5
88
Gotta give it to ‘em, Brittany and Justin caught a wave at just the right time.
That year, all those reality rap shows exploded online, and suddenly hip–hop was everywhere. Everyone at school was dropping lyrics from the
hottest tracks.
And a bunch of girls thought dating a rapper
was the coolest thing ever.
So even though Justin was some D–list
wannabe, Brittany was basking in all the attention she got around campus.
She posted tons of pics of her and Justin doing those typical hip–hop hand gestures, and the likes just poured in.
She was always saying, “Justin’s gonna be on
TV next year. he’s gonna blow up.
<
“He’s hot and he’s got talent. He’s gonna get a
piece of the pie, for sure.”
I’d look at Justin’s face in those photos
—
still
kinda wonky even with the filters
—
and couldn’t
help but think that maybe rap really was the
best cosmetic surgery for guys.
Luckily, I’d already shifted my mindset.
Before, I saw Justin as an eyesore, something that made me want to bleach my eyeballs.
Now, I saw him as a wonky money tree. Didn’t matter if he was ugly, as long as he could shake out some cash.
I started drafting a business plan.
To get it off the ground, I needed some seed
money, around ten grand.
Saving up that much by grinding away at my
nart–time inhs would take forever
11:19
22
So I decided to find myself an angel investor.
In Business Management 101, the professor said
that most entrepreneurs get their first money from family or friends.
So I started sizing up my classmates.
Pretty soon, I zeroed in on Tiffany Sterling, my
sorority sister.
Tiffany was a super–rich socialite. Her family owned half the town, and she had so much spending money that she practically gave it away. She was known around campus as part
earth angel, part ATM-
Anyone with a business idea could pitch it to
her, and if she liked it, she’d throw some money
their way.
Tiffany and I weren’t super tight, we just sat
next to each other in Poli Sci, but I shot her a
She sent me an address and told me to come
- by.
Turns out it was a karaoke bar. I barely stepped
inside before bumping into a familiar face in the
hallway.
It was Brittany, of course.
She was decked out in baggy hip–hop gear and had a ton of makeup on. She gave me a once- over and smirked. “Look who it is, Miss Thrifty herself. You know how much it costs to sing here for an hour? Can you even afford it?”
I shot back, “You can afford it. Just don’t come crawling to me for money later this month.”
That hit a nerve. She puffed up her chest and said, “We’re not the same, okay? A talent
Scout’s treating us, meeting Justin here! When he gets discovered and famous, I’ll pay you
back doublel”
11:19
Then a girl came out of a room and waved at
- me. “Sarah, Tiffany’s room is this way!”
Brittany scoffed. “Oh, so you’re chasing after rich chicks now? Sarah, don’t ever tell people
you’re my sister. I hate it when people aren’t
real!”
88
She flipped her hair and linked arms with Justin, who’d been standing nearby watching the show.
Before, that would’ve made me mad.
But now, I just looked at the two of them
cozying up and felt a surge of excitement.
Every bit of PDA they put on would soon turn
into cold, hard cash for me.
But first, I had to get Tiffany on board.
I opened the door to the karaoke room, and Tiffany was belting out “My Heart Will Go On.”
<
11:19
88
She handed the mic to someone else when she
saw me and waved me over to sit next to her.
No time to waste. I pulled out my business plan.
Tiffany scanned it and pointed at the first page. “So, you want to make him famous, then profit
off of him?”
Her finger was on Justin’s mug, which I’d screen–grabbed from Brittany’s Instagram.
I nodded.
Tiffany gave the photo a look of disgust. “Ugh,
he’s so basic. Can he even go viral?”
I didn’t get it either, but he could.
“You don’t get the low–end market, do you?
The more basic, the better!
“Like that song you were just singing, ‘My Heart
11:20
Will Go On,‘ not everyone can nail that, but
anyone can hum along to a catchy tune, and it
spreads like wildfire on social media!”
Tiffany looked like she was questioning her taste in music. I kept going while the iron was hot: “Think of this as a loan. I’ll take care of
everything, you don’t have to lift a finger.”
“And if it makes money, we split it fifty–fifty.”
One of the other girls in the room turned to Tiffany. “This is just a freshman pitching you. What’s the catch? Tiffany, don’t waste your time,”
She looked at me. “Go back to studying. Don’t get wrapped up in this stuff.”
Tiffany stopped her. “It’s fine. I like her moxie.”
“Besides, it’s just ten grand. That’s like, a bottle of wine.”
She wrede He
ited to soveste more out of hand of my
take a tele
pretty today
Tiffany, of course, agreed to try small request
After getting the money and a picture with
Tiffany, I left the KTV, satisfied.
Here I come, Justin Timberlaket
