded his arms on the table. He followed her gaze and frowned. "The way you talk about her, the way you glare at her. She's not had an easy life at all, you know."

"How would you know?"

"Sinjin's told me. He doesn't tell me much, but she's had it rough growing up. I always figured you'd be more jealous of Tori than anyone, she's the one that's part of the 'entitlement' generation, hasn't had to work for anything her entire life. Unlike Trina, Tori hasn't had to work to earn what she's got. Somehow, that girl's got lucky. That's what Sinjin says, he's proud of her and admires how hard she works for what she gets."

"And what has she gotten?"

"Well apart from rising above all the stuff we've put her through, quite a bit. Enough to give her a bit of a fighting spirit. Face it Jade, you've broken a lot of people but never once broken Trina. Why do you think that is? Have you ever stopped to wonder what her life had been like growing up?"

"How about me? I deal with an abusive mother, a father that doesn't give a shit…why should I be stuck playing second fiddle to a perfect girly girl with an older sister that's got everything going for her?"

"Well had everything until you came along and scared off all her friends, then Robbie put her in the hospital, and sure I've lied to Mr. Vega on occasion. There's quite a bit you've done. Sometimes I worry about you, when are you going to take things too far?"

"I just want to be better, that's all. I want what Trina and Tori have. I don't want to sit by some bathtub crying while my mom cuts herself accusing me of being the cause of all her problems! You tell me what problem the Vega sisters have ever gone through?"

"All I know is they were poor once, living a life Tori barely remembers. That's what Tori says. Tori says she doesn't remember much about being poor, won't talk about events from the past and says there was a time she and Trina had to go live with a relative once. I remember Robbie asked about it, and Tori clammed up, so I imagine there's something there. Tori did say there was an older sister, about the same age as Trina, but she passed away before Tori has memories of her. Won't say much about it, Sinjin doesn't tell me much and I'm positive Trina wouldn't, but it might tie in to that family living situation. What Tori does say is that, like her, Trina had a boyfriend who cheated on her. Hence she's so fiercely loyal to Sinjin."

She lost Beck somewhere in the middle of all that. She knew it was important, but it didn't change the insane jealousy creeping up on her while watching Trina and Sinjin. If things got better for those who worked their asses off, then why had nothing improved for her? Maybe the Vegas had it rough, maybe Trina worked to get to where she was, but it simply was not fair!

Why was she so happy when Jade was so miserable? Of course, she wondered why she was feeling the way she was. Did it matter?

"Maybe just one more jab," Jade whispered. Beck rolled his eyes as Jade glared at the happy couple. "Nothing serious, just something to shake things up a little, give some drama to them."

"I'm telling you, I sense they've had enough drama in their lives."

"Well nothing I've seen, so…"

"Hey guys!" Tori's chipper voice stung her eardrums and she glanced over with a friendly smile. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Jade pointed to Trina, "Your sister's here. Probably wants to take you out to lunch." Tori grinned as Trina glanced over to her and pulled her purse strap over her shoulder. "Go have fun."

After school, Jade met up with this new student in the school. She'd seen him around for the past month, and actually arranged a time to talk to him. He was about the same height and build as Sinjin, just with a tiny bit more muscle mass. He had brown hair that was parted down the middle. The man had a bit of a snakelike posture as he was leaning against the wall and had his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Jesse, I was wondering if you'd show up," Jade remarked with a chipper tone. Jesse was very straight faced and his thin lips were turned down in a frown. He had a small scar on his left cheek just under his beady brown eyes. His shirt was a white button down that rested over his baggy blue jeans.

"You said to show up, so I thought I'd show up." Jesse looked around Trina's age and said he'd recently been released from some school that he described like a prison. "You want to make friends, I presume? I thought I'd say, I'm not a sociable kind of guy."

"Look, there's this woman. She knows martial arts, is a strong athlete…" Jesse's eyebrows rose and he moved his arms up across his chest.

"Can she carry a good amount of weight?"

"I guess so. What do you mean?" She paused and waited for an answer, but he brushed it off with a shrug and motioned for her to continue.

"What's the point?"

"My point is I want you to date her. Just for one night." Jessie tilted his head and shot her a skeptical look. "I just have to convince her to get away from her boyfriend for one night." A hellish task in itself. "She won't, but anyway, I wanted to get her to go out with someone and I saw you around, thought you'd be perfect. If you could, I don't know, put your arm around her I could snap a picture or something and show it to him-"

"I don't do photos, Jade."

"Well why not?" She put her hands to her hips and sighed, "I guess it doesn't matter. Just do something so I can get her boyfriend to think she's cheating on him. That way some drama can enter into her world."

"You want me to mess with someone's relationship? Do you even know who I am?"

"Yeah, Jesse Samael Klein, the new kid that shouldn't even be in school right now because he's twenty-"

"I missed a few years. Sheesh."

"Just do it and you don't have to bother with me. I've got the hard job, geez."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! I'm the one that has to talk someone into spending one damn hour at least with a guy she doesn't know just so I can make her boyfriend think she's cheating. All you have to do…is sit there."

"Fine." Jesse rolled his eyes and began to slink away. He turned back for a second and narrowed his eyes. "You have my number, call me when you've done whatever. I better not regret this…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She rubbed her hands together and grinned as he walked away. It was just one innocent prank, what could possibly go wrong? It wasn't anything Sinjin and Trina wouldn't be able to get through, with how strong their relationship was. "God bless the mean girls…"

As I usually promise, I will give you the second chapter.