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Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. ALSO BY JAMIE BRENNER
  3. PART ONE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. PART TWO
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. PART THREE
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. 64
  70. 65
  71. 66
  72. 67
  73. 68
  74. 69
  75. 70
  76. 71
  77. 72
  78. 73
  79. 74
  80. Acknowledgments
  81. About the Author
  82. What’s next onyour reading list?

A product rather than a business? But that was why she needed seed money—to grow into a business. She needed to invest in materials and at least the occasional pop-up before a physical store. She needed a marketing campaign to get her message out. Sure, she had a respectable following on Instagram and she was making some money. But she’d gotten as far as she could on her own. She had to take things to the next level and knew a real investor would get her there. She’d seen too many other promising NYSD graduates fail to segue from wunderkind to serious competitor in the marketplace. She didn’t want to fall into that trap. She had the New York City and LA crowd wearing her designs. What she needed was the homemaker in South Carolina buying her daughter a charm necklace for Sweet Sixteen, or a workingwoman in upstate New York buying herself a Rock Candy ring for her own birthday.

“Feel free to check back in a few months. Perhaps the end of the summer?”

Gemma forced herself to reply with detached politeness, not betraying the frustration she felt. What was going to change by the end of the summer? As the call ended, she spotted Sanjay emerging from the subway station. At least she still had him on her team. Barely.

A gifted photographer, Sanjay had been assigned to her group for a project in a business elective freshman year. They had to create a marketing campaign for a product, and the group decided to use her jewelry and his photography. She got an A on the project, but more important, found a new friend in Sanjay. They shared the same obsessive drive, the same sense of having something to prove. She had jewelry-making in her blood but had been cast out of the family; Sanjay was from a strict Indian household that believed any career for a man other than medical or scientific was a waste of time. For both of them, NYSD was more than just a school: It was their launching pad for proving their families wrong.

At the end of junior year, when she created her first real line of jewelry with the Rock Candy rings, she enlisted him to help her take photographs for Instagram. At first, he said he just didn’t have time: He had a full course load and worked every weekend at the Casterbridge.