Page 60 of TJ Powar Has Something to Prove

There’s a pinch over TJ’s right eyebrow. She flinches and finds the makeup girl holding a pair of tweezers. She just plucked a hair.

“Hey!” TJ snaps. “Don’t touch me with those things.”

“I won’t anymore,” Makeup Girl promises. “It’s just, that hair wasreallylong and in my way, that’s all.”

TJ glares, ready to give her a piece of her mind, but Amy interrupts before she can. “Now I want to talk about debate.”

TJ goes still. Amy definitely hadn’t broughtthatup when pitching this interview. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Really? But you’ve put a lot of time into it, too, haven’t you?”

Clearly Amy’s done her research. TJ hesitates. A few months ago, she would’ve rather had a tooth pulled than talk about this. But now... What’s the point of hiding who she is anymore? Everything else is out. What’s one more thing?

Sighing, she reclines in her chair. “Fine. Let’s talk about it.”

She doesn’t wait for Amy to ask questions. She stares straight ahead and just starts from the beginning—that day in sixth grade when she first saw the poster advertising debate. She tells Amy about how when she started out, she was all fire and passion with no substance. That it took years to build her skills. She talks about the tournaments she’s attended, the training she’s done, and some of the better stories she’s collected over the years.

Amy’s expression has changed by the time she’s finished. Even the hair and makeup volunteers have quieted to listen to TJ. “You love it a lot.”

She sounds surprised. How many people really thought TJ was just in it for her résumé? “Yeah, I do.”

“Why?”

TJ sits back, stumped by the simple question. She’s never really thought about it.

She thinks back to the poster that convinced her to join debate. It was a joke, of course—COME ARGUE WITH US. But to sixth-grade TJ it was a lifeline. It was a strange time, because she was becoming very aware of not just the hair on her body, but the colour of her skin, the way she was agirl, and she was realizing life would be very different for her just because of those things. And that was so unfair. She wanted to fight against it but couldn’t.

But shecouldfight against something else. Something new every week, with a bunch of other kids after school in a musty English classroom.

“For a long time,” TJ says slowly, “debate felt like the one place I could make a difference. If I worked hard enough, I could convince people of something, and it was proof my voice mattered. And that it could do something good.”

The group is silent. Even Amy doesn’t have anything to say. She just scribbles it down, and looks back at TJ like she’s not quite sure what to make of her anymore. Then she seems to shake it off, setting her pen down. “Time for your photo!”

At Amy’s instruction, TJ perches on a white block. She expects Yara to take charge from here, but instead, Amy continues to oversee everything, peering at Yara’s pictures before okaying them or asking for another shot. Yara stays quiet whileAmy tells TJ toTuck your hair back, look in this direction, sit up straighter. When she finally gives a satisfied nod, TJ hops off the block, then pauses to glance at Yara. “Areyouhappy with it?”

“Um,” Yara says. “I don’t know. I haven’t really looked at the photos properly.”

Amy pats her shoulder. “Don’t worry, they’re spectacular. We’re going to do such cool things in editing.”

Yara smiles tentatively. TJ glances between them. There’s something off about this whole operation. “What if Yara had some photos taken, too? For the plus-size section?” she suggests. “She’d be great—”

“Oh, we already have a plus-size model,” Amy says.

“And what, you can’t have two?”

A pause. Amy’s smile dims for a second before returning even brighter. “Everyone has a role here, TJ. We need Yara as a photographer. Speaking of which, the next model just arrived. See you later, okay?”

And she turns on her heel to head back to the entrance, where a new arrival is being swarmed by the hair and makeup crew. Frowning, TJ turns to Yara, but the younger girl is already hurrying after her. TJ lets them go, even though there’s a bitter taste in her mouth. She did her job. And now, clearly, she’s been dismissed.

SEVENTEEN

***

The body positivity campaign goes from photo shoot to an almost completely designed pamphlet within the week. TJ only knows this because Yara provides regular updates. Clearly she’s working hard in the editing room.

“What’s Simran’s part in this project?” TJ finally asks, two weeks before Spring Break, when Yara shows her the layout they’re going to run. Yara shrugs.

“I’m not sure. She was a big part of getting the campaign approved, though.”