Logan stepped out of his car onto the cracked and dirty streets of Seattle. It was 10:30, almost two and a half hours after Ben had led Max out of his apartment, his arm draped across her in a comfortable fashion that Logan had always wanted to do, but never had the nerve to do it. Instead of going into Crash right now, Logan rather do…. Well, just about anything. Dental work involving lots of needles on top of a spider infested tall building was sounding pretty good about now.
For the first twenty minuets after Max and Ben had left he hadn't been able to concentrate at all. Logan regretted that he didn't have the chance to discourage Ben, whether it had been by threats of bodily harm or good old-fashioned lying.
After he had finally buried himself in files and paperwork, almost two hours had passed without thought of anything. Logan in no way felt like going to watch Ben hit on Max, but if he didn't go Max would likely come up and drag him down by his hair. So instead of risking his health, he was now weaving his way through the crowds to the corner where Max and the Jam Pony crew usually sat. When he heard a burst of laughter he turned to where a small group of people where crowded around a table. He spotted Original Cindy, Sketchy, and Herbal sitting nearby and headed in that direction. When Logan got close to their table they were deep in debate over some unknown and unimportant topic. Cindy stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Logan's approach. "Well Hello Mr. Moneybags." Cindy stated as she yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Logan was now used to Cindy's brash and unusual way of addressing him. Max mentioned shortly after Logan had started to walk again that Cindy was having trouble coming up with new names to address him with now that "Roller Boy" and all its variations was out of play. Now all she really had left were names having to do with his money, which merely amused him.
Before Logan could reply Cindy continued in her usual way, which was always quite loud. "I see homegirl somehow convinced you to leave your tower of terror and join the human race for a few hours of cheap entertainment." She said sarcastically.
"Yeah, I figured that I could either do what she said or I could get the hell beaten out of me with a blunt object. It was a long, hard decision, but I feel I made the right one." Logan returned just as sarcastically. This pleased Cindy and she gestured for him to sit. Logan grabbed an extra chair from a near by table. "Where'd Ben and Max go off to? I don't see them." Logan asked in a voice that he hoped sounded much more casual than he felt. Of course Cindy, being an expert in relationships, heterosexual or other, picked up on this and merely pointed out to the dance floor. It was no wonder Logan hadn't been able to see Max, Ben, anything or anyone. The dance floor was a crush of bodies jammed into a small space. It was pretty much guaranteed that whomever you went out on the dance floor with, you'd have be pressed up against them and half the other people close to you.
Max and Ben were no exception, bumping and grinding to the fast-pitched beat of the hip hop music pulsing out over the crowd. Ben spoke under his breath, only loud enough for Max to hear, "He's just spotted us." They had caught Cindy's signal that Logan was nearby, the yawn and stretch. "I don't know why I agreed to this. This isn't going to work, Ben. You're just going to embarrass me. My friends are never going to let this go."
"Stop freaking out and act natural. Ok, he has now gotten over the shock I think. Now he is looking annoyed. He has just said something to Cindy, about this I assume because she just glanced over here and she looks as if she is trying not to laugh in Cale's face." He spun Max around a few times. He saw Cindy pull the straw out of her drink and chew on the end of it. "Ok, just got the next signal. Time to make our grand entrance." Max just made a sound in her throat, something with a semblance to annoyance. He shot her a grin and spoke as they weaved towards the table. "Just play along with me and Cindy. We got it all worked out." Max rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just don't screw this up. If you do they will * never * find all the pieces." Before Ben could reply they had reached the table. He draped his arm around Max, and she did her best not shrug it off. "I see you decided to drag yourself away from your computers for a few minuets." Ben said sarcastically.
"Yeah well, I'm here." Logan said. 'Though I wish I wasn't' He resented the fact that it sounded like he was sulking, eve if he was, he didn't need to sound like it. They all, Max, Ben, and Cindy, was resisting the urge to roll their eyes at him. Cindy stood and straightened the short skirt she was wearing. "I'm going to go grab another round of drinks. We have the rich folk' with us tonight, so I'm thirsty." She turned to Max and shot her a look that told her all she needed to know. "I'll come with you Cindy, help you carry them all back." They walked away from the table, squeezing through crowds of people towards the bar.
Ben collapsed in a chair across from Logan, who just sat scowling at him. "What?" Ben asked innocently. "Nothing." Logan mumbled. Ben crossed his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Ok." Logan sat silent for another moment before speaking. When he did speak he spoke quickly, voice laced with hidden frustrations and anger. "Max is different, she isn't your type." He stated pathetically. "Then why, if she isn't my type, would she give me her number?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, that if Logan had looked at, he would have realized that it was really a receipt from the car rental company. 'Whatever works.' Ben thought as he pocketed the paper before Logan noticed.
"Look man, if I am imposing on something here…like some sort of unspoken thing here, let me know and I'll back off. But if not, I'm so going to take what you apparently don't want."
Logan didn't answer; he just stared at the table, slowly shredding a napkin near by, his jaw clenched. You'd have to be blind, deaf, and mentally challenged not to see that Logan was in love with Max.
It was a long two hours for Logan. He just sat around drinking low quality alcohol Max and Ben flirted shamelessly. 'This is sickening.' Logan thought as the pile of shredded napkins grew.
He was about to make his excuses and leave when Max grabbed his arm. "Where do you think you're going?"
It was the first time that Max and Logan had been alone all night. "Um, well there is this little place I have, I refer to it as home. It has a bed in it. And in that bed I do something that us mere mortals refer to as sleep." Logan stated sarcastically.
"Well your not going to leave before the competition are you? Cindy has probably enter me against my again. Stay another half hour." Max pleaded, hoping she wasn't obvious about it. "Why Max, you've got Ben here to watch you. I'm tired." He started to stand again. Max dropped her arm away from his, hurt. "Fine Logan, see you later then." She stood and headed towards the dance floor again. Logan instantly felt bad for brushing her off as abruptly as he did, so he called her name intending to apologize.
Max stopped at the edge of the dance floor and called to Cindy, who was dancing with her next unsuspecting victim, err lickety-boo. "Cindy! I'm heading out. I'll see you at home!" Max shouted across the floor. Cindy waved at her, acknowledging that she heard and then turned back to her interest. She then headed over to the pay phones where Ben still stood, leaning against a wall talking. He gestured her over with his hand and she waited a moment while he ended his call. "Hey, I'm getting out of here. Your little plan backfired in a major way, and I don't feel like messing around anymore."
Ben looked at hey sympathetically and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry Max, I thought it would work. Want me to beat on him? If not to make you feel better, to entertain you?"
Max smiled weakly, "That is ok, I just want to get out of here."
"Will you come by and see me before I leave on Sunday?"
"Of course I will. If you don't here from me, have Logan page me and I'll get there as soon as I can."
After Ben had watched Max leave out a back door, he went to stand next to Logan who was still waiting for Max to return. "Logan I am heading back now too. You driving me?"
"I've got to wait for Max, I've pissed her for wanting to leave and I've got to apologize."
Ben laughed cynically. "You think she cares if you stayed? God you are inept! She's already gone, out the back door. Logan, you have one hell of a woman, who despite the fact that you shove her away at every opportunity, still wants to be with you. I don't know how you cannot just look at her and miss what she feels for you. Oh the hell with it!" Ben exclaimed as he grabbed the car keys out of Logan's hand. "You can fucking walk."
Logan stared after Ben shocked thoroughly; shocked enough not to realize that Ben had his keys and his car and it was midnight in Seattle.
If what Ben had said was true, Max felt the same for him as he felt for her. This was such a revelation to him. In the months that Logan had been infatuated with Max, he'd never once entertained the thought that Max might feel the same.
Well, he'd have plenty of time to think about it on the long walk home, because Ben had stolen his car.
For the first twenty minuets after Max and Ben had left he hadn't been able to concentrate at all. Logan regretted that he didn't have the chance to discourage Ben, whether it had been by threats of bodily harm or good old-fashioned lying.
After he had finally buried himself in files and paperwork, almost two hours had passed without thought of anything. Logan in no way felt like going to watch Ben hit on Max, but if he didn't go Max would likely come up and drag him down by his hair. So instead of risking his health, he was now weaving his way through the crowds to the corner where Max and the Jam Pony crew usually sat. When he heard a burst of laughter he turned to where a small group of people where crowded around a table. He spotted Original Cindy, Sketchy, and Herbal sitting nearby and headed in that direction. When Logan got close to their table they were deep in debate over some unknown and unimportant topic. Cindy stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Logan's approach. "Well Hello Mr. Moneybags." Cindy stated as she yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Logan was now used to Cindy's brash and unusual way of addressing him. Max mentioned shortly after Logan had started to walk again that Cindy was having trouble coming up with new names to address him with now that "Roller Boy" and all its variations was out of play. Now all she really had left were names having to do with his money, which merely amused him.
Before Logan could reply Cindy continued in her usual way, which was always quite loud. "I see homegirl somehow convinced you to leave your tower of terror and join the human race for a few hours of cheap entertainment." She said sarcastically.
"Yeah, I figured that I could either do what she said or I could get the hell beaten out of me with a blunt object. It was a long, hard decision, but I feel I made the right one." Logan returned just as sarcastically. This pleased Cindy and she gestured for him to sit. Logan grabbed an extra chair from a near by table. "Where'd Ben and Max go off to? I don't see them." Logan asked in a voice that he hoped sounded much more casual than he felt. Of course Cindy, being an expert in relationships, heterosexual or other, picked up on this and merely pointed out to the dance floor. It was no wonder Logan hadn't been able to see Max, Ben, anything or anyone. The dance floor was a crush of bodies jammed into a small space. It was pretty much guaranteed that whomever you went out on the dance floor with, you'd have be pressed up against them and half the other people close to you.
Max and Ben were no exception, bumping and grinding to the fast-pitched beat of the hip hop music pulsing out over the crowd. Ben spoke under his breath, only loud enough for Max to hear, "He's just spotted us." They had caught Cindy's signal that Logan was nearby, the yawn and stretch. "I don't know why I agreed to this. This isn't going to work, Ben. You're just going to embarrass me. My friends are never going to let this go."
"Stop freaking out and act natural. Ok, he has now gotten over the shock I think. Now he is looking annoyed. He has just said something to Cindy, about this I assume because she just glanced over here and she looks as if she is trying not to laugh in Cale's face." He spun Max around a few times. He saw Cindy pull the straw out of her drink and chew on the end of it. "Ok, just got the next signal. Time to make our grand entrance." Max just made a sound in her throat, something with a semblance to annoyance. He shot her a grin and spoke as they weaved towards the table. "Just play along with me and Cindy. We got it all worked out." Max rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just don't screw this up. If you do they will * never * find all the pieces." Before Ben could reply they had reached the table. He draped his arm around Max, and she did her best not shrug it off. "I see you decided to drag yourself away from your computers for a few minuets." Ben said sarcastically.
"Yeah well, I'm here." Logan said. 'Though I wish I wasn't' He resented the fact that it sounded like he was sulking, eve if he was, he didn't need to sound like it. They all, Max, Ben, and Cindy, was resisting the urge to roll their eyes at him. Cindy stood and straightened the short skirt she was wearing. "I'm going to go grab another round of drinks. We have the rich folk' with us tonight, so I'm thirsty." She turned to Max and shot her a look that told her all she needed to know. "I'll come with you Cindy, help you carry them all back." They walked away from the table, squeezing through crowds of people towards the bar.
Ben collapsed in a chair across from Logan, who just sat scowling at him. "What?" Ben asked innocently. "Nothing." Logan mumbled. Ben crossed his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Ok." Logan sat silent for another moment before speaking. When he did speak he spoke quickly, voice laced with hidden frustrations and anger. "Max is different, she isn't your type." He stated pathetically. "Then why, if she isn't my type, would she give me her number?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, that if Logan had looked at, he would have realized that it was really a receipt from the car rental company. 'Whatever works.' Ben thought as he pocketed the paper before Logan noticed.
"Look man, if I am imposing on something here…like some sort of unspoken thing here, let me know and I'll back off. But if not, I'm so going to take what you apparently don't want."
Logan didn't answer; he just stared at the table, slowly shredding a napkin near by, his jaw clenched. You'd have to be blind, deaf, and mentally challenged not to see that Logan was in love with Max.
It was a long two hours for Logan. He just sat around drinking low quality alcohol Max and Ben flirted shamelessly. 'This is sickening.' Logan thought as the pile of shredded napkins grew.
He was about to make his excuses and leave when Max grabbed his arm. "Where do you think you're going?"
It was the first time that Max and Logan had been alone all night. "Um, well there is this little place I have, I refer to it as home. It has a bed in it. And in that bed I do something that us mere mortals refer to as sleep." Logan stated sarcastically.
"Well your not going to leave before the competition are you? Cindy has probably enter me against my again. Stay another half hour." Max pleaded, hoping she wasn't obvious about it. "Why Max, you've got Ben here to watch you. I'm tired." He started to stand again. Max dropped her arm away from his, hurt. "Fine Logan, see you later then." She stood and headed towards the dance floor again. Logan instantly felt bad for brushing her off as abruptly as he did, so he called her name intending to apologize.
Max stopped at the edge of the dance floor and called to Cindy, who was dancing with her next unsuspecting victim, err lickety-boo. "Cindy! I'm heading out. I'll see you at home!" Max shouted across the floor. Cindy waved at her, acknowledging that she heard and then turned back to her interest. She then headed over to the pay phones where Ben still stood, leaning against a wall talking. He gestured her over with his hand and she waited a moment while he ended his call. "Hey, I'm getting out of here. Your little plan backfired in a major way, and I don't feel like messing around anymore."
Ben looked at hey sympathetically and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry Max, I thought it would work. Want me to beat on him? If not to make you feel better, to entertain you?"
Max smiled weakly, "That is ok, I just want to get out of here."
"Will you come by and see me before I leave on Sunday?"
"Of course I will. If you don't here from me, have Logan page me and I'll get there as soon as I can."
After Ben had watched Max leave out a back door, he went to stand next to Logan who was still waiting for Max to return. "Logan I am heading back now too. You driving me?"
"I've got to wait for Max, I've pissed her for wanting to leave and I've got to apologize."
Ben laughed cynically. "You think she cares if you stayed? God you are inept! She's already gone, out the back door. Logan, you have one hell of a woman, who despite the fact that you shove her away at every opportunity, still wants to be with you. I don't know how you cannot just look at her and miss what she feels for you. Oh the hell with it!" Ben exclaimed as he grabbed the car keys out of Logan's hand. "You can fucking walk."
Logan stared after Ben shocked thoroughly; shocked enough not to realize that Ben had his keys and his car and it was midnight in Seattle.
If what Ben had said was true, Max felt the same for him as he felt for her. This was such a revelation to him. In the months that Logan had been infatuated with Max, he'd never once entertained the thought that Max might feel the same.
Well, he'd have plenty of time to think about it on the long walk home, because Ben had stolen his car.