Hearts Don't Break Around Here

Chapter 10 - Coconut Macaroons

Senior Year (College)

"How do you think it went?" Jennie asks, watching Roseanne tear open a packet of Splenda and pour it into her coffee. "Do you think you did well?"

Jennie decided to meet Roseanne in the campus coffee shop after she got a very distressed phone call from her about the job interview she had today. Roseanne has already started applying to post-grad jobs, which makes Jennie a lot more nervous than she wants to let on. But she decides to not think about it too hard right now and instead focuses on Roseanne's worried face.

Roseanne raises an eyebrow at her, unconvinced. "Hello? I have crippling anxiety, remember? I did horrible. He probably called his wife afterward and laughed at what a mess I was." Roseanne tosses the empty Splenda packet to the side and stirs her coffee worriedly. "They probably had an 'I hate Rosie' party."

Jennie sighs. "They don't care nearly enough about you to do that." She says apathetically. When she realizes that she's not doing a very good job at comforting her, she backtracks and tries again. "Usually your anxiety just makes you think you did badly. But you always do well."

Roseanne slumps dramatically in her seat. "Lies." She mumbles. "I was such a wreck. The questions weren't even hard! I was just so nervous."

Jennie shrugs. "Well, it was only one interview. Now you know for the next one."

"I hate you and your stupid, rational mind." Roseanne groans, putting her face in her hands. "I have too many feelings for this."

Jennie swallows. Being Roseanne's best friend, it seems obvious that Jennie would know how to comfort her by now. But even after all they've been through, she's still trying to figure it out. It's not in her nature to be so sympathetic, but she knows that's what Roseanne needs. So she's going to try.

"Hey, it'll be alright." She says gently. "If they don't want you, someone else will. You really only need one 'yes'."

Roseanne sighs. "You say 'one yes' like it's easy." She says sadly. "I've already had four interviews. And nothing."

"Well, I haven't had any. So, you're already ahead of a lot of people." Jennie tries encouragingly.

"Yeah, but you're..." She glances up at Jennie. "You're you. You're good at all this business bullshit. I'm not mature enough for this. I feel like I talk too loud. Laugh too much. It's like I'm scaring the interviewer away."

"You kidding me?" Jennie counters. "I barely have a memorable personality. They'll forget about me the second I leave the room."

Roseanne studies her for a moment. Then her face, slowly, tentatively, cracks into a small smile. She hums. "Look at us. A girl who feels too much and a girl who doesn't feel enough." She leans back in her chair and sips her coffee. "Who's gonna want to hire us?"

Jennie actually chuckles. "We could always come up with a plan B. Like...prostitution or something."

Roseanne spits out her coffee all over the table, eyes blowing wide. "Snickers!" She exclaims, dissolving into giggles.

Jennie laughs too. "What? They make a lot of money! I think we're good-looking enough, with some work. Then we could buy a penthouse and tell everyone we're investment bankers."

"This sounds like an idea I would come up with. What's gotten into you?"

Jennie shrugs. "I guess it was only a matter of time before we started turning into each other."

Roseanne hums. "The transformation has begun." She says, too seriously.

"Had to happen sometime."

"Oh no, am I going to lose my dashing good looks? My smooth skin? My long legs?"