DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hollywood U. This amazing game belongs to Pixelberry! :)


My responses to your reviews:

219. (09/08/17) MiraMaria: Hee hee! :) While your specific guess ("...Thomas, too, knew what it was like to be in pain, and the thought of somebody he cared for...") is, sadly, incorrect... you ARE on the right track! :)

218. (09/08/17) MiraMaria: I felt sorry for Mischief, too! :( And it looks like Thomas isn't the only telepathic person in the university... XD

217. (09/08/17) MiraMaria: Yay, thank you! :) I was SO excited about that "Thomas shows Marie Claire the masquerade ball ticket" scene because I had that scene planned for over a year before I wrote the chapter! Thank you for noticing my effort... it means a lot! :)

216. (09/08/17) MiraMaria: He still hadn't forgotten what she had done to him when he woke up that morning :( And that lecture was interesting to write, since I made EVERYTHING up! XD (By the way, it's great to see you again! :D and I hope your exams went well! :P)

215. (08/08/17) CatsRtheBOSS: Ah, a very familiar face! Hello again! :) So, you are confident that you'll be the best "spot the subconscious" reader, hmm? XD I look forward to reading your results :D He was expecting the assassinations, but not the soap opera-style reactions that would follow! XD I have things planned for both NYTMC 1 and NYTMC 2, so stay tuned! :P And I'm glad that you're excited about HWU: The Series... I am, too! :D After all., who WOULDN'T be excited about a television series about Hollywood U? :D

214. (03/08/17) Pikapika: Well, when you put it that way, Thomas DOES sound pretty heartless :( Somebody was (fake) assassinated right in front of him, and he stood by and did absolutely nothing... How cruel of him! O.o (And, I know, right? FIFTY chapters! Ahhhhh! :D)

213. (03/08/17) RS: Glad you liked the chapter! :D And, yup, you're correct about HWU: The Series! :) It's a real television series, and the episodes will be posted on the official HWU: The Series website so that everybody can watch :D It has two goals: One, to bring HWU characters to life in the form of a television series (so we'll see Thomas, Addison, Ethan, and everybody else!); and two, to bring exposure to the Hollywood U video game so that Pixelberry will be encouraged to start working on it again :D You can find out more by contacting "dizzyclueless" or "hwutheseries" on Tumblr! :)

212. (03/08/17) hp and stargirl: Gasp! Do I see a non-MC/Hunt shipper in my audience? You tRaiToR... O.O (Hahaha, just kidding! :P)


Chapter Fifty-One: Day 38 (Wednesday) – Professional (Level 18)


Looking at the results sheet Thomas had given to him to peruse, Diego let out a low whistle. "Three days, huh?"

"Apparently. I had planned for this project to last a little longer than three days, but," Thomas rolled his eyes, "while planning everything, I hadn't taken Lance's pedicure or Bianca's coffee into account. My mistake, I'm sure."

After taking a gulp from the coffee cup in his hand, Diego put down the list and leaned forward. "I have an idea. Since the assassination part kind of ended early, how about we have some kind of practical workshop? Marie Claire and Barry had the right idea. I wouldn't mind dropping by later this week to teach the kids some self-defense techniques. Lance might even surprise us. Punching an assailant won't ruin his pedicure," he chuckled.

Thomas shook his head in amusement. "In that situation, it would be his manicure that would be in dire peril. But, a practical workshop is an excellent idea. Are you sure you have the time?"

After all, Thomas didn't want to inconvenience the man who had already taught three days' worth of classes at his request.

"Nah, it won't be any trouble. Besides, I know some of those kids, and I'd want them to know how to protect themselves, if they're willing to learn."

Diego blushed lightly at his own statement, probably thinking that Thomas would look down on him for his sentimental thoughts, but in truth, Thomas was sincerely touched. Thomas cared about his students in his own way - after all, that spark sphere had taken forever to build. And seeing somebody else who cared about them, and who was willing to give up some of his free time to teach them skills that might save their lives one day, only made Thomas respect him even more. Diego was already a great bodyguard... but he was an even better man.


After a short lecture - he and Diego had agreed to keep tomorrow's practical workshop a secret so that the students wouldn't wear athletic clothing or bring useful objects, which would detract from the realism of the workshop's activities - the time came to announce the results of the bodyguard project.

"While this bodyguard project was supposed to last longer than three days," Thomas noted sarcastically, "this has taught me a valuable lesson about realistic expectations when it comes to celebrity wannabes who wouldn't last a week out in the real world. With that said," he held back a sigh, "it seems that we have a winner..."

Thrilled that his friend – or contact; Thomas wasn't entirely sure how they knew each other – had been the last student standing, Diego beamed in Marie Claire's direction and gave her a big thumbs up. "Way to go, Marie Claire! It's too bad that Barry got eliminated yesterday... but you're the last client who survived! Congratulations!"

Understanding that Diego's statement served as a signal for the end of the class, Marie Claire's friends gathered around her. Even those who had been eliminated much earlier harbored no hard feelings as they complimented her survival skills, with Rachel, in particular, saying that if they were on Survivor, Marie Claire would surely be the last person standing.

Standing off to the side, Barry smiled sadly, looking as if he regretted that the project was over. It was understandable. Because the situation normally required people to spend time in close quarters, it was not unusual for bodyguard-client professional relationships to turn into friendships between equals.

However, from the small frowns he would sometimes lapse into while looking away from Marie Claire, it was obvious to Thomas that Barry had been disappointed in his own performance during the bodyguard project.

Marie Claire, her attention divided between various classmates and well-wishers, wasn't paying as close attention to her former project partner as Thomas was, but she did notice when Barry distance himself even more from her as he started to walk slowly towards the doors of the lecture hall.

"Thanks a lot, everybody!" she grinned, "but honestly, if Barry hadn't been there, I would have been assassinated the day we got this assignment!"

That's true. If only Addison hadn't failed.

At the mention of his name, Barry stopped walking, but he didn't look back. Undeterred, Marie Claire continued, "So Barry really deserves most of the credit! I couldn't have asked for a better bodyguard!" After that, she waved to Barry in gratitude, but with his back turned, he couldn't see her thankful gesture.

"I couldn't have put it better myself, Marie Claire," Diego agreed. "That was exceptional bodyguard work, Barry. You'll go far with that attitude."

At the professional bodyguard's approving statement, Barry turned to look at all of them – but mostly at Diego, whose words, it seemed, Barry still couldn't bring himself to truly believe. The familiar frown resurfaced, as he cried out, "Wait, really? But I broke the most important rule!"

Not seeming to notice his own movement, he walked closer and closer to the others as his voice got louder in his self-recrimination about what he thought had been stupidity on his part. "Rule number three, keep it professional. I got too emotionally invested, and my feelings put Marie Claire in danger!"

Thomas shook his head.

How could he make his student understand that he had done nothing wrong? Yes, Barry could have been more vigilant; more prepared... but the opposition's competence didn't take away from the fact that he had done everything right. Crash had told Thomas that he had failed to assassinate Marie Claire in her dorm room because Barry had been standing guard just outside Marie Claire's door. And if Thomas' suspicions were correct, Barry had taught Marie Claire the physical combat moves she had utilized to incapacitate Crash during yesterday's overly dramatic showdown.

Barry would have been a poor bodyguard if he had maintained completely distant in the emotional sense because part of the job required him to want to protect his client. Being emotionally invested didn't mean that he was incapable of doing his job – it meant that he had even more of a reason to ensure Marie Claire's safety. Barry's protective feelings for Marie Claire had prompted him to approach Thomas and convince him to play along with the "bodyguard transfer" farce, which, in turn, had lured Crash out into the open. In essence, by inspiring him to think of such a sneaky plan – a plan which nobody had conceived of in the past – his instinct to think of Marie Claire had made Barry better at his job.

"Barry, you were professional. A professional gets invested. A professional cares."

There was an odd rush of relief that permeated Thomas' being after he gave his opinion on the matter.

While he wasn't a touchy-feely sort of professor, he knew that Barry deserved better than to feel guilty and angry about something that hadn't been his fault.

Why blame himself for something that hadn't been a mistake?

"Getting to know your client is part of the job," Diego chimed in, "because the more you can anticipate your client's actions, the better you can protect them!"

After hearing Diego's comment, Barry started to look a little happier. Thomas was slightly miffed that his student put more stock in Diego's opinion than Thomas' own, but since Diego was a highly-qualified professional in Barry's chosen field, he let the tiny, petty resentment slide.

Gesturing to himself and Diego with her left arm, Marie Claire said cheerfully, "They're right, Barry! Your being emotionally meant that Crash couldn't pull off his ambush! If you hadn't been there with me, Crash would have assassinated me with those red stickers in a heartbeat!"

At that, Marie Claire directed an irritatingly self-satisfied grin in Thomas' direction, and Thomas didn't need telepathy to know that her thoughts were very likely along the lines of, You told Crash to assassinate me, but I totally beat him! Take that,Professor Hunt! Mwahahahaha!

Crossing his arms sullenly, Thomas reluctantly gave them his final thoughts.

"And Marie Claire wouldn't be giving me such a smug grin right now. Mixing friendship with business can be... complicated. But it can also make you better at what you do."

After picking up his laptop bag, Thomas gave the room a general nod, before turning to Diego and shaking his hand, exiting the lecture hall as he heard Diego say conspiratorially, "Call it rule number three point five," to the students who were still hanging on to his every word.

The doors closed behind Thomas.


Something vaguely tugged at Thomas' mind as he drove home after the bodyguard lecture, but he paid it no mind as he evaluated his students' performances in his mind. While some of them had been eliminated from the project in understandable ways – their assassins had simply taken advantage of moments of vulnerability in their otherwise vigilant classmates – his other freshman students had been taken out of the mini-competition in ways that had been embarrassing to read about, let alone actually experience. If he hadn't met Lance personally, he would have found it hard to believe that there was a person in the world who would actually choose a pedicure over personal security and a good project grade.

Between Lance's poor performance today and his tendency to skip half of my classes, that's one student who won't be invited to my end-of-term dinner party!

Lance's attitude, and priorities, were very much like his girlfriend Bianca's – what kind of a moronic student fired a bodyguard for bringing her coffee with the wrong kind of vanilla flavoring? – but very different from those of their other classmates.

According to the essay that Barry had e-mailed him about half an hour after he left the lecture hall, even though she had had a difficult time at first, his project partner had still been very willing to learn self-defense moves that would help her survive the bodyguard project – although his essay had still been riddled with regrets and self-criticism.

Even after Thomas had parked his car and entered his bedroom, his mind was still on the stubborn student who, from his essay, practically asked Thomas to give him a low grade on the bodyguard project simply for getting to know his client the way he should have so that he could protect her better. Thomas didn't have any compunctions about giving students poor grades – but only if they deserved them, the way Lance, and, to a lesser extent, Bianca, did for this project. Barry, on the other hand, ought to receive a grade that rewarded his admirable execution of the bodyguard project's objectives.

Maybe I should write in my journal. That might clear my mind.

Picking up a pen with his right hand, he used his left hand to pick up his journal and flip it to the latest page – only to jolt up in his seat when he saw the last entry he had written.

"Today was Marie Claire's hearing. The three industry professionals who spoke on her behalf were Lisa Valentine, Zoe Rodriguez, and, though it was unplanned, myself.

"Until I vouched for her at her hearing today, I had not fully realized what an impressive body of work Marie Claire has accumulated for a student of only thirty-one days. She has had experience in music, cinema, television, and the stage. If she could achieve this much in thirty days, what heights will she reach in thirty weeks? Thirty years? A lifetime?

"In addition to giving evidence in favor of her continued enrollment, I said in her hearing that Marie Claire is a person of character. Afterwards, she told me that she would do her best to be worthy of what I said at her hearing. Despite her talent, she clearly has some problems with understanding basic concepts, because I never would have said all those things if I didn't believe in her.

"Also, in case this private journal is found after my untimely demise, burn it and scatter the ashes. I have a reputation to maintain."

He had written this entry on the thirteenth of February – the day of of her hearing.

He had last read this entry on the fourteenth of February – the day she had stolen his trophy.

There were bitter feelings rising up in his chest, and Thomas gritted his teeth at the very unpleasant memory of his last perusal of his journal. Familiar feelings; familiar thoughts; familiar laughter.

Because she had been loyal to her scriptwriter friend, but not to him even though he had known her for far longer than just a few days... Because the role of guide and teacher had belonged not to the Silver Circle, but to Thomas, and he had believed that she would value his contributions to her life over theirs... Because when she had told him that she would do her best to be worthy of what he had said at her hearing, Thomas had believed her.

Believed in her.

He could try to deny the faith he once had in her, but he wouldn't be able to justify that to himself in any way that he would actually believe. Thomas was completely honest whenever he wrote in his journal, and, without having to turn to previous pages, to previous entries, he knew that his other entries about this student would only support the one that was currently right in front of his eyes.

Scowling fiercely, he slammed his journal shut. He didn't need to see evidence of his utter stupidity. Maybe he should go and check if Mischief was outside. Seeing her happily eat pistachios would be better than sitting here, wallowing in-

"Barry, you were professional. A professional gets invested. A professional cares."

Somehow, just like that, his own remarks, originally directed at a student who had been blaming himself for his perceived stupidity, now made Thomas stop and think.

And he was starting to realize that during that night, during Valentine's Day, it had been easier to laugh at himself for his own stupidity...

...than to believe that a student he had invested in, a student he had cared about, could truly have risen so high in his esteem in thirty-one days, only to fall so low in his eyes in the twenty-four hours that followed.

Because Thomas had been invested.

If he hadn't, he would have just ignored Dean's e-mail when he said that the Clash at Sunset crew would be filming during the weekend. Instead, Thomas had gone through the trouble of visiting the university on a Saturday – ostensibly to see them use the tank, but, to be honest, partly out of curiosity about how his student would perform in the role of head producer. Of course, that day had ended with mass destruction, but he still wouldn't have been present in the first place if he had been completely indifferent to the student who had been placed in charge of the entire cast and crew of Clash at Sunset.

Because Thomas had cared.

If he hadn't, he would have dismissed her without a care after she came to him during the Sundance Festival, seeking his advice after Anders had swindled her out of twenty-five million dollars. It had been the first time Thomas had seen her both unhappy and angry at the same time, and that had compelled him to take her inquiry seriously. And after Thomas had given her his insight, he had stayed, just for that little while, as she came to terms with what had happened.

And on the rooftop, it had been easier to believe in her imagined duplicity than in her... honest mistake.

After all, she said herself that she was having second thoughts about what she did to him.

It's just a trophy. It's not a matter of life and death. She didn't put me through that – not that she actually saw my reaction – just to point at me and laugh. She didn't do it on purpose. She wasn't gloating about what she had done.

She didn't know what the Silver Circle meant to him. She didn't know what his Best Director trophy meant to him. Stealing it from his office was distasteful, and infuriating... but it wasn't malicious. And on the rooftop, he couldn't see her from his crouched position, but she had said that she was having second thoughts about what she did to him. She hadn't needed to say that, because she was confiding in somebody who didn't seem to think she had done something terribly wrong, but she said it anyway.

That meant that she regretted her actions.

She knew that she had made a mistake.

Nobody was perfect. And this wasn't the first time she had blundered, either. She had made mistakes before. She was late to class on that first day; her director project was submitted fifteen seconds late; she had crashed a tank into private property; she had trust Anders to honor the spirit of their written contract...

...and, also, while she was talented, she was honestly also capable of being an utter idiot sometimes. Who else would think that smiling with their nostrils was a good idea?! That was one more mistake to add to the list.

And he realized that just like she had made mistakes... he, Thomas, hadn't made mistakes. Not when it came to her.

On Thomas' part, it hadn't been a mistake to become invested in her career; and it hadn't been a mistake to vouch for her at her hearing... but, if he continued on his present course, if he didn't change his mind about the masquerade ball, Thomas might make a grave mistake that he could never take back.

Reaching into his laptop bag, he drew out the ticket to the 5th Annual Los Angeles Charity Masquerade, gazing at it as he held it in his hand.

I planned all this, after I found she had feelings for me. I wanted to humiliate her and reject her. I wanted to make her cry.

But could I really play such a cruel trick on her, when all she did was make an honest mistake?

Is that the kind of man I want to be?

After taking a few more moments to look at the masquerade ball ticket, Thomas, very deliberately, placed it back in its original envelope, which he then placed at the very back of his journal. He slowly turned over his journal so that the front cover was facing up, the envelope buried under many, many pages.

He had absolutely no clue about what he would do at the masquerade ball now, since she had likely already bought her ticket, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. And he also didn't know if he could completely forgive Marie Claire...

...but, for the sake of their professional relationship, and for his own peace of mind, Thomas was at least willing to try.

But, if Marie Claire ever thinks that smiling with her... I don't know, ears, is a good idea, I'll take it all back! Nostrils are bad enough, but ears?! Some things just can't be forgiven!


(End of Chapter Fifty-One.) (09/09/17.)


00. My personal comments:

Hello! :) The bodyguard help quest was actually a late addition to my outline, due to the fact that some parts of the help quest (like on the first day, where Addison invites the main character to brunch; or the first night, where the main character goes to a concert) occur in places where Thomas would be extremely out-of-place if he were to be present. But, eventually, certain lines in the help quest REALLY won me over :D ("But until then... you're on your own.") ("Barry, you were professional. A professional gets invested. A professional cares.") ("Mixing friendship with business can be... complicated. But it can also make you better at what you do.") In the end, I decided that those lines were too good, and too relevant, to the plot of NYTMC 1 to be left out, which is how the bodyguard help quest made its way into this fanfic :P

And, about this chapter... Secret things in Thomas' subconscious? Check. References to past and future chapters (and quests)? Check. This chapter has it all! :D As always, I challenge you to spot the subconscious, and to recognize the references! XD

...But, I'll give you one "spot the subconscious" answer for free :D

In the last scene of Chapter Forty-Two ("The Chapter I Have Been Waiting For"), immediately after overhearing the rooftop conversation, Thomas' subconscious (the narration) refused to even use her name (I only referred to Marie Claire as "her" in the narration), because the shock went that deep and his mind was in denial, and by not using her name, he was, at least subconsciously, trying to make himself believe that she hadn't betrayed him; that "Marie Claire" wouldn't have done that. At the same time, because Marie Claire HAD done that, he couldn't even bear to think of her name, hence referring to her as simply "her."

The same thing happens in this chapter, Chapter Fifty-One ("Professional"). The first six words of the last scene are, "Something vaguely tugged at Thomas' mind..." (This, of course, refers to, "Barry, you were a professional. A professional gets invested. A professional cares.") And, after that line, Marie Claire's name is never mentioned in the narration of the last scene. Thomas' subconscious knew that he had invested in, and cared about, Marie Claire, and because of that, he couldn't bear to think of her name, hence simply referring to her as simply "her."

However, that changes at the very end, during the line, "And he also didn't know if he could completely forgive Marie Claire..."

For the very first time in the last scene of this chapter, his subconscious is able to use Marie Claire's name. While his conscious self is unsure if he could completely forgive her... his SUBCONSCIOUS self, by being able to use Marie Claire's name, knows that there is a chance that he could forgive her; that it isn't impossible; that, now, even while he is pondering her past actions, thinking of Marie Claire's name doesn't bring Thomas the same pain it used to.

Not anymore.

(And that's the only "spot the subconscious" you'll get from me... it's now up to you to find the rest! XD)

The next chapter, Chapter Fifty-Two, will be posted seven days from now, on September 16, 2017, Saturday, which will be my twenty-eighth birthday! :D (And, it will be my second birthday as the author of "NYTMC 1: Not Your Typical Meet-Cute!" :D) Look forward to it! ^_^ (I'll also be talking excitedly next week about the fact that NYTMC 1 has reached FIFTY CHAPTERS! I'm so thrilled about this milestone! :D)


01. Canon compliance:

The quests that took place in this chapter were Plot Twists (L18); Cause and FX (Day 03 of 06); and Caught Off-Guard (Day 03 of 03).


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 Fifty-One ("Professional")? :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 Fifty-One), 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."