High Voltage

How stupid can you get... like, truly? How can you miss your dog jumping out of the open window and just drive away?

„Stay the fuck still, dog...” I hissed, carrying the white Maltese all the way from my dad’s house, which was a reasonable walk away from Brian’s house, if I may say. I swear if Lady could, she would be snickering right now.

I couldn’t handle Pinkly’s twirling and turning in my arm anymore so I kinda, a bit, accidentally on purpose dropped her. Oops? My bad?

Brian’s place was just a couple houses up ahead, but it seemed like this dog was truly dumb and didn’t recognize the big ass house at the end of the street and just stood by my feet, wiggling it’s tail and looking me in the eye as I lit my smoke. „Fuck off, Pinkly,” I murmured against my smoke when she decided to jump my leg. She was more of a rat than a dog, to think about it. „Oh come on, I said—„

Bark! Lady more roared than barked, making me eye her with an arched eyebrow and Pinkly hide her tail between her legs. Okay, I wasn’t even mad, that was... kinda impressive, how the fuck did she do that? I mean not the barking – how the fuck did she make the Pinkly dog to shut up while my cussing didn’t even do shit?

„Okay, girls, let’s carry on...” I inhaled the smoke, managing my way down the street. Lady kinda had her paws busy, looking over that stupid mutt, who was taking off at every oportunity she had. Lady was like an angry mom, shouting at the dumb kid whenever she could. I snickered once we pulled up to his white door. By now Pinkly was behaving even after a single look Lady shot her. That really is fucking impressive.

I knocked on the door, „Haner, I got your dog!”

I blew out a transparent cloud of smoke, hearing someone stumbling down the stairs behind the door. I turned around to look over the neighborhood of rich assholes. Well... I can’t say I missed all of this. It was too clean, too tidy... No bullet marks, no crusty blood trails. Didn’t feel like home. Actually even if you searched for that kind of scenery in borders of Huntington – you wouldn’t find it. The only place that was kinda similar – was Boston.

„Pinkly!” A shrill voice screamed from behind me picking up the small Maltese.

I turned around, a frown on my face, „You’re... not Haner...”

„Oh, hi Meg, Bri is upstairs, in the studio. Did you want him?” Did, I, want, him... Was it even appropriate to ask these kinds of questions?

„Uhmm...” While I was struggling with the answer, Lady just went past her in the house. What the fuck are you doing? „Fuck... That dog, she’s not like this usually...” Usually? I know her only for like two hours!

„You want me to get it for you?” And again, it’s not an it, it’s a Lady. Jeez...

„No offense, but I think she’ll bite your face off.” Who the fuck even are you? And what are you doing here? „I think I’ll get her myself, if that’s okay...”

„Yeah, sure.” She smiled. Oh hell, was this the chick I met at Matt’s? Jesus Christ, what had I been drinking, ‘cause I remember I liked the chick back then, well not now obviously. The one with overly bleached hair, fake eyelashes, but incredibly well boob job? Well... I liked her boobs. Nothing more.

As she stepped back to let me in, I noticed Lady’s black spine disappearing somewhere in the living room. „Where the fuck are you going, dog?” I hissed, going around the corner just to see her hopping on Brian’s expensive leather couch and looking at me.

I walked closer, crossing my arms over my chest as I looked over her. „You think this is funny...” I squinted my eyes on her, „Okay, we all had a great laugh – haha, now let’s get going.” Yeah, if she wouldn’t be such a bitch it would be so marvelous! She laid her head on her paws and at every attempt I tried to get her off the couch, she started growling and even showed me a bit of her sharp teeth.

Exhausted from struggling with the 80 pound dog, I dropped my behind beside her, noticing an issue of Metal Hammer on the glass coffee table next to Brian’s iPad and a pack of Marlboro Red. What was interesting about it – no not his Marlboro regulars – but the magazine – my face was on it. I didn’t know it had come out yet. I did the interview just a couple days ago.

With a frown and the question – of how the hell did he get it, I opened page 29.

It has been a long time coming for the lead guitarist Raven McQueen (real name – Megan Hills), but she’s here and she’s as real as it gets. She’s a part of a heavy metal band – Beautiful Wasteland and although many know her for her scandalous look and righteous riffs, there’s a bit more under the hood than meets the eye.

We sat down to talk to the guitarist at Huntington Beach’s one of the most notorious places – the Johnny’s Saloon. To the question why did she choose this exact place, she answered – where else could I take you if not home?

To our surprise there was no sight of the famous Raven McQueen we’ve grown to know. That’s right – no lingerie, no stockings, no smokey eyes, no ‘I don’t give a damn’ attitude. She was sitting there, sipping on a cappuccino and looking like she had nothing to do with the heavy music industry, the only thing that led us on were the tattoos sticking out from underneath her guns ‘n’ roses t-shirt. Some 90’s rock was playing in the background and she was cracking jokes with the bartender while we were setting up. No cockiness, no ignorantness, no funny business. Sober and clean of any type of drug - Raven was all business, which brought up the worn out question – is Raven McQueen just an alter ego?

„Raven is a result of my untreated schizophrenia which gets considerably worse due to the lack of treatment,” She joked, „But if we’re not joking about my schizophrenia in reverse, then the answer is fairly simple – Raven McQueen is just something I came up while being drunk and willing to come off just as cool as Slash, Zacky Vengeance, Synyster Gates and etc. Why I look like a stripper on stage? That ties together with the idea of a name. I remember going up to mister Gates (Lead guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold- MH.) and telling him to hit me with the cheesiest, most stupid stripper name he could come up with.”

So Synyster Gates came up with your name?

No. He came up with an ‘Amber’ and you clearly don’t see an Amber in the Beautiful Wasteland, do you?

Before we get into the Raven McQueen we know today, there’s a lot more to know about Megan Hills, am I right?

I don’t know what you’re talking about. (smiles innocently) Look, if we’re speaking musically, then yes, Megan Hills is a lot more advanced than Raven McQueen who just smashes some expensive guitars on stage. Although I’m not working as a teacher in the [Musician’s] Institute anymore, I like to loose myself in more than just those heavy riffs Wasteland kicks you in the face with. I like classical music like Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi, I’m also very much into funk tunes and some 90’s rap. The variety of genres I listen to I can probably thank to the fact that I majored in piano. Yes, before becoming a Raven – the guitar goddess, I was a simple kid who played the piano and wore baggy pants.

What happened to the girl? Did she give into the pressure of being a rockstar or was it something else?

We’re talking about drugs and booze?

Yes.

Yeah, well... (takes a deep breath) Look, it’s not easy to even talk about it. I can’t fully admit I’m free of the shit I poisoned myself with, but I can admit I’m on the right set of rails. That... that was a dark time in my life. I was struggling with depression so I just wanted to run away, I guess... To have a place to hide and before I knew it, I was too deep in the whole shit. Thank god nor my dad nor the band saw the way I was. I was smart and flew off to Tokyo to try and escape my misery, when the truth was – there’s no escape.

Is there something to do with Synyster Gates?

Partly. It’s not a secret we were engaged to get married, but something happened and we were not the same as we used to be. I know the guy for a very long time, we were best friends before we were something else. Hell, I was around all his girls, I even hooked him up with some (remembers with a light laughter) and we got together just because of some plain stupidity. I guess he’d always had had some silly crush on me, but I kinda didn’t even notice it. I believed he was a jerk and that’s it.

Are you still friends?

I-I guess so. Tho we’re not the same. I can surely say he’ll always have a special place in my heart, but that’s it.

Holy hell! I had completely forgot I had said something like that!

„Find something interesting?” Oh that cocky tone I wouldn’t mess with anything else on the world. I was still eying the issue with a great frown.

„Where did you get it? They said it won’t be out until next week...” Finally I raised my eyes from the magazine and noticed him smirking lightly with those crossed arms. He looked different than before, was he wearing something else? No, the same black v-neck, same black jeans, so why did he feel so... different?

„I have my connections,” He replied coming closer, „And thanks for Pinkly. I noticed she was missing only when I pulled up in the driveway.”

„yeah, don’t mention it and I think we’ll be going now,” I smiled, before looking back at Lady. She growled. „Or not... I swear that fucking dog... she thinks I’m the one who needs to obey her,”

„She just knows where she belongs.” I shot my head back at him, confused by his cheerful look. Dude, do you honestly have a filter to that mouth or you’re trying to kill me on purpose? „I meant it in non-commitmentish way.”

„I hope,” my eyes narrowed on his smirking face, „’cause I’m pretty sure that chick – what’s her face- would kill me and I’m not too keen on dying... at least not now.”

„Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked a bit seriousness to his voice. No, give back the cheerful Haner, i don’t like the serious monster!

„tell you what?”

„About the depression...”

„Had you forgot we were at each others throats just a couple hours ago?” Was I missing something here? Why was he this smiley out of a sudden? We hate each other, isn’t that the case anymore?

„Even tho we had a rough past, I do care for you, Meg. You can talk to me.”

„yeah, right,” I snorted, getting up and fully ignoring Lady, if she wants to stay here- by all means, „Thanks I’m-your-bestfriend-again-even-tho-I-cheated-on-you, but I think I’ll pass, because you’re either high, or,” I tried squeezing through him, who was sitting on the armrest of the armchair and the floor lamp, and I would’ve succeeded if he wouldn’t have extended his leg to cut me off. Our eyes met and I forgot about any kind of language and speaking abilites under that dark, lustful stare of his.

„Or what?”

Or what Meg? A handsome devil and I still love you and I can almost feel your abs and I can most definitelly feel your thigh rubbing against mine, no! Focus. Bark! I shook my head, realizing I was just a second away from jumping him and kissing the living shit out of him. I stepped over his feet, pushing away from him, „A fucking dick, Haner.”

To my surprise he didn’t come up with no insults, but instead, he exploded in a rather melodic laughter. „You’re a piece of work, Hills, you knew that?”

„Yea, yea, Lady come,” I patted against my leg and to my surprise she obeyed and ran up to me.

„I thought she doesn’t obey you,” He crossed his arms, saying matter of factly, a know-it-all grin on his face.

Oh fuck me sideways with a popsicle! It wasn’t me who was a piece of work, it was her – Lady. This fucking dog... She made it seem like I had wanted to come here, like I had set it up and she has nothing to do with it. I looked like the ass who uses the fucking dog as an excuse just to chill on my ex’s couch. Cause, people, did you see it, it took only a single look for her to be my side, almost smirking victoriosuly. „Fuck you Haner,”

I walked up to the door and Brian followed me. He leaned against the wall while I looked at the mutt who was standing beside me. I will so bring you back to that fucking dog shelter where people will come and cuddle you and love you and squeeze the shit out of you, let’s see how smart will you be then... „You know it’s no problem, Hills,” He started and I frowned. What the hell are you talking about, Haner, „You can come by and use your dog as an excuse, I don’t mind,” He chuckled.

„Oh go to hell...”

Notes