We pulled up to a large building about twenty minutes later. It was the venue that Panic at the Disco was playing at tonight. Ryan drove around back to a small parking lot and parked. We unloaded into the November air and huddled together in a circle, all wrapped inside our huge winter coats.
"Let's go inside; it's freezing out here," Ryan said. "We could all watch a movie in the dressing room."
"You guys go ahead. Ella and I are going to take a little walk," Brendon informed them.
"You're going on a walk…in this weather?"
"We want to catch up."
"You can do that in the dressing room."
"But I like walking, so ha! Go ahead and start a movie, we won't be long," Brendon urged them. They nodded and went into the back door. I could only imagine the toasty air inside. How could thisbe fall? It was even colder here that in my town. Good thing I had my coat with me when Brendon pulled me out of school, I thought.
We began walking down an alleyway. Grime-covered brick walls bordered us on both sides and a few turned-over trash cans dispersed their garbage under our feet. Paper twirled around us in the wind. It smelled of rotting. Brendon stopped in the middle of the alley. His back rested on the colorful graffiti behind him. His crossed his arms.
"So…" I began. "What's up?"
He exhaled, his breath like white smoke as it curled around his face in the arctic air. "I….Do you-…..What-?" He looked down, searching for the right words. He gnawed on his lips. Brendon's hands flew to his face, hiding them as if in shame. "I don't know, never mind."
I stood next to him, a hand sympathetically resting on his shoulder. "No, it's okay. What's wrong?"
He sighed. "I need your advice. It's about Rachael. Should I break up with her? I don't think our relationship is working anymore. She's always flirting with other guys."
"Well, don't be mad at me, but-."
"I could never be mad at you."
"Thank you," I said, smiling. "But Rachael told me in confidence that she was thinking of breaking up with you. She said you 'didn't satisfy her needs'. But she didn't because she was afraid you'd be upset."
"That's fair. I wasn't really ready for a relationship at the time we were dating. Plus, I didn't feel very close to her. Thanks Ella."
"Hey, it's what I'm here for. So are you breaking up with her?" I asked.
"Yeah, I think it's the best thing to do."
I reached out and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him close. My long arms wrapped around his waist. For a moment, he didn't move. Then, his arms wrapped around me too and hugged me hard enough to break my ribs. Again. Why did he always hug me so tightly?
He sighed softly. I looked up at him, straight into his coffee colored eyes. There was something hidden there, something just below the surface but I couldn't put my finger on just what it was.