Don't Embarrass Me || Twisters

0 || Five Years Ago

(Not Proofread, Unedited, 4030 words)
Trigger Warnings: Implied deaths, Intense moments, Cursing

Javi shifts beneath the sleeping bag he's resting under, drawing my eyes downward as I sit cross-legged on the edge of the van floor with a cup of lukewarm coffee held between my hands. Kate woke me up when she left to go take pictures of the nearby storm cells, and I've been hanging out on the edge of the van ever since, just waiting for her to come back. 

Part of me knows I shouldn't feel so out of place here— I mean, I am with my boyfriend and his best friends, after all—, but I can't help but feel somehow ostracized from the science-obsessed college students. I myself am nothing more than a college dropout who's lived in Oklahoma for all my life but never once considered why tornadoes formed— only that they were dangerous. 

Somehow, Javi managed to drag me out here on my only free weekend of the month. I don't mind much. I'm getting to spend time with him, and as far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters. As long as he's happy, so am I. And me being on this trip seemed to make him pretty happy. 

"Hey," Kate's whispering voice snags my attention, and I turn to look at where she's standing. She's about fifty feet away— holding her camera with as much care as I'm holding my coffee— with a bright smile on her face. "Come here. I want to show you it." 

"Okay," I agree, shrugging my shoulders and slowly uncrossing my legs. I grab onto the side of the van as I step down just next to Javi. I'm very careful not to step on him or on any of the sleeping bag parts that surround him. He had quite a nice time last night, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was hungover all day today. With that in mind, I do my best not to wake him. 

Once Kate and I are free of Javi's earshot, she explains, "I'll give them all about ten minutes to sleep, but this cell is looking really good. She's bound to drop a tornado." 

"And that means we'll get to use your uh..." I glance back at the yellow barrels on the trailer and try desperately to remember what Javi told me they were called, "your uh..." 

"Yes, we'll get to use it," Kate says with a laugh, drawing my gaze back to her. She offers me a gentle smile, then the holds her camera up and takes a couple more pictures of the sky. "I'll leave waking Javi up to you." 

"I'll go get a head start," I reply, but even several seconds later, I stand staring up at the dark grey clouds and small flashes of lightning. The smell of rain is starting to grow stronger, and every single Oklahoma instinct in me is telling me to run away. 

A tornado's coming.

And we shouldn't be here.

But then I turn to Kate, who has lowered her camera so she can see the sky clearly. She looks so calm out here with the breeze flicking her bangs around her face and her eyelashes fluttering as she stares up at the clouds. She looks determined to make her plan work. 

I find comfort in her confidence, and I let that carry me back to where my boyfriend is still sound asleep.

"Javi," I whisper as I lay down on my left side beside him, "it's time to wake up." 

"No," he groans, shaking his head slightly. I chuckle and reach over with my right hand, running my fingers through his hair and letting the charms on my bracelet brush against his forehead. A small smile appears on his lips and without opening his eyes or turning to me, he mumbles, "Good morning, beautiful." 

"Good morning," I respond, scratching the top of his head a bit as he inhales deeply and stretches his legs out beneath the sleeping bag. "You gotta get up."