Emily's face twisted. "Ben is going to cook?"
"He's going to try. No problem, we'll help him. Besides, we still have some leftover pancakes from breakfast. Josh made them, with special flour from the rez."
Yup, she was babbling. About Josh. When she was supposed to ask Em about herself, not tell her about her latest Navajo obsession. She was a bad friend.
"I bet Josh is going to have a good time at Diné College," Emily said. "I really liked the campus. I had a marvelous time there as a student."
"So Josh is going to Tuba City as well? He did tell us he was going to study after the summer, but he didn't say where."
"Yeah, it's about time he went to a reservation school. He was sort of rebellious during his senior year at Page High School."
"Oh, really? How so?"
"The usual. Kicking against standard American culture, disobeying rules going against his traditional upbringing, refusing to use his last name on tests because the Diné don't even originally use the binomial system." Emily used the word the Navajos used for themselves in their own language. "When Josh and his band played this 'anti-U.S.' song by Blackfire - that's a Diné band - he offended the entire teaching staff. Blackfire's lyrics aren't exactly... subtle."
Hannah smiled. "You sound like you sort of enjoyed their rebellion."
Emily grinned. "Oh, come on. Every generation needs rebels. Leave that to the Rezboyz."
"The Rezboyz? Sounds cool. What does Josh play in the band?"
"He plays the guitar. Amazingly well, by the way. I can't believe he picked it up so fast. He sounded like a pro."
Great. Emily was unwittingly fueling her feelings for Josh even more by showering praise on his musical skills. This was driving her nuts. It was time to discuss a different subject. "By the way, we're going to have a barbecue on Friday. We invited our new neighbors too."
"Sounds like fun. Count me in."
"Which days of the week are you off? I'd love to drop by in Naabi'aani again, so I can admire your hoghan."
"Drop by on Saturday. I'm not working then, plus there's a dance and a rodeo. Remember Hosteen, our old neighbor? His family is organizing it."
After a nice lunch, their waitress put the check on the table, and Hannah and Emily dug around in their bags to find some cash.