Manny was in a daze as she walked to Mrs. Kwan's classroom. When she
entered, Emma was sitting in the front row. Manny looked and saw Emma's
backpack sitting in the seat next to hers. Emma turned and smiled at Manny.
She waved for Manny t come and join her as she pushed her backpack swiftly
off the chair. "Told you I would save you a seat!" Emma sounded very happy.
"Yeah...thanks EM." "Something wrong?" Emma asked very perkily. "EM, what
is wrong with you?" "Nothing. Why would you say that?" "Okay. Just like
twenty minutes ago you were pissed at me and now you're...I don't
know...unusually friendly." "Manny, did you really think that I was going
to stay mad for a long time, it was nothing. Besides, we're best friends,
right?" Manny opened her mouth to reply but Emma kept going. "Manny don't
worry about it. I'm over it. I'm just Sean's girlfriend! I don't need to
know what happens with him all the time!"
There was a certain curve to Emma's words. A slight twinge or bitterness along with a lot of noticeable sarcasm. Just then Mrs. Kwan walked in. "Okay class, open your free reading books. Silently!" Manny opened her backpack and got out her copy of Harry Potter. She opened the book to it's marked page but did not read. She did some figuring in her head. She knew Emma was still mad, but maybe a little confused as to who she was actually angry with. Manny also knew that Emma's sudden joy was not completely sincere; just a fake smile.
Sunday morning came quick. Manny still didn't know what she was going to wear. But that's not what she was thinking about. She lay in bed and wondered about how Sean was going to explain this all to her. Manny thought it best that she go and warn Sean about Emma's weird change of heart. Manny got up and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. When Manny reached the hospital, Sean was in the lobby. "Sean!" she called. "Why are you down here? Shouldn't you be upstairs?" Just then, Joey and Craig appeared at Sean's side. "I'm released so they are taking me back to their place." Manny looked at Craig. She was so embarrassed. The day of their date and she was visiting Sean.
Craig was thinking the same thing. "Why are you here?" he asked politely. "Umm...I needed to talk to Sean about Emma." She gave Craig a pointed look and he understood. "Oh! Yeah, alright." "Sorry, Manny, it's going to have to wait. We were just going to Children's Aid." "Oh, okay. That's fine. I'll see you guys later." She turned and exited the way she had entered. "Craig, isn't your date tonight?" Sean asked when Manny left. "Yeah. I'm hoping that it goes better than last time." "Why? What happened?" "Well...she acted so different...so young...I think it was nerves or something. But still, I don't want to be on a date and feel like I'm taking Angie to a movie." "Oh...yeah I can understand that." "Hey." Joey said. "Lets go guys. Sean you wanted to go today?" "Yeah." "Okay." Joey glanced at his watch. "Well, they open in a couple of minutes. Lets roll."
Joey started pushing Sean's wheelchair towards the car. Craig and Sean continued their conversation in the car. "So...do you really like her?" "Yeah man...a lot more than last time. I mean, what she is doing for you...she's just really great." "Yeah. I really appreciate it all."
At her house, Manny was trying on clothes. She had nothing to wear. Just then her phone rang, jerking her out of her transfixed closet state. "Hello?" "Hey, it's Emma." "Oh, hey EM." "So...big date tonight! What are you going to wear?" "I have no idea...I have nothing to wear!" "Oh...we could go shopping and you could buy something new." "That's an idea...I'll be at your house in a half hour." Manny hung up and headed for her shower. Just as she had said, Manny arrived at Emma's one about a half hour later. Emma answered the door. "Hey. Lets go." They started walking towards the mall. "So...what exactly are you looking for?" Emma asked. "I dunno, something that makes me look older. There's no way he is dumping me for being too young this time." "Oh..." Emma was worried by what Manny meant when she said 'older.' They walked through the mall, past all the glass windows decorated with perfect sized mannequins. Manny stopped suddenly. "Oh my god! That's it, it's perfect!" Emma turned her head and looked at what Manny was so excited about. "Wow." Emma said shocked. It was not anything that Emma would have pictured Manny buying for herself.
Emma was staring at a pair of vintage faded, decoratively ripped jeans. Above them was a black, silky looking halter top with a definite plunging neckline. Manny gasped and pointed a little further over. Emma followed her finger. In the display window next to Manny's dream outfit was a rack of colorful thongs. "Manny...you wanted to look older..." Emma chose her words carefully, trying to make them as delicate as possible, "...not like a slut." Manny looked at her. "What? Come on, EM, this is nothing. Other girls wear way more revealing stuff." "Ok..." "Great!" Manny grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her into the store.
There was a certain curve to Emma's words. A slight twinge or bitterness along with a lot of noticeable sarcasm. Just then Mrs. Kwan walked in. "Okay class, open your free reading books. Silently!" Manny opened her backpack and got out her copy of Harry Potter. She opened the book to it's marked page but did not read. She did some figuring in her head. She knew Emma was still mad, but maybe a little confused as to who she was actually angry with. Manny also knew that Emma's sudden joy was not completely sincere; just a fake smile.
Sunday morning came quick. Manny still didn't know what she was going to wear. But that's not what she was thinking about. She lay in bed and wondered about how Sean was going to explain this all to her. Manny thought it best that she go and warn Sean about Emma's weird change of heart. Manny got up and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. When Manny reached the hospital, Sean was in the lobby. "Sean!" she called. "Why are you down here? Shouldn't you be upstairs?" Just then, Joey and Craig appeared at Sean's side. "I'm released so they are taking me back to their place." Manny looked at Craig. She was so embarrassed. The day of their date and she was visiting Sean.
Craig was thinking the same thing. "Why are you here?" he asked politely. "Umm...I needed to talk to Sean about Emma." She gave Craig a pointed look and he understood. "Oh! Yeah, alright." "Sorry, Manny, it's going to have to wait. We were just going to Children's Aid." "Oh, okay. That's fine. I'll see you guys later." She turned and exited the way she had entered. "Craig, isn't your date tonight?" Sean asked when Manny left. "Yeah. I'm hoping that it goes better than last time." "Why? What happened?" "Well...she acted so different...so young...I think it was nerves or something. But still, I don't want to be on a date and feel like I'm taking Angie to a movie." "Oh...yeah I can understand that." "Hey." Joey said. "Lets go guys. Sean you wanted to go today?" "Yeah." "Okay." Joey glanced at his watch. "Well, they open in a couple of minutes. Lets roll."
Joey started pushing Sean's wheelchair towards the car. Craig and Sean continued their conversation in the car. "So...do you really like her?" "Yeah man...a lot more than last time. I mean, what she is doing for you...she's just really great." "Yeah. I really appreciate it all."
At her house, Manny was trying on clothes. She had nothing to wear. Just then her phone rang, jerking her out of her transfixed closet state. "Hello?" "Hey, it's Emma." "Oh, hey EM." "So...big date tonight! What are you going to wear?" "I have no idea...I have nothing to wear!" "Oh...we could go shopping and you could buy something new." "That's an idea...I'll be at your house in a half hour." Manny hung up and headed for her shower. Just as she had said, Manny arrived at Emma's one about a half hour later. Emma answered the door. "Hey. Lets go." They started walking towards the mall. "So...what exactly are you looking for?" Emma asked. "I dunno, something that makes me look older. There's no way he is dumping me for being too young this time." "Oh..." Emma was worried by what Manny meant when she said 'older.' They walked through the mall, past all the glass windows decorated with perfect sized mannequins. Manny stopped suddenly. "Oh my god! That's it, it's perfect!" Emma turned her head and looked at what Manny was so excited about. "Wow." Emma said shocked. It was not anything that Emma would have pictured Manny buying for herself.
Emma was staring at a pair of vintage faded, decoratively ripped jeans. Above them was a black, silky looking halter top with a definite plunging neckline. Manny gasped and pointed a little further over. Emma followed her finger. In the display window next to Manny's dream outfit was a rack of colorful thongs. "Manny...you wanted to look older..." Emma chose her words carefully, trying to make them as delicate as possible, "...not like a slut." Manny looked at her. "What? Come on, EM, this is nothing. Other girls wear way more revealing stuff." "Ok..." "Great!" Manny grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her into the store.