long story short (chaennie)

who are we to fight the alchemy? (II)

"Jennie, you're sitting with a grand total of 373 points thanks to a couple near record-breaking laps in the mix, but you faltered a bit in Spain, letting yourself get all the way down to third and that put you on a downward spiral, sticking you in third for two more races after that. You allowed Jeon to catch up to you now, right? With Mercedes, Jeon is at 360, meaning it is going to be a very close match for you two, is it not? If you don't get to the podium, you're looking at a loss, how are you feeling about that?" The interviewer asks Jennie from the paddock while Rosie watches from the VIP section with sunglasses low on her head. Despite the fact that it's the first week of December, Abu Dhabi is still in the high twenties, meaning even in a black halter top and loose white pants, Rosie is sweating. She sweats even more watching Jennie on the big screen in her racing uniform, running a hand through her hair. She's done well all weekend—practices and qualifying went off without a hitch and everything about this race should go well.

Jeon was never supposed to get this close. Jennie fucked up her shoulder in a near-miss back in Spain and it fucked her for a handful of races and letting Jeon catch up in a season that should have had Jennie as the calculated winner long before the final race. She thought he wouldn't be a problem after his crash out in Monaco, but his injuries were minor enough that he was back by Canada, still placing second. Jennie had been mildly annoyed at this and fucking up her shoulder in Spain did little to help. Rosie wishes she were down in the media paddock, but she's not working right now. Ironically enough, Jisoo is the one that stands closest to Jennie right now, with Rosie having taken the weekend off to fly out with her and support Jennie in the championships.

Rosie, frankly, didn't expect them to last this long. Both of them were insanely busy, especially with Jennie in the heat of the racing season, but with Jisoo sick, Rosie had found herself once again reporting on F1 at the Canadian Grand Prix and things just clicked from there. For the month off, Jennie had been in London for most of the time and the two of them absolutely made the most of it. Their little stint in Monaco led to almost instant publicity surrounding their relationship, but Rosie didn't mind—she was trained in publicity, it was her lifeblood. The only thing that bothered her was the hum of disapproval from her father, but after September passed and with it the throes of fashion week after fashion week, Rosie started lining up jobs. Having years beneath Anna Wintour and now very publicly dating an F1 driver has made her incredibly desirable meaning she no longer needs to rely on her father for a job. She plans to quit after Jennie finishes her season.

"I think you're forgetting something." Rosie's attention is pulled back to the big screen as Jennie's pre-race interview continues. "It doesn't matter where I place, I can be third in the podium and still be champion. I know I'll end up on the podium, that's not the question. I think Jeon has a problem with his machinery, really, he just can't seem to get past second these days. I let him have a couple races when I was re-injured, but rest assured, that's done now. I intend to take this trophy home, it'll do quite nicely on the shelf with all the others."

She feels a swell of pride watching Jennie. Her arrogance is earned and her being this close to a third championship in Formula One is already historic, but Jennie seems determined to continue breaking records. Red Bull has been fighting to extend her contract past 2025, but everyone wants her. Mercedes is trying to give Jeon the boot, but Ferrari is throwing money on the table, too. Rosie leans on the bannister, checking her watch as people swarm around her, drinking champagne and laughing and hardly paying attention to the press. Rosie lowers her sunglasses and checks her watch, desperate for the race to start.

("I don't think this is my year," Jennie sighs, lying in bed beside Rosie the night before the first practice in Abu Dhabi. Their clothes are lost somewhere for them to deal with later, for now Rosie just lies bare in her arms. "My shoulder fucked everything, it always does."