That night Emma tried calling Sean on the phone, but no one picked up. She
felt like she had no one to talk to. Manny was a different person, and she
couldn't really talk to her anymore. But, Emma thought, I really haven't
given her that much of a chance. Maybe she hasn't changed too much. Emma
picked up the phone again and dialed the Santos' phone number.
"Hello?" Mrs. Santos picked up. She had a thick Philippine accent.
"Hi, Mrs. Santos, it's Emma. Can I speak with Manny?"
"Hello, Em, nice to hear your voice. Just a moment," she said, and Emma could here her shout Manny's name.
"Hello?" another phone picked up.
"Nice to talk to you, Emma, hope you are well," Mrs. Santos said and hung up.
"Hello?" Manny said again.
"Hey, it's Emma."
"Hi Em. What's shakin'?"
"Nothing... just thought I'd call to see what's going on."
"Same old... talking to Sully online," she said, happily.
"Cool..."
"Have you talked to Sean?" she asked, seemingly distracted.
"No. I don't know what to do anymore. He won't talk to me, and he's just hanging with those bad kids so much. I don't know what to do!"
"Em, want me to try to talk to him?"
Emma thought about this, but she wasn't so sure she trusted Manny with Sean anymore. "No, I think it would make things worse," she said finally. "I think I'm going to just... oh, I don't know. Maybe I'll write him an e-mail or something, or call him later. I just want to see where everything's going." Emma waited for Manny to answer. "Manny?"
"Yeah? Oh, yeah, Em, e-mail. It's the way to go. Um, Sully wants me to call him. Can I call you back after?"
Emma hesitated. Her first reaction would be to be mad, couldn't Manny talk to him any time? But then Emma thought back to when Manny said how Emma wasn't there for her when she needed her. Plus, being mad wouldn't make Manny stay on the phone.
"Sure, talk to you then," she said, and hung up.
It felt good to talk to Manny, Emma thought. But she still wasn't satisfied with everything. She picked up the phone and dialed Sean's number again, only to get their answering machine again.
The next day Emma went straight to her locker with her head down, afraid she might see something she didn't want to-like Sean striding down the hall acting like a badass with his new loser-friends. But to her surprise, he came over to her by himself.
"Let's talk." He said, completely monotone. Emma swallowed hard, looking up from her locker. She nodded uncertainly, hoping silently that it was an apology and not a can-we-talk-breakup sort of thing...
Sean brought Emma outside and sat down on the bench, where she sat next to him. He sighed.
"Emma, I think maybe we should just cool it for a while, okay? I can't take all the pressure you put on me and just, like, all this environmental shit, it's not something I care about..." he said, looking straight at her. This isn't him talking, Emma thought. It's them. "And I just... we don't have anything in common. You never have time for me. And... now I'm with them." He said. Emma didn't have to ask. She knew who 'them' was. "I'm just sick of everything, I don't want to have to share you with your brother. It's not fair... and you know you mean a lot to me, but if you aren't going to even be around... what's the point?"
Emma couldn't even say anything. She blinked a couple times, trying to keep the tears in. Looking to the side, she saw Sean's new posse standing near the vending machine, having a laugh. Probably because Emma wasn't taking this easily.
"Would you say something so we..." Sean began, but Emma broke him off.
"Is it because I don't put out? Is it because I care about something, and I'm not a fucking junkie with nobody and nothing? I thought you were better than that, I thought you were better than them. I thought I knew you, but apparently I was wrong," she spat the words out at him. Sean looked surprised, then his face became angry.
"I have fun with them, Emma. I have fun doing stuff I like. Not going around the forest picking up other people's trash. That's not something I like to do; sue me."
"You aren't being fair, Sean! In relationships people have to give and take-"
"You just said it yourself, Emma! What the hell is wrong with you! I give and give and give, and all you do is take. You take our time and throw it out the window so you can baby-sit your brother, or have another fucking environmental service... whatever the hell you call it. You don't give me the time of day." He stood up, his shadow darkening Emma's face. "This is it. I can't wait around forever."
Emma didn't say anything, just looked down and promised herself she wouldn't cry, but the tears were flowing as she thought of something to say.
"Go fuck up again, Sean." She said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear. "Just go." She looked up at him, their eyes piercing each other's. "Go."
Sean shook his head, and, clenching his fists, turned around and started back into the building, but turned and looked at Emma one last time, the anger in his eyes gone. But she had her face in her hands, not looking at him.
"Hello?" Mrs. Santos picked up. She had a thick Philippine accent.
"Hi, Mrs. Santos, it's Emma. Can I speak with Manny?"
"Hello, Em, nice to hear your voice. Just a moment," she said, and Emma could here her shout Manny's name.
"Hello?" another phone picked up.
"Nice to talk to you, Emma, hope you are well," Mrs. Santos said and hung up.
"Hello?" Manny said again.
"Hey, it's Emma."
"Hi Em. What's shakin'?"
"Nothing... just thought I'd call to see what's going on."
"Same old... talking to Sully online," she said, happily.
"Cool..."
"Have you talked to Sean?" she asked, seemingly distracted.
"No. I don't know what to do anymore. He won't talk to me, and he's just hanging with those bad kids so much. I don't know what to do!"
"Em, want me to try to talk to him?"
Emma thought about this, but she wasn't so sure she trusted Manny with Sean anymore. "No, I think it would make things worse," she said finally. "I think I'm going to just... oh, I don't know. Maybe I'll write him an e-mail or something, or call him later. I just want to see where everything's going." Emma waited for Manny to answer. "Manny?"
"Yeah? Oh, yeah, Em, e-mail. It's the way to go. Um, Sully wants me to call him. Can I call you back after?"
Emma hesitated. Her first reaction would be to be mad, couldn't Manny talk to him any time? But then Emma thought back to when Manny said how Emma wasn't there for her when she needed her. Plus, being mad wouldn't make Manny stay on the phone.
"Sure, talk to you then," she said, and hung up.
It felt good to talk to Manny, Emma thought. But she still wasn't satisfied with everything. She picked up the phone and dialed Sean's number again, only to get their answering machine again.
The next day Emma went straight to her locker with her head down, afraid she might see something she didn't want to-like Sean striding down the hall acting like a badass with his new loser-friends. But to her surprise, he came over to her by himself.
"Let's talk." He said, completely monotone. Emma swallowed hard, looking up from her locker. She nodded uncertainly, hoping silently that it was an apology and not a can-we-talk-breakup sort of thing...
Sean brought Emma outside and sat down on the bench, where she sat next to him. He sighed.
"Emma, I think maybe we should just cool it for a while, okay? I can't take all the pressure you put on me and just, like, all this environmental shit, it's not something I care about..." he said, looking straight at her. This isn't him talking, Emma thought. It's them. "And I just... we don't have anything in common. You never have time for me. And... now I'm with them." He said. Emma didn't have to ask. She knew who 'them' was. "I'm just sick of everything, I don't want to have to share you with your brother. It's not fair... and you know you mean a lot to me, but if you aren't going to even be around... what's the point?"
Emma couldn't even say anything. She blinked a couple times, trying to keep the tears in. Looking to the side, she saw Sean's new posse standing near the vending machine, having a laugh. Probably because Emma wasn't taking this easily.
"Would you say something so we..." Sean began, but Emma broke him off.
"Is it because I don't put out? Is it because I care about something, and I'm not a fucking junkie with nobody and nothing? I thought you were better than that, I thought you were better than them. I thought I knew you, but apparently I was wrong," she spat the words out at him. Sean looked surprised, then his face became angry.
"I have fun with them, Emma. I have fun doing stuff I like. Not going around the forest picking up other people's trash. That's not something I like to do; sue me."
"You aren't being fair, Sean! In relationships people have to give and take-"
"You just said it yourself, Emma! What the hell is wrong with you! I give and give and give, and all you do is take. You take our time and throw it out the window so you can baby-sit your brother, or have another fucking environmental service... whatever the hell you call it. You don't give me the time of day." He stood up, his shadow darkening Emma's face. "This is it. I can't wait around forever."
Emma didn't say anything, just looked down and promised herself she wouldn't cry, but the tears were flowing as she thought of something to say.
"Go fuck up again, Sean." She said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear. "Just go." She looked up at him, their eyes piercing each other's. "Go."
Sean shook his head, and, clenching his fists, turned around and started back into the building, but turned and looked at Emma one last time, the anger in his eyes gone. But she had her face in her hands, not looking at him.