DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hollywood U. This amazing game belongs to Pixelberry! :)
My responses to your reviews:
142. (22/04/17) MiraMaria: Thank you very much! :) I'm very happy about this anniversary! :D
141. (16/04/17) Ariza Luca: Wheeeee! :D I think so, too! :P
140. (16/04/17) hp and stargirl: Thank you for the anniversary greeting! :D And I'm glad these chapters make your weekends happier! :)
139. (16/04/17) CatsRtheBOSS: One whole year... it's still hard for me to believe! XD At first I thought this fanfic would be 40,000 to 60,000 words, but it's actually grown to over 100,000 words and it's not even finished yet! O.o I'm happy to know that you've been with this story for that long and that it's inspired you! Speaking for myself, there are writers in the fandom that I really look up to, and I hope that one day they'll read this story and know that it was partly because of them that I was inspired and encouraged to write my own story. Thank you for being with me on my anniversary! :)
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Day 30a (Tuesday) – One Day More 01 (Level 16)
It turned out that when students pulled off something as big as a professional musical production in five days, one that resulted in the university making an expensive investment – their professor was stuck with the brunt of the work that came after. In addition to having to compile reports on social media pages of Good as Gold and the Orchid Theater, he also had to review the post-production paperwork that the co-producers had submitted to the school to justify their use of their grant funds.
While Marie Claire and Bradley were most likely still giving each other triumphant smiles and high fives, Thomas had a whole day of calculations and analysis ahead of him. Things really weren't fair sometimes.
With his laptop in front of him displaying the Good as Gold page, the printed post-grant report to his left, and his notepad and pen to his right, he continued to work. He had already written a small summary of the musical's social media page, and Thomas was in the middle of writing a comment on their public relations strategy when he heard a knock on the door and, a moment later, there was a second person in the room.
"Thomas."
The last time Thomas had spoken to Priya Singh was her last day of teaching before she went on sabbatical, which was quite a while ago. He had wondered if seeing her again would bring any old feelings back – but he didn't feel anything for her except the professional respect one felt for a colleague.
Unfortunately, just from the one word that she had spoken, he sensed that he didn't reciprocate his decidedly platonic feelings. Her tone, even from just the one word she had spoken was a touch too soft, a touch too familiar. Nevertheless, he tried to ignore the hint of dread he was starting to feel as he invited her to sit down and tell him about her sabbatical.
As expected of Priya, her time away from the university, while supposed to be for relaxation, was spent more in work than in leisure. He knew that several professors at the university – including himself; just because he was officially retired didn't mean that the ideas stopped coming – worked on their own projects when off the clock, and from what Priya told him, her sabbatical, while not filled with hammocks and beaches, was rewarding in its own right, and he was happy for her. She was a talented and focused individual, and even if things between them hadn't worked out, he wished her only the best.
After exhausting that topic, she asked him what he was working on at the moment, and he rolled his eyes.
"Two of my students, Marie Claire and Bradley, pulled off a successful musical production last night. I'm looking at various reports and figures because their venture also led to the university making a rather sizable investment."
Priya sat up a little straighter. "Marie Claire? Is that Marie Claire Hart? The student Andrew told me was on academic probation?"
"Yes, that's the one," confirmed Thomas. "She and her Broadway major friend decided not even a week ago that they would perform Good as Gold at the Orchid Theater, and they put a lot of effort into making their appointed deadline."
Looking at his scattered notes, Priya noticed a page full of numbers and picked it up. "These... look like the expenses they incurred while working on their musical when they should have been here, studying like the students that they are," she frowned. "Where did they even get this money?
"The university asked me to calculate what would be an appropriate amount for a grant."
She raised her eyebrows.
"And you gave them this much?!"
Thomas would have answered her, but she wasn't even looking at him anymore – instead, she was looking through the report and muttering disapprovingly to herself at what she read.
He sighed. This was just like her – too much criticism, too much jumping to conclusions. He did respect her, but he also knew that in this particular case, his knowledge outweighed hers. While Thomas' background was in modeling and filmmaking, he had been in the role of a producer enough times to know the complications that could arise anytime before the final product was completely finished. However, Priya, while very talented, had specialized in producing content for television and radio before she became a professor. She could, possibly, write circles around Thomas – but, between the two of them, he was the unquestionable authority when it came to budgeting a production.
Not that there was any point in telling her that.
After she finished leafing through a report she hadn't even asked for permission to read, she set it down and regarded him.
"Andrew told me about her initial hearing – apparently, several students spoke unfavorably of her conduct before the first day of class. Why is she even still here?"
He shrugged. "The board felt that it would be to everybody's benefit to give her a conditional probation. After I informed her of what she would need to accomplish in order to stay here, she was at Holly Chang's doorstep the day after, asking her to collaborate on a Lisa Valentine music video with her."
"The immature pop star she trashed a hotel room with?" Priya asked incredulously. "She was already on probation and she decided that was appropriate behavior?"
Thomas was silent.
He had his own theories on why nobody was formally reprimanded for that incident – at the time, snagging Lisa Valentine had been good publicity for the university, and in that light, the unpleasantness with the hotel room was quietly swept under the rug. Besides, nobody really knew who had done what – whether Marie Claire had reveled in damaging hotel property, or whether others had and Marie Claire instead had tried to stop them. Nobody knew, really. Besides, despite her inauspicious start in university life, Marie Claire had proven to be a capable student. Sometimes impertinent, sometimes naive, but generally good-natured.
Realizing that he had yet to respond to Priya, he spoke. "The hotel room incident, while unfortunate, does not necessary reflect her ability to function as a student of Hollywood U. From what I have seen, she is a generally good student, not malicious or willfully destructive-"
Priya laughed. "Not willfully destructive? Are we talking about the same student who crashed a tank into private property?"
He tried to speak, but she cut him off before he could even say a single word. "I think I have all the information I need – and if even you, her main professor, can't deny the offenses she's committed, I think I know what my decision will be. Would you mind sending her an e-mail telling her to meet us later today? I'm going to the administrative office to get her expulsion papers now. The sooner we get this... this menace out of Hollywood U, the better!"
She left the room in a hurry, forgetting even to say goodbye.
Thomas sighed. After sending the requested e-mail, he once again settled down to do some work. As exhausting as it was, it was better than thinking about one of his students' impending expulsion.
Of course, because the work he was currently doing involved looking into the fine details of her production, he couldn't distance himself from the matter completely.
At the appointed time, Thomas, Priya, and the others members of the university board watched as Marie Claire entered the conference room, looking slightly bewildered. She looked at all the professors closely, as if wondering what purpose this meeting would serve when they were going to see each other tomorrow anyway.
Thomas stepped forward. "Allow me to introduce Professor Priya Singh. Professor Singh, this is Marie Claire."
For her part, Priya peered at Marie Claire suspiciously, raising an eyebrow after her inspection was over. "You're Marie Claire? Given what I've heard, I'm shocked that you're not covered in piercings and tattoos. After all, look at your record!"
Taking a thin sheaf of papers from the desk, she flipped through page after page as she continued to speak. "You assaulted a student, in a public, and in a very crowded place at that – you trashed a hotel room with Lisa Valentine to the point that you were almost arrested – and you crashed a tank after not even being here for two weeks! This is the worst student record I've ever seen!"
"Well," said Marie Claire uncomfortably, "it does sound bad when you put it all together like that, but-"
"It would still sound very bad even if I put it together any other way!" retorted Priya. "How you're still at this school is beyond me! But I'm confident that will change very soon. Unlike Professor Hunt, I don't plan to play favorites or go easy on you!"
What is that supposed to mean?
In response, his student said... nothing, because she was too busy staring incredulously at Priya.
Taking advantage of the silence, Thomas attempted to correct Priya, because anybody who thought that Marie Claire, of all people, was a favorite anything of his had to be sorely mistaken. "Now just a moment, Professor Singh..."
"Yeah!" Marie Claire had finally found her voice, though she was still looking at Priya like she was crazy. "Professor Hunt hates me!"
And, just for a moment, Thomas felt... something... when he heard that, but he had no idea what it was.
(End of Chapter Thirty-Seven.) (22/04/17.)
00. My personal comments:
Formal etiquette rules actually dictate that you enlighten the more honored person first. So, for example, if you were introducing a king to a commoner, you would say, "Your highness, allow me to introduce [commoner's name]." Afterwards, you would then turn to the commoner and say, "[Commoner's name], this is his majesty." So I find it VERY interesting that in canon, Thomas says, "Allow me to introduce Professor Priya Singh. Professor Singh, this is [main character's name]." In that statement, by first introducing Priya to the main character, he gives the main character information first, thereby treating the main character as the superior and Priya as the inferior in the interaction! :D
01. Canon compliance:
The only HWU quest that took place in this chapter was The Hearing (L16).
02. A tiny request:
Thank you for reading my fanfic! :D If you've read this far, I hope you'll consider taking an extra minute to leave a review for Chapter Thirty-Seven ("One Day More 01")? :D Reviews really mean a lot to me as a fanfiction writer because I get to hear your thoughts on something I worked really hard on ^_^ Even if it's the year 2075 or something, I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! :D
03. Two interesting HWU things:
One, the HWU online television series! :D Did you know that a fellow HWU fan, Zoe (her username on Tumblr is "dizzyclueless"), is diligently working on HWU: The Series? It's a fan-made online television series based on Thomas Hunt and other characters from Hollywood U! ^_^ (At the moment, I'm just a very enthusiastic supporter... but I would LOVE to be involved in HWU: The Series someday! :D) You can find out more about this AMAZING television project on Tumblr (their official Tumblr blog is "hwutheseries"). I just LOVE how Pixelberry and Hollywood U have inspired SO many of us fans! ^_^
And two, my second HWU fanfic! :D If you're interested in reading Marie Claire's perspective of this chapter (Chapter Thirty-Seven), then I encourage you to read "NYTMC 2: Marie Claire's Interlude" ^_^ Here's the summary: "(Part two of the NYTMC series.) (Midquel.) How did Marie Claire Hart fall in love with her most dashing, yet most cantankerous, professor? A retelling of my MC/Hunt fanfic "NYTMC 1: Not Your Typical Meet-Cute" from Marie Claire's perspective, in 100-word drabbles."