How Not To Be A Groupie

Chapter Thirty Six: Tension

Stelle barely looked at me the entire way to the venue. The boys had another show and just like always we showed up. I didn't bother bringing my notebook. It was getting heavier with all my little trinkets and now a bit of a hassle to carry around. Stelle could just wear her camera around her neck. No matter how many photos she took, it would never get too heavy to carry.

I found a seat next to Malcolm who was playing a card game with a roadie. He smiled at me and showed me his cards. "I'm winnin'," he said. 

"He's lying," the roadie said. I could see a pile of money sitting between them, insinuating a gamble. "He's trying to get me to give up and it's not working."

"I'm tryin' to get ya' to quit now before you're broke," Malcolm said. He set a few cards down and picked up a few more. His expression didn't change. "Jus' warnin' ya' now."

"I don't buy a word of it." The roadie took his turn and seemed okay with his new cards. He smiled. "Ready?"

Malcolm set his cards down. The roadie took one look and threw his in all directions, groaning. "I don't know what to tell ya'," Malcolm said, grabbing the money. "Did what I could."

"This is shit, this is sorcery," the roadie said, gathering the cards again to shuffle. "Want to play?" It took me a second to realize he was talking to me. 

"No thanks," I said. "I'm no good at cards."

"Probably best," he said. "Mal's a shark."

While the roadie got the cards ready one of Malcolm's friends from our night out and a couple other men I didn't recognize came over to him. "Hey, ya' made it," Malcolm said. "You remember Hannah." 

The blond man smiled upon seeing me. "Course I remember that cute face," he said and I tried not to get the giggles. Okay, I admit, it's not every day you get called cute. I cleared my throat and kept a straight face. 

"Hello," I said, shaking his hand. He and Malcolm got started in on a conversation and I glanced at the blond man's company. I didn't like the way one of them looked at me. It wasn't just interested, it was downright leering. Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt while still being on my guard, I looked back over at Stelle. She was talking to Angus. 

Wonderful.

The two people who knew something was up were planning and conniving together. Just what I needed. 

All too soon the show started. The boys took to the stage with their instruments and did what they do best. Stelle made eye contact with me once before heading to the wings to get more photos. I hadn't meant to cause this much tension and disruption among my friends yet here I was! 

Deciding to mope around and wait for the concert to finish, I found a place to sit in the corner. There was a cobweb on the wall and a few bits of trash behind a table. I felt right at home.

"What are you sitting by yourself for?" I looked up to see the blond man and his friend. There wasn't much room in my corner for all three of us but they managed to squeeze in anyway. There I was sandwiched between them. "You should be out there enjoying the show."

"So should you," I said in the nicest way possible. There's no way anyone in their right mind would ditch an AC/DC concert to sit with me. 

"We thought we'd take a break," the man's friend said. He smiled in a friendly way but something about him unsettled me. Similar to the interest the blond man showed me but more sinister. He kept it hidden behind a smile. "What's your name again?"

"Hannah," I mumbled. I really wished I hadn't sat there.

"Interesting name," he commented. He was eating from a bag of potato chips. He would wipe the crumbs off on his jeans and reach in the bag for more. I shrunk into myself. "Not very many of those around."