Chapter 22

A bit better, but still clearly upset, Tiffany is in the Student Council when Bernice comes in to scold her about her job. Jeff comes in and wants to know what's going on and Bernice complains to him that Tiffany mixed up all of the files, and she want Tiffany to get it done by today. Tiffany says she will and goes to leave with the files in hand and Jeff goes after her.
He takes the files from her hand and tells her he'll do the files since she should go and rest. She doesn't want to burden him with that responsibility but he tells her not to push herself and reminds her of what he told her at the campsite, that he'll help her whenever she needs some, that she shouldn't keep things to herself. He sends her on her way and takes the files back to his office to finish. A couple of files drop as he's walking and he happens upon Tiffany's information where he notices her birthday, it's that same day.
Laurence brings her to a field that night under the premise that they should get out sometime. As she looks around a little, Laurence escapes from her side but when Tiffany goes to find her, she stumbles upon a large tree covered in lights with Laurence, Andrew, Jeff, and Howard standing underneath of it singing Happy Birthday to her. Now that Howard said aloud that he likes Tiffany, it seems like he tends to look at her more often, maybe acknowledging his feelings has changed him.
Tiffany is touched at the act and wonders how they knew that it was her birthday. Jeff confesses that he saw it while doing the files, but she doesn't mind. They present her the cake and tell her to make a wish and Howard just keeps looking at her so lovingly. The two of them sit underneath of the tree with their sparklers as the others run around the tree. They both look at each other and give each other small smiles.
The others then join as their sparklers go out and Tiffany thanks Jeff for a wonderful time since it's the first time she celebrated her birthday with friends. He doesn't want to take all of the credit, though, as they all worked on it together. But he has a surprise that he wants to give everyone that can't be done under the tree and directs them to an empty field. He tells everyone to stay put while he goes and gets it but Tiffany has forgotten her bag under the tree so Howard goes with her to get it. Andrew and Laurence both gets phone calls that require them to leave.
Howard and Tiffany arrive at the tree to find that Tiffany's bag is still there. They sit down underneath of it as she takes out a journal that holds pictures of her parents. She looks at it as tears begin to form in her eyes. Seeing that she's upset, Howard tries to comfort her and puts his arm around her.
Jeff comes back with the box of fireworks, his surprise, to see that everyone's gone.
Back under the tree Tiffany tries to get herself back together and Howard reveals that he has a gift for her, it's a song. Once the song is over, Tiffany thanks him for the song. He reveals that it was his mother's favorite song but then she got sick and passed away. He tells her that before she passed away his mother said that if she was ever not there, she would turn into a star and always watch over him and he says that he thinks that her parents are the same. They look at the sky together as Tiffany wonders if her parents are doing well up there.
Howard pulls out the guitar pick necklace that he always wears telling Tiffany that it was a gift from his mother, the guitar pick, and he turned into a necklace hoping that it'd bring him good luck. Now, it's time for it to bring Tiffany some good luck. She's hesitant to accept something that's so meaningful to him, but Howard says that he's not a petty person with only the song being her gift and puts the necklace around her. She promises to cherish it for him.
Jeff sees the moment from behind and is slightly angry. He goes back to where his fireworks are waiting to express his anger about getting something like that ready only for them to go off and have their romantic moment. He wonders why such things happen to him, as in him always ending up helping other people and swears that he's not going to set off the fireworks.
Yet that fireworks go off as Howard and Tiffany are sitting there. The two continue sitting there Jeff couldn't help but set the fireworks.
Even though Jeff likes Tiffany he couldn't let anyone know to avoid breaking their friendship, even if it does mean that he has to give up the girl. He said that he doesn't want to set off the fireworks and help their romantic moment but he does anyway because he's a good friend and he knows how much Howard does like her.
Howard's feelings have been released now that he has publicly acknowledged, at least somewhat publicly, that he likes Tiffany. His confession to her on the soccer field telling her not to go was like half a confession, He really didn't want her to go, just like how he didn't want to back when she was doing the Miss Campus contest, but he was unable to say that he wanted to help her because of his pride. Now, he's able to throw his pride outside the window.
her grandfather wasn't exactly telling the truth as he previously wondered what she had figured out when she called him before and there's also how there was almost nothing with information about her parents in any of the textbooks at the school. But for her to hear that her grandfather has lied to her for practically her entire life, that had to hurt, but her friends were able to cheer her up and help celebrate her birthday. Tiffany has lived a lonely life thus far. She admitted that it was the first time she's ever celebrated her birthday with friends and previously she told her grandfather that he always made every decision for her. It's clear that he thinks he's trying to protect her with her best interests in mind, but it has basically suffocated her for her entire life.
The trouble isn't going to stop for Tiffany, though, as she meets with kengsington. it seems like Howard is in some trouble.