“I know your dad’s famous, but he’s not a celebrity,” I cut in before he can finish. During freshman year, Grant attempted to impress me by bringing up his father every five seconds. The man’s Wikipedia page is practically seared into my brain. Speaking from past experience, it’s best to cut this topic off at the root. “Producing the next big blockbuster film is cool and all, but I don’t think it’s going to win us brownie points.”

Grant grunts. “That’s not what I was going to—”

I sigh, my shoulders slumping with exhaustion. This isn’t worth bickering over. Not when I’ve had my fair share of arguments this morning. “Fine. What is it?”

He stares at me for a long moment before he shrugs. “You know what? It wasn’t that important anyway.”

“Hey,” Rosie says, tugging Grant’s sleeve. “Ignore Mina. You know how she is.”

I give her an affronted look in response but don’t argue. Between the two of us, I’m admittedly the more standoffish one, but I wasn’t trying to be rude. I just—I’m tired and I don’t want to deal with this right now. Is that a crime?

“No, it’s fine,” Grant says, shrugging her off. “Never mind. I’ll see you guys in class on Monday.”

He walks away, slipping on his hood, and I can’t help but feel distinctly unsettled. I didn’t mean to upset him.

Rosie turns a look on me. “Seriously? What if he was trying to tell us something important?”

I try not to squirm under her gaze. “Like what? Was he going to offer to produce a celebrity out of thin air?”

Her lips thin. “You’re always doing this, Mina. You know this competition is just as important to me as it is to you, but it’s not the only thing that matters. There are other things in life that are also important.”

I look away, tugging the collar of my turtleneck. “That’s not—we have to win this competition, Rosie.”

“I know,” she says softly, laying a hand on my arm. “But we have to accept that there’s every chance we might lose.”

My throat is suddenly tight. Rosie needs to win as much as I do. Without the scholarship, it’s going to be a lot harder for her family to pay the tuition for NYU.

But at least her family supports her dream of becoming a film director. At least her family believes in her.

I cough and paste a smile on my lips, turning back to my best friend. “Yeah, definitely.”

Rosie scans my expression and huffs a quiet breath. “You’re a terrible liar, Mina.” She saves me from responding by grabbing my arm, pulling me in the direction of her locker. “Come on, before your parents kill me for making you late.”