An echo rang through the empty passageway.
Shane followed it until it led him to a single door. He pushed it open and stepped inside, only to find another guy standing there, guitar in hand, performing to an invisible crowd.
He sang:
> "Her name will not
be said by me
Don't know what the fuck
is happening
I'm losing myself,
my sanity
Sitting across my demons
They speak
They say I should leave
It won't work out
No, it cannot be—"
"Did you write that yourself?" Shane interrupted.
The guy looked up, clearly annoyed.
"And why does that interest you?"
"It doesn't," Shane said with a laugh.
"I'm just trying to make conversation."
The guy sighed and looked back down at his guitar.
"You decided to make conversation while I was very clearly performing?"
Shane shrugged.
"Yeah. You caught my interest, and I acted immediately."
He tilted his head.
"Anyway, what's your name?"
Realizing his performance was beyond saving, the guy set his guitar aside.
"Jax," he said. "Just Jax."
He glanced up again.
"Also, you said you weren't interested, yet here you are."
Shane leaned back, thinking.
"Well, I don't care about the performance," he admitted. "It's the fact that you're performing in an empty room."
His eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait, are you some kind of spirit? Trapped here forever, playing guitar for eternity because you can't rest?"
"You're a damn idiot," Jax said flatly.
"Ouch," Shane clutched his chest. "My poor soul…"
He cleared his throat.
"Anyway, you didn't answer my question. Did you write that song?"
Jax studied him for a moment, waiting for a punchline that never came.
"I didn't write it," he said finally, tapping his temple. "It's all up here."
"I see," Shane said. "Then who was it written for—"
"That doesn't matter," Jax cut in.
Shane grinned.
"Oooooh. Heart trouble?"
"You can't even call it that," Jax snapped.
"It's more like loving someone who doesn't love you back. Watching her fall for another guy who treats her just as well as you do, but he has more money, better looks, a better body…"
He scoffed.
"And you? You just make stupid songs she'll never hear."
Shane stayed quiet.
"You can speak, you know," Jax added. "I was just venting."
Shane exhaled slowly.
"Damn…"
He hesitated.
"Did you at least try to chase her?"
Jax stared at him.
"Did you not just hear me? She found a better guy."
"Yeah," Shane said. "But he isn't you."
"Cut the sappy bullshit," Jax snapped. "I've heard it all before."
Shane smiled awkwardly.
"You're right."
He straightened up.
"Look, you can sulk and complain like a baby if you want. But while you're doing that, the other guy is making moves."
Jax's expression shifted.
"You're choosing to be a slave to fate," Shane continued.
"Instead, make the choice to fight."
For the first time, something sparked behind Jax's eyes.
"You're wiser than you look," he said.
He paused.
"Scratch that, you look like a damn nerd. I shouldn't be surprised."
Shane grabbed his chest again.
"Ouch! Twice in one night."
"But you're not wrong," he added. "Society would definitely label me a nerd."
They both laughed, the sound echoing through the empty passageway.
For a moment, the room didn't feel so
empty.
Jax stood a little straighter.
And Shane, unknowingly, became the spark that rekindled a fire Jax had almost let die.