Only Metal Can Save Me Now//Metal Lords •Hunter Sylvester•

Stereotypes

Given the fact that Hunter and I, y'know, hate each other, we've never been to each other's houses, and it's not like my parents would of let him in to ours if we had been.

I didn't know what Hunters parents did in order to have a house like this though.

He parked and we got out. I reluctantly followed him to the door. He opened it and we stepped in. He didn't say anything as he walked over to some stairs, I following after him.

He stopped dead in his tracks, making me run into him, when someone called his name. The both of us turned around and I saw a guy, I assumed was his dad.

"I don't-I don't even want to know." His dad said disappointed. I furrowed my eyebrows. "Please, it's not like I want to know about the fucking nurses you sleep with, and besides, it's a school project." He said.

It seemed like Hunter was uncomfortable. His dad then walked off. "Okay then." Hunter said, turning around, walking down the stairs. I didn't ask any questions as I followed after him.

When we reached the end of the stairs my eyes went wide. I knew the kid liked metal, but fuck this place looked like my brain exploded.

There were a bunch of metal posters everywhere. "Whoa." I said absentmindedly as we walked further into the room.

I saw a drum set, multiple guitars, a bunch of amps. There were many band posters on the walls. Literally if I died, this would be heaven.

"Uhm, I don't know how we're supposed to start." Hunter said. I nodded and saw a chair. I walked over and sat down in it, putting my book bag on the floor beside me.

I watched as hunter grabbed a similar looking chair and put it in front of me a few feet away. He took a seat.

I pulled out a notebook and a pen. "We're supposed to be presenting as each other. Like you're me and I'm you type of thing." I explained.

"I know, I was in the class." He said. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I guess we start with asking basic questions. Favorite color, favorite song, shit like that." I said as I listed off different questions.

"I thought religious people didn't cuss." He said out of nowhere. I shook my head. "Now you're just stereotyping me."

"Whatever, so who would ask the questions first?" He asked. "It doesn't matter." I said as I wrote Hunters name down on the page.

"Favorite color?" I questioned, I probably already knew the answer. I looked at him and he was staring at me, the look on his face looked like he wanted this to be over with.

"Literally, look around, it's not like you'd see this place or me at the end of a goddamn rainbow." He explained. "So black." I said more factly  than as a question. He nodded curtly and I wrote down black under his name.

"What's your favorite song?" I questioned. Before he could answer, my phone started ringing. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. "Shit, sorry." I said as I got up.

It was my mom.

(On Phone)

" Eden Elizabeth Sage, where on Earth are you? Your supposed to come home right after school." My mom said to me sternly. I rolled my eyes. "I'm at a friends house, we have a speech project to do." I mean that was half true, but Hunter and I were far from friends.

"Which friend?" My mom asked. As she asked this I could here what I think was my dad yelling in the background. "Emilys...he's still mad, isn't he, about the stupid shirt." I said.

My mom sighed. "We'll see you when you get home." My mom said and then she hung up. I closed my eyes and walked back over to where I was sitting and sat down.

(End of phone)

"Shirt?" Hunter questioned. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't want to fucking get into it right now." I said as I picked my notebook and the pen back up.

"Favorite song?" I asked. I watched as he sort of looked up to the ceiling, deep in thought. I waited awhile for him to answer.

"I don't think I have one. It's more like favorite genre." He answered. I nodded as I wrote it down. "I'd ask what type of genre, but it's pretty obvious." I told him as I wrote down Metal.

He nodded. "You never answered my question." He said. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him. "What question?" He hasn't asked me any questions.

"You listen to Metallica?" He asked. "Ah, that question...the world may never know." I answered as a joke. Yeah, Hunter and I like the same bands, yeah, I doubted he'd tell anyone if he did know my personality or my beliefs, but I couldn't chance it. I told Emily because she was the only girl friend I had, let alone friend in general. I only said what I said to Skip because he was getting on my fucking nerves...that and I seriously doubted that he knew who James Hetfield even was.

"Ohh, come on, someone who doesn't listen to Metallica doesn't says what you said in the parking lot at school earlier." He pried.

I shook my head. "I'm not saying anything." He leaned forward on his chair and put his elbows on his knees and looked at me. "I think you're not all innocent and Virgin Mary type of shit like people think you are. You know Metallica, what else do you know?" He questioned.

I changed the subject. "I always thought Metal Heads were just people who listened to 80's glam and hair metal bands...like Mötley Crüe." I told him.

He looked at me. "Now whose the one whose stereotyping?" He questioned. I sighed. "You're right. Sorry." I said as I got my phone and looked at the time. It was 4 and I know I eventually had to go home and I dreaded it.

"I'm going to be honest here. I don't want to fucking do this anymore." I said as I put my notebook and pen down. "I think I might actually agree with you on that, Covertin." Hunter said, agreeing with me.

I looked at him. "Then Jesus is crying,
Satan is bothering Heaven and Hell has frozen over." I joked. "Is it warm in Heaven?" He asked. I shrugged.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm living in hell, and right now, it's winter." I explained, keeping the bit going.

He smiled a small smile, I've never seen him do that before, well once when he was taking about Meshuggah with Kevin in the hallway and I happened to over hear some of their conversation.

"I guess I should go home now." I groaned. "You don't want to go home, what's so bad about it?" He asked, remembering what I told him in the hallway at school which led to my being here in the first place.

I looked him dead in the fucking eyes. "If you were me, and like really knew me and lived with my parents...you'd fucking understand." I admitted. I didn't see any harm in telling him that.

He sat there for a minute and we looked at each other. "...maybe-maybe you don't have to go home yet." He said, hesitating. "Uhm, what?" I said, wondering if what I heard from him was correct.

"I mean, unless you want to leave...just don't make this weird than it already is okay?" He stammered. He was weird when he was in situations that made him uncomfortable.

I sighed and put my book bag down and texted my mom.

"So...what are we doing?" I asked, trying not to be awkward. "We could listen to music...but you'd probably pray against it." He said. "Hunter, once again with the stereotypes...do you have any Slipknot?" I questioned.

His eyes went kind of wide and then he narrowed them and gave me the same look I just gave him. "Slipknot is kind of stereotypical." He said.

I scoffed. "Oh whatever, Sylvester." I said as I watched him turn on some music, Wait and Bleed by Slipknot starting to play.

This was weird. Like so fucking weird, on so many fucking levels...well for Hunter and I anyway.