Thread: Having some trouble with my dialogue

I feel like I am not describing enough of the environment in my writing because I use dialogue so frequently. Does anyone have any tips for me? Here is an example of something I am working on.

Ayden’s worried face raced around the corner and as soon as his eyes hit mine I lost it. I couldn’t help it any more. Tears flooded my face as I sank to the ground leaning on the brick wall behind me. I wrapped my arms around myself. Ayden wrapped me in his warm arms and helped me back to my feet.
“Shh, don’t cry.” He rubbed the back of my head. I buried my face in his chest and I tried gather myself and push back the tears.
“It’s not your fault, there is nothing we could have done.” I stopped crying abruptly and pushed myself away from his chest. His arms dropped to his sides.
“Nothing we could do?” I sniffled and wiped my tear stained face with the back of my hand smudging mascara across it.
“You could’ve done something Ayden.” I spit venomously, slowly backing up.
“You could’ve called.” I was shaking with frustration.
“You could’ve written you didn’t have to abandon us all.” I yelled throwing my hands into the air.
“You could’ve done that . You could’ve been decent enough to come to his funeral.” I continued walking back wards, away from him.
“But I guess that’s what you do best Ayden. You run away.” I took a step back off the curb as he tried to approach me.
“You left and look what happened to us. Look what happened to him.” I took a deep quaking breath. Ayden stood in place. Mouth agape. Water dripping from his hair and sliding down his face.
“Look what happened to me.” I lifted up the bottom of my shirt to reveal a jagged three inch scar up my side. I nodded to him.
“You just left.” I looked up into deep brown eyes that harbored tears of their own.
“You didn’t say anything, you just left. And you were gone and then he was gone.” I sniffled.
“And I didn’t know what to do.” He lifted a shaky hand and wiped the tears from my face. I shivered as I realized that I was standing in an ankle deep puddle.
“I’m sorry.” He mumbled.
“Why?” I asked stepping back.
“Why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?” I looked up at him and tucked a strand of soaking wet hair behind my ear.
“I was scared.” He said looking at the pebble that he was turning over in his palm.
“We were all scared.” I said shaking my head and looking straight at him.
“I know.” He said looking back up at me.
“I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I didn’t have anyone to turn to after all that stuff with my dad and when they said I had enough credits to test out I jumped at the chance. I mean my mom had been wanting me to move out to California with her anyway. It seemed perfect.”
“What are you talking about, you had no one?” I furrowed my eyebrows.
“You always had me.” I said holding his gaze. I leaned forward slightly to emphasize my point.
“No Drake had you.” I pulled back as if he had slapped me.
“Don’t even pull that no one ever liked me shit Ayden. When I was dating Drake, who was your so called best friend, you started avoiding us like we were the plague. You wouldn’t answer my phone calls. You ignored me at school. You were nothing but a shell Ayden and I didn’t know how to get back in. You shut me out. I didn’t see you for the entire month of August. I couldn’t handle watching both of you falling apart, I didn’t know what to do.” Ayden looked up at me looked at me like he just watched someone run over his puppy.
“I get it, you chose him over me.” He nodded.
“Don’t do that, do not try to blame this on me. Drake needed me. He was falling apart. And you wouldn’t even let me in.” I let my arms fall to my sides, the rain raced down my finger tips and trickled to the ground.
“I was always there waiting for you to come to me. You could’ve done something Ayden.” I said flatly
“I know that I closed my self off from you Remy but I never wanted to be away from you. You and Drake were my best friends, and it scared me. After Drake’s mom died things with him got so bad. I didn’t think I could help him any more. When my mom wanted a divorce my dad freaked and out I couldn’t take it anymore. So yeah I ran away. It was a stupid move but I didn’t think I had any options. And I couldn’t” He swallowed audibly.
“I couldn’t watch you and Drake any longer. I couldn’t sit by and watch him wither away. I couldn’t watch the look on your face every time he came near you to tell you about another thing that went wrong. That look on your face that said ‘I’m here for all of you. I’m not going to give up hope. Even though it’s tearing me to pieces’ I couldn’t help you help him, because I was broken, I was a mess.” He stepped closer and reached for me before dropping his hands right back at his sides. I was frozen.
“ I couldn’t go to my best friend’s funeral four years ago because just the sound of your voice on my answering machine made me regret everything. Yeah I know that I was an asshole. But my dad despises me, I lost my two best friends and I couldn’t get the one thing that I always wanted.” I could feel the tears blurring the edge of my vision again.
“Oh yeah what did you want so badly that you had to run all the way across the country for?” I stomped my foot on the ground causing water to splash up the side of my arm.
“You.” His eyes widened like he hadn’t really meant to say that.
I raked my hands through my sopping wet hair getting snared in the tangles, I gave up.

I think it's fine. I'm a dialogue person, though. Good job!

Hi SYSG

I don't think this needs any description, other than that which is already here. It's quite a strong piece of dialogue, intensive, and seemingly important to whatever story is being told, and therefore to overly describe the surroundings might disrupt the flow. Any scene setting, in my opinion, should happen before this exchange takes place.

Scott.

I agree with Bilston. In this example set your scene before the dialogue, the reader will embrace it quickly.

Often, two sentences are enough. It’s on a street, it’s raining, we need to know if they can be overheard, (is it busy or deserted?) and whether it’s dark. This scene is about people and not the place it’s set in.

There are other issues but that’s my opinion on the question asked.