OOM: Towards something new
Logan comes awake - if he was asleep, which isn't something he'd bank on just now - with a start.
"Oh, hell," he says, seeing the sun's on the horizon. "Did I miss it? Did I miss Christmas?"
He leaps to his feet (with more energy than anyone who drank as much as he did had any right, especially on what amounts to no sleep at all) and races off the beach and into a nearby diner. "Did I miss it?" he asks excitedly. "Is it over yet?"
The sleepy waitress, whose shift ends in five mminutes, stares at him. "What are you talking about, hon?"
She reaches under the counter to grab a phone, just in case this crazy young kid is dangerous. He looks harmless enough, but you never know. Drugs, right?
Logan beams at her. "Christmas. It's still Christmas, right?"
"Yeah," she says, staring. "Yeah, it's Christmas. And I'm about to close up, 'cause of that-" She breaks off as the kid tears out of the shop.
Logan heads across the street, practically dancing. He's got so much to do! A future to revise. A sister to apologize to -
With that thought, though, he stops and becomes rather more somber. He's not sure he can make it up to Trina, really. Not now. Maybe not ever.
"Spare some change on Christmas?" a creaky voice asks, and Logan looks to see a homeless guy holding out a hand. "I ain't got much to celebrate, I guess, but I'd sure like to try."
Logan beams. "Yeah, yeah, I can do that. What do you need?" Without waiting for the guy to answer, Logan starts thinking out loud. "A feast. That's what you need. A feast for everybody!"
Without waiting for the homeless guy to answer, Logan tears back into the diner. "I need a feast. Where should I get one?"
The waitress stares at him some more. "I guess you could try Gino's, on the corner, but I don't think he's open -" And Logan's off again, leaving the waitress gazing after him. She does call the cops, this time. That kind of behavior can't be normal. Can it?
Gino's is not, in fact, open, but they do have a gorgeous Christmas feast in the window, and Logan's decided that it's his. He'll leave money, of course, but he can't wait. The feast must be had! Now! Today!
The door's easy enough to break into - shatter the glass, open the lock, and he's in. The alarm goes off, but he's sure he'll be in and out before the cops come, and once the owner sees the money Logan's left, it'll all be fine.
Not the case. He gets the feast out, sends the homeless guy off with a shopping cart full of fat things, but is himself caught, arrested.
The cops have a good laugh over the crazy kid, but he's committed a crime. They have to arrest him, at least until he's calmed down (sobered up?) some. They suspect meth, or cocaine, and arrange a Breathalyzer and a blood test.
Logan's in the cell until the cops get ahold of the store owner, who declines to press charges against the crazy kid.
"He was trying to do something good in a crazy way. And he paid for everything, so whatever," Fred Morris said. "It's Christmas. Let the kid go home to his family."
Free at last, Logan returns to Neptune, gets in his car, and drives. An hour outside the city, he calls his lawyer.
"Bev? Logan. I need you to take care of a few costs for me - What? Yeah, I was arrested. No, no charges brought, just...stupid stuff. And, um. Can you call Trina and tell her I'm OK?"
Pause for Bev to ask if he's really OK, because she's not actually sure.
"Yeah, I'm fine. No, I've just gotta get out of town for a while. But I don't want her to worry."
Not that she has time or energy to worry, right now. Still. It's best to set her mind at ease.
"Oh, hell," he says, seeing the sun's on the horizon. "Did I miss it? Did I miss Christmas?"
He leaps to his feet (with more energy than anyone who drank as much as he did had any right, especially on what amounts to no sleep at all) and races off the beach and into a nearby diner. "Did I miss it?" he asks excitedly. "Is it over yet?"
The sleepy waitress, whose shift ends in five mminutes, stares at him. "What are you talking about, hon?"
She reaches under the counter to grab a phone, just in case this crazy young kid is dangerous. He looks harmless enough, but you never know. Drugs, right?
Logan beams at her. "Christmas. It's still Christmas, right?"
"Yeah," she says, staring. "Yeah, it's Christmas. And I'm about to close up, 'cause of that-" She breaks off as the kid tears out of the shop.
Logan heads across the street, practically dancing. He's got so much to do! A future to revise. A sister to apologize to -
With that thought, though, he stops and becomes rather more somber. He's not sure he can make it up to Trina, really. Not now. Maybe not ever.
"Spare some change on Christmas?" a creaky voice asks, and Logan looks to see a homeless guy holding out a hand. "I ain't got much to celebrate, I guess, but I'd sure like to try."
Logan beams. "Yeah, yeah, I can do that. What do you need?" Without waiting for the guy to answer, Logan starts thinking out loud. "A feast. That's what you need. A feast for everybody!"
Without waiting for the homeless guy to answer, Logan tears back into the diner. "I need a feast. Where should I get one?"
The waitress stares at him some more. "I guess you could try Gino's, on the corner, but I don't think he's open -" And Logan's off again, leaving the waitress gazing after him. She does call the cops, this time. That kind of behavior can't be normal. Can it?
Gino's is not, in fact, open, but they do have a gorgeous Christmas feast in the window, and Logan's decided that it's his. He'll leave money, of course, but he can't wait. The feast must be had! Now! Today!
The door's easy enough to break into - shatter the glass, open the lock, and he's in. The alarm goes off, but he's sure he'll be in and out before the cops come, and once the owner sees the money Logan's left, it'll all be fine.
Not the case. He gets the feast out, sends the homeless guy off with a shopping cart full of fat things, but is himself caught, arrested.
The cops have a good laugh over the crazy kid, but he's committed a crime. They have to arrest him, at least until he's calmed down (sobered up?) some. They suspect meth, or cocaine, and arrange a Breathalyzer and a blood test.
Logan's in the cell until the cops get ahold of the store owner, who declines to press charges against the crazy kid.
"He was trying to do something good in a crazy way. And he paid for everything, so whatever," Fred Morris said. "It's Christmas. Let the kid go home to his family."
Free at last, Logan returns to Neptune, gets in his car, and drives. An hour outside the city, he calls his lawyer.
"Bev? Logan. I need you to take care of a few costs for me - What? Yeah, I was arrested. No, no charges brought, just...stupid stuff. And, um. Can you call Trina and tell her I'm OK?"
Pause for Bev to ask if he's really OK, because she's not actually sure.
"Yeah, I'm fine. No, I've just gotta get out of town for a while. But I don't want her to worry."
Not that she has time or energy to worry, right now. Still. It's best to set her mind at ease.