Chapter Text
It had been years since Tori Vega had visited Hollywood Arts High School, but all it took was one step in the door for her to realize she was home. Hollywood Arts hadn’t changed at all: the customized lockers, music everywhere, kids dancing and singing in the hallways, even the smell was the same, which Tori found weird but comforting.
Tori smiled, and realized she was still standing in the doorway. This was her first day as a teacher at Hollywood Arts, and although she thought she had changed, Tori still worried that she wouldn’t fit in. She thought back to her first day as a student.
If Andre were here, he’d just pull me along with him and make everything fun, Tori thought, as she began to walk to her classroom, so why do I need him? I can make it fun on my own!
Tori was reminded of how crazy the hallways of Hollywood Arts were almost instantly. Kids filled every inch, and the explosion of talent was impossible to contain. She had to dodge to avoid getting paint splattered on her, and the music was everywhere .
This is home.
Tori barely made it into her classroom safely. Shoving her bag under her desk, Tori took a moment to look around. A piano sat near the front of the room, and stacked piles of chairs lined the back. Another wall was surrounded by music stands, and a door in the back corner led to the music storage room. Tori sat down at the piano, admiring it, and reached to play a chord.
“Tori Vega, in the flesh!”
Tori jerked around. An old man with sparse, graying hair and a curly beard was grinning at her. His clothes were basically rags, and he had no shoes. Between the beard, the clothes, and his strange assortment of costume jewelry, the man looked like a cross between a hobo and a psychic medium, with the vibe of William Shakespeare.
Tori smiled. “ Sikowitz! Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s you!” They hugged, and Sikowitz moved around the room, looking mostly at the piano.
“Well Tori, I am so glad you’re back! But I must say, I’m glad you went for this position and not mine. I would’ve hated to have to kill you,” Sikowitz said matter-of-factly, sitting cross-legged in the center of the room and staring intensely at Tori.
Tori’s eyebrows furrowed. “You kill people that try to take your job?” she asked.
Sikowitz just stared back at her. “Of course.”
Mildly concerned, Tori stared at Sikowitz for a moment, but as always, he was the same. Serious, but impossible to take seriously.
“Ok, well, thanks for that, but I better start prepping my classroom. First day!” Tori said, leaning back under her desk to reach for her bag.
Sikowitz stood. “Well, best of luck to you! The previous teacher was charming, but surely you’ll do better. I’ll be on my way now!”
Tori smiled under the desk. Same old Sikowitz. She really had missed him.
“Oh, and one more thing!” Sikowitz cried from the doorway, “You should pay a visit to Jade during your lunch break! You have the same one, and she always just sits in her room by herself. She’d probably like to see you!”
Tori stood up suddenly and hit her head on the desk. Rubbing the back of her head, she looked up at Sikowitz. “Jade? Jade West?”
Sikowitz nodded. “Oh yes, haven’t you heard? Jade is our painting teacher and one of the drama club coordinators, myself being the other!”
Tori was speechless. Jade being a teacher was something she hadn’t expected in the slightest, and certainly wasn’t part of “the same old Hollywood Arts.”
“But Jade hates people,” Tori argued.
Sikowitz sighed. “Don’t we all,” he sang, swaying out of the doorway and heading toward his classroom.