34. Gale
Gale
Coming out to my dad gave me an unexpected boost of confidence. Between it and the night I’d spent in Ozrik’s bed, I was unshakably happy. Nothing could upset me. Not even Jazz and his mumbled comments and dirty looks.
Olivia’s team met around noon. When I informed them that I was riding to Kansas with Ozrik later that day, no one was surprised.
My sister and I exchanged many secret smiles, and I suspected she’d been talking to Dad and knew what had happened.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel alone.
Part of me wondered why I hadn’t done this years ago.
We were on the road by three. Although the Jeep wasn’t a suitable chase vehicle, Ozrik texted to ask if I would drive.
Apparently, Lex wasn’t impressed with the condition of Ozrik’s tires, stating they were practically bald.
He advised getting them replaced before we used the car to venture too far from home.
“If I drive muddy roads, we could land in some serious trouble,” Ozrik explained. “Wouldn’t want to get stuck.”
“Oh, I know. I got stuck in the Jeep, remember?”
“It won’t happen again. I’ll be with you. Jeep Jamboree, baby. I say we do it.”
“You’re nuts.”
“That’s what I hear.”
So, we took the Jeep. I drove, fearing Ozrik might get ideas of off-roading.
The camera crew met us in Kansas, ready to film all our private moments and stir shit.
Without them, our teams were learning to get along.
Vern and Maggie and their undisclosed relationship formed a bridge between us, inextricably linking us.
Ozrik and I acted as the invisible foundation.
Roe and Olivia connected well with Noah, Elliott, and Lex.
The five of them formed friendships that had never existed before the show.
Jazz was… Jazz.
Despite our contracts, the show, and hostility—both natural and producer-manufactured—our teams were becoming an unbeatable force, combining resources, knowledge, and experience while on the road.
The plan was to spend one night in a motel in Dodge City and head home to catch the system sneaking across the western edge of Elk City the following day.
Vern, Roe, and Ozrik were already conversing via group chat about the projected path of the storm cell we planned to chase that evening. Ozrik read the messages while I drove, and I shared my input, which he relayed to the others.
When he wasn’t texting, Ozrik held my hand.
We shared countless smiles across the console, and every so often, he leaned in and pecked a kiss on my cheek.
I didn’t know what kind of arrangements Charles intended, but I secretly hoped we would find a way to be together away from cameras, even if we didn’t end up sharing a room.
Considering the stunt Charles had pulled in Tulsa, it seemed unlikely.
We landed in Dodge City under an angry, puke-green sky, the stillness in the air foreboding. We congregated in the parking lot of a chain motel, deciding how long we had before we should hit the road. Our hot spot was predicted to cut a path south of the city in about an hour.
I clutched my iPad, reading the Doppler. Twice, I was consulted to give my professional opinion on air currents, wind velocity, and projected rotation patterns. The supercell showed many positive signs of producing, and we were determined to see it happen.
As we talked, Charles and his people arrived, and the mood instantly shifted.
Spines stiffened, and laughter melted away.
Charles spoke with the three-person camera crew before huddling us into a semicircle for a group chat.
The producer had lost the ability to stir animosity, and his comments were met with dead air and inexpressive faces all around.
He seemed disappointed when he didn’t get the response he was hoping for.
“Where’s Elliott?” he asked.
“Couldn’t get off work,” Lex explained, glancing at Ozrik.
“It is what it is.” Ozrik shrugged.
Charles didn’t comment but was clearly perturbed. Instead of assigning us rooms, he tossed Olivia five key cards and asked her to pass them out as she saw fit. Finished with his speech, he wrapped an arm around Ozrik’s shoulder and took him aside.
“Kiss ass,” Jazz muttered under his breath.
Olivia elbowed him in the ribs but watched after Ozrik and Charles, evidently put out at the constant favoritism.
Although the distribution of room cards appeared random—Olivia paired people who stood next to one another—it was obviously intentional. Vern and Maggie ended up together. Surprise, surprise. Gone were the days when Maggie bitched about being put with guys she didn’t know.
Lex and Noah were paired. They bumped fists. Olivia bunked with Roe, which didn’t surprise me. The two had been friends for years. Olivia took one look at Jazz, who stood on her other side, and informed him he would be on his own before tossing the last key card at me.
“You can share with Ozrik.” She winked, and I ducked my head as a blush raced up my neck and settled in my cheeks.
I waited for the comments, but no one said a thing. Not even Jazz.
Ozrik shimmied up beside me a few minutes later and took the key card from my hand with a secret smile. He leaned close and whispered in my ear. “Your God is smiling down on us.”
I snorted and elbowed him.
“Unpack your shit and let’s hit the road,” Olivia said.
We were on our way in under an hour. In that time, much to our dismay, the Jeep had been installed with its nanny cam. All intimate exchanges between us came to a halt.
Mostly came to a halt.
Ozrik and I couldn’t help stealing the odd clandestine touch or smile when nobody was looking. His face was too expressive, and anyone watching would know what was happening between us, but for once in my life, I couldn’t find it in me to care.
The chase was a bust, but the night was incredible.
We had more success in Oklahoma the following day. On our home turf, everyone bubbled with energy. Vern willingly gave up his navigation spot in the bug to Ozrik, announcing he and Maggie were driving separately.
“We’ll take the caboose.”
Roe and Ozrik seemed to get along well, and since I was comfortable riding shotgun in the bug as Lex drove, I joined them, offering to be a sounding board for their decisions and be the chief radio operator in Maggie’s absence.
Not once did the arrangement feel suffocating or claustrophobic.
Maybe it was the company. Maybe I was finding my place among the group.
Maybe it was that these people had truly become my friends.
Either way, it was the first time I felt excited about a chase.
My sister took Jazz and Elliott in her car. Jazz tended to hold his tongue under their influence, so he was subdued, which helped keep everything harmonious.
Energy was high.
The numbers and radar made promises we hoped they would keep.
The roads were familiar, and Lex raced down them with effortless skill, never once questioning the county’s geography.
At twenty to six, the supercell grew a distinct hook echo and sent us flying toward our destination. Gravel crunched under tires. The wind rattled the windows and buffeted the bug. Lex easily maintained control.
At ten to six, we encountered a forming wall cloud. Everyone shouted and pointed. For a moment, opinions clashed and tempers flared, but it was quickly resolved.
At eight minutes to six, Ozrik and Roe course corrected after I judged the sky and its conditions. Lex steered us down a side street, and we landed under a large section of rotating clouds.
At two minutes to six, we crowded on a gravel road, necks craned to the swirling mass overhead, GoPros and headcams recording the show. Olivia pointed. Vern took the role of commentator. With his video camera, Noah panned the group, capturing expressions and reports. I snapped photos.
At four minutes after six, Maggie spotted the first sign of a funnel and pointed it out. For a moment, no one moved, gazes locked on the sky.
At five minutes after six, the funnel began its descent. We held our collective breaths. The chanting utterances of “come on, come on, come on” vanished into the wind.
As it neared the ground, whoops and cheers erupted as we encouraged it onward.
At eight minutes past six, the funnel connected with an explosive spray of debris, officially becoming a tornado.
The wind roared like a freight train, whipping our hair and flapping our clothing.
A riotous celebration swelled from the group.
Inhibitions went out the window. We were no longer rivals in a competition.
We were companions, chasing the same entertainment.
Maggie jumped into Vern’s arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, squealing with delight. He caught her, swinging her around as they jumped and cheered and made wolf cries at the sky.
High fives and back slaps.
Lex beat his chest, hooting and howling like a coyote.
Olivia threw her arms in the air, making goal posts and yelling, “Touchdown!”
Ozrik pumped a fist before hooking an arm around my shoulder and tugging me in for a crushing hug.
His summer warmth and outdoor scent engulfed me.
The embrace was brief, and he let go before it could be misconstrued as anything more than a friendly bro hug, but it was me who didn’t release him all the way.
It was me who caught his hand and kept him in my orbit.
Lightning flashed. Random splats of heavy rain smacked us in the face and head. The wind howled and did all it could to knock us on our asses.
While everyone was too busy admiring the phenomenal act of nature so rarely seen this close, I leaned in and pecked a quick kiss on Ozrik’s lips.
His devilish smile appeared, and he quirked a questioning brow.
“Zap,” I said. “Do you feel it?”
He caught my nape and dragged me back in for another. “Since day one.”
The tornado was gorgeous, possibly an EF3, if I had to guess.
Destructive in its beauty, I prayed for anyone who lived in its path that they be somewhere safe.
She lasted nearly twelve minutes, weaving and swirling and eating up the ground as she moved east of us.
We could have tried to get closer. Moved to intercept.
A brief talk about laying the probe circulated, but in the end, we didn’t take flight.
We stayed where we were, shoulder to shoulder on the side of a county road, a few miles from our hometown, and soaked up the sight.
Ozrik’s pinky remained hooked with mine the entire time.