Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > Strangeland
Chapter Two - Wednesday
Shannon entered the lounge with his head hung low and his hands buried deep in his pockets. He wasn’t about to remove his sunglasses or take his hat off. He wasn’t even about to talk to someone. It didn’t matter if this was his birthday party. He hadn’t wanted it anyways.
He found Jared in the crowd talking to a couple of people. “This is supposed to be small?” He asked over the music that was playing.
“Come on there’s only about thirty people here…just have fun!” Jared was excited for today. He always wanted to include his brother in everything even when other people decided to push him out. He wanted people to see who Shannon was and when that happened he didn’t mind passing the baton on over because honestly this whole life was starting to bore him.
Shannon let out a sigh and nodded before he went to take a seat on one of couches nearby. He took a drink and quietly sipped on it.
“When I asked Jared to set you up I wasn’t being invasive…” Emma sat down next to him, tucking her hair behind her ear and giving him a smile when she did.
“You were just worried right? I don’t have a girlfriend, not getting any younger, that sort of thing?” He snapped, irritated by everyone’s invasion into his life. He looked over at his brother and wondered if people did that to him. He wondered if people looked at him like he was some sort of charity case needing their help.
“It wasn’t that either.” She replied, stirring her drink with its straw. “When was your last girlfriend?”
Shannon looked at her, unable to keep his eyes from going dark. “Two years ago.” He muttered, looking away and setting his drink on the table.
She noticed the way he was withdrawing into himself and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. “I need to use the bathroom.” She said absentmindedly as she stood up.
“Hey Em…” Shannon called out to her causing her to turn around. “…He doesn’t deserve you.”
Emma looked over at Jared who was talking animatedly with a group of people. “Now that’s the craziest thing you’ve ever said.” She said wtih a laugh once she looked back to Shannon.
“That’s because you don’t know him. I do and he doesn’t deserve you.” The way he said it was so final and yet so open for a darker interpretation.
Emma let the words settle inside her before she turned around and walked away. Shannon knew what he had said had startled her and he felt bad for doing it. Again he looked over at Jared who was now gesturing him over and he felt something ache inside of him. He hated these moods he dropped into, where nothing at all could lighten him up. He hated being shoved into the corner while his brother stole the world from everyone else. He hated who he had become.
He shook Jared’s invitation off and stood up off the couch. Pushing through the gathered crowd he made his way outside. He leaned over the railing and lit himself a cigarette. It worked wonders to calm him down, to settle whatever knot had twisted up inside of him. He was beginning to calm until he heard footsteps come up behind him.
“You going to ignore your guests?” Jared asked once he stood beside him.
“There your guests.” He replied, letting out the smoke from his parted lips.
“Nonsense. They all came because it’s your birthday. You should see the gift table, gift cards to whichever place you can think of.”
“Instead of spending so much time worried about me why don’t you go see what’s wrong with Emma.”
Jared’s brows furrowed together. “What do you mean?”
“She looks lonely, before you know it someone might up and steal her without you even realizing it.” He threw the cigarette down and smashed it with the tip of his shoe.
“Shut up, don’t say crap like that.” He tried to get defensive but something became heavy inside of him and he knew it was that sharp and burdensome feeling of worry.
“It’s true.” Shannon replied before he walked away and back into the lounge.
Jared stayed where he was standing, letting the cold air pass through his hair, and cool him off from the warmth of inside. He wasn’t sure if he should believe Shannon but then he usually was right about things like this. He could tell when their mom was upset all the time, could even pinpoint what the problem was. No doubt he could do it too with Emma. But what more was he to do? He did so much to make her happy, knowing that she had last dated some rich Harvard graduate. He loved her with the most honesty he had felt in so long. But if she was lonely that meant he was definitely doing something wrong.
He let out a sigh and decided he would go on inside and find her, talk to her a little, make her feel special in some way. He made to turn but he saw someone approaching him. She walked towards him with a sort of nervousness in her step. She kept her head low and her eyes were tired, beat down. He got a weird feeling inside of him, that fear from that night he had found the pictures worked itself up again. She walked past him though, her gaze meeting his for a fleeting moment and then he was watching her walk away.
“Hey!” He called out after her but she didn’t turn around. He felt his heart racing faster than before and a skin of sweat was forming on his back and forehead. He tried to tell himself it was nothing but convincing his fear of that was harder than he expected.
Shannon entered the lounge with his head hung low and his hands buried deep in his pockets. He wasn’t about to remove his sunglasses or take his hat off. He wasn’t even about to talk to someone. It didn’t matter if this was his birthday party. He hadn’t wanted it anyways.
He found Jared in the crowd talking to a couple of people. “This is supposed to be small?” He asked over the music that was playing.
“Come on there’s only about thirty people here…just have fun!” Jared was excited for today. He always wanted to include his brother in everything even when other people decided to push him out. He wanted people to see who Shannon was and when that happened he didn’t mind passing the baton on over because honestly this whole life was starting to bore him.
Shannon let out a sigh and nodded before he went to take a seat on one of couches nearby. He took a drink and quietly sipped on it.
“When I asked Jared to set you up I wasn’t being invasive…” Emma sat down next to him, tucking her hair behind her ear and giving him a smile when she did.
“You were just worried right? I don’t have a girlfriend, not getting any younger, that sort of thing?” He snapped, irritated by everyone’s invasion into his life. He looked over at his brother and wondered if people did that to him. He wondered if people looked at him like he was some sort of charity case needing their help.
“It wasn’t that either.” She replied, stirring her drink with its straw. “When was your last girlfriend?”
Shannon looked at her, unable to keep his eyes from going dark. “Two years ago.” He muttered, looking away and setting his drink on the table.
She noticed the way he was withdrawing into himself and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. “I need to use the bathroom.” She said absentmindedly as she stood up.
“Hey Em…” Shannon called out to her causing her to turn around. “…He doesn’t deserve you.”
Emma looked over at Jared who was talking animatedly with a group of people. “Now that’s the craziest thing you’ve ever said.” She said wtih a laugh once she looked back to Shannon.
“That’s because you don’t know him. I do and he doesn’t deserve you.” The way he said it was so final and yet so open for a darker interpretation.
Emma let the words settle inside her before she turned around and walked away. Shannon knew what he had said had startled her and he felt bad for doing it. Again he looked over at Jared who was now gesturing him over and he felt something ache inside of him. He hated these moods he dropped into, where nothing at all could lighten him up. He hated being shoved into the corner while his brother stole the world from everyone else. He hated who he had become.
He shook Jared’s invitation off and stood up off the couch. Pushing through the gathered crowd he made his way outside. He leaned over the railing and lit himself a cigarette. It worked wonders to calm him down, to settle whatever knot had twisted up inside of him. He was beginning to calm until he heard footsteps come up behind him.
“You going to ignore your guests?” Jared asked once he stood beside him.
“There your guests.” He replied, letting out the smoke from his parted lips.
“Nonsense. They all came because it’s your birthday. You should see the gift table, gift cards to whichever place you can think of.”
“Instead of spending so much time worried about me why don’t you go see what’s wrong with Emma.”
Jared’s brows furrowed together. “What do you mean?”
“She looks lonely, before you know it someone might up and steal her without you even realizing it.” He threw the cigarette down and smashed it with the tip of his shoe.
“Shut up, don’t say crap like that.” He tried to get defensive but something became heavy inside of him and he knew it was that sharp and burdensome feeling of worry.
“It’s true.” Shannon replied before he walked away and back into the lounge.
Jared stayed where he was standing, letting the cold air pass through his hair, and cool him off from the warmth of inside. He wasn’t sure if he should believe Shannon but then he usually was right about things like this. He could tell when their mom was upset all the time, could even pinpoint what the problem was. No doubt he could do it too with Emma. But what more was he to do? He did so much to make her happy, knowing that she had last dated some rich Harvard graduate. He loved her with the most honesty he had felt in so long. But if she was lonely that meant he was definitely doing something wrong.
He let out a sigh and decided he would go on inside and find her, talk to her a little, make her feel special in some way. He made to turn but he saw someone approaching him. She walked towards him with a sort of nervousness in her step. She kept her head low and her eyes were tired, beat down. He got a weird feeling inside of him, that fear from that night he had found the pictures worked itself up again. She walked past him though, her gaze meeting his for a fleeting moment and then he was watching her walk away.
“Hey!” He called out after her but she didn’t turn around. He felt his heart racing faster than before and a skin of sweat was forming on his back and forehead. He tried to tell himself it was nothing but convincing his fear of that was harder than he expected.
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