Chapter 12

I stare into the brown eyes. Oh god. I breathe a sigh of relief out loud. "What's up bro?" The guy with the brown eyes is smiling and eyeing me. He's tall, chocolate brown skin with long dreads. He's actually really cute. They give each other a manly hug. You know, the one where they just bump shoulders while shaking up? "Is that you?" he asks and points to me. Brendan smiles showing all of his pearly white teeth. "This is Lena, she's my....friend." I give him a sideways smile and he shakes my hand. "This is my guy Phred." An awkward silence follows, and out of nervousness, I ask him to sit down. It's like the answer he was waiting for. Him and Brendan talk and talk and talk. I half listen, biting my straw and sipping my Pepsi. "So how's the music thing coming man?" Brendan asks him. My ears perk up. "Awe man, it's alright. I mean, I been playing everywhere I can..." Brendan nods. "Did you talk to Eric at all? I just got back from seeing him a couple days ago.." "Yeah I did! Dude his little bro is sick with the vocals." "Oh yeah Bruno can sing his ass off." I gasp, but instead of air going in, it's Pepsi. I start coughing and I can't breathe. Eric? Bruno? He knows them?? How? When? What??!!!! I can't stop coughing. "Lena you okay?" Brendan pats my back. No I'm not okay! Oh my god. I get up and run to the bathroom. I lock myself in a stall and let myself sink to the ground. How can this be possible? The plane ride comes back to me. "No I'm actually on my way home, I was visiting my guy in Brooklyn." That's what Brendan said to me when we met. I cover my mouth. My mind is going nuts and I can't think straight. What the hell am I gonna do now? What happens when they talk again? By the way Brendan is talking, I'm sure I'm the first thing he's gonna bring up to any of his friends. I hate my life. After a long time, I slowly make my way out of the bathroom. They both look up with expecting eyes. "I'm okay." I tell Brendan. He puts his arm around me when I sit down. I kinda scoot away from him. Thank goodness he doesn't notice. "What was that all about?" I shake my head. "It just went down the wrong way I guess." I want to ask him so many questions about Bruno, but I don't dare. Brendan rubs my shoulder. "So what were you saying?" he asks Phred. "Oh, I was talking about Bruno." I gasp, and cover my mouth. They both look at me. I don't move. "Babe, are you okay?" Babe?? Oh god, I have to get out of here. "I think I just need some air or something. I'll be back." I walk out of the restaurant and sit on the curb. Why? Why me?? I put my head in my hands and try to clear my head so I can act normal when I go back in but of course all I can think about is Bruno. I close my eyes and picture his perfect smile. His dark shiny curls that I always ran my fingers through, his laugh, his voice, his eyes. Oh god those honey brown eyes could melt me faster than a popscicle on a 100 degree day. His lips. The way they felt on mine. Soft and gentle, but eager and passionate at the same time. Our friendship, our memories. "Lena..." My heart stops. That voice. I breathe heavy. His voice. I look up. Brown eyes. His brown eyes. I stare at him for what seems like years. I stand up. He's looking at me, with the most concentrated expression I've ever seen. I'm doing the same. Is he real? Or am I imagining things. He touches my face. I touch his curls. Soft. His eyes move rapidly back and forth. I lean my forehead against his and breathe deep. Cologne. His cologne. It's like were frozen in time. And than, someone presses the play button. I jump on him and he kisses me with so much intensity I would make love to him in front of everybody and not give a damn. We grab each others hair, kissing and breathing heavy, my legs wrapped around him and his steel grip not letting me go anywhere. I lean my forehead against his again and hold his face. "How?" I ask. "I don't know." he whispers, and buries his face in my hair. He kisses my neck. "What the fuck is this?!" I knew it was coming, but I didn't care. Bruno puts me down. When he sees Brendan and Phred, they all share the same confused, bewildered expression. "I thought you said she was your girl?" Phred asks. "No he said friend." I answer for him. Brendan looks at me like I'm a stranger. "You know him?" Bruno asks me. "You know her?" Brendan asks Bruno. "You all know each other?" Phred asks the three of us. I feel dizzy and I sway to one side. "Lena!" Bruno and Brendan say at the same time. Bruno grabs my waist and Brendan has my arm. They look at each other. I feel like a rubber band. "I got her homie." Bruno says. "Na, it's cool I got her dawg." Brendan tells him. Phred saves me. "No, I got her homedawgs." and pulls me out of two death grips. I return to my spot on the curb. All 3 guys are just standing. Bruno is looking at Brendan like he wants to kill him. Brendan is looking at Bruno like he wants to demolish him. Phred is looking around, lost and clearly feeling awkward. I scream out loud cause I don't know what else to do. I can't cry anymore. Laughing will probably come next but right now, all I can do is scream. Bruno grabs me and shakes me. "Lena! What the hell, people are going to think your crazy!" "Aye Bro, don't talk to her like that!" Brendan yells. Bruno lets go and gets in his face. Brendan towers over poor Bruno by a good 3 inches, but don't underestimate his shortness. "Look 'bro' Don't tell me what the fuck to do!" Brendan pushes him and Bruno goes crazy. Fists flying, bodies rolling, cuss words being yelled. "Stop!!" I try to break it up, but what the hell is little old me gonna do? Phred steps in. "Stop dawg, stop! Calm yourself down!" He yells in Brendan's face. I have Bruno's arm and he keeps trying to fly at Brendan but I stand in front of him and make him look at me. His nostrils are flaired, his breathing is heavy and his hands are still balled in fists. But his eyes, are calm and loving as he looks into mine. I shake my head. "This ain't over Peter!" "Fuck you asswipe!!" Bruno yells and tries to get at him again but I push him. "Stop Bruno!" Phred leads Brendan away. He punches a stop sign, yelling all kinds of things to Bruno. I keep pushing Bruno til were out of his view. He paces back and forth. "What the fuck was that? Why the fuck was he grabbing your arm like you were his property?! And who the fuck said you were his girl?! I'll kill him. I don't give a fuck! I'll kill him!" I stare at Bruno, feeling a little scared. I've never seen him this mad in my life. He walks up to me and grabs my face. "Stop" I whisper. He lets go and looks at me crazy. "Stop? What, you'd rather have him?!" I look down. "Fuck you Lena!" "You already did!" I scream at him. "And it was a mistake remember!? Let's not go through this again Bruno, cause all were gonna do is go in circles" "I apologized and I told you how I feel? Why isn't that good enough!?" "It just isn't!!" I yell and clench my fists. "Do you even know what I've been going through!? How I felt when I woke up and you were just gone and nowhere to be found!?" he screams "Probably the same way I felt the night you 'made a mistake' with your 'best friend' and all I wanted to do was die instead of talk to you again!!" "I already apologized I just told you that!" he yells. "Okay, I'm sorry Bruno for running away." He makes a 'what the hell' face. "Is that better?" I ask, calmly. "No!" he says, angry. "See this is what I'm talking about!? Just because you apologize doesn't make it all better!" He screams out loud, like I did before the fight. He leans his hand against the side of the building were standing next to. "Are we ever going to be able to fix this?" he asks. I swallow and don't say anything. I don't know the answer. He turns around and looks at me with sad eyes. I walk up to him and grab his curls. He pulls me close to him and wraps his arms around my waist. The love we have for each other is so strong, it almost turns violent. I close my eyes and breath in his scent. "I love you." He says in my ear. His voice gives me goosebumps and I get tingly everywhere. He kisses my neck so softly, I could've just imagined it. We stand there, holding each other and me contemplating what my next move was going to be in this crazy thing called my life...