Apparently, Hunter thinks that dinner is having a bag of chips and endless bottles of Mountain Dew. Currently, we’re both lounging in his tour bus. It’s actually my first time seeing it, and let me tell you, it’s awesome. When I first arrived, I was greeted by a group of unfamiliar men. They started shooting questions left and right at me, but before I could answer a single one, Hunter appeared. He introduced them as his band (Devo, Matt, Justin, and Andy).
I assumed that having dinner meant that we would go to some fast food chain, but I was very wrong. Matt put in a movie and that’s how the entire band, Hunter, and I ended up watching horror films after horror films while eating chips and drinking Mountain Dew.
The band is all spread out in the lounging area, so there was only one spot to sit left, and I refused to take it. Unfortunately, so did Hunter. I tried convincing him that the floor is very comfy, and he said that if it was so comfy, then he’ll sit on the floor. Long story short, we’re both now sitting on the floor.
“Don’t go into the basement alone!” Andy hollers at the screen, flinging a handful of chips at the girl who is slowly walking down creaky stairs that lead to her basement in the dark. When she reaches the basement, she screams. The image of the ignorant girl’s ex-boyfriend holding her ex-boyfriend’s head with blood dripping out of the bottom and his eyes wide and open. Devo makes a little squeak in terror, but it’s so quiet compared to the girl screaming that I’m the only one who heard him.
“CLICHE!” Justin hoots.
Matt slugs him in the arm. “Shut up! We’re trying to watch a movie!”
Hunter chuckles, a deep noise vibrating in his chest. I have to admit, it’s attractive. Very attractive.
After the movie is over, Andy throws his hands up into the air. “Really?! That’s how it ends!” He crosses his arms. “Well, I’m disappointed.”
I laugh. “Yeah, well, that’s what you get for picking out the crappiest horror film ever made.”
Andy gasps dramatically, causing Hunter to roll his eyes playfully. “Here he goes again,” he mutters.
Andy gasps, “You dare insult my movie-picking skills?”
“Um,” I say, tapping my chin to feign thinking. “I do.”
Matt decides to intervene our bickering. “How about we settle this by letting Harper pick out the next movie?” He glances at everyone in the room. “All in favor?”
Everyone raises their hands.
“Alright. Harper, you can pick your movie now.”
Without any hesitation, I think of the perfect movie. It’s got a pinch of comedy, a dash of romance, a bowl of horror, and a whole bunch of shirtless hot guys. If you can’t tell, it’s literally the best movie in existence.
“Okey dokey then,” I smirk as I pull up the movie on Netflix. “Be prepared for the more epic movie you’re ever gonna see.”
“Doubt it.”
I shoot Andy a glare. He sinks into the couch, causing Hunter to laugh beside me.
The movie starts playing. Right away, it hooks the guys and makes them all sit on the edge of their seats. Throughout the movie, we sit silently, we burst out laughing, and Devo and Andy scream while the rest of us cover our eyes with pillows and such. When the part that makes everyone scream and cover their eyes comes, the pillows are already taken in a flash. I quickly turn away (even though I’ve seen this movie at least five times). Hunter does the same thing I do at the same time, causing us to bump our heads together hard. We both wince, but laugh at it after a few seconds. The band throws their pillows at us, telling us to be quiet.
I whisper to Hunter, “You’ve got a hard head there, Hayes.”
He points to himself in disbelief. “Me?” he whispers back. “You’re the one with the thick skull.”
I pat his head. “You’re lucky that you’re already ugly, because I don’t want to even touch your face, let alone punch it.”
“You-” Hunter starts, but gets interrupted by Matt.
“Would you to please be quiet? This is a good part!”
Hunter and I roll our eyes, but oblique to watching the rest of the movie quietly.
After the fourth movie, I start to hear light snores. I turn and see Hunter sound asleep, leaning against the couch with his mouth agape and drool dripping off his lips. Snickering, I took some pictures. But then I realized that the rest of the band was sleeping, too.
So I took pictures of them, too.
I quickly posted a few of them on my twitter, tagging Hunter, Devo, Matt, Justin, and Andy. I make Matt’s dreadlocks form a weird shape that looks too funny not to post too.
After leaving a note, I show myself to the door and leave. I actually had fun, but I know that my night will turn upside down when I get nightmares when I fall asleep.
And the nightmares won’t be from the movies.
The air outside is chilly and I hug myself for warmth. As I’m walking across the parking lot in the dark towards my car, I feel like someone’s watching me.
I feel that way the rest of the night and the way home.
-
“I DON’T WANT EASY, I WANT CRAZY!”
“Strange! Stop singing, you sound like a banshee and you’re scaring all our customers away!” Willow shouts at me. She’s not wrong, though. I’ve been told many times by Ginny that I’m tone deaf. When she came to visit my apartment one time, she heard my singing and thought that someone was dying and called 911. We almost ended up dying of laughter at my awful voice.
Oh, well. I really just can’t get Hunter’s songs out of my head. Ever since I found out that he’s famous, I started downloading all of his songs and listening to them on repeat. What can I say? I think I’m becoming a hayniac.
Last night, after another dreadful nightmare, I started watching those FTLOM things that Hunter used to do. He looked so young in the beginning and cute with the spiked hair. I wonder what he would look like if it was still spiked? I couldn’t stop myself from laughing the entire time I was watching them. Actually, I ended up watching every last one. I think the first one is my absolute favorite.
I don’t sing Hunter’s song, I Want Crazy, but I do sing it in my head. I tap my foot and sway my hips as I wash the car I’m currently stationed at. The wash is taking a while, but I don’t mind. It’s cloudy today, so my burns don’t hurt as bad. It even looks like it might rain.
I suddenly feel like someone’s watching me. I stop swaying and dancing, but I do keep scrubbing the car. After a few minutes I start to hose the car down, but I still feel someone’s eyes on me.
Finally having enough and feeling a bit creeped out, I survey the area around. There’s a gym next door, open to anyone and everyone 24/7. On the other side is some kind of hardware store, and a little grocery store across the street. In the gym parking lot about fifty meters away, my eyes fall on a dirty old green truck.
My pale eyes meet Stan’s green ones. He instantly looks away.
I should feel relieved that it wasn’t some total creep or stranger that’s plotting my death, but I still can’t shake the unease in the pit of my stomach. Why was he even there? He always hated working out. Who knows, though. Maybe he decided to get in shape.
“Harper!” a voice hollers. Instinctively, I roll my eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting back to work, Willow!” I call back.
“Wow, do I really sound like her?”
I turn. Hunter, in his black car, is smirking at me with her arm hanging out and his sunglasses sitting on the tip of his nose adorably.
“What’s up, Hayes? Can’t you see I’m trying to work here?”
He shrugs. “I just wanted to talk for a min-”
“Hunt!” Willow’s shrill voice squeals. We both groan as she struts over to us. She gives Hunter an award-winning pure-white smile. Gosh, her teeth are so perfect that they’re just begging for my fist to screw them up. Usually I’m not violent, but around Willow, I’m shocked I’m not charged murder yet.
Willow shoots me a sharp look before beaming down at Hunter hanging out of his car window. “Ruth, one of our workers, is out sick, and Harper is busy with a customer already. How about I wash your car for you?”
Hunter gives me a look that says, “GET. ME. OUT. OF. HERE. NOW.”
I give him a grin. “I’ll talk to you later, Hunter.” I turn back to the car I was in the process of washing and continue hosing it down. Hunter pulls his car over at a different station, Willow trailing close behind and quickly getting to work.
From where I’m at, Willow’s back is facing me, and I can see Hunter’s face. I can hear them talking, Willow flirting, but I can’t tell what they’re saying. I watch as Hunter tries to maintain his sanity.
Maybe I’ll just let Willow clean his car from now on.
Once I’m done with the customer, I decide to relieve Hunter of the burden that is Willow. When Willow sees me coming, she scowls. Hunter, on the other hand, beams at me. I stick out my tongue at him.
“Hello, I’m done, so I can take over if you want to go and talk or text your friends or whatever you do all day long.”
Willow frowns. “Nope, that’s okay. Hunter and I are were in the middle of a conversation, so if you’d just go, that’d be great.”
I put my hands up innocently. “Okay, fine by me.” Hunter glares at me, so I send him a wink. “See you later, Hayes.”
As I’m walking back to my assigned station, I feel someone’s eyes on my again. I spin around, looking directly at the gym parking lot. The green truck is gone.