Summer 2008

Shannon sat staring out of his bedroom window, the sun was still blazing down, scorching the grass and tanning the skin of anyone who passed underneath it's path, It had been two weeks since she had walked back into his life, two weeks since all those feelings that he had pushed so far down had begun to rise again, the realtionship between him and his sister was strained to say the least, but as yet she hadn't blazed into his room demanding answers again, nor had she drapped an arm around his shoulders and rubbed his back in an effort to comfort him, so as far as he knew, Tianna hadn't told her the truth either.

"Shan, you okay man?"

"Jeff! You scared me man...yeah I'm cool. Just thinking"

"About what?"

"Stuff"

"Yeah, what stuff?"

"Nothing really, just getting this cast off and the physio you know. I really wanna get back on the road"

"You sure that's all it is Shannon?"

"What?"

"You sure all this time spent in your room isn't about more than just missing wrestling? It couldn't be about a certain wanderers return could it?"

"No"

"Come on man...I've known you my whole life, I can tell when you're lying"

"I'm not lying! I couldn't care less what she does or where she goes"

"Just so long as it's nowhere near you huh?"

"Jeff, I know you think you're helping, but believe me when I say you're not. Please just leave it, Nicole too...'cause one day you're gonna push too far and you're both gonna hear something that you really don't want to. Some things are just better left alone"

Shannon turned his attention back to the view outside, signalling to Jeff that the conversation was definitely over. Jeff took the hint and with a heavy sigh, left the room, pulling the door closed quietly behind him. As he walked down the hall towards the staircase, Jeff couldn't help but feel that in a way Shannon was right, whatever took place that night all those years previous, maybe it was something that was best keep hidden, Shannon had never kept anything from him before that night or after, so whatever it was, Shannon was keeping it to himself to preserve the feelings of the people who so desperately wanted to know.

"Hey baby, is he still sulking?"

"I told you a thousand times already Nic, he's not sulking, he's taking some time out to get himself together"

"So he's sulking!"

"Just like your brother, stubborn as hell and always right!"

"You know it. Anyways it's probably a good thing he's keeping himself all locked up, Tia's on her way over...we're gonna have a girly afternoon by the pool, catch up with each other"

Jeff groaned at this information, he knew that this spelt trouble, whenever these two had been in a ten mile proximity the last two weeks, it sent Shannon back into the blackest depression. Nicole couldn't see this of course, she worshipped the ground Tianna walked on and had convinced herself that Shannon was the problem, Jeff disagreed, he knew his friend better than that, the last time he had seen him this upset they were at Gilbert Moore's funeral, and it was causing some extremely heated arguments between him and Nicole. He was glad that Tianna had come home, she had been a good friend of his as well, but just lately, he couldn't help but think that her coming back had caused nothing but trouble and maybe it wasn't such a hot idea for her to stick around.

Jeff stood with his back against the couch, his attention torn between the scene in the back yard and the the impulse to run full pelt up the stairs to comfort his best friend. He knew that Shannon would be able to see the two girls laughing and joking from his window and he wasn't sure that his sister knew the effect that her reknewed friendship was having on her brother, she was so wrapped up in her feelings that she hadn't really stopped to consider how he was feeling. Jeff found his attention drawn back to the two females lounging on sundecks, magharitas in hand,laughing as if they didn't have a care in the world, why was it that Shannon was so cut up about her being here and she looked like she didn't have a care in the world?

"Hey baby...just coming in for a refill. You okay, you don't look happy"

"What's she doing here Nicky?"

"I told you she was coming, we're catching up, God knows we've got lot of years to cover"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Jeff, what the hell is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem...that it unless somebodies presence causes one"

"Are you talking about Tia? Why would her being here be a problem?"

"Are you blind Nicky?"

"No Jeff, I can see fine! And from where I'm stood, Shannon is sulking over something that happened nearly a decade ago and you're puffing your chest out and playing the big man sticking by his friend 'cause that's what us big wrestler types do'!"

"What the hell? Don't be so naive Nic"

"For Christ's sake, get over it. I've spoken to Tia about this and she said Shannon took exception to her going off to training and ended it...no real story there! She choose to follow her dreams over staying here with him and becoming a wrestling widow, his ego got bruised and he stormed off like a two year old...end of"

"You really are that naive aren't you? Or maybe, you just don't wanna see there's a problem because that would put perfect little Tianna in a bad light wouldn't it! I know you missed your best friend Nicole, but Christ, take a look around and just think about it for a second...Shannon wouldn't be this cut up over a bruised ego, and he damn well wouldn't still be holding a grudge after nearly ten years! That little friend of yours, little Miss Perfect, maybe she isn't as innocent as you'd like to think...if you wanna swallow that crap about him being a child and sulking then you are as insensitive as she is!"

"Jeff!"

"Save it Nicole!! You want to bond, go bond...but do it somewhere else cause I'm with Shannon on this one...and I give a shit whether her being here is killing him inside, whether you do or not!"

"Nicole are those drinks ready yet or what? Oh hi Jeff, how's it going?"

"Oh just fabulous...now if you'll excuse me, I have a best friend upstairs that deserves some company, no one should have to hide in their own house!"