Gold Rush

Chapter Six

Music pounded from the gigantic speakers that were set up in the front of the main living room. The whole room was filled with teenagers dancing, holding their red, plastic cups up in the air. One girl wearing unnecessarily tall high heels staggered toward the drink table, obviously a little tipsy. I shook my head. It’d only been an hour. Did people really feel the need to get drunk so early?

            On the far side of the room was Rian, dancing with a large group of girls surrounding him. Next to them, was Luke, who also had a gaggle of girls surrounding him. Except these girls weren’t as close, because Luke was dancing like a madman. If one of the girls got too close, they were sure to be punched or kicked in the face.

            Suddenly a hand enclosed around my ankle. A squawk of surprise escaped my lips and I looked down, seeing a hand coming out from under the concession stand. After a moment the hand let go and retreated back under the tablecloth. Holding my breath, I squatted down, picking up the end of the cloth, and peering under it. I nearly had a heart attack when Noah’s face appeared.

            “Noah,” I breathed, staring at him incredulously. “What the hell are you doing under here?”

            Noah put a finger under his lips, gesturing for me to come closer. “Come under here!”

            “I’m not going under the table!”

            Noah sent me a warning look. “You’re going to give my hiding place away! Get under here!”

            “No!”

            “Do it!”

            After a short scowling match, I quickly ducked under the table, dropping to my knees so I could fit. Noah adjusted the tablecloth behind me so we were hidden. I turned to face him, shaking my head. “This is ridiculous.”

            “Those girls are trying to kill me!” Noah whispered. “I almost suffocated!”

            I raised an eyebrow. “Luke and Rian seem to be doing okay.”

            “They don’t have drunk girls trying to make out with them every second!”

            I laughed. “What did you expect to happen? Them just to watch you from afar?”

            “No,” Noah responded, turning his nose up. “But I also didn’t expect to be practically raped.”

            “So you’re hiding under the concession table?”

            “It’s the safest place,” Noah told me. “But I’m hungry…”

            I pointed up. “There’s food right on the table.”

            “I’m not going out there.”

            “Don’t be a baby.”

            “I’m not!”

            I raised an eyebrow. “You’re famous. Aren’t you used to this?”

            “Well, yes,” Noah admitted, “but it’s different when it’s drunk, obsessive high school girls and you have no body guards.”

            “You have body guards?” I gasped.

            Noah gave me a flat look. “Duh.”

            “Why haven’t I seen them before?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. Surely I would have noticed burly men following Gold around.