What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook Page A

back at you? As a woman, I thought I was supposed to have the right to change my mind at will.
    “She’s mad at me,” I said, changing the subject and feeling like I was breaking some kind of secret vow. I never talked to Colin about Joann. It felt like cheating on her. When your best friend dates your other best friend, you have to have some boundaries, things that you lock in a vault and don’t discuss. My problem was that Colin was the only one I could think of to talk to who might know how to handle the current problem.
    “I know, she told me.”
    Apparently Joann does not have the same feeling about the vault.
    “She talks about me?”
    “Not all the time.”
    “So why is she so pissed? Just because I want to move away?”
    “She thinks you don’t want to be her friend anymore.”
    “I don’t? Then why is it that she’s the one who won’t talk to me?”
    “Don’t ask me.”
    “I would ask her, but she doesn’t pick up the phone. Look, I want to move away, and I’m not going to apologize for that. This town isn’t for me. I can’t help it. I never meant to make her feel like I think she’s a loser because she wants to stay in Wheaton.”
    “You didn’t mean to make her feel like a loser, but you think she is.”
    “I do not!”
    “Whatever.”
    “Now you’re pissed?”
    “I’m not pissed, but I’m not going to tell you something just to make you feel better. You do think people who want to stay in Wheaton are weird.”
    “You make it sound like this whole thing is my fault.”
    “Not everything is about someone being at fault.”
    “Thank you for that wisdom. Maybe you can become the first dairy-farming Buddha,” I said. I could feel my breath coming more quickly, and I hadn’t even started running yet.
    Colin laughed.
    “Dairy Buddha. I like that. Maybe I’ll get real fat and get people to rub my belly for luck. Grow myself some udders.” He let out a loud mooooooo .
    “You’re such an ass.”
    “I think that’s why you love me.”
    “Now you’ve discovered my real feelings,” I said with sarcasm. “I can’t stay away from you.”
    “Like Todd?”
    “What!” I felt my heart speed up, as if I’d been caught doing something wrong.
    “A bunch of people saw you guys hanging out today.”
    “Oh my God. I had, like, a ten-minute conversation with the guy.”
    “It’s not the quantity, it’s the quality. It sounded like you guys were quite chummy.”
    “We weren’t being chummy.” My face flushed.
    “I figured if you were going to go out with someone, you wouldn’t pick Todd.”
    “What’s wrong with Todd?”
    “Nothing’s wrong with him, he just doesn’t seem like your type.” I could picture Colin shrugging, which he does whenever he’s pretending to be indifferent.
    “How would you know what my type is?”
    “Fine, Todd’s your type.”
    “He’s not my type.”
    “Whatever.”
    “Were you always this annoying?”
    “I think so. You want to get some ice cream?”
    “Ice cream?”
    “Yes, it’s a frozen dairy product. I know I’m the dairy farmer and thus perhaps smarter than the average person on the items that can be created with milk, but most people have heard of it.”
    “Do you really think we shouldn’t tell anyone about Kimberly and the booze?”
    “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
    “Because you don’t want Joann to be mad at you?”
    “What makes you think she’s going to be mad at me ? You called me and asked me to go out.”
    “I did not ask you out. I asked you to do something with me. There is a huge difference.” I felt my face flush red-hot. “You’re making this sound like it’s my fault.”
    “It’s not about blame, I’m just pointing out that Joann is going to be mad at you.”
    I didn’t say anything for a moment and instead picked at the fringe on the pillow. After the great Christmas kiss incident there had been no doubt that Joann was more ticked at me than at Colin. I guess the theory that friends are