Introduce Ivy's need for a movie-perfect senior spring and force her into partnership with Theo when the Pierlight Theater fundraiser starts falling apart. Theo finds an old grant notice in the booth: they have seven days to pitch a new romantic short-film showcase or the theater closes for the season.

Turn the rivalry into a public fake-dating misunderstanding while making the decoy crush and town stakes clear. Their first staged couple photo goes viral on the school feed before Ivy can explain it to Rowan.

Use forced proximity to soften the rivalry and reveal why Theo knows Ivy's plans so well. The lights return just as Ivy almost asks whether the fake dating still feels fake, and Rowan walks in with towels and the wrong assumption.

Let Ivy chase the polished fantasy, then show the emotional cost when a planned romantic spectacle misses the truth. Ivy realizes Theo may have filmed the version of her she likes best, but then she overhears him call the fake romance 'good publicity.'

Break the easy fake-dating rhythm and force both leads to separate image management from honest desire. The committee loves Theo's honest cut, but Rowan suggests Ivy should take sole credit if she wants the scholarship recommendation.

Bring the external stakes and emotional stakes to a peak as Ivy must choose between the perfect-looking path and the person who respects her whole self. Just before the first audience arrives, the projector bulb dies, and Theo has one risky backup plan that requires Ivy to trust him completely.

Deliver the earned romantic payoff at the community screening while keeping the confession specific, mutual, and sweet. Ivy kisses Theo as the credits roll, choosing a real beginning over the perfect final scene.