West Coast Smoker

Logan made it to Chicago in five hours, instead of six. It was a good day for her. She’d gotten the shipment of store inventory to the store earlier than expected, which left her enough time to take the leisurely drive back to the west coast. She’d been in town for just about four hours now, and she couldn’t help but think about the guy from early that morning, Brian. She wondered if he and his friends had made it into town yet. It was noon and by now, they should have made it.

Logan yawned as she sat in her idle truck in the parking lot of yet another rest stop. She briefly considered jumping into the back of the cab and taking a nap. She was absolutely dead tired from driving for twelve hours with only one stop. Coffee could no longer revive her at this point.

Then again, she considered just staying in a decent hotel for a day where she could rest and take a hot shower. Obviously she had the money to do so, but she knew that once she rested in a nice hotel room, she wouldn’t want to leave. Yawning again, Logan reached behind her to the backseat of the cab and grabbed her travel bag. It had all the necessities of a change of clothes, fresh socks, and toiletries. Logan grabbed her keys and hopped out of the truck, making her way to the public restrooms. She felt sticky and gross from wearing the same clothes for almost two days. Changing her clothes would make her feel a bit fresher.

Changed into a new outfit and carrying yesterday’s clothes in her bag, Logan left the restrooms with her teeth brushed and her dark hair half-washed and pulled up into a messy bun. Her eyes briefly scanned the eatery area, deciding it was a good time for lunch right after she put her dirty clothes back into her truck.

Crossing the parking lot, Logan caught sight of the familiar black tour bus from a few hours ago. She shrugged her shoulders and kept walking, that is until she caught sight of Brian’s spiky hairdo. So they made it after all, she thought. She didn’t plan on re-introducing herself or interacting with them any further. She continued on to her truck, throwing her clothes into the seat and then considering leaving to eat somewhere else.

“Hey.”

Logan jumped in surprise, turning around to see two familiar strangers. The first guy was tall and muscular, with those same hazel eyes as before. The second guy was shorter with a dark Mohawk and amused brown eyes.

“Yeah?” Logan responded, wondering what they wanted.

“Alright, so we googled you and you’re apparently who you say you are,” The shorter guy said.

Logan let out a laugh, “Did you not believe me before?”

“No,” He shook his head honestly. He extended his hand. “I’m Johnny, this is Matt.” He pointed his thumb to his taller friend beside him.

“Logan, but you already knew that,” She shook Johnny’s hand and then Matt’s.

“What time did you get here?” Matt asked.

“Eh, around 8:30, I think,” Logan shrugged.

Johnny let out a whistle. “What were you doing, pushing a hundred with that truck?”

“Something like that,” Logan smiled at Johnny.

“So how long are you gonna be here in Chicago? Or are you turning back around?” Matt questioned.

“I don’t really know. I was thinking of staying for a day, maybe. I’m exhausted, if you can’t tell.” She rubbed the bags under her eyes.

“Oh…”

“What do you guys do?” Logan asked them. “I noticed the tour bus.”

“We’re a band. If you’ve ever heard of Avenged Sevenfold, that’s us,” Matt answered.

“Yeah,” The brunette nodded. She’d heard the name once or twice before. “That’s pretty cool. You guys playing a show out here?”

“Tonight, actually. We’re playing at the House of Blues. If you wanna come, we’ll get you in,” Matt offered.

Logan put her hand up, shaking her head. “Nah. Thanks for the offer, but I’m probably going to find a hotel and spend the rest of the day sleeping.”

“Understandable,” Matt nodded, no offense taken.

Logan was about to say something else when she heard her cell phone ringing in her truck. She excused herself from the conversation for a moment, reaching into the truck for her phone. Stephen was displayed on the caller ID. Stephen was like her best friend and her personal assistant. They’d gone to high school together and when her father passed and Stephen was going through a rough patch in his life, she gave him a job. She imagined he would be a “forever employee”.

“Yeah?” Logan answered.

“Are you on the road?” Stephen asked. There was a bit of noise and the sound of what seemed like a copy machine in the background.

“No, I’m still in Chicago,” She responded. “I was gonna check into a motel or something for a few hours.”

“Well, don’t,” He advised her. “Or do, whatever.”

“What’s going on?” Logan asked, sensing he was about to tell her something important.

“There’s a bit of a problem at the manufacturing factory,” He told her. “How fast can you get to Detroit?”

Logan sucked her teeth in annoyance. This is why there was a bureaucracy in the corporation. Other people were assigned to deal with any arising issues, not her. “I need to rest, honestly. How about tomorrow morning?”

“Sounds good,” Stephen agreed.

“Are you there now?” Logan asked her friend.

“Do you want me to be? I can get there ASAP,” He offered.

“If you can, that’d be great,” She replied with the relief of having a great, accommodating friend. “I’m gonna check in somewhere and sleep for a few hours. I’ll be in Detroit in the morning. Call me if anything else comes up.” She said her goodbyes and hung up. She turned back to Johnny and Matt.

“Couldn’t help but overhear,” Johnny admitted sheepishly.

Logan waved him off, letting him know it was okay. “I’ve gotta head somewhere else now, but thanks for the invitation to the concert. It was really nice to meet you guys.”

“Same to you,” Matt nodded.

“I don’t know where you guys are from. I live in California, but I think I’d be okay with hanging out sometime. If you call the direct line to either company and ask for me, they’ll track me down. Maybe then we can meet up or something.”

“Will do,” Johnny nodded with a grin. “We all live in Huntington Beach so…”

“Alright, cool then. You guys be safe,” Logan waved, stepping up into her truck and starting the engine. The two men backed away from the truck to give her some room. She waved to them and couldn’t help but wonder if inviting the band into her life was good or bad decision.