Chapter 7
if it isn t the beginnings of love, then an actual friendship. As much as Tiffany and Howard? believe that they hate each other, it may not entirely be the case anymore. They start to hang out and help one another and are about to become closer than they d imagine.
Turns out that the consequences of the fangirls releasing the video of Breathe was pretty positive causing the company representative to let them use the song on the new album under the condition that she wants the song to go viral. Daniel was able to convince her since the song had become pretty popular on the internet. Once she leaves, Daniel brings up Jordan saying that it was strange, there were only a small amount of media reps and he didn t see anyone else at the welcome party. So was it because of Jordan? that the video had gotten so popular on the internet? Victoria, his stylist who finally has a name, joins in and brings up the possibility of the person behind jordan doesn t see that as a possibility since they made comics making fun of him and Daniel is led to believe that it s a girl because of their wishy-washy attitude. Victoria gets him back for that one.
Back at the school, Tiffany leaves after class and once she s gone,a hand reach out for the chocolate that she keeps in her desk. She s actually at a Student Council meeting where Bernice yells at her for not taking the meeting minutes and drinking her water instead.
When the meeting is over Bernice friends came in with a box and Bernice announces her final task for her training, which is to take all of the student IDs, stamp them, and distribute them to the student leaders. She also announces that it s a task that has to be done that day. Tiffany doesn t let it get her down, though, despite how much there is to do. However, inside of it, she finds the gold mine of Bernice ID picture.
While she s in the dorm that night, she sees Laurence in bed. She s worried about when Laurence says she s alright, decides to believe her. But the following day, Laurence is spacing out and clearly not acting like herself. It s then that she admits to Tiffany that her father is in the hospital and needs surgery. She expresses her worries about helping to pay for the surgery but Tiffany promises that she ll find a way. Laurence doesn t want to bother her with it, though.
Just then, Tiffany sees a group of students heading towards the bulletin board. They comment on a set of pictures when the Goddesses show up and wonder why everyone is looking at them more that day. They head up to the board themselves to see their no makeup ID pictures displayed for all to see. Tiffany is happy at her small accomplishment. It s then that she discovers something.
That something just so happens to be a way that she can get money for Laurence father s surgery. She points out that it s a music video audition for the female lead but Laurence isn t so sure that Tiffany would even be considered because it says that they re looking for someone with outstanding qualities. And Tiffany isn t fazed, knowing she possesses such qualities. That day during art class, Laurence tells Tiffany that she doesn t need to try so hard, but she assures her that it won t be too difficult, it s just the female role of a music video. Jeff asks her if she s going to audition for the school s music video, while giving a quick gaze over to Howard. Tiffany says that the prize money is going to be hers and she s already completed her application. Howard tells her that she should skip the audition because she won t make it but Tiffany believes in herself and vows to prove everyone wrong.
The day comes to turn in the application and Tiffany is amazed by the talent that s there. When she hands in her application, the guy tells her she can go home and wait for their call, but knowing that it means she won t make it, she tries to put up a fight, since it s clear that the other girls who have passed have been asked to wait there, but it gets her nowhere. She runs into Bernice who s also there to audition and she doesn t let the opportunity pass to talk about Tiffany lacking qualities and reveals that the audition is actually to be female lead in Howard's music video. Explains the shifty eyes from Jeff. Tiffany is surprised to hear it but Bernice? thinks she s pretending and just trying to approach him. She tells Tiffany it ll be easier for her to give up since she s going to be the lead and brings up the fact that Tiffany is pretending. Tiffany? angrily leaves. She doesn t want to be in Howard's music video, yet she also wants to get the money for Laurence. And since the way to get the money would be to revert back into her original self, she s also worried about her grandfather s men being around and possibly catching her. She s also frustrated at the fact that she s listening to people s comments, having to change herself to fit their standards. But Laurence need to come first and Tiffany transforms herself back and shocks everyone at the audition. Instead of going by her real name, she goes by Jessica. The guy at the table passes her immediately and everyone comments on how jealous they are when she sits down. She s in the same group as Bernice when they go in where they explain that they have a test, they want the girls to act out an emotional scene where they got dumped.
The girls start crying, with Bernice overacting and trying to disturb the other girls in the process. Tiffany is at a loss of what to do and gets out her phone to look up how to act after a breakup. The director is very happy with that performance, saying that it s unique and he likes how she looked at the text messages dejected. She s basically everything that he imagined the female lead to be and compliments her acting ability. Now that she s chosen for the role, Tiffany? meets with Daniel, who finds her strangely familiar. He explains that she ll be starring in Howard's music video and is slightly surprised when she doesn t have a reaction to his name. He also tells her that filming will start next week, but Tiffany is more concerned about the prize money, which she ll be getting once the shoot is over. Daniel also reveals that it s a music video for the song Breathe, which perks her up a little bit. He gives her the demo and makes her promise that she keeps it to herself or else she won t get the prize money.
Tiffany returns back to class where she tells Laurence that she didn t make it through the audition but reassures Laurence that she ll help her solve her problem. Howard is sleeping at the desk besides her when Laurence opens the book of her errands service and notices a strange entry of someone getting a box of chocolate, it s a name that she doesn t recognize, Little Bee.
Howard wakes up then and wonders why Tiffany was so late coming back to class if she didn t pass the audition, but Tiffany just tells him to be quiet and ignores him. Jeff comes over to cheer her up about being eliminated and Howard tells her that he told her not to embarrass herself and that she should talk less since he doesn t want to look stupid with an assistant like her. They begin to fight again and when Tiffany stands up, she purposefully steps on Howard's foot, effectively getting the last word.
As she leaves class the gossipy people from before want to hear some gossip on Howard, but she's? not in the mood to talk about him. She does have a question for them, before, asking if they know someone by Little Bee. One of the girls say that they don t know a Little Bee, but they do know a Howard the names sound familiar but Finally understanding, she sends them to the cafeteria and tells them to wait for her.
Tiffany goes back into the classroom and sneaks up to her desk, where she finds Howard writing in her notebook. She yells that she finally caught him but Howard sits her down and tells her to be quiet. Howard tells her that snacks are prohibited in his contract and if he gets caught, it s a breach of contract. She comments on how he has so many fans but is unable just to eat a single bar of chocolate.? she comes up with a plan, striking a deal with him that if he agrees to one of her conditions, helping her run errands, she won t tell anyone about him sneaking chocolate. He wonders if she s using him to make her store more popular and rejects the offer. But she explains that running errands is a way to exercise so no one would know that he would be eating snacks and slowly begins to open it in front of him, offering him a bite before taking one herself. He can only stare at her. She then ups the offer by two more bars. Turns out that chocolate can do quite some things as Howard has taken her up on her offer, delivering snacks to the other classes. The other students are in a daze to see him as he hands out the snacks. His only downside is when they ask how much they owe and he can t do the math, feeling like it s a setup from her and runs away.
Hearing that Howard is the one now doing deliveries, girls are more excited to order to have him deliver the snacks to them. Bernice and the other Goddesses happen to overhear it and angrily blame Tiffany. Howard meets Tiffany on the soccer field and hands her the money he got. Why do I feel like he just said screw it to the calculations and just paid her with his own money. She s impressed with the amount of money but is unimpressed that he s out of breath after doing two errands, calling him weak. She gives him chips as a gift but he restrains himself from eating them. She tells him to give it back if he s not eating it but he never said that, he said he shouldn t eat it. She wonders if he doesn t feel frustrated at being controlled by other people, more in his company for restricting his diet, but Howard tells her that he used to feel that way but doesn t anymore since it doesn t serve a purpose for him. Tiffany wonders why they have to define everything to have a purpose believing that they should just eat, drink, play, and have fun, with eating being the most important. She believes that those things shouldn t require so much thinking.
Tiffany figures that they should do something useful, and begins to push Howard through some exercises, explaining that if he burns more calories than he ate, then he ll be able to stay in shape like the company wants him to be. She encourages him, feeding him the snacks every once in a while and even doing the exercises with him. He even continues to do the exercises during his normal day. One day he s walking around with gallon jugs of water and the next he jogs to the classroom, to which Jeff asks him if it was raining outside because he s all wet. Upon hearing that he was exercising, he comments that Tiffany's sorcery is scary.
It s the day of a basketball game and Howard comes to play with Jeff. He doubts it since Howard never wanted to play before, since playing always messed up his hair, but Howard says he s a changed man and wants to play. That is until his fans came into the auditorium. Like always, Howard begins to act cool to show off for them and when given the ball to make a basket, ends up missing entirely. Still, the fangirls cheer. Laurence and Tiffany aren t impressed wondering why they re cheering.
And they continue to, as Howard misses every shot he takes, no one even being close. He maintains his cool image, though. Tiffany comments on how it s suffocating to be an idol as he passes but he tells her to be quiet.
While there, her cell phone rings and Tiffany excuses herself to answer it. It must be the company as they inform her that the music video will be filming the following day at none other than Art university Bournemouth .
Tiffany notices how taxing it can be to be an idol and how she seemingly understands what Howard is going through. She has a very carefree outlook on life and while she doesn t pressure Howard to break his contract, she helps him find a way around it by suggesting him exercising in order to eat the snacks his likes. And maybe it s because of that that he slowly finds himself to begin to notice things about her. It may also be because of her outgoing personality as well. Before he took a notice of the scratch on her hand, giving her a band-aid, but this time noticed that she took longer than normal. It could have been something trivial, but he noticed her missing presence, probably because no one was yelling at him.
Tiffany has changed her looks that's? why they don t recognize her. And she wants to hide herself so her grandfather can t take her back home.