“So, you always this serious?”

Ashley turned to look at Hunter, who was laying back on his messy bed and scrolling through his phone. His casual state contrasted with Ashley’s, as the spectacled boy sifted through endless articles from old encyclopedias, fully focused. With an arched eyebrow, Ashley countered that question, his tone slightly guarded. "Only when I'm trying not to fail a project."

Hunter grunted in response, turning away and onto his side to glance out of the window, clearly unimpressed. “Nerd.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, bro. Chill.”

Hunter huffed, staring out at the blue sky. This was mad awkward.

Here they were, alone in Hunter’s bedroom, attempting to work on this lame ass history project, with too many uncomfortable lapses in conversation to count. He almost wished Mike or Sarah were home for once, because at least the sound of the TV, blender, toilet flushing--anything--would fill the frequent quiet.

Ashley’s house was off-limits. That’s what he told Hunter right before class ended earlier that same afternoon. Naturally, Hunter wanted to press on and get some answers as to why, but just like always, Ashley was an impenetrable fortress of secrets and stoicism. He had no idea what was up with that, or if Ashley’s house would be better or worse for mending the silence between them, but he supposed he had to leave it alone, for now.  Besides that, Hunter would rather drag himself across a floor of broken glass than go to a library, so the two partners settled on working at his house instead.

The tension in the room persisted and Hunter just laid there, still unsure how to break the barrier of discomfort that loomed. He had to fight the urge to flick some crumpled paper bits at Ashley or some other stupid thing to amuse himself. Even if Ashley got mad at him again, it would be better than sitting around saying nothing to each other like this.

Ashley, on the other hand, maintained laser focus. There was too much to get done, and enough time had been lost to Hunter skipping several days of class. He didn’t have time to mess around or hang out, not that Hunter would want to do that with him, anyway. The dark-haired teen scribbled away at his notes, coughing every so often into his inactive hand. Allergies.

He found himself surprised that he wasn’t coughing for another reason, as he’d expected Hunter’s room to smell like smoke. Thankfully, it seemed like he saved that for the outdoors. Most likely to avoid his parents knowing of his habit, he assumed. The same parents that Ashley still hadn’t met or even seen really, despite living in Meadowbrook for around a week now. Part of him was still a little wary of what they were like, but with Hunter’s agreement to participate in working on the project with him—an agreement that could probably change at any moment--Ashley knew he had to tread lightly and not ask too many questions.

“Okay, I found it.” Hunter said flatly and out of nowhere, pulling Ashley from his thoughts. “The picture you wanted to use for our display.”

Ashley nodded. “Right, excellent.”

Curling his index finger to urge him to doublecheck it, Hunter beckoned Ashley over to him. The shorter boy stood up gracefully from his chair, patting down his recently ironed shirt. He leaned over at the phone being held up in the air. “Yes, that’s the one.” Ashley inattentively pushed up his glasses.

“Cool.” Hunter looked at him for just a brief second, then returned to his phone.

If there was ever a contest for a duo with the most awkward relationship, or whatever you could call it, Hunter and Ashley would win first place hands down.

Ashley let his gaze wander as he straightened back up. He began eyeing the bedroom more thoughtfully. It was as messy and cluttered as he’d anticipated, but once again, he was just thankful it didn’t reek of cigarettes or alcohol. There was a perfectly good closet that seemed spacious enough, and yet, the floor was littered with all kinds of clothes. The walls were adorned with posters of rock bands unfamiliar to Ashley. Another random one was a scantily clad model in a bikini. He squinted his eyes with mild irritation.

An interesting thing caught his attention, though. In the corner sat a guitar, halfway visible in the sea of clothes. Ashley couldn’t help the words that followed the sight.

“Hunter,” he began tonelessly, eyes still locked on the instrument, “that guitar in the corner—do you play?”

Hunter glanced over to Ashley, a fleeting moment of vulnerability flashing in his eyes before his expression hardened once more. “Sometimes. Not that great, though,” he replied, his voice more guarded than before.

Ashley nodded with a sort of “oh, okay” vibe, sensing Hunter's reluctance to discuss the matter further. “Regardless…I am curious to hear you play sometime,” Ashley offered, surprising even himself with what he was expressing. It wasn’t a lie, though; he was slightly curious about it. This was the first time he had gotten any kind of hint at Hunter’s hobbies, beyond the obvious ones of playing video games or watching sunsets from a roof.

A hint of discomfort passed over Hunter's features. “Nah, I’m telling you, Ash, I suck. Don’t think it’s really my thing, y’know,” he muttered, dismissing the other teen’s idea with a wave of his hand.

Ashley crossed his arms, contemplatively. He didn’t know why, but he felt compelled to ask more questions to the delinquent still resting lazily on the bed before him. “Then, by any chance…do you ever sing? That is, when you play?” When Hunter paused, lips pressing into a thin line, Ashley took it as a ‘yes’.

Hunter rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow to face Ashley with a stern look. “Don’t tell anyone. I’m serious.”

Ashley leaned back against the nearest wall, arms still crossed. “Rest assured; it doesn’t matter to me that much. I just wanted to ask.”

“Good.”

“So tell me, do you ‘suck’ at that, too?”

With a frown, Hunter let himself drop from his elbow and stared at the floor. “I don’t know. I don’t sing for anyone, and don’t plan to.” After mumbling that, Hunter could practically feel Ashley’s inquisitive eyes still on him. A silent push. “No. No way. Don’t even think about it.”

A smile threatened to fall upon Ashley’s pretty mouth. But instead he turned away, running a hand through his black hair, and returning to the books. “Fine.”  He flipped a page, nonchalantly. “However, you might just be better than you think. It’s always helpful to get a second opinion.”

“Yeah, no thanks.”

With that, both boys continued with their activities, not another word uttered about the embarrassing subject.

                                                                                       ****                           

About half an hour went by, with the sounds in the bedroom mostly consisting of rustling  papers, typing on a keyboard, and a few yawns from Hunter. He was doing what he could to contribute, researching whatever Ashley needed, even though doing that kind of work for the first time in forever was beyond tedious. Somewhere in between, Hunter went to the kitchen to get him and Ashley some snacks--to which the weirdo politely declined because he didn’t eat processed food—and found himself in another predicament.

Against his internal protests, his mind kept wandering back to their chat. Hunter was conflicted, a feeling he hated and rarely dealt with.

No one knew it, but for him, singing was one of the few things in life that meant something.

He didn’t have much skill on the guitar and hated how playing too long made his fingers sore, so he neglected that practice often. But, he loved singing. Closing his eyes and getting lost in a melody, lyrics pouring from his lips like rain, soothing his aches and doubts. It was an escape that didn’t cost anything, one that was always there.

Now, somehow, he felt torn between his desire to maintain his bad boy image and…a reluctant yearning to share this hobby with someone else. In this case, with the kid named Ashley, who was working diligently upstairs. The blond pressed his forehead against the fridge, nearly cringing at how corny the thought of “opening up through music” was.

But, it was true. He never sang for anyone, just kept it to himself. His guardians Mike and Sarah didn’t know about it; he only sang loud when he was completely sure he was home alone. His friends didn’t know about it, either. After all, Hunter could never tell if Evan or Micah or anyone else would laugh at him, and didn’t want to risk that. Was there even anything funny about it? It was just singing. Well, whatever the reasoning came down to, Hunter had chosen to hide his occasional pastime, and got used to keeping it a secret. He figured he could go his whole life like that, it didn’t matter.

So, now…?

                                                                                     ****

With a resigned sigh, Hunter reentered the bedroom, with Ashley still focused on his reading materials. He reached for the guitar, fingers tracing the strings with a hesitant touch. Noticing the movement in his periphery, Ashley glanced over, with a slightly questioning look. His eyes flicked downward.

Guitar in hand, Hunter stood with a deadpan expression on his face.

“If you laugh at me, I’m gonna kick your ass.”