Tenney in the Key of Friendship

Making Amends

Walking out of school, Holliday insists Tenney has to perform in the benefit concert, since she’s so talented and the cause means something to her. Tenney hesitates, not wanting Jaya to see this as her taking over the project again, but Holliday counters that raising the money means everything to Jaya. Still, Tenney can’t move forward until she makes peace with her best friend.

The next morning, Jaya never shows up at her own locker. Tenney heads to the art room instead, the refuge their art teacher lets her use whenever she’s upset. She finds Jaya hanging a freshly printed purple-and-yellow poster to dry. Surprised, Jaya moves to wash her hands and dries them with a paper towel, looking at Tenney expectantly. Tenney asks for a minute and lays out the benefit concert idea she and Holliday came up with.

Tenney apologizes for missing the book sale, admitting she was being selfish and should have made more time for the book drive instead of staying so focused on her own music. She promises to make time now, however much work the concert takes. Jaya’s expression softens, and she apologizes right back, admitting she was disappointed and angry after the book drive fell short and took it out on Tenney unfairly.

When Tenney insists that she does care, Jaya breaks into a smile and admits she can tell since Tenney is planning a whole concert to prove it. Jaya pulls Tenney into a hug. The rift between them finally feels mended.

That afternoon, Tenney brings Jaya and Holliday to Grant’s Music and Collectibles to start planning for real. Once Dad and Mason finish with customers, Tenney pitches holding the show in two weeks on the store’s small stage, while Jaya and Holliday plead alongside her. Dad laughs and agrees, noting the publicity won’t hurt the shop, but warns there’s a lot to sort out on short notice.

The planning turns chaotic fast. Dad figures the store can hold about 125 people if they clear the records and music bins into the storeroom. Jaya insists they need to sell as many tickets as possible, since they still need $1,900 for Mina’s school. At fifteen dollars a ticket, Mason figures they need the whole room full. Dad whistles, calling that pretty pricey for a benefit show.

But Holliday argues the lineup needs to be worth the price of admission. Portia is already set to play, but she can’t carry the whole night alone. Holliday floats reuniting the Tri-Stars, and Tenney lights up until Mason shuts it down. He can’t run lights and audio and play drums at once. Dad decides the reunion has to wait, but Tenney should do a solo set.

Tenney braces for Jaya to see the solo spot as another excuse to perform, but Jaya calls it perfect. Relieved, Tenney wishes aloud for a real headliner, too, and the idea hits her like a bolt of musical lightning: Belle Starr. Holliday offers that her own dad, a record label vice president, could reach out to Belle’s manager. Mason, raising an eyebrow, points out that Belle Starr is probably booked solid for years, but the idea has already taken hold, and nobody in the room is ready to let it go.

Fortunately, Tenney still has Belle’s business card from the artists’ brunch. In the storeroom, the three of them spend thirty minutes on the laptop drafting an email to her. With fingers crossed, Tenney clicks send.