ShmoopTube

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Commitment: Social...a la Shmoop.

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These…are the “Bosom Buddies.”

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That’s what they’ve decided to name themselves. Maybe not too original, but…cute. [Group of girls stood together]

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This is Marcia. She’s the kind and generous one.

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This is Stacy. She’s the “organizer.” Always making plans for the rest of the group.

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This is Rebecca. The loose cannon.

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And this is Tina… uh…Tina? Where’d she go?

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Oh, right. Tina’s the…non-committal one. i.e…the one who has trouble committing to [Tina asleep in bed]

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being part of the group. She definitely loves her friends, but…

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she takes them for granted.

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She just assumes that, because she’s found her clique, she’s always going to have a place. [Tina and the girls sat at a table]

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So…she agrees to meet her friends for this or that and then flakes, totally bailing on them.

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All the time.

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If it’s one of their birthdays, she’s the only one who neglects to get them a birthday present. [Tina showing up at a birthday party without a gift]

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Out for lunch with the girls, and time to pay the bill? Oh yeah…Tina has conveniently

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left to use the restroom. The trouble is that Tina’s never been willing

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to go all-out, and sacrifice as much of herself, as her friends have been. [Tina's friends stood by a tent]

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Marcia, Stacy or Rebecca would give any one of them the shirt off their back…

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…while Tina would probably be really attached to her shirt and just sit tight, waiting for [Tina sitting by a fire]

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someone else to offer.

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That attitude isn’t really going to endear you to others.

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Well, after a couple years of putting up with Tina’s aloofness and refusal to participate

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fully in their friendship…

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…Marcia, Stacy and Rebecca decide to cut ties. [Marcia, Stacey and Rebecca discussing Tina]

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Rebecca suggests they even egg her house, but…Marcia and Stacy strongly object.

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Told you Rebecca was the loose cannon. Instead, they just...stop calling her. [Rebecca holding a carton of eggs]

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Stop inviting her to stuff. Ouch. That’s gotta sting.

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Indeed it does. Tina is hurt beyond belief. At first she’s angry…assumes it’s their fault… [Tina crying in bed]

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because what has she ever done to deserve this treatment?

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But then she gets an email from Marcia. It’s sweet, as is every email from Marcia, but

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it’s also honest.

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In it, she tells Tina that she misses her, but she can’t be 100% with someone who’s

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only ready to be 10% with her. [Tina reading Marcia's e-mail]

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The next day, she gets a similar email from Stacy.

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And the day after that…her house is covered in eggs. So now she knows that Rebecca feels [Tina's bedroom window with egg on it]

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the same way. Once she gets over the initial shock, Tina

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gives the whole situation a good think…

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…and realizes that, yeah…she has been taking her friendships for granted.

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That’s hit home in the last week…when she’s been given an opportunity to see how [Tina sitting alone with a birthday cake and cries]

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crappy it feels when those you love act like they couldn’t care less about you.

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Ah…it’s one of those “taste-of-your-own-medicine” deals. Okay. She can respect that.

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Tina emails Marcia, Stacy and Rebecca with a heartfelt apology for her distance in the [Tina writing an e-mail to Marcia, Stacy and Rebecca]

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past and swears she’s turned a new leaf…

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..but she also decides that she needs to win her friends back with more than just words.

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To Marcia she sends a beautiful bouquet of flowers…and asks her to pass them along [Tina holding a bouquet of flowers]

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to her sister, who’s been in the hospital.

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Marcia’s impressed. She hadn’t even thought Tina had been listening when she told her about that story.

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To Stacy she sends a couple of gift certificates to their local favorite grub spots…

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…since Stacy was usually the one picking up Tina’s portion of every check she skipped out on. [Tina delivering gift certificates to Stacy]

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And to Rebecca she sends…the bill from the house painters, who had to cover up all the

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dried egg yolk on the side of her house.

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As a joke.

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Sort of. It’s enough. Just seeing that she’s making [Tina delivering a bill to Rebecca]

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that much of an effort wins her back a place in her friends’ hearts.

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Now she just has to make more of an effort to be in this thing. Not just physically present, [Waiter gives the check to the group of girls]

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but really in it.

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And as long as she keeps in mind how much she loves her friends, and how disappointed

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she’d be if any of them let her down…she should be good to go.

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But seriously…she should also keep half an eye on Rebecca. [Egg hits a door]

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That girl is not right in the head…

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