“Don’t bring Tina, that would be awkward for Brett.”
Emma was furious. “Awkward for Brett? Brett’s an asshole. Why should Tina stay home alone? Why are you even friends with that jerk?”
“Brett’s really fun, he’s a cool guy.”
“He’s not a good person! Why do you take his side?”
“OK, I’ll admit I wouldn’t let him near my sister. But we go back to college. Guys aren’t like girls about this stuff. It’s none of my business what he does with chicks.”
“Well, it should be your business when he dicks over my best friend.”
“Whoa, dicks over? That guy gets more ass than a toilet seat. Tina was stupid to get involved with him.”
“You thought it was a great idea to set them up! Why did you think that would work?”
“I was just looking out for my boy!”
Emma has a point. Is loyalty to a friend appropriate when that friend is a man of poor character? Is it OK to compartmentalize character? One standard for interacting with the guys, another for women? Should Scott feel obligated to tell Brett that what he did wasn’t cool? Scott is obviously unwilling to rock the boat, in fact hasn’t even indicated that he believes Brett is in the wrong. Emma will need to decide if Scott’s choice of friends, and his unquestioning loyalty to them, is something she can live with.