Line Without a Hook: Stardew Valley & Shane story

Chapter 11

As I entered Pierre's store, I immediately noticed a familiar head of eggplant colored hair standing at the counter. What was he doing in Pierre's on a weekday? As far as I was concerned, JojaMart was still open. 

As I walked closer to the counter, the planks beneath my feet creaked. Pierre and Shane both fixated their gaze onto me. As if the sound of the entry bell did not catch their attention already. 

"Farmer Emma! What brings you back here?" Pierre questioned coming out from behind the counter. My eyes slowly wandered over to Shane, who was slouching over with his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. I questioned to myself if he was hiding something in that sweatshirt of his as it seemed he was fiddling with something.

"I was coming back to buy some ingredients. Just had a random spark of inspiration I suppose." I chuckled, darting into one of the isles to hide. I was just here to get peppers and cheese. No time to dwell on why Shane was here. Besides, it wasn't my business to know where he was at all times. However, I somehow craved his attention. Attention I wasn't getting.

I peaked my head around the corner of the isle I was in and noticed that Shane was on his way out of the store. I swiftly turned my back to him and acted like I was browsing the isle. 

"You won't find cheese here." Shane's deep voice echoed. Turning around, I raised an eyebrow and grinned. "What makes you think I am getting cheese?" Shane inched closer with his hands still in his sweatshirt pockets. I noticed there was an abnormal bulge in the pocket, but tried not to show my interest in it by moving my attention back to his face. 

Shane looked rough. There were deep bags under his eyes and he reeked of alcohol. His scruff was turning into that of a small beard and his hair was matted down and starting to overgrow. Not to Elliott levels, though. Elliott kept his hair well kempt, while Shane's hair looked unwashed. As I studied his appearance, I couldn't help but feel bad for him. He was obviously in pain. Pain that wasn't so easy to cure.

"I'm assuming you got the recipe?" He questioned as his lips curved into a small grin. My heart swooned at the sight. It was a rare sight to see him smile. And to think it can be produced when around me made me think I was capable of anything. 

"Yes I did. I actually opened my mail for once this morning." I laughed a little. His lips were still holding the grin. "Thanks for thinking of me." I stated, looking down at my muddy shoes.

There was a small silence between us. His eyes traveled from my eyes down to my forearms. The grin left his face. I was wearing a cardigan so clearly nothing was being exposed. I crossed my arms and started to pick at my nailbeds. Obviously an anxious habit. "What?" I asked. Shane's eyes darted back to mine and his face fell. He thought for a moment as the silence between us grew more uncomfortable. Seconds felt like drawn out minutes. 

"You...want to come with me to Marnie's and I will get you cheese?" Shane asked, whispering the last words of the sentence. I stopped picking at my nailbeds and let out a much needed breath. Anxiety was building up inside me as I thought he was going to talk about my scars.

"Sure. Anything to get those peppers popping." I joked. Terribly. It was a terrible joke.

Shane rolled his eyes and turned around, but I swear I saw a small curvature to his lips again. I followed Shane as we entered the drenching rain. 

***

The walk to Marine's was soon over. We did not exchange any words on the way. Marine's was not that far from Pierre's, but we hustled even faster than normal as the rain had picked up. There was also lightning. Lightning in itself was spooky, especially in Stardew Valley.

"Marnie, I'm home." Shane hollered, holding the door open for me. I acknowledged his kind gesture and mouthed a 'thank you'. Almost instantly, Marnie appeared in front of us. "Emma! So happy to see you. How are your chickens?" She reached out her arms and took me in a warm embrace. 

"They're great, Marnie. I just sold a couple eggs this morning. All thanks to you." I gave her a beaming smile. She returned the smile and stared at me for a few moments. "Gosh, you're so beautiful. Shane, isn't she the most gorgeous angel you've ever seen?" Marnie came closer and placed her arms around me.

I glanced at Shane out of the corner of my eye. His face was pink, seemingly to be in response to what Marnie said. "Marnie... I wish you wouldn't say stuff like that." He muttered. "Oh, why not? I think Emma ought to know her worth. You should too. You're too handsome to be looking the way you do now." She reached her hand up to his face. He immediately swatted her hand away and scoffed. His hand immediately returned to his sweatshirt pocket.

"I don't care what I look like. Look, we just came to get some cheese." Shane then started to walk into the kitchen. "Wait there, Emma. I'll be back." He ordered. I nodded in response.

Marnie's face was full of shock and hurt. She was clearly trying her best with Shane. There were tears streaming down her face at this point. I scooted over to her and now it was my turn to be a source of comfort. "It's okay, Marnie. Sometimes all we can do is let them know we are there for them. Even if they decline or ignore it, they should still be reminded. You never know how much you permeated their thoughts."

Marnie turned to face me and produced a sorrowful smile. "Thank you, Emma. I just wished he would find purpose in this world. There is so much to live for."

Her words danced around in my head. Was there actually so much to live for? I've been suicidal for so long that I became content with the thought of death. I was alive, but not living. And I'm sure Shane was feeling the same way. I just seemed to hide it more than he does.

A door slammed, breaking me out of my trance. I looked into the kitchen and saw Shane holding a block of cheese. I was thankful he arrived when he did, as I felt like I was starting to dissociate. 

"Ready to go?" Shane asked, opening the front door. I stared at him for a moment then turned my attention to Marnie. "Nice to see you. We will connect again soon, okay?" I said, giving her one last hug before leaving. She smiled and pushed some of my hair behind my ear. "See you soon, dear."

I whisked past Shane as he shut the door behind me. After his episode inside, it made me feel meek. Like I was part of the problem. I looked up at the sky and let the rain wash down my face. A hand rested on my shoulder and I jumped at the sudden contact. I turned around and saw a dismayed Shane. 

"Sorry." I whispered. He probably wasn't even able to hear it over the pouring rain surrounding us. Shane put the bagged cheese in his sweatshirt and came closer to my side. "Let's go to your place."

"My place? Why?" I questioned. Out of all places in Stardew Valley, why would Shane want to come over? "You said it yourself. We need to get those peppers popping... or whatever."

I placed my head in my hands and cringed at his sentence. I did say that, didn't I? "Yea, okay. Let's go." We started to trot off to my farm, which wasn't far from Marnie's as we shared a border.

"Oh, by the way, I got a cat. Hope you're not allergic."