How Not To Be A Groupie

Chapter Twenty Five: Here Comes Trouble

"Nice of you two to drop by," Phil said seeing us out. Stelle had dressed and hung her camera back around her neck. 

"It was nice of you to have us," she responded. I smiled. I was still so very shy. Stelle kissed Phil on the cheek and I stepped back in surprise. Am I supposed to kiss him now? After a few awkward seconds I held out my hand for him to shake. And he shook it without complaint. "We'll be at the show tonight, alright?"

"See ya' then."

Phil closed the door behind him and Stelle and I walked down the hall. "Any parties?"

"Nope. Not this time. But we'd better get back to the hotel unless we want to scare the boys away with our morning after stench." I secretly sniffed my jacket. I didn't really stink, did I? 

The hallways were quiet. The fight had broken up and there was no one around to relive the details for us. Malcolm and Bon were nowhere to be seen and I kept an eye out for them. I wanted to make sure they were alright. We got to the elevator and someone waved us down. 

"Hey. Can I see you for a second?"

It was Trouble, all dressed and ready for a new day. Her eyeshadow was a pale pink and her clothes were not the typical groupie look. She looked nice. I looked back at Stelle who shrugged and Trouble and I walked across the hall. I stuck my hands in my pockets. "Yeah?"

"How do you do it?" she asked. I frowned. 

"Do what?"

"Get the band to like you!" I almost started laughing! It must have been obvious in my expression because she heaved a sigh. "I'm serious, they're all over you!"

"Hardly," I said. 

"At the party you danced with Bon, got Cliff to hold your things while he wouldn't even look at me, went back to Angus' hotel and even your friend over there spent the night with Phil." I looked back at Stelle wondering if she could hear us. I saw her taking photos of the paintings the hotel hung up. Trouble lowered her voice. "So what's your secret?"

"I don't have one," I answered.

"Come on, you're new to this. Me and the girls have been doing this for years and we've never been showed up like this." I shifted uneasily and looked at the floor. 

"I didn't mean to show anyone up," I said. It was true. I didn't come here to steal anybody away from anyone. I didn't come here to enchant the entire band with my so-so looks and cardboard personality. And that's not what the groupie lifestyle is about anyway. 

4. It isn't a competition. 

It doesn't matter how many men you can charm or go to bed with. That doesn't determine anybody's worth and it's nothing to turn against women about. Whatever I was doing that Trouble noticed last night was beyond me. I wasn't purposefully getting the band to like me. So what could I say to her?

"So how'd you do it?" she insisted. She didn't look upset with me, but ready for my explanation. Which I didn't have. 

"Well...maybe I don't try at all," I said. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." I sighed. "If you go up to someone only wanting sex, and they don't feel the same way, you're more likely to just...not go any further," I said. "I don't want that from any of them."

"Are you nuts or something?" she asked. I smiled.

"I just sort of...hang around," I said. "There's no tension, no pressure to do anything with any of them. It's just a relaxed sort of friendship. And it works for me."