Ozrik #2
Vern, lacking couth as usual, filled them in. “Gale didn’t want to be crowded,” he used air quotes, “so he and Oz are going on their own, for reasons I can’t figure out.” Again, he glared a question in my direction as though waiting for me to explain.
“Fucking pussy,” Jazz mumbled.
Gale shrank under the insult, losing two shades of color. His gaze drifted to the pavement, and fury lit a fire in my belly.
Olivia rolled her eyes—at Jazz or at Gale, I wasn’t sure—but otherwise, not a single person reacted to the asshole’s comment.
Well, fuck that.
“I’m sorry. Say that again. I’m not sure I heard you right.” I stepped forward, aiming to get in Jazz’s face, but Olivia pressed a hand to my chest and held me back.
“Enough. We don’t have time for displays of machoism.”
“Oh, I’ve got all the time in the world if that piece of shit wants to flap his gums some more.”
“Bring it, asshole.” Jazz hitched his chin, taunting and daring me.
I shoved against Olivia’s restraining hold, but Noah, who I didn’t see approach, grabbed my shirt and pulled me back. “Not now, Oz. He’s not worth it.”
“Oh, he’s worth it.”
“Dude, if you go home scraped up, Mommy will have a fit,” Vern added. “Do you want that drama?”
“Fuck you, Vern. Leave her out of this.”
“Just saying.”
“If you want to take your car, then take your fucking car, but we have to go.” Jazz glared at Gale, then spun and marched away.
Olivia and Noah released me. The former held my gaze long enough to ensure I wasn’t about to fly off the handle.
“I’m cool.”
“Stay that way.” Olivia spun and followed Jazz.
Maggie and Roe followed her.
Vern glanced between Gale and me, then thumbed at the camera guy. “Charles is going to love this.”
“Fucking cameras,” I muttered under my breath. Even with them in our face, it was easy to forget they were there.
Lex whistled from across the parking lot. He stood beside Black Bug, waving an arm to encourage us to get moving. Vern and Noah took off at a jog, leaving me alone with Gale.
He kicked at a pebble and blew out his cheeks. When he spoke, it was quiet, and he couldn’t meet my gaze. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“No big deal.” Except it was a big deal on so many levels. Jazz was supposed to be his teammate. Olivia was his sister. Where was the team support? I had a lot to say but didn’t know where to start. “Come on.”
We tidied our meal and raced to get ready.
I grabbed a rain jacket from my room while Gale located his camera and slung the strap over a shoulder.
His body radiated tension. I sensed the storm inside his head was as rough and angry as the one brewing outside.
The more I got to know him, the more I suspected that his inner storm was a result of a chaotic mix of his environment, his severe introversion, and his secrets.
How much pressure did Olivia put on him?
Was this normal? It worried me to consider what he held inside.
If I saw the cracks in his facade—a guy who had known him only a short time—then how compromised was his foundation?
Storms were not meant to be contained or controlled.
They had the power to devastate landscapes and leave buildings in ruins. What might they do to a person’s mind?
I suspected that if I broached the subject, Gale would find a way to avoid answering. We didn’t know each other well, and Gale seemed to have trust issues.
I’d never met anyone so locked up. So withdrawn. It was impossible to know whether I’d done the right thing by offering to take us in my car. Everything made Gale squirm, flinch, or grow shy.
Jazz’s mumbled comment ate at me. Why did no one come to Gale’s defense? Why did Olivia brush the insult aside like it didn’t matter? Was I out of line standing up for him? Did my actions highlight something he didn’t want highlighted? Was he mad? Should I have kept my mouth shut?
Before we left the safety of the room and joined the others, I blurted, “Are you okay?”
Gale emitted a quiet huff. “I’ve never been okay.”
I didn’t know what that meant.
After everything that had happened between us the previous night, Gale didn’t seem any more comfortable in my presence.
“Are you angry?”
“I don’t like being crowded.”
“Not about that. Jazz—”
“Has never liked me.”
“That doesn’t make his comment okay.”
Gale shrugged. “It was mild.”
“Mild? That guy needs an ass kicking, and I’ll happily volunteer if you want me to.”
“No. We should go, or Olivia will get mad.”
“I don’t fucking care if your sister gets mad.”
But Gale aimed for the door, ending the discussion.
We met the two blended teams in the parking lot. Maggie distributed handheld radios and headcams. “Set it to channel two,” she explained. “Constant communication. Charles wants us to stick together, so no solo adventures.” The final comment was aimed at me.
Maggie went and stood by Vern, who helped her with her headcam. They shared a discreet smile that gave me pause.
Based on how the teams were gathered, I assumed Jazz, Noah, and Olivia were going together in Olivia’s car, while Maggie, Roe, Vern, and Lex were taking the bug.
Nothing about this chase was ordinary. Our smooth-running machine had so many kinks, we’d be lucky to agree on coordinates. It would devolve into a pissing contest of who could better read a storm until there were no more storms to chase.
Charles had fucked up our whole dynamic by playing king shit.
We were already missing the action because we couldn’t get along.
At this rate, we’d be lucky to see another tornado this season.
The show would fail, our ratings would fall, our followers would leave, and some other group would steal the spotlight.
All because I’d selfishly wanted to be free from my mother.
“We have another alert.” Gale had radar pulled up on an iPad and turned it so I could see the area.
“Are you guys seeing this?” I asked the rest of the team.
“We’re on it,” Vern said. “Or rather, we would be if we could get on the fucking road.”
Without a satellite connection, Gale would probably lose service on the iPad the second we got into the thick of things.
It meant our two-man party relied on others for information.
The impact of my choice became clear. By rescuing Gale, I’d taken myself out of the hot seat.
Usually, I was the one reading the screens, making judgment calls, and directing us where to go.
Today, I was at the mercy of everyone else, and I couldn’t decide how I felt about that.
“How is this working?” I asked, afraid of the answer. “Who’s leading the pack?”
“I am,” Lex said, as people piled into vehicles. “Vern and Roe will mutually agree on where we are going based on radar. They will tell me where to drive. Maggie is overseeing communication with you and Olivia. Olivia will follow me, and you get to follow her.”
I tried to ignore the sting of being the caboose, with no way to track the system. “And them?” I motioned to Charles’s camera crew, who had gathered nearby.
“They’re staying behind,” Olivia said. “So keep your headcam on and running. Noah, Maggie, and Roe will also be filming.”
A deep rumble of thunder made us look up. In no time, we headed out.