"Oh my god... You don't know how competitive it is getting to find a job these days." A young man's voice echoed through the dorm room. "Look, it says here that there were a thousand applicants for that job, and they only hired twenty people... TWENTY! This is getting harder and harder. I don't know what it will be like when we graduate..."
"It's fine, Joe. We'll manage to get through it." Another young voice reassured him. It belonged to a young man with blonde hair. He was very lean and slim but still muscular enough to look good.
However, Joe still kept moaning. "It's not going to be that easy, Shawn. There will be ten thousand of us graduating this year. How many do you think will be left jobless afterwards? A lot... I say. This is crazy, man."
"Chill out. Just chill out, Joe. We just need to make sure that we are better than the rest of our competition. We can do it... right?" Shawn comforted him with a reassuring voice.
Just then, another young voice echoed in the room.
"You two. Why are you so serious? This isn't something to worry about! Just live your life and leave everything else to your luck!" A black-haired young man spoke in a humorous tone. He was sitting in a chair facing a computer, playing a game with a huge headset on. He wasn't fat, but definitely chubby. "Winners in life were just born lucky." He laughed and returned to his game.
Joe's expression was displeased when he heard this. He sneered, "Shut the fuck up, Tom. If I don't get a job, do you think my mommy is going to pay my living expenses forever? Huh? She'll throw my ass out!"
"Ohhh... I don't think so, Joe." Tom teased him and then mocked him even further. "You know how much money she gives you every month? You don't do anything but just spend it all on girls, and yet they still don't give you a chance. Fucking pathetic! I bet I can get laid easier than you, but I choose not to... HAHAHAHA!"
"Shut the fuck up, Tom! We're talking about serious things here, and you're just laughing and mocking me. How can you even talk about something you've never experienced before? How can you get laid when you are fucking fat and your face looks like a pig's head?" Joe growled angrily.
However, Tom wasn't offended. Instead he laughed, "The girls from our college aren't for me. It would be easier to pick them up elsewhere. They just don't match my taste. They are too demanding without much in return. That's why I never tried to get a girlfriend from our campus."
"Hmph! It's because no one will be willing to be your girlfriend with that fatass body of yours." Joe snorted in reply.
"You two stop it! Why are you arguing so much?" Shawn interrupted their conversation before it got ugly. Though he knew that their conversation wouldn't get ugly since this wasn't the first time they talked trash at each other. They were, after all, best of friends.
"Oh no, don't worry Shawn. I was just teasing him to loosen up. He has been in a bad mood since that bitch rejected him yesterday," Tom said and laughed. "Even though there wasn't any chance at all that they would be together. What the hell does she think you are? Just an errand boy to her?"
"Shut it, Tom. Or I'll come there and beat the shit out of you." Joe's expression was furious. It was clear that this topic was an irritable one.
"Okay, okay. Calm down." Tom immediately stopped teasing and instead looked at Shawn. "By the way, how is your family business going, Shawn? Is it still not in good shape or what? Is it getting better?"
Shawn let out a soft sigh and shook his head. "Nope. Things aren't so easy. It has been a tough time due to the pandemic. Many of our clients have gone bankrupt. Those who survived were reluctant to use our services. Everything just became more difficult than ever before... I guess. And this is when we really need the money to pay the expenses."
"Don't worry, Shawn. If you need money, just tell us; we are here for you. After all, we are best of friends." Tom tried to comfort him as he looked at his expression. It was clear to him that his family was going through hardships, and it affected him a lot.
"Yeah, we will help you in this difficult time. I'll just have to stop spending the money my mom gives me on those bitches." Joe added and smiled.
"Haha. Don't worry, guys, things aren't that bad. I've saved enough money before for a few months if it gets this much worse. So it won't be a problem in the future. However, it is still hard to know that your parents are having such a tough time... It just gets depressing, you know." Shawn explained while sighing again.
Then he shook his head. "Anyway! We have a few days of winter break starting from tomorrow. I was planning on visiting my parents back at home. What are your plans for the winter break?"
"Hmm... I think I will stay at the campus and work hard on my projects. They aren't easy. After all, we only have a few months left before graduation." Tom shrugged while explaining his plans.
Joe was also nodding along to the statement. "Yeah, same here."
"Alright then. Let me know if you're getting stuck on anything. I'll help you as much as I can!" Shawn smiled while getting up to pack his stuff for the upcoming journey to visit his family.