Chapter 3

The Immortals

Chapter 3- I Love The Smell Of Napalm In The Morning

“No dad, really…I’m okay. You do not need to come rushing back home. I’m sure Rosie will sufficiently smother me with TLC ”, Logan was reassuring his dad over the phone.

Because Logan was technically a minor, when he was admitted to the hospital for stitches the hospital had to notify his dad. Not that it did any good, all it did was create a freaked out dad on the other side of the world. Logan leaned back in the uncomfortable hospital bed. They wanted to keep him overnight for observation because of the sizable gash in the back of his head and to rule out any additional complications from the head trauma. Despite Logan’s protests that he was fine, it was actually Alexis that finally convinced him it was for the best.

After the friends had regrouped at the beach, Morgan offered to take Logan to the hospital. Alexis had pointed out that Morgan was not in much better shape than Logan and offered to drive them both to the hospital. Morgan knew Alexis was right, but was not in the mood to play third wheel hanging out in a hospital. Despite Morgan feeling a slight pang of jealousy at Alexis’ insistence, Morgan gave Logan a hug and told Alexis to take care of him. Logan left Morgan the keys to his jeep and told her she could take it home if she was up to it

. The Thousand Oaks Medical Center was a private hospital in Malibu. One of the perks of having a rich dad was top notch medical care and not having to wait six hours in an emergency room at some general hospital. It was four am by the time Logan was stitched up and in his private room. That made it sometime late evening in Thailand. He listened to a few more minutes of fatherly take care advice which he responded to with the appropriate level of “yes dads”.

“Okay dad. I will take it easy. I promise. I love you too.” He hit end call on his iPhone and rolled his eyes. “Overprotective dad” Logan sighed to Alexis who was sitting cross-legged at the end of his bed. She had driven Logan over to the hospital in her cherry red 1979 VW Beetle. It was actually in pretty good condition, a “nostalgia” thing Alexis commented on her classic mode of transportation. She had a change of clothes and some girly supplies in a duffle bag in her car. So while Logan was getting fixed up she took the opportunity to get cleaned up and change out of her rock star attire.

Sitting at the end of the bed she had changed into a comfortable pair of well worn denim shorts and a simple black Sex Pistols t-shirt. She had her long golden hair tied back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She had washed off her make up along with the ash and grit from the fire. Even without make up, in shorts and a t-shirt Logan realized how stunningly beautiful she was. Her face had a soft glow about it. Her deep set eyes shone brilliant blue. Her high cheekbones had a hint of natural blush in her cheeks. She looked so very different from the rocker chick he met last night, but different in a very good way. He was a beach bum who more often than not dressed in whatever was most easily accessible off the floor. He could appreciate beauty, but was definitely more attracted to a natural beauty like Alexis than painted on beauty. Logan obviously must have been staring at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing, sorry” he stumbled. “I was just wondering don’t you have somewhere to be? Home? Anybody wondering where you are?”

“Nope, no place I’d rather be than right here” she quickly replied.

“You don’t have to stay” Logan encouraged gently. “You can go home if you want”

“I called home while they were sewing up your head” she replied in a tone that suggested a smart man would let the subject drop. “If you want me to go, I can leave” she sounded disappointed.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t be in trouble for hanging out here all night.” He wisely let the matter drop. He enjoyed her company and wouldn’t push the matter any further. He decided to change the subject.

“So how long have you been playing guitar” he asked.

“My dad used to play, so there were always guitars lying around the house. I guess I just picked it up. I never took lessons or anything, it just came naturally” she answered.

“Your dad used to play? Does he still play?” he asked.

“Long story…”came the response with her head down, again suggesting that maybe this was a topic better left alone for now. Logan again quickly followed up with a change of topic.

“So how did you meet the other girls in your band.”

“Kim, the other guitar player, is my older sister.” Alexis stated. “Michelle our bass player was one of Kim’s friends from work. And our drummer, Keisha we met through a mutual friend. We all kind of hit it off and found that music was a way for us to escape…”she broke off, thinking better of completing her thought. “We all just started playing together about two years ago. You know, insert cliché struggling musician trying to make it story” she finished. “So what’s your story?”

“I don’t know, I don’t really have much of a story. At least not a very interesting one.”

“Come on, I don’t believe that for a second” Alexis chuckled.

“Really, I’m not that interesting. Kind of boring actually. For the most part, I guess I’m what you would consider a pretty good kid. I get decent grades, stay out of trouble, surf too much probably…insert spoiled Hollywood rich kid cliché here” he smiled. “My mom died a few years ago”, he paused.

“I’m sorry to hear that”, Alexis offered and Logan could tell that she genuinely meant it.

“It was real tough. It was like I lost my best friend. Because my dad travelled for work so much, my mom was all I really had. Don’t get me wrong, my dad is great. He provided a great life for us, spends real quality time with me when he’s here, but that’s the reality of having a big shot movie director as a dad…he’s never here very much. My mom was from Iowa, so she wasn’t much of a surfer but she loved the ocean. It wasn’t until after she died that I really started surfing everyday. She felt so at peace just sitting on the beach listening to the waves. That’s where I feel most connected to her, out on the waves.” He stopped when he noticed a couple tears streaking down Alexis’ face. “What’s wrong” he asked.

“Nothing” she lied. “Its just, I guess I wish I had a relationship like that with my mom. Truth is, I don’t even know where my mom is. I couldn’t tell you if she is dead or alive.”

Logan could tell that this was obviously a difficult subject for Alexis to talk about. He reassured her that she didn’t need to continue if she was uncomfortable.

“No, I want to tell you. You need to know what my life is like. It may change your mind about me.” Logan started to protest, but she stopped him with a finger to his lips. “Ever since I can remember my dad drank. Not just a few social drinks with the boys, I mean drank himself unconscious almost every night.” She took a deep breathe, steadying herself for what was coming next. “But before he passed out, he would find some reason to beat the crap out of my mom. I was twelve and my sister was fifteen when one day we woke up and she was just gone. I still to this day don’t know if she just couldn’t take it anymore and left, or if that bastard did something to her. With my mom gone, my dad started taking it out on me and my sister. For two years we put up with his crap, we didn’t think we had any other choice. I remember that last night. He beat Kim so bad that I thought she was going to die. I grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and we locked ourselves in our room. He pounded on the door for hours, screaming at us. Yelling that it was our fault mom left and that he wished he never had us. I can’t be sure, but I think if he would have broken into our room that night I would have killed him. Eventually he passed out on the couch as usual. I threw a few things into a backpack, we stole fifty bucks out of his wallet, walked out the front door and haven’t looked back since. That was three years ago.”

She continued on explaining how she and her sister spent the next few months living on the streets. Mostly eating out of fast food dumpsters and sleeping in abandon buildings. They eventually both ended up getting crappy jobs at the mall. Kim worked at some trendy white trash clothing store and Alexis served coffee at Starbucks. They ended up just sleeping in the underground parkade of the mall most nights. The one good thing about working at Starbucks was access to all the coffee and leftover biscotti you wanted. They eventually saved up enough money to rent some dingy little apartment in a less than desirable neighborhood off the I5.

“We couldn’t really go out at night, had bars on the windows and double dead bolts on the doors but at least it was ours” she sighed. “Bought my guitar and amp off some crack head  for fifty bucks.”

“That’s crazy”, Logan shook his head. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that”.

“Don’t you ever feel sorry for me, got it” with a hint of that former street kid attitude. “Kim and I have it better now than we’ve ever had it. I’ve seen some kids out there that are not so lucky.”

Logan didn’t pity her, in fact he kind of admired the courage and strength it must have taken to leave home that night and to build a life out of nothing. He leaned back against the bed that was adjusted to so he wasn’t lying all the way flat. He felt almost ashamed of his life next to hers. Losing his mom was the hardest thing he had ever been through, and even though his dad wasn’t around as much as he would like he realized that he did have it pretty good. Alexis crawled up the narrow bed and slide in beside Logan and laid her head against his shoulder. They both laid silently, listening to each other breathe and simply enjoyed each others embrace. They both drifted off to sleep.

The next morning the doctor came in, checked Logan over and said he was discharged and could go home. The stitches would dissolve in about five days and Logan just needed to make sure he took it easy for a couple days. Logan and Alexis took the elevator down from the fifth floor and exited through the main lobby doors. It was already quite warm outside. A gentle breeze rippled through the towering palm trees. The events of the previous night seemed like a distant memory. The parking lot of the hospital was moderately busy. Most of the people from the concert that would have needed medical attention would likely have been taken to St John’s in Santa Monica.

They got into the shiny red bug, which in the light did show a little more of its age than Logan had originally noticed. Logan navigated while Alexis drove. He directed her to turn right at the lights onto Latigo Shore Drive. Alexis drove cautiously along the well manicured drive past all the secluded gated driveways, noticing that her little beat up 1979 VW Bug was definitely out of place in this neighborhood…but Logan either didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care. Logan directed Alexis to turn left into a short driveway overhung with thick foliage. He pulled out his wallet from his shorts and handed Alexis what looked like a black credit card.

“Just wave the card in front of the black box” he advised. She did what she was asked, and with a subtle beep the scanner light flashed green and the black iron gate began to swing open.  They continued up the long drive until Alexis pulled the VW to a stop in front of the biggest house she had ever seen in person. Marble columns, the kind you would see in those old roman gladiator movies, framed the main doors. Huge arched windows towered over the lush display of shrubs and flowers to either side of the columns. Logan casually got out of the car, like this was nothing, like this wasn’t the most impressive thing he had ever seen, like…he’s seen this all before, which he had because this was his house Alexis reminded herself.

Before he had even closed the door to the red bug, a stocky Mexican lady came bursting through the front door.

“Oh senior Logan, ay dios mio. I was so worried when Senior Stark phoned and told me you were in the hospital” she spoke quickly in broken English. “You come in and rest, I stay here with you until you are well” Rosie began ushering Logan into the house virtually oblivious to the driver of the car.

“Rosie, thank you but that’s not necessary. I’m fine. Its just a little bump on the head.” He looked over his should hoping to find some assistance from Alexis who just shrugged helplessly. Logan continued to try and protest, but Rosie wasn’t hearing any of it.

“Rosie, we have a guest” he finally blurted out in desperation. Rosie stopped and looked back toward the car in shock.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry senior Logan. I am so worried I did not even see our guest” Rosie called over her shoulder to Logan as she raced back toward the car. “Hola senioretta, welcome…please…come…follow me” she urged apologetically.

Alexis nodded silently and followed Rosie back to where Logan waited. They walked up the five marble steps that led to the entrance. Once through the main entrance they stood in the foyer with its tiled floor and vaulted ceiling. A spiral staircase wound its way spectacularly up to the second floor landing. Past the staircase you could see straight through what appeared to be the living room and out the back through huge floor to ceiling windows that provided a breathtaking view of the ocean. Something smelled good. Rosie led them to the left where they entered the kitchen and dining area. Rosie was preparing a Mexican feast fit for a king.

“You go sit, rest” Rosie urged Logan. “I finish with lunch”.

Logan and Alexis worked their way through the huge gourmet kitchen, past the dining area and into the sunken living room. Logan flopped down on one of the couches facing out toward the ocean. Alexis sat down at the other end of the same couch. Given the history Alexis shared with Logan the previous night, he was very conscious not to make a big deal out of his home.

“So how are you doing” he finally asked to break the silence. “I mean all this fuss over me but I’m fine. Are you feeling any bumps or bruises now that everything has had a chance to settle in?”

“My lungs are still burning a little from all the smoke, but I’m good.” She seemed noticeably uncomfortable.

“Are you sure everything is okay. You just seem…a little quiet I guess” he asked.

“Its nothing, just being stupid…Its just that, where I come from I rarely get to even see houses like this, much less be in one. Its all very surreal right now. I keep waiting to wake up.”

Just then the gate buzzer rang through the intercom in the kitchen area.

“Its Morgan” came the voice through the speaker.

“Ci, miss Morgan. Come.” Was the response from Rosie as she pressed the green button that would open the gate. Alexis shifted nervously.

A few moments late Morgan came through the front door.

“Hola Rosie” she waved as she headed straight through to the living room. “Oh, hey” she seemed to stop short when she saw Alexis perched on the edge of the cushions. Morgan was dressed casually in beige kaki shorts and a colorful tank top displaying the word “Cancun” across the front. Her hair was pulled down slightly in front of her face trying to cover some of the red abrasions and purple swelling. Her arms too showed signs of the damage inflicted from the events of the previous night.

“I brought back your jeep” as she threw the keys lightly across the room to Logan. “How are you doing? I didn’t hear back from you.”

“They kept me overnight for observation” he replied. “Alexis stayed with me to keep me company”

“Well wasn’t that sweet” Morgan replied with just a subtle hint of sarcasm that a boy would never detect, but that came through loud and clear to Alexis.

Alexis was too intimidated by her surroundings at this point to bother getting all puffy-chested with Morgan. Besides its not like she did anything wrong. Maybe Morgan saw through the façade to the scared little street kid that was way out of her element. Thankfully Rosie broke the awkward silence by calling out that lunch was ready.

Alexis stood up and announced that she should be getting back home. Her sister would probably start to worry. Logan protested and asked her to stay for lunch. She politely declined and sputtered something about having to work in the afternoon. Logan walked Alexis to the door while Morgan made her way to the kitchen.

“When can I see you again” Logan asked with those pathetically sad little puppy dog eyes, that did kind of look cute on him.

“I don’t know, I’m sure I ‘ll see you around” Alexis returned.

“Can you give me your number” Logan asked hopefully.

“Sorry, I don’t have a phone” came the embarrassed reply.

“Don’t worry about it, here let me give you my cell number. You can reach me anytime” as Logan grabbed a pen and piece of paper off a small desk in the foyer. “I did really enjoy meeting you Alexis. I do hope to see you again”.

“I have your number, I’ll give you a call” she assured him even though she wasn’t sure that she really would. It was nice to live in this little fantasy world for a day, but she was just simply too much out of her element. She didn’t belong hanging out with Hollywood rich kids. She’s the one who is usually getting them their half-fat, goat’s milk frappachinos. She turned and walked out the door, hopped into her car and drove away without looking back.

Logan stood at the door watching her until the little red car disappeared down the drive out of sight. He turned and went back into the kitchen where Morgan was sitting at the raised breakfast bar eating a taco. There was a plate piled high waiting for Logan as well. He sat down and cut off a piece of enchilada and popped it into his mouth.

“So did you get it out of your system” Morgan asked without looking up from her food.

“Get what out of my system” Logan asked confused.

“Slumming it with the little trailer girl” Morgan almost spat the words.

“That’s not fair” Logan immediately went on the defensive. “You don’t even know her.

“Maybe I don’t know her, but I know her type. She takes one look at you and sees a free ride out of the ghetto.”

“Alexis is not like that” Logan protested. “You don’t know anything about her” he started getting angry.

“Look” Morgan turned to face Logan, her voice mirroring the concern in her eyes. “I’m sorry. You’re right.  I don’t know her and have no right to judge her. But I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t have your back. Just be careful, okay” she squeezed his hand reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, I will. I may be blonde and unbelievably good looking” he teased, “but I’m not stupid”.

“Just make sure you are thinking with the right body part…okay Romeo?” as she gave him a punch in the arm.

They sat and ate lunch while casually reviewing the events of the previous night. Rosie finished cleaning up the lunch mess and moved on to laundry, all the while reminding Logan that he should be resting. Morgan questioned how they ended up on the beach. It all happened so fast. She didn’t see any of the rescue personnel down on the beach until well after she woke up. Logan simply nodded and agreed as Morgan continued to try and work it out. He didn’t offer up any of his crazy unsupported mystery superhero cult theories. He was just happy that they made it out alive.

They turned on the TV to the local news and for the first time really saw the extent of what they lived through. The local news anchor rolled a number of different video clips, most looking like they were taken by camera phones or smaller digital cameras. One of the clips started with Hard Luck Poets finishing their last song just before the light truss crashed into the stage behind them. Logan hadn’t realized how close those lights came to landing on Joel, who scrambled out of the way according to the shaky video clip. They were surprised to see how fast the stage actually went up in flames. It seemed like only a matter of minutes before the whole area was engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. There must have been some local camera crew already onsite, because they showed other videos that were clearly professional quality. Logan kept trying to see if in the footage there was any shots of the mysterious rescuers, but there was simply too much smoke and confusion and most videos shot focused on capturing the stage going up in flames.

“Wow, its hard to believe that we were in that” signed Morgan in amazement.

“And made it out” added Logan.

“Miraculously there were no fatalities” echoed the news anchor on TV as though she was adding to the conversation. “It appears that quick thinking on behalf of some of the security staff is credited for avoiding what could have potentially been catastrophic” she concluded.

“Well I guess there’s likely no hope in salvaging any of our gear. Looks like it all went up in flames.” Logan sighed.

“Gear can be replaced” Morgan pointed out.

But that got Logan thinking about Alexis. Chances are her stuff was in the holding area backstage and was destroyed as well. She wouldn’t be able to afford to replace what she lost. Logan suddenly wished he had been more adamant about finding out how to contact her again. Oh well, not much he could do about it now. He and Morgan spent the remainder of the day calling around to the rest of the guys. Everyone appeared to be in good spirits. Joel was thankful he decided not to take his cherished red Strat to the gig. The gear he lost could be replaced as well. The drums were supplied so Jackson hadn’t lost anything. Ally was more concerned over some girl’s phone number that he couldn’t find, and didn’t seemed particularly bothered that he almost died mere hours ago. He thought it was all pretty exciting. They were even on the news a couple times. He already had a couple phone calls from local radio stations and newspapers to do interviews. This might actually turn out all right after all Ally had suggested.

There were other news reports that delved into how the fire started, and that of course called into question the morals and ethics of Mr. Shady concert promoter Chuck Webster. Apparently he had a bit of a history of cutting corners and this wasn’t the first time one of his events made the news for all the wrong reasons. There was an outdoor show in Colorado a couple years ago where there was apparently not enough security and too many people trying to rush the stage. Six kids were trampled to death and Webster got some huge fine. It didn’t surprise Logan, he didn’t get the warm and fuzzies from the guy right from the start.

Logan and Morgan ordered in Thai food and flipped through the different news channels all showing various sides of the same story. Rosie finished for the day and had asked at least twenty times if Logan would be alright by himself. He assured her he would be fine, and she left only partially satisfied with his assurances. Between bites of spring rolls, Logan casually asked Morgan if she ever caught up with the four hardbodies after he left her on the beach. Morgan almost choked on her noodles at the question.

“What do you mean by that” she managed to sputter out between coughs.

“Its just that after I left you to head backstage again I thought I noticed you slowly making your way down the beach toward where those guys were sitting.”

“Okay, busted.” She admitted. “I just walked down the beach past where they were sitting a couple times.” She hesitated, “okay maybe more like eight times but who was counting. I ‘m reasonably sure that pretty one with the black shirt looked at me at least once. He might have even smiled.” She tried to convince herself more than Logan.

“Did you talk to them” Logan inquired.

“No.” She sounded disappointed. “They were kind of giving off the ‘we don’t want to be bothered’ vibe, so..”

“So you just stalked them like some psycho groupie” Logan interjected with a chuckle which resulted in a pork dumpling bouncing off his forehead.

Logan wiped the grease smudge from he forehead, “did you see any of them after all the craziness started” he asked the leading question.

“Not really, I was a little to wrapped up in being crushed under flaming shards of metal to be trying to get phone numbers” she shook her head.

“That’s not what I meant” Logan sighed. “I just hope they are okay” he stumbled.

‘Whatever” she dismissed him.

It was around eleven o’clock when Morgan realized that because she brought Logan’s jeep back she didn’t have a way back home. Logan apologized, but he just didn’t feel up to a road trip at that point. He offered for her to stay over, he was reasonably sure any one of the nine bedrooms would be made up knowing Rosie. As great as that sounded she really should get home. Logan told her to take the jeep again. If he really needed to get anywhere there were four other vehicles in the garage. Morgan agreed. She gave Logan a big hug in that ‘I’m really glad your okay, even if you spent the night with a skanky ho’ kinda way. After Morgan left, Logan started thinking again about the night he had spent with Alexis in the hospital. He imagined the sound of her voice. He could smell the natural scent of her hair. He remembered the way her skin felt against his hand. Before he new it, he had fallen asleep on the couch.

The one bad thing about falling asleep on the couch in front of floor to ceiling windows is that is gets too damn bright way too early. The early morning rays of the sun spilled into the living room. Logan blinked a few times in order for his eyes to get accustomed to the change in light. As his eyes focused, he saw what promised to be another beautiful day. He was pretty sure that ‘taking it easy for a couple days’ likely meant no surfing. He went upstairs, took a hot shower and actually pulled a clean pair of board shorts out of his dresser. He flipped through his closet until he found the plain black t-shirt he was looking for and slipped it over his head. He went downstairs and threw a multigrain bagel into the toaster. He ate his simple breakfast while watching the morning news seeing the unbelievable footage still being shown on almost every news channel. He sulked around the house with nothing to do for the next few hours. Finally he had enough. He picked up the phone and called Ally.

“Hey man, you up for some guitar shopping today” he asked when Ally answered the phone.

“Huh, what…umm, yeah whatever dude” clearly Logan’s phone call had woken Ally up.

“Good, I’ll be there in twenty minutes” and hung up the phone in mid protest as Ally started to complain that he wasn’t even out of bed yet.

Logan grabbed a set of keys off the hook above the desk in the front foyer. Punched in the security code on the pad by the door and walked out the front. He made his way across the drive to the garage. He entered a different security code into the pad on the exterior of the garage. A green light flashed with a single beep and Logan turned the handle on the door and walked through into the spacious garage. The lights automatically flickered on as he entered. He walked right past the 2007 Ferrari 360, because that was his dad’s baby and Logan knew if was off limits. He went directly to the red Hummer, pressed the remote and heard the click of the doors unlocking. He hopped in the driver’s door, put the key into the ignition and the big V8 roared to life. He liked driving the big Hummer, but he preferred his Jeep. The Hummer was just too bulky and you could never find parking for the big beast.

He pulled into Ally’s driveway fifteen minutes later. The four bedroom bungalow was nestled right in the heart of yuppie suburbia. Ally’s dad was some tech head programmer for Dell and his mom pretended to be a part-time real estate agent, but really spent more time hanging out with her girlfriends than selling houses. Logan honked the horn, and a minute later Ally walked out the front door in jeans and a t-shirt. He had a black Metallica hat on backwards clearly an attempt to cover up the fact that he just rolled out of bed and couldn’t be bothered to brush his scraggly hair.

“You plan on buying a lot of  gear today, you had to bring the big dog” Ally joked as he jumped in the passenger door and slammed it shut.

“You never know. I hear retail therapy is good for overcoming post traumatic stress” Logan smirked back.

They pulled out of the driveway and headed back toward the retail district. A few minutes later they pulled into the familiar lot that housed Guitar World. They spent the next couple hours trying out a few different guitars, even though Logan had spotted the one he wanted almost as soon as they walked into the store. A Les Paul Studio Classic with stainless steel hardware and a black wood grain finish. Of course he tried out a few other guitars just so he could say he didn’t make an impulse buy. But nothing measured up to that Les Paul. He paired the guitar up with a 100 Watt Marshall JBL dual channel head and a 4/10 cabinet. Ally looked around and found a couple guitars he liked, but he would have to wait until the insurance money came in before he could but a new guitar, besides he had a couple other guitars he used for back ups and they would have to suffice for now.

Logan also told the guy to ring up a pretty sweet little Marshall combo amp, similar to the one he had before and a natural wood finish Stevie Ray Vaughn “Lenny” Tribute model Fender Stratocaster.

“You need more than one set?” Ally asked.

“No, the Telecaster isn’t for me. Its kind of a surprise for someone”

“A certain little blonde someone, perhaps” Ally winked.

“Maybe” Logan smiled. “I know she lost everything, probably doesn’t have insurance on her gear and I know she can’t afford to replace it.”

“Dude, that a pretty serious gift for a girl you just met.”

“Lets just call it helping out a fellow musician in need” Logan shrugged dismissively.

“Yeah, whatever” Ally laughed.

They loaded all the gear into the back of the Hummer and pulled out of the parking lot. They stopped off and grabbed some lunch at Fatburger. Logan dropped Ally off and then headed back home. Logan spent the next couple hours playing with his new toys. He went downstairs and wandered through the familiar silence. He had become used to the house being quiet, after all that was a lot of space for just one person. He flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. MTV was showing This Is Spinal Tap and even though he had seen it at least twenty times he never got tired of it.

The next week passed relatively uneventfully. He did end up doing a couple phone interviews with a newspaper and a local radio station about what happened. Every time the phone rang he anxiously hoped it would be the one call he was waiting for but unfortunately every time he was disappointed. Why wasn’t she calling he wondered. He couldn’t stop thinking about Alexis. He knew he didn’t have the right, but he felt very protective over her and not hearing from her made him anxious. When he woke up Saturday morning, one week form the last time he saw her he made the decision he had to do something about it.

He knew she worked at a Starbucks in a mall. He knew she likely lived somewhere East of the interstate. There were only a couple malls that fit the profile in that area. He turned toward the most likely candidate, the BaysideShopping Center. It took about twenty minutes before he reached the parking lot and another ten minutes circling until he could find a place to park. He walked in through the main entrance and took the escalator up to the second level where the food court was located. He circled around to the opposite side of where he got off the escalator until he saw the familiar green and white Starbucks sign. He took his place in line behind four other customers. He scanned behind the counter inspecting the three employees, none of which were the one person he was hoping to see there. Oh well, he wasn’t giving up quite yet. He approached the counter when it was his turn and ordered a Grande White Chocolate Mocca from the artsy looking girl with spiky black hair, black rimmed glasses and facial piercings.

“Excuse me” he said as the artsy girl handed him back his change, “could you tell me if Alexis is working today?”

“I think she’s on later today, at four o’clock” the girl replied.

“Okay thanks”, Jackpot! Logan thought to himself. That was easier than he thought. Just hang out at the mall for the next three hours and circle back to Starbucks. So Logan spent the next few hours wandering aimlessly around the mall. He kept checking his watch every fifteen minutes as the time seemed to crawl by. Finally with the little hand on the four and the big hand on the twelve, Logan started to make his way back across the mall from the HMV to the food court.

As he made his way over to the Starbucks he caught sight of Alexis at the front counter taking a customer’s order. She looked very cute with her blonde hair tied back in a pony tail at the base of her neck, and wearing that standard dress black apron that all Starbucks employees are required to wear. Logan inconspicuously slid into the line of waiting customers. He approached the counter when it was his turn and as Alexis looked up he caught the brief smile that crossed her lips. Then she went into working professional mode.

“Welcome to Starbucks, how may I help you today?”

“I’ll take a Grande White Chocolate Mocca, and fifteen minutes of your time when you get a break” Logan smiled. That definitely caused a couple heads to turn as some of the other staff perked up.

“I can’t Logan, I’m working” she sounded half disappointed and half relieved. Then one of the staff, looked like maybe a manager, came up behind Alexis and in a very flamboyant African-American kind of flare announced,

“Oh no you don’t girlfriend. When a young man as fine as this one asks for a few minutes of your time, honey you make time.” The woman’s long braids bounced as she looked Logan up and down. “Umm, umm…yes indeed. You go on girl, we got you covered” as she made kind of a shooing motion with her hands.

Alexis sighed and made her way over to the small section where the counter lifted to allow the staff in and out.

“Oh honey” the woman called after Logan, “don’t forget your drink” as she handed Logan the coffee across the counter.

Logan and Alexis walked over to an empty table and sat down. After a minute Logan broke the awkward silence,

“Are you okay? I mean is everything alright. I hadn’t heard from you and I was getting worried…”

“So you decided to stalk me at work” Alexis cut him off with a bit of harshness in her voice.

“No” Logan shot back, “well, okay yeah maybe a little” and that brought a quick smile to Alexis’ face. “So how come you didn’t call, did I do something wrong?’ Logan asked, which was of course the first thing boys always ask when girls seem upset.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong” Alexis sulked. “In fact you did everything too right.” Logan looked at her confused. “What I mean is that, I just thought it would be easier to just accept that we had a great night together, in a weird almost dying kind of trauma way, and just forget the rest”.

“But why would you want to forget the rest? How could that be easier” Logan questioned.

“Don’t you get it! Didn’t you see the way your friend looked at me that morning in your house. She knows I didn’t belong there. I was just fooling myself into thinking that who I am and where I come from doesn’t matter.” She dropped her head into her hands.

“I’m so sick of this social status wrong side of the tracks bullshit” he shot back with a hint of anger now in his voice. “Why does everyone always have to stick a label on everything. Can’t we just be Logan and Alexis, two kids who are into each other and screw everything else for once!” He took a long sip of his coffee in an attempt to calm himself down. In a much smoother voice, “You’re right. Morgan did judge you on first impressions. She had no right to do that and she apologized for it later. She really is a good person. We have been friends since forever, and she was just trying to look out for me. You know how stupid boys can get when they see a pretty girl” he smiled and reached across the table to hold her hand, which she did not pull away. Logan glanced over Alexis’ shoulder and noticed all three of the Starbucks girls leaning on the counter watching the two of them like it was some daytime soap on TV. At the same time all three noticed Logan watching them and they scattered pathetically trying to make it look like they were busy doing something other than what they were really doing. He turned his attention back to Alexis.

“I don’t care about where you live or what kind of car you drive or where you work. I care about you” he squeezed her hand to add emphasis to his words.

“Logan Stark” she paused for dramatic effect “You just have a way about making everything seem so simple, even when its not”

“It is simple. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy. It a timeless story that doesn’t need to be more complicated than that…does it?” he said matter-of-factly. “Look, I won’t make a big deal about where you are from if you can promise the same to me”. He let go of Alexis’ hand and held it out to shake on a deal. “It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that right now. If things do get complicated” he put extra emphasis on the word “we will deal with it when the time comes. Deal”.

Alexis shook his hand firmly, “Deal.” She said with conviction as a smile light up her face.

Still holding onto her hand Logan leaned across the table and gave her a gentle kiss on the mouth. They could both hear the “oohs” and “aahs” from the Starbucks girls who had clearly not stopped paying attention.

“Okay, I have to get back to work” She sounded disappointed. “Thank you”. She said as she got up from the table. “Thanks for finding me. Even if it was in a weird kind of stalker way.” She laughed. “I was just being stupid. You are right. No labels, we are who we are. Deal, right” she winked at Logan.

“Right” he agreed. “That reminds me, when do you get off work? I have a little present for you.” He could tell she was about to protest at the whole idea of him buying her a gift but he cut her off, “We are who we are” he reminded her. “I buy presents, that just who I am. You promised.” He chided her because he knew he had her trapped.

“Nine o’clock” was the defeated response as she turned away and went back to the Starbucks girls who immediately swarmed her for all the juicy details. She looked over her shoulder in that ‘help, get me outta here’ way. Logan simply smiled and retreated back down the escalator and out the door to the parking lot.

The next few hours seemed to drag on forever. Logan channel surfed without really paying much attention to anything in particular. He went up to his room and played guitar for a while, trying to figure out a new song he had been working on. Every so often checking the clock, which seemed like it had moved at all. He decided to go for a walk along the beach, that always seemed to help him relax and it was a good way to pass the time. Walking back up the beach toward the back gate of his house he checked his watch for the hundredth time. Eight thirty, time to get going he told himself. Back out into the hummer and back across the interstate to his new favorite Starbucks.

He sat at one of the tables across from the Starbucks counter so he could watch Alexis as she helped close down the store. She waved excitedly when she saw him arrive. The manager lady with the braided hair said something to her and she quickly threw her apron in the back and ran around the counter to meet Logan.

“Hey” she said a little out of breathe. “You know you’re a bad influence on me” she chided him. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day, I could barely focus on work.”

“Well now all you have to do is focus on me” Logan smiled. “Are you hungry? Why don’t we get some dinner?”

“You mean like a real date?” she joked.

“I guess if you want to call it that, but that means that we have to go somewhere nice and a gentleman always pays on a date” he smiled.

“We can just grab a hot dog from the cart out front” she tried to change the direction of where she knew this was going.

“Oh no, you said a date. I know the perfect place” he laughed as he grabbed her hand and dragged her along behind him.

Logan walked Alexis over to where the hummer was parked. She eyed him curiously as they approached the unfamiliar vehicle.

“Jeeps in the shop” he lied with a wink. She was about to comment on how this Hummer cost more than her whole apartment building, but thought better of the misplaced comment. She hopped in the passenger side and noticed something covered up in the back.

“Not yet” Logan scolded her. “You’ll get your present after you’ve had something to eat.” They pulled out of the mall parking lot and drove for about fifteen minutes heading west toward the Waterfront retail district where all the trendy shops and restaurants were located. Logan pulled into the lot in front of a artsy looking restaurant where the sign announced it to be El Corazon de Italia (The Heart of Italy). He hopped out of his door and rushed around to the other side to open the door for Alexis…who said chivalry is dead?

“I don’t think I’m appropriately dressed” protested Alexis as she looked down at her flip flops, jeans and red sleeveless shirt.

“Don’t worry about it, you look great. Besides I left my suit back at the house anyway” he laughed as he made a sweeping display of his own attire which consisted of sandals, brown khaki shorts and the familiar plain black t-shirt. “Come on, no backing out now, we’re already here”

Alexis knew this was an argument she could not hope to win, so she gave in with a sigh and held Logan’s hand as they ascended the four steps to the entrance of the restaurant. The inside of The Heart of Italy was very cozy and rustic. It was dark, with black iron sconces hanging on the walls casting a soft glow throughout the crowded room. The scent of fresh herbs, sauces and fresh baked bread wafted from the kitchen.

“This is going to be a nice break from day old biscotti and Kraft Dinner” Alexis didn’t mean to say aloud but couldn’t take it back once it was out.

“I hope you like Italian. I would come here all the time with my mom and dad, before mom died. Dad and I still come here once and a while. Its always been kind of a special place for us.”

“Thank you, for wanting to share this special place with me” she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Hi, Welcome. A table for two” a spirited young hostess asked.

Logan nodded and they followed the hostess through the maze of tables to a small private booth toward the back of the restaurant. The hostess lit a candle in the center of the table, laid out two menus and advised that their server would be around right away to get their drink orders.

Logan causally glanced around the restaurant at the mostly filled tables and stopped suddenly at one particular table on the opposite side of the room. It was mainly the shaved head of the one patron and the hulking tattooed arms of the guy sitting next to him that first caught his attention. Then the dark haired one that Logan thought may have been their rescuer from that night looked up from his meal and their eyes locked instantly. Logan couldn’t be sure if the other guy recognized him or not and Logan turned away quickly his attention back on Alexis. How weird is that, he thought to himself.

“Umm, it all looks so good I don’t know what to get” commented Alexis looking up from her menu.

“The Fettuccini Scallopini is unreal” Logan offered as he risked a casual glance back toward the table across the room, which was now sitting empty. I must be going crazy, he thought to himself. Maybe I’m the one obsessed, not Morgan he almost laughed out loud. “But really, get whatever you want. My treat”.

“Are you sure, everything is so expensive” Alexis gasped as she looked through the menu.

“No really, anything you want” Logan answered only half paying attention while he scanned the restaurant for any sign of the mystery men. No sign of them anywhere. He wasn’t going crazy, he really did see them sitting there, right? He started questioning himself. Okay, snap out of it he heard a voice inside his head. Focus on the gorgeous girl sitting across from you dumb ass the voice scolded. Logan had to agree with the voice on that one, and he shook off the weirdness of the mystery sighting and turned his attention back to the beautiful girl sitting across from him.

They thoroughly enjoyed the great meal and when the waitress came around asking if they would be interested in desert or coffee, they both insisted that they were way too full. The waitress came back around and placed the bill in front of Logan who casually looked it over and placed it face down on the table again.

“You ready to get out of here” he asked.

“Sure, thanks again for a great dinner” She watched as Logan pulled out three fifty dollar bills and set them on the table under the bill. A hundred and fifty dollars, Alexis thought in shock. That’s almost what I make in a week serving overpriced coffee to the mall rats.

They walked out of the restaurant into the cool night air. The sun had long set, and the glow of antique looking street lights illuminated the well manicured pathway along the front of the stores and restaurants. Logan and Alexis held hands and walked along the sidewalk. They stopped briefly outside a New Orleans style café where they heard a jazz band playing inside, a great opportunity to broach the subject of the present sitting in the back of the Hummer.

“So Ally and I went guitar shopping the other day, you know because we lost our gear in the fire.” He started. Picked up a sweet Les Paul, you’ll have to come over and see it sometime” he hinted.

“Yeah, that’s great” she tried to sound enthusiastic. “I lost my stuff in that fire too, it’ll probably take me a year to try and save up enough money to replace it. You don’t happen to know any crack heads looking to pawn a guitar, do ya” she elbowed him gently.

They had made their way back around to where the Hummer was parked and they approached the back where Logan popped open the back and swung the door open. He partially pulled back the blanket and withdrew a black guitar case. He rested one end of the case on the bumper and the other on his knee. He popped open each of the three latches that held the case closed.

“Go ahead” he said, “open it.”

Alexis looked at him suspiciously as she carefully lifted the top of the case open. She gasped in awe. The varnish glistened in the artificial glow given off by the street lights. The deep natural wood finish contrasted brilliantly with the stainless steel hardware. She gently brushed her fingers along the “SRV” initials etched along the bottom of the Fender Stratocaster.

“Its beautiful, but I thought you said you bought a Les Paul” she asked confused, clearly not having caught on to the surprise part yet.

“I did buy a Les Paul.” She stared back seemingly even more confused. “I bought this one for you.” He smiled at her shocked expression.

A tear started to roll down he cheek, “I can’t…”she stuttered. “I can’t accept this Logan, its too much. I mean I really appreciate the thought, but I just can’t” she trailed off. “I can’t…” she repeated softly and turned away from Logan.

“Well not exactly the response I was hoping for” he tried to lighten the mood.

“I’m not a charity case” she whispered softly with her back still  to him.

Logan turned her around to face him and gently cupped her face in his hands. “I would never want to make you feel that way” he assured her. “It is okay to accept help when someone offers though.” He stared into her teary eyes. He gently kissed away the tears on either side of her face. “Just say thanks, and accept it for what it is…a friend helping out a friend in need. No strings, no conditions, okay.” He smiled.

“Okay” she reluctantly agreed. “Thank you, but I’m going to pay you back, every penny” she assured him.

“Jeesh, if that was your reaction to the guitar, I’m not sure I want to show you the second half of your present.” He said cautiously.

“Second half, what do you mean” she barked.

Logan pulled back the rest of the blanket to reveal the Marshall amp sitting in the back of the Hummer.

“Arrggh”, she groaned. “You’re unbelievable”.

“Yeah, but unbelievable in a good way…right?” he teased hoping not to take another elbow in the ribs.

“Thank you” she sighed, again realizing this was likely not an argument that she was going to win.