Let him lead the conversation

You pull up in a street near the park and park your car there, walking the rest of the way.

It was a warm day, which made for a busy day at the park. Shuffling past all of these people made you feel a little claustrophobic, but it would be worth it, you were sure of it. Hopefully Brian wasn't in any dire straits, but if he was maybe you could use the rings to help him. Well, You couldn't just use them for dumb reasons.

Fate gave me this power for a reason.

You just had to find out what that was.

You notice Brian already there, sitted on the bench on his phone. As you approach he notices you and puts his phone away, smiling wide. Brian was not the best looking guy, but he had a heart of gold. He was tall and skinny, With a buzz cut and a shaven face. He was a late bloomer, still having a face full of pimples at age 20. He dressed quite nerdily, but nobody judged him for it. Most around him knew of his kindness, and everybody seemed to like him. He

even got himself a girlfriend earlier than most, dating a girl who would seem entirely out of his league if you didn't know anything about him.

You and Brian reach eachother, bumping your fists and giving eachother a small bro hug. "Wassap man." He says in his raspy voice.

You thought back to his girlfriend, Brandi. She was a firecracker to be sure. Hopefully the two of them were still happy.

"Nothing much, man. College. Looking for a job. The usual. What about you?" It felt strange to hear your own voice, but you put the disturbing thought aside for now.

"Doing great, y'know. College too,l work on the side. Barely have time for my gigs" -that was how he often called his charity work. "I barely see you in college any more. We should hangout more, like the good old days." He says. "How are you and that girl you were interested in?"

You folded your arms as Brian began to ramble. It was hard to imagine him being down and out about anything, but you saw the signs. His eyes darted back and forth. He clawed at his sweater as he spoke. Even his foot was tapping. This must've been real bad. You knew it would take Brian ages to get to his point. He was the kind of person to dance in circles around a topic he felt uncomfortable with until he finally addressed it. You knew that if you did notconfront him, it would take him forever to get to it. So you ignore his blank question.

"Brian, what is it?" You ask directly, showing a clear look of concern. He frezzes for a minute, followed by a heavy sigh.

"It's Brandi." He admits, looking like the topic was heavy on him. He and Brandi were together forever, since the last year of high school. He met her at one of the places he volunteered at, and for a while she was his "girlfriend who goes to another school" They both got into the same college, and got closer than ever since. But while Brian stayed mostly the same type of person, Brandi changed. She used to be quiet, sweet. But with college she managed to gain more popularity, and with that came a change in behavior. She became much more of a troublemaker, getting involved with bad types. She became roudy and unpredictable, venturing towards **** with her new friend's, much to Brian's protest. But they stayed together, through good and bad.

But who knows how long it will last.

"We... we grew distant." He explains. "She barely talks to me any more. I think she ignores my messages sometimes. She... I'm... I'm afraid she's going to break up with me soon..."

Your tough love act melted as he spilled his guts. So that's what this was about. You nodded along, listening actively as he shared his woes. Admittedly, hearing Brandi ever turned to marijuana was a shock. You and your family and were all stoners and unashamedly so, but seeing your buddy like this made your realize how scary the habit can be from the outside. You didn't have much in the way of relationship advice, as you've never been in one.

"Damn man, l'm sorry to hear that. I don’t really have anything to say. You gotta push through the doubt and try to hold on, okay?" You said in a soft voice, puting your hand on his shoulder.

What you did have, was an idea.