How Not To Be A Groupie

Chapter Twenty Four: Wake Up Call

You'll never guess where I woke up the next morning.

There was dried drool on my mouth and still some fresh on the pillow. I sat up in disgust and wiped my mouth. I was alone in the room. I was alone in Angus' bed.

Oh ho ho....

I stretched and climbed out, making sure to leave the bed neat and tidy. I tiptoed out of the room and peered out. There, asleep on the couch practically cuddling his guitar, was Angus. After taking me to his room he fell asleep out here. He wasn't waking up any time soon. 

Much like I tried to do for Bon, I looked around for paper and a pen to leave him a note. I quickly scribbled something down and left it in the bathroom for him to find later. Slowly opening the door, and checking to make sure he was still asleep, I left the room. 

I was starving. I needed to get back to Stelle's room and fish up some breakfast before doing anything else. Looking for the elevator to send me to the lobby, I heard yelling. The farther I walked down the hall the louder it got. I wondered if I should find a different path to take. The yelling frightened me. 

"Shouldn't someone get a cop or something?"

"You can, I'm watching the fun."

I took the chance and ventured further, bracing myself for whatever catastrophe I was about to see. There was a group of people standing around. They must have been the ones I heard yelling. But what were they looking at? Through a gap between two people I caught sight of two grown men rolling around on the floor beating the shit out of each other. 

I sighed. Isn't it a little early for this?

Knowing the authorities would be coming any minute I turned to leave. But right at the last second I saw a familiar face. Malcolm was one of the two men. 

I froze right where I stood. 

The other guy I had never seen before got on top of him and landed his fist right on Mal's face. People were hollering and yelling and suddenly it was almost like they didn't exist. Their voices began to fade out as my heart sped up and I started shaking. I was pissed. 

Who did this fucker think he was hurting Malcolm Mitchell???

Adrenaline rushing at full speed, I did the stupidest thing ever and cut through the crowd, hurling myself at the man at full speed. He didn't see me coming and I knocked us both to the ground. My shoulder smacked the floor and I rolled away from them, wincing in pain. People backed away from me. I think I heard the crowd say some things but I kept tuning them out. I had to focus! I had to protect Malcolm! Ignoring the pain on my shoulder I sat up to survey what just happened. 

"Little bitch," the man muttered. He was already standing and looking straight at me. I got to my feet, ready to defend myself, right as two strong arms grabbed me around my waist and pulled me away. Malcolm tackled the man to the ground and they got to fighting again. 

"Let Malcolm go!" I heard myself yell. "Leave him alone!" I struggled against the arms but they had an iron grip. My urgency must have woken up half the hotel by now if the fight hadn't already. Some doors were opening with bedraggled people sticking their heads out and swearing or muttering. "Leave him alone!"

"Mal's alright, he can handle himself!" I recognized the voice but I couldn't turn around to see who it was. The crowd kept up their jeering as Malcolm and the man settled their differences. 

"Let Malcolm go! Let him go!" There were almost tears pooling in my eyes, I was so upset! The man kept pulling me away but I didn't struggle anymore. A door slammed shut and someone ran by us. Bon, only in jeans and his hair a complete mess, forced his way through the growing crowd and grabbed the other man, pulling him away. The man wrenched himself free and turned to face Bon but I was taken around a corner before I could see anything else. 

I did my best to swallow my panic. I couldn't cry, not now! "Mal saw this comin', he knew what he was signin' up for," the man said loosening his grip on me. I could hear him clearly now and I knew right away it was Phil. 

"He hurt Malcolm," I grumbled. 

"Mal's fine, it's nothin' he can't handle," Phil said finally letting me go. "Mal an' him met up last night an' they didn't get along. This was bound to happen sooner or later."

I followed Phil down the hall, forgetting all about how hungry I had been. I needed a place to rest and think. I've never been in a fight before and that was the closest brush with one I ever hope to be in. My shoulder started to ache and I rubbed it. The adrenaline was wearing off and I felt exhausted. 

"You alright?"

"Fine," I muttered, still sour. 

"Mal an' Bon can take him," Phil said fishing around in his pocket for a key. We stopped at a room and he opened the door for us. Inside eating a banana was Stelle in nothing but a very large shirt that reached her knees. "Look who I found."

"Hannah! There you are!" she said wiping her mouth. "I looked for you last night and couldn't find you anywhere!"

"I was with Angus," I said and blushed immediately afterward. 

"Oh?" Her eyes widened and she looked at Phil who didn't seem to be paying any attention as he opened the fridge. "You were with Angus, you say?"

Scrambling for a comeback I said, "Well....you were with Phil!"

"Yeah, but I didn't sleep with him!"

"I didn't sleep with anyone either!" I said. 

Stelle and I both looked at each other and burst out laughing. Phil still hadn't bothered to eavesdrop and we both doubled over. Only my aching shoulder stopped my laughing. I winced and rubbed it some more. 

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. "Malcolm's in a fight."

"A fight?" Stelle's eyes widened again. 

"Jus' a bit of a rumble, nothin' we haven't seen before," Phil said coming back to us with a can of Coke. He laughed a little. "I'm a bit more worried for the other guy, actually."

"Are you hungry, Hannah?" Stelle asked. "There's some fruit in a bowl over there."

Seeing as Stelle took the only banana and other fruits made my tongue unhappy, I settled on a red apple and took tiny pathetic bites. It tasted like wax but it was better than nothing. 

"We'll stay here for a bit until things calm down out there," Stelle said. "We'll head back to our room later." It sounded fine enough for me and I sat down with my apple and listened to Stelle and Phil talk. 

Completely forgetting about my notebook and pen that I left in Ang's room.