Rosé sat at the same table she and Jennie had sat at during their first tutoring session. She had gotten there twenty minutes early to look over the five pages she had written. After the 10th reading, all the words started to run together. She put the paper down and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands as she yawned. She crossed her arms on the table and put her head down.
Rosé hadn't gone to sleep until almost 3:30 in the morning and had spent most of the day like one of those walkers from 'The Walking Dead' but without trying to bite people. After leaving Lisa, she had gone to class then hung out with Ashley a bit and tell her everything that had happened.
She then spent a couple of hours looking over Irene and Joy's footage, which had come out great. At around eight when she had started writing her five pages, Jaehyun had called to talk. That talk had lasted over two hours. She was still sad but talking to him made her feel lots better and before they hung up, they made plans to go to dinner next week. As friends, of course.
"Hmmm," she hummed into her arms. She was sure she was still awake because she could still hear everything around her, but everything sounded so far away. She tried to open her eyes but couldn't.
###
Jennie looked at the clock on her phone and cursed. She only had five minutes to get from the football field to The Bean. Finalizing the list of the next semester's squad had taken longer than she anticipated. The two girls she had chosen and the two alternates, while not as good as Jennie, were at least up to her standards. Now, not only was Jennie done with all squad publicity, she was also done with any and all official business. She was finally free to enjoy the remaining two months of her senior year without the burden of being the spokesperson for the UCLA squad.
She didn't even have time to change and felt oddly self-conscious about meeting Rosé in her UCLA sweats and T-shirt. Jennie put that thought out of her mind as she reached the front door of The Bean. When she went in, she was greeted with a familiar sight. Rosé looked like she was asleep.
Jennie smiled and shook her head. She really couldn't understand how Rosé could even sleep with how noisy The Bean was at this time of day. She went to her table and quietly sat down without waking her sleeping student.
Jennie cleared her throat, "Ahem."
Rosé stirred. She could still hear the humming of people talking and the clatter of plates but the last noise she heard sounded different. It sounded closer.
Jennie reached over and lightly tapped Rosé on the top of her head.
Rosé jumped up when she felt someone touch her head. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was, when she did, she saw Jennie sitting in front of her with an amused smile on her face.
"Am I boring you already?" Jennie teased.
Rosé ran a hand through her hair and hoped the warm flush from embarrassment she felt wasn't noticeable, "Hi."
Jennie noticed the light bags under Rosé's eyes and didn't feel like teasing her anymore. "Up late last night?"
"Umm, yeah," Rosé said as she organized her five pages into one pile, "I wrote the pages."
"Did it take you all night?"
"Oh no," Rosé said, "I mean, yeah it took me a few hours, but that's not why I went to bed late."
"Please tell me you weren't working on Irene's video," Jennie said, "You don't have to give her anything so fast."
Rosé reached for the cup of coffee she had bought when she first got here and took a sip of the now cold liquid, "I did look at what I filmed but I didn't really work on it. Jaehyun and I...never mind," Rosé said, "Anyway, here are my five pages." She extended her arm across the table and handed Jennie the papers.
Jennie involuntarily clenched her jaw and took the papers, "You should concentrate on this paper and not your social life."
"Are you going to be mean now?" Rosé asked picking up on her tutor's tone.
Jennie closed her eyes and took a breath, "No, sorry," she said opening her eyes and looking at her student, "I said I wouldn't be mean anymore. So, let's see what you wrote here." Jennie focused all her attention on reading Rosé's first five pages.
Rosé grabbed her cup of cold coffee and got up, "I'm going to get a fresh cup. I'll get you one too." Jennie just hummed in approval, her eyes never leaving the paper.
Rosé left and hoped that by the time she got back, Jennie would be finished reading. She didn't have any confidence this paper was even any good. Jennie had been awesome in explaining things and she understood them but writing them down was totally different. Rosé got the two coffees but just hung out by the counter and watched Jennie. Rosé began to bite one of her nails, a nervous habit her mother had called gross. She couldn't help it though, she was really worried Jennie wouldn't like what she had written. When Rosé saw Jennie start on the last page, Rosé took the coffees and returned to the table.
"It's dumb, isn't it?" Rosé asked as she handed Jennie her coffee.
"No, it's not," Jennie said taking the cup, "Give yourself more credit. This is good."
"Seriously?" Rosé asked surprised.
"Yes, it is. There are a few points you missed and some that could be more fleshed out, but you're on the right track."
Rosé let out a big breath she didn't even know she was holding, "I really didn't think I made any sense."
Jennie put the paper down and looked straight into Rosé's eyes, "Listen to me. If I'm going to keep being your tutor, I have a few rules you need to follow or I'm out of here."
Rosé felt like her heart jumped to her throat. What did I do wrong, she wondered. She didn't trust herself to speak so she just nodded.
"First, do the work," Jennie said, "Second, do your best. And third, don't under any circumstance put yourself or your work down. Got it?"
Rosé felt herself smile, "OK, I can do that."
"Good."
"So tell me what I need to flush," Rosé said.
Jennie let out a small chuckle, "Flesh out, Rosie."
"OK, that doesn't sound as gross."
For the next couple of hours all they concentrated on helping Rosé finish her paper. By the time the sun had completely disappeared, Jennie had helped Rosé edit her five pages and even managed to help her write her sixth.
"I really don't know how to thank you," Rosé said gathering up her things, "I mean, I never would have thought I'd be able to write more than two pages on anything."
"Hey now, remember the rules," Jennie playfully warned.
"It's true though. And it's not breaking the rules cause I said I thought and now I know that I can."
Jennie smiled. She felt extremely proud, but not of herself, of Rosé. Seeing her look so happy and confident about this paper actually made Jennie happy. She figured this is what all teachers feel like when they help a student. It was normal.
"I'm glad," Jennie said.
"I still feel kinda bad I'm not paying you though," Rosé said.
"Rosé, it's fine. You're helping me too, so think of it as like a trade."
Rosé looked at Jennie and saw that she was totally sincere. "Let me at least, like, buy you lunch or something after I'm done with this paper."
Jennie stopped herself from immediately accepting Rosé's offer. She suddenly realized that this might be the last time she got to tutor Rosé since her paper was due soon. She had really enjoyed teaching Rosé and felt disappointment hit her in the pit of her stomach at the thought.
Rosé knew her first six pages were good because Jennie had helped her but she wasn't so sure her last four pages would be equally as good. Though Rosé had to admit to herself that it wasn't just her paper that fueled the need she had to continue working with Jennie.
"Umm," Rosé began, "Can you read my last four pages before I turn in the paper? I mean, if you have time. I know what to write about, but like, it'd be cool if you could look it over."
"Yes, of course," Jennie said, the disappointment she had just felt disappearing, "I'd be happy to look over your last four pages."
"Awesome!"
"You're going to get an 'A' on this paper Rosé," Jennie said, confidently.
"OK, let's not get too crazy now," Rosé said with a laugh, "I'll be happy with a 'C'."
"Nope, you'll get an 'A'."
"I bet you I don't."
"OK, let's bet," Jennie said with a smirk.
Rosé raised her eyebrows, "Seriously?"
"Yeah. If you get an 'A', I win. If you get a 'B' or less, you win."
"Win what, exactly?"
"Dinner?" Jennie said without thinking.
There was that feeling again, that feeling Rosé had when Jennie had first talked to her. A mixture of wanting to throw up from nervousness and excitement, "Din..dinner?"
"Uh, or lunch," Jennie offered. Somehow dinner just sounded too intimate or something, "Or like..."
"Ice cream," Rosé suggested.
"Ice cream," Jennie repeated, "Ice cream sounds good. You win, I pay. I win, you pay."
"It's a bet," Rosé said smiling and extending her hand.
Jennie took Rosé's warm hand in hers and shook it a little longer than she should, "But don't go writing a bad paper just to win," Jennie said letting go of Rosé's hand.
"I won't," Rosé said, avoiding Jennie's gaze.
"Great," Jennie said, "So, when do you want me to read these last pages?"
"Umm, well the paper is due Tuesday, so Saturday?" Rosé asked.
"Umm," Jennie said trying to remember if she had any plans.
"Oh wait, that's the weekend. I'm sorry," Rosé said, "I'm sure the last thing you want to do is spend a Saturday tutoring. How about I email the pages to you."
"Email?" Jennie asked, shaking her head, "No, no email. We need to meet."
"Oh?"
"I mean," Jennie tried to explain, "I can't give you good notes through email. Saturday is good for me. We can meet here at our usual time."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Jennie said. She was sure she was forgetting something, but she'd just reschedule whatever it was she had to do.
###
By the time Saturday rolled around, Rosé had accomplished a lot. She managed to get quite of bit of editing done for both the cheer and Irene's videos. While there was no real deadline for the cheer video, Rosé wanted to get it done as soon as possible so she'd have one last thing to worry about.
She and Jaehyun had even met up for a drink and talked some more. The more time she spent with Jaehyun the more she liked the idea of just being friends with him. It really wasn't much different than the way they were acting the last two months. Though now, they weren't going to be sleeping together anymore.
When Rosé told Ashley she wasn't exactly surprised but was very supportive. Ashley had always liked Jaehyun and told Rosé she was glad that she wouldn't have to completely cut him out of her life.
And somewhere between her personal life, classes, and editing, Rosé had managed to write the last four pages of her paper. She was done and it felt amazing. It was a strange and exciting feeling when she had finished her paper. She usually only got that feeling when she finished one of her movies.
Rosé had gotten a message earlier this afternoon from Sunny telling her to meet in her office in an hour. Once a month, Sunny held film workshops on Saturdays for all the local high school kids who were interested in film. Rosé had actually taken Sunny's workshop during her senior year of high school and because of Sunny, she had decided to study film.
She put her bag on the floor and sat in one of the chairs in front of Sunny's desk. She took a quick glance at her bag and smiled knowing her completed English paper was in there.
She wondered if Sunny wanted to talk to her about the films, she turned in last week or more about the New York job.
New York.
Just thinking about it gave Rosé butterflies in her stomach. After the initial shock of finding out it would be a permanent move, Rosé's excitement about the job had grown. This would be really exciting and knowing she wouldn't be alone made it a lot less scary.
Rosé smiled and took out her phone. She scrolled down her contacts and found Lisa's number to send her a text.
Hey! Sunny called me into her office. Did she tell you more about the NY job? - RP
Rosé held on to her phone and waited for a response. She began to imagine what it'd be like to move across the country and felt a bit of a panic. Rosé had told her parents and while they were sad that there was a big chance she'd be moving, they were very proud. They had even suggested Rosé live with her great-aunt and uncle who lived in New Jersey while Rosé looked for a place of her own.
Rosé scrunched up her face just thinking about living with them. She liked them but she really didn't want to live with two really old folks. She wondered if Lisa would be open to being roommates. As if on cue, her phone beeped.
Hi. She did yesterday. Told me the NY studio wanted me to submit another video. Now I'm kinda worried. - LM
Don't be. I've seen your stuff. You're really good. - RP
Rosé hit send and hoped she was right. The New York studio had to hire Lisa too, because they'd be crazy not to hire her. And Rosé really didn't like the idea of moving by herself.
I hope you're right - LM
Instead of texting back, Rosé clicked on the phone icon and called Lisa.
"I was thinking of calling instead of texting too," Lisa said when she answered.
"Don't worry, OK," Rosé assured, "I'm sure they just want to see more of your awesome videos. I sent them three. How many did you send?"
"Two," Lisa said.
"See, that's probably it," Rosé said, "Maybe they asked everyone who only sent two to send another one."
"Maybe," Lisa said, not sounding convinced.
Rosé hated to think Lisa was feeling worried about this, she didn't like the idea of Lisa being sad. "Hey, do you want to have that celebration dinner you wanted to have the other day? We can talk more about this New York thing."
"Umm, yeah," Lisa said, her voice sounding happier, "That'd be great."
"Cool. But, I took the bus to school today. Can you meet me here after my tutoring session and pick me up?"
"Of course, I'll pick you up. Wait, Jennie is tutoring you on a Saturday?"
"Yeah," Rosé said, "My paper is due on Tuesday and I just want her to read over what I wrote and make sure I did it right. I want to make sure I have time to fix anything."
"That's really nice of her to meet up on a weekend," Lisa said, "Maybe she's not such a grouch after all."
"No way," Rosie said a little too quickly, "I mean, I told you she can be nice."
"I guess so," Lisa said.
Rosé spotted Sunny through the window, "Oh gotta go. Sunny's here. I'll call you after and tell you what she said."
"Alright, bye."
Rosé hung up and followed Sunny with her eyes as she went to sit behind her desk, "Hey Sunny."
"Hey Miss Rosé," Sunny greeted with a big smile, "Sorry to interrupt your phone connection there. Little booty call with the boyfriend?"
Rosé shifted in her seat, "Umm, no. We broke up."
"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry," Sunny said with concern, "Are you OK?"
"Yeah, I'm good. It was for the best. Plus we're still going to be friends so it's cool."
"Wow, now that's the spirit," Sunny said, "Good for you! Don't you just love a clean breakup?"
"Umm, I don't really know," Rosé said, "This is really my first clean breakup. It was OK I guess."
"Well, take it from me," Sunny said, "They are the best. Hopefully your future break-ups are just as clean."
Rosé really wasn't sure what Sunny meant so she just nodded and smiled.
"So you wanted to see me?" Rosé asked hoping to get Sunny back on track. Sunny was great, but sometimes she had the tendency to go start talking about other stuff. Rosé did the same thing sometimes. One time they had started talking about her grade and she and Sunny had ended up discussing dancing polar bears.
Sunny snapped out of her thoughts, "Oh right! Thanks for coming in on a Saturday. You did mention you were going to be on campus anyway so I figured I'd tell you in person than on the phone."
"Tell me what?"
"About the New York studio job," Sunny said. She looked like she couldn't hold her excitement.
"That I made the final cut? You told me that already."
"Yes, I did," Sunny said, "But I just got a call from my friend, Tiffany Hwang. She's the one who's head of the department looking to hire, and she wants to interview you."
"Really?"
"Yup! She would hire you on the spot just based on your work, but she wants to talk to you to make sure you're not a psycho. I told her you were perfectly sane, but I guess human resources has rules or whatever."
Rosé leaned forward in her chair, "So if Ms. Hwang finds out I'm not a psycho, then I'll get the job?"
"That's right lady!" Sunny said, "You will have one of the five spots, guaranteed. I mean after you talk to Tiffany."
Rosé actually jumped up from her chair and squealed. All the hard work she'd put into her years at this school was really going to pay off. "Oh my God!"
Sunny let out a small laugh, "I know! I mean, just make sure to get that diploma and you're good to go."
Rosé's smile instantly disappeared, "My diploma?"
"Sure. You'll need your diploma to get this job. You're doing fine in your classes right?" Sunny asked.
"Yeah, yeah," Rosé said sitting down, "I'm doing good in my film classes..."
Sunny nodded.
"...and all my other classes but..."
"But what Rosie?"
"My English class is kinda tough," Rosé admitted, "I mean, I have a tutor now so I think I'll be OK."
Rosé could only remember a handful of times when she had seen Sunny actually be serious. This was one of those times.
"Rosé. It's very important you graduate on time, OK? You have to get your diploma in May so you can work for this studio."
"I will, I will," Rosé said, "I'll make sure to do everything to pass this English class."
"Good," Sunny said, "And if you need any more help, talk to me."
"OK."
"Who's your tutor anyway?"
"Jennie Kim."
Sunny looked very surprised, "Well damn! The Cheerleader and English superstar of UCLA? Nice catch there Rosie. She's sure to help you pass."
"I hope so," Rosé said.
"Relax Rosé," Sunny said, "Keep me updated, OK? I promise to help you as much as I can. I want you to get this job in New York. I mean I'll miss my favorite student, but I do go to New York quite often, so I'll be around."
"Really?" Rosé said, her smile returning, "You'll be in New York too?"
"For the summer, yes," Sunny said, "And I've signed up to be part of a teacher buddy program with our sister school over there, so I'll probably teach a class there for a few months too."
Finding out that Sunny would be in New York too was making this move easier and easier. She'd know Sunny and Lisa.
"Wait," Rosé said, "What about Lisa? She said they asked her for another video. I mean, she's still in the final cut right?"
Rosé didn't like the look of doubt on Sunny's face, "Yes, she is. They asked her for another video because they can't decide between her and some guy from Chicago."
"But Lisa is an awesome filmmaker," Rosé protested, her voice seemed to get a little louder, "No way this Chicago guy is better."
" Rosie, I know she's your friend," Sunny said, "And she is very talented. Tiffany is just not sure if hiring two people from the same school is a good idea."
"But Lisa isn't even a student," Rosé said, "She works here. So it's different."
"Rosé," Sunny said holding up her hand, "You don't have to convince me. I hired her remember? I know she's talented. If it were up to me she'd have a guaranteed spot. I've talked to Tiffany about her and recommended her. Highly. So she already has an edge on this Chicago guy."
"So even though Lisa totally deserves this job, she might not get it just because she and I are from the same school?"
"I'll talk to Tiffany," Sunny repeated.
The exhilaration Rosé had felt at hearing she had a guaranteed spot faded. She somehow felt like if Lisa didn't get this job, it would be her fault.
###
Jennie looked all over her desk for her car keys and couldn't find them. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw she still had half an hour until she had to meet Rosé. Luckily she lived close by campus so it would take her about five minutes to get there by car.
"Where the fuck are they?"
She checked the couch, the kitchen, and even opened the front door to her apartment to make sure she didn't leave them hanging there. Nothing.
"OK, Jennie. Think!"
There was a knock at the door.
"Maybe it's my keys," Jennie told herself as she went to open the door.
It wasn't her keys. It was Irene.
"Hey baby," Irene said stepping in and giving her a quick kiss, "Oh good, you're dressed already."
Jennie was dressed in form-fitting jeans, boots, a red top, and her favorite leather jacket. She was dressed but was at a loss as to why Irene cared.
"What are you doing here?" Jennie asked.
Irene came into her apartment and threw her bag on the couch, "I know I'm early, but I figured that maybe we could have an early dinner before we head out to Pasadena. Or we could eat over there."
Shit, Jennie thought, The play.
"Riiight," Jennie said, dragging out the word slowly.
Irene crossed her arms and looked at Jennie with narrowed eyes, "Don't tell me you forgot."
"No, no," Jennie said, shaking her head, "I just wasn't expecting dinner. I sort of have to be somewhere soon."
"Where?"
"I made an appointment to tutor Rosé and..."
"Wait a second," Irene interrupted, "You're tutoring her now? On a Saturday? On a day we made plans?"
Truth was, Jennie had completely forgotten she had agreed to go to the play but she wasn't about to let Irene know that. "You said the play didn't start until eight, so I figured I had enough time to meet Rosé to check out some of her work before we left."
"Is she at least paying you extra to tutor her on a Saturday?"
"Yeah," Jennie said, hoping she sounded convincing, "Listen, Irene, if you had told me earlier about dinner I would have canceled with Rosé, but now it's too late. So how about you hang out here while I go work with her and when I get back we'll go to the play."
"Fine," Irene said throwing up her hand in frustration, "Whatever."
"Great," Jennie said, glad Irene wasn't going to be difficult, "But first, can you help me find my keys? I can't find them anywhere."
Irene rolled her eyes and began to look around the apartment. After another five minutes, Irene shouted from the bathroom.
"I found them!"
Jennie ran to the bathroom to find Irene dangling the keys from her index finger, "Where were they?"
"On the sink," Irene said.
It all came back to Jennie just then. After she got home she had gone straight to the bathroom to pee and placed the keys on her sink.
Jennie looked at her clock again, "Shit, I have to go."
"Why don't I drive you," Irene offered.
"Why?"
"Since an early dinner is out of the question," Irene said, "I might as well go get a pedicure. I'll drop you off, go get my pedicure and then pick you up and head straight to the play."
"Fine, whatever," Jennie said. She really didn't want to keep Rosé waiting.
"Great, let's go," Irene said. As they were heading out the door Irene spoke again. "If you were on your way to tutor Rosé, why did you get all dressed up?"
"Excuse me?" Jennie asked as they stepped out into the hallway, and she locked the door.
"Well, you look pretty fancy for just a tutoring session," Irene said.
Jennie looked down at her outfit. "I guess, I just wanted to make sure that if the tutoring session went long, I was ready to go to this play."
That answer seemed to make Irene happy, "That makes sense. Come on, let's go."
Jennie followed Irene to her car. Maybe she did spend a little extra time getting ready. But she was Jennie Kim and she had to make sure she always looked good.
###
Rosé sat at the usual table she and Jennie had been sitting in for their sessions. She looked at the clock on her phone and saw that it was ten minutes past five and was starting to wonder if Jennie forgot they were meeting.
Jennie hadn't called her to say she would be late, so maybe she did forget. Rosé looked over her paper again and made sure all her pages were there. She really wanted Jennie to look them over before she turned them to her teacher.
Rosé picked up her phone again and sent Jennie a text.
Hey. It's Rosé. Are you still coming to The Bean for our session? - RP
She waited for a reply but none came. After another five minutes, Rosé was convinced Jennie had forgotten. She slumped her shoulders in disappointment and began to gather her things.
"Rosé!"
She looked up to see Jennie almost running to the table, her breathing a little haggard.
"I'm so sorry," Jennie said sitting down and taking in a breath, "I couldn't find my keys, then Irene showed up and she drove me here and she took the long way, then she dropped me off on the other side of campus because she didn't want to make a U-Turn and...."
Jennie knew she was rambling but couldn't really stop. She felt like she needed to explain to Rosé why she was 15 minutes late.
"It's OK, Jennie," Rosé said with a small smile.
"...And I was in such a rush to get out of my apartment, I forgot my phone and..."
"Jennie!" Rosé interrupted, "It's OK."
"I'm really sorry," Jennie said again, her breathing back to normal.
Rosé saw the sincerity in Jennie's face and couldn't be upset with her. She was just happy Jennie had shown up. Rosé took in Jennie's appearance. Her makeup was flawless and even the light sweat she had on her brow from running here made her look beautiful. Her whole outfit was one that was meant to be seen out on the town and not in some university cafe.
"You do have plans," Rosé said, "You really didn't have to meet me. I could have emailed this to you."
"What makes you think I have plans?" Jennie asked taking off her leather jacket and placing it behind her chair.
"Look at you," Rosé said motioning to her, "You're all dress up! You look too beautiful to just be hanging out at a cafe."
Jennie rarely felt embarrassed when someone complimented her. She had gotten used to it over the years. Being the "IT" girl at the campus meant she'd get people telling her she was beautiful, pretty, hot, whatever on an almost daily basis and she had always shrugged it off.
So, when Rosé said she looked beautiful, the flush of heat to her face and feeling of embarrassment she felt surprised her. "I'm...umm, I'm just...it's just jeans, a shirt, and a jacket. Nothing special."
"Do you have plans?" Rosé asked.
"I'm seeing a play later," Jennie said. She motioned to the papers in front of Rosé, "Is that your paper?" She really wanted to get off the topic about how she looked.
"Oh yeah!" Rosé handed them over, "So, I kept the first six pages as they were since you said it was fine but the last four are all new."
"Let's take a look," Jennie said. Jennie began reading from the first page. She had always been a fast reader and knew reading the whole paper from page one wouldn't take her that long.
Rosé watched as Jennie's eyes moved back and forth as she read each line. They were moving pretty fast, kind of like when people dream. As she watched Jennie move from page to page, she started getting a bit anxious. She slowly got up and went to the counter to buy them some water.
Jennie read Rosé's closing paragraph and looked up to find a bottled water in front of her, "Where did this come from?"
"I bought it while you were reading," Rosé said, "I figured you'd be thirsty after you almost running in here."
"Oh, umm thanks," Jennie said, oddly touched at the gesture, "That's nice of you."
"You're welcome. So, my paper? Did you like the last four pages?"
"They were good..."
"But?"
"They could be better," Jennie said with a small smile.
"OK," Rosé said nodding her head, "This is the part where you tutor me."
"Yes, it is," Jennie said with a laugh.
They spent over an hour going over the final four pages and by the end by the end, Rosé was starting to believe she would indeed get an 'A' and owe Jennie an ice cream.
"I like banana splits," Jennie said handing Rosé her edited paper, "For when you get your 'A' I mean. You're going to owe me a banana split."
Rosé took the papers and smiled, "Well, I like sundaes. Just letting you know."
"Hot fudge or caramel?"
"Hot fudge for sure!"
Jennie leaned forward a little, "Me too," she said softly and winked.
Rosé was sure she felt goosebumps at seeing Jennie wink at her. Jennie winking was one of those fantasy scenarios she had thought up in her head crushing on her over the past two years. Now that it had happened, Rosé was almost convinced she had imagined the whole thing.
"Umm," Rosé began wanting to snap out of her thoughts, "What time is your play? It's almost seven."
The light mood Jennie had felt a few seconds ago disappeared, "Eight. I still have plenty of time." She reached into her jacket pocket to reach for her phone, "Fuck. I forgot that I forgot my phone!"
"Yes, you did!"
Rosé and Jennie looked up to find that Irene seemed to appear out of nowhere and was now standing in front of their table.
"Oh hey!" Jennie said.
"I've been calling you," Irene said, "The way you rushed us out of your apartment, I figured you forgot to take your phone." she turned to Rosé, "Hi Rosé. How are you?"
"Hi Irene. I'm fine." Rosé looked at Irene and, yes, she for sure didn't like her at all.
"You haven't called me with an update on my video," Irene said, "Have you made any progress?"
"Jesus Irene!" Jennie said, trying to control the rise in her voice, "Can you stop thinking about that damn video for a minute?"
"I just want to know if what I'm paying for is being done," Irene said calmly.
"Well," Rosé said, "You still haven't paid me so, you really haven't paid for anything yet."
Jennie wanted to smile but didn't. She knew Irene would notice.
"I will pay you," Irene said, "After the video is done."
"I did some editing on it," Rosé said, "Give me until Wednesday and you'll have it complete."
"That long?" Irene asked.
In the distance, Rosé heard the bell of the front door and before she could answer Irene, she saw Lisa approach their table, "Lisa!"
"Hey," Lisa said coming over, completely ignoring Jennie and Irene, and giving Rosé a hug, "I got here early and figured I'd pick you up in person and not just in the car."
Great, Jennie thought, Hipstermatic Princess is here.
"That's sweet," Rosé said, smiling. She was starting to get irritated with Irene but seeing Lisa instantly put her in a great mood.
Lisa turned her attention to Irene and Jennie, "Hi, ladies. How's it going?"
"Fine," Jennie mumbled.
"Great," Irene said, "Rosé was just telling me she is going to have my video ready on Wednesday."
"I'm sure she will," Lisa said, "I've seen some of it already. It's great."
"It better be," Irene said with a forced smile.
Jennie felt herself getting angry at Irene and even at Lisa for some reason. "Can we just stop with this video talk?" she asked.
Rosé turned to the table and gathered her things. She really wanted to leave.
"Right," Irene said, "We should go if we want to beat the traffic to Pasadena and make that play." Irene turned to look at Lisa, "Do you and Rosé have plans too?"
"We're going out to dinner actually," Lisa said.
"Just the two of you?" Jennie asked before she knew it.
"Yeah," Rosé said, "We're celebrating."
"Celebrating what?" Jennie asked.
"New beginnings," Lisa answered with a smile.
What the fuck does that mean, Jennie thought.
"Jennie, we should go," Irene said impatiently.
"Celebrating, huh?" Jennie asked putting on her jacket, "It's just that, I'd figure Rosé would be out on a date night with her boyfriend."
Jennie saw Lisa give Rosé a sad look.
"Jaehyun and I broke up," Rosé admitted. She was really starting to hate announcing her breakup to everyone.
"What?" Jennie asked, not even trying to hide the surprise in her voice.
"We broke up," Rosé said again. The need to leave was getting greater, "Umm, Lisa and I have to go, and you guys do too. I'll let you know when I get my grade for the paper."
"Come on Rosie," Lisa said and hooked her arm through Rosé's. She turned to Jennie and Irene, "Enjoy your play."
Rosé gave the couple a quick wave goodbye and let Lisa lead her out of The Bean.
Irene began walking out the door but Jennie didn't follow, "Jennie! Let's go!"
Jennie got her feet to move again and tried to process what had just happened.
###
Rosé looked over the menu in front of her and her eyes widened when she saw the prices.
"This place is really expensive," she said looking up at Lisa, "We didn't have to get sushi here. I know this other place where we can get some for half these prices."
"Don't worry about it," Lisa said, "My treat."
"No way! It's too much. Like, are these designer fish or something?"
Lisa laughed, "I'll take care of the bill. It won't cost me a cent."
Rosé put her menu down and leaned in closer to Lisa, "Are we going to skip out on the bill?" she whispered, "Cause, I don't think I can do that."
"No, of course not," Lisa said, now really amused, "My Dad owns this place. We're eating for free."
Rosé leaned back in her chair and let out a relieved breath, "Oh good because I don't think I could run fast in these sandals."
"You're cute," Lisa said shaking her head and smiling.
Rosé picked up her menu and hid her face from Lisa's view. She knew she was blushing and didn't want Lisa to see.
When the waitress came over, Rosé still didn't know what to get so she told Lisa to order for her. The waitress and Lisa talked for a little bit about school and then took their order.
"So you know everyone here?" Rosé asked.
"Yup. Practically grew up in this restaurant. Even learned how to make sushi from scratch."
"That's pretty cool," Rosé said, "The only thing I know how to cook is stuff I can put in a microwave."
"Maybe I'll make you some sushi sometime."
"I'd like that."
"So," Lisa began, "What did Sunny tell you? You were supposed to call me after to tell me."
"I know," Rosé said, "But I wanted to tell you in person."
"What?"
Rosé didn't want to worry Lisa but she had to tell her, "Sunny told me that Tiffany Hwang wants to interview me, over the phone, and that if I don't totally blow that interview, one of the spots is mine."
"Rosé! That's amazing! I told you you'd get it!" When Lisa didn't see Rosé more excited about the news, she went on, "Is there a 'but' in there somewhere?"
"Sunny told me that Tiffany really thinks you're talented but..."
Lisa leaned back in her chair, a worried look on her face.
"...she said that Tiffany wasn't sure hiring two people from the same school would be a good idea. That she's trying to decide between you and some guy from Chicago. Which is stupid because you're amazing and she would be crazy to not hire you. But don't worry, when I talk to her I'll try to convince her to hire you and..."
"Whoa, Rosie stop," Lisa said reaching across the table and taking Rosé's hands, "Don't do that. That interview is about you. Not me."
"But if they don't hire you..."
"Then I'll do something else," Lisa said, "Don't worry about me."
"Well I am. Worried," Rosé said, "I want this job but I also want you to get it so we can go to New York together."
"Me too," Lisa admitted, "But, let's just see what happens OK? Wait, is that why they wanted me to turn in another video? To decide between me and that Chicago guy?"
"Yes. So we have to make sure we turn in a good one so you can get that job."
Lisa smiled and squeezed Rosé's hand before letting go, "You mean I have to make sure I turn in a good video."
"Right, right," Rosé said, "I mean 'you', not 'we'." But she didn't. Rosé really did mean to say 'we' because, even though they had known each other for a short while, Rosé already thought of them as a team.
"Good," Lisa said, "Well, now that I know our time together may be limited, I wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
Lisa seemed to get really nervous all of a sudden, "Well, I know it's really soon, I mean after your bre...umm, I like you Rosé."
"I like you too," she said smiling.
"No, I..."
Rosé's phone vibrated on the table, "Opps, sorry. It's Ashley. She keeps texting me names of people I should go out with."
"She is? Why?"
"She says that I need a rebound or hook up because I broke up with Jaehyun."
"A rebound?"
"Yeah," Rosé said rolling her eyes, "She says since I dated Jaehyun for so long, I'm out of practice in dating so she's texting me names of people I should date for like practice before I date someone for real. You know, for fun."
Rosé noticed Lisa's shoulder's slump a little and almost didn't her when she said a simple, 'Oh'.
"Anyway," Rosé said, putting her phone in her purse, "Sorry. What were you saying?"
"Umm, nothing," Lisa said shaking her head, "Never mind."
"Are you sure?"
Lisa didn't answer. Their first order of sushi had arrived.
###
Jennie sat in her seat watching the actors on stage but wasn't paying attention. She couldn't stop thinking about Rosé telling her she had broken up with her boyfriend and the fact that Rosé was having dinner with Lisa.
Lisa. Just thinking about that girl made Jennie narrow her eyes. She was sure Lisa had a thing for Rosé. It was so obvious just by the way Hipstermatic Princess looked at her. So much for professionalism, Jennie thought.
Not that she was surprised. Rosé was probably the sweetest person at the school. When she had first seen Rosé at the lecture, Jennie had thought that she was cute. Now that she had spent more time with her and had really gotten a chance to see her, Jennie had to admit that Rosé was also beautiful. So yeah, she really couldn't blame Lisa at all.
But Jennie didn't even know for sure if Rosé was into girls. She had been with her boyfriend for a long time, it seems, so for all Jennie knew Rosé was straight and Lisa would just continue to bark up the wrong tree. Jennie always prided herself in having great gaydar and her senses were telling her Rosé wasn't entirely straight. She would bet her degree that Rosé was at least Bi.
Jennie sighed. This was none of her business and hated that she couldn't stop thinking about the whole situation. She was sure Rosé was probably still getting over her breakup and vulture Lisa wasn't wasting any time. Jennie just wanted to make sure her student didn't get distracted from her studies. That had to be it.
She sat up straighter and tried to concentrate on the play. She looked over to her right and saw that Irene was practically enthralled watching the actors. Jennie looked back at the stage and had no idea what was happening.
The longer she sat in her seat, the more she wondered why she was even still with Irene. It really felt like a job sometimes, being with her. Everyone always told her how perfect they looked together and at first, Jennie believed them. But now? Now, the novelty was wearing off.
Jihyo and Jisoo really liked Irene and constantly told Jennie to hold on to her.
"Yeah, right," Jennie said softly.
"What?" Irene asked, "Did you say something?"
"No, sorry," Jennie said softly.
Jennie knew she wasn't in love with Irene and, after months of dating, she knew she never would be. She had told herself a while back that she'd at least try to be with Irene until graduation. Now however, she wondered if these next two months were just too much to endure.