Summer and the City (The Carrie Diaries 2)

“So?” I say, wondering what this has to do with anything. She glares at Miranda and drops onto the futon.

“Ryan stood me up,” she snarls.

“Huh?” I’m puzzled. “Haven’t you been with him for the last twenty-four hours?”

“Yes. But the minute I let him out of my sight, he disappeared.”

I can’t help it. I start laughing.

“It isn’t funny. We were at some coffee shop getting breakfast at six in the evening. I went into the bathroom, and when I came out, he was gone.”

“He ran away?”

“Sure sounds like it, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, Mags.” I’m trying to be sympathetic. But I can’t quite get there. It’s all too ridiculous. And not terribly surprising.

“Could you turn that thing off?” Maggie shouts at Miranda. “It’s hurting my ears.”

“Sorry,” I say, to both Maggie and Miranda, as I scurry across the room to lower the volume on the stereo.

“What’s her problem?” Miranda asks. She sounds put out, which I know she doesn’t intend. She’s just a bit soused.

“Ryan ran out of the coffee shop while she was in the bathroom.”

“Ah,” Miranda says with a smile.

“Mags?” I ask, making a cautious approach. “There’s nothing Miranda likes more than guy troubles. Mostly because she hates all men.” I hope this introduction will make Maggie and Miranda appreciate each other. After all, guy troubles, along with clothing and body parts, are a major source of bonding among women.

But Maggie isn’t having it. “Why didn’t you tell me he was a dick?” she demands.

This isn’t fair. “I thought I did. You knew he was engaged.”

“You’re dating a guy who’s engaged?” Miranda asks, not liking the sound of this.

“He isn’t really engaged. He says he’s engaged. She made him get engaged so she could string him along.” Maggie takes another swig of vodka. “That’s what I think, anyway.”

“It’s a good thing he left,” I say. “Now at least you know his true nature.”

“Here, here,” Miranda adds.

“Hey. Miranda just got a new boyfriend,” I tell Maggie.

“Lucky you.” Maggie scowls, unimpressed.

“Maggie has two boyfriends,” I say to Miranda, as if this is something to be admired.

“That’s something I’ve never understood. How do you handle it? I mean, they’re always saying you should date two or three guys at once, but I’ve never seen the point,” Miranda says.

“It’s fun,” Maggie retorts.

“But it goes both ways, right?” Miranda counters. “We hate guys who date more than one woman at a time. I’ve always believed that what’s unacceptable in one sex should, by definition, be unacceptable in the other.”

“Excuse me.” Maggie sounds a warning note. “I hope you’re not calling me a slut.”

“Of course not!” I jump in. “Miranda’s only talking about feminism.”

“Then you shouldn’t have any problem with women having sex with as many men as they want,” Maggie says pointedly. “To me, that’s feminism.”