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"Do you ever get sick of this?" Zoe asks. "Sick of the thrill of the storms."
Jess shakes their head. "I never have. Or at least I haven't yet. I probably will, in the future, but it's not something I'm...doing right now. After all, I could easily just..."
"Yeah," Zoe says. "Could always get an easier hobby to perform. An easier thing to do. But we're here."
Here is inside of a van equipped with several meterological tools, tracking down a thunderstorm in the hopes of witnessing a tornado. Thunder cracks.
It hasn't started pouring yet, though. They aren't inside the storm -- not truly. This is only Zoe's second trip -- Jess is more into it than she is, but this is still absolutely fascinating sometimes. Zoe's not really sure what she's doing sometimes, but she can sure drive, and drive fast. Jess is the one with the tools guiding her.
Zoe drives towards the storm -- towards that flash of lightning.
The two of them met by something resembling coincidence. Jess transferred to Zoe's private high school when Zoe was a sophomore and Jess was a junior, after Zoe had spent a couple years in Paris with her mom's family. (Chloe's dad was nice, at least, and she'll treasure the people that she's met through this.) They were a little awkward -- they had been separated from their friend, Aeon. Zoe was Jess's first friend in the school. Jess went to college in Kansas.
Zoe stayed in New York, but the two of them still stayed in contact with each other -- texts, seeing each other during breaks.
And, well, okay, so maybe Zoe has a crush on them. Would someone blame her? Jess is incredibly strong and cool and attractive, and Zoe is simply a person. The thing about attraction is that it is incredibly difficult to resist.
And now Zoe's here, participating in one of Jess's hobbies -- storm chasing. She isn't as into it as they are -- there's some sort of connection between them and storms that Jess always struggled to word but Zoé managed to decipher well enough.
The storm is thrilling. She thinks she can see the appeal, really. The prospect of driving into it doesn't scare her. Actually, it thrills her more. Storms in New York aren't intense like this; even hurricanes don't have this ominous sense about them. They generally just start pouring, and the only real sense of anticipation comes from the weather forecasters droning on the TV.
Though...she thinks it might be somewhat akin to standing in the eye of a hurricane -- disconcertingly calm.
Zoé drives, and Jess monitors the equipment, a GoPro mounted to their chest as Zoé drives towards the storm. They like to film their chases and post them on YouTube -- if something significant happens, it's good footage for reporters, but Jess usually likes to edit it first.
Zoé would know -- she gets the raw footage. She laughs at some, and is astounded by others. But now she's the one doing it. She's the one driving into the storm.
Another bolt of lightning shatters the sky. Zoé follows the sight. The boom of thunder tells them both that they're not far from the storm.
A half-mile later, they've reached the rain. It crashes on the car roof instead of pattering. This is harder rain than she's ever driven during.
A lightning bolt lands -- only a little ways from their car.
"Are you sure we'll be safe if lightning hits us?" Zoé asks over the sound of the deluge.
"Don't worry about it," Jess responds. "We'll be fine. It's only a real problem if we see a tornado."
Right. Tornados are dangerous, and yet the two of them seeking one. The goal is to stay as close as possible -- without getting swept up into it.
"Tornados aren't as likely into the rain," they continue, "but it could still happen." In spite of the volume, their voice carries an air of confidence. "My partner -- the person driving now -- isn't super experienced. This is her first time, actually, but she watches the raw cuts of these videos."
Did they just call Zoé their...partner? She knows it isn't in the romantic sense, but it stirs something in Zoé's heart. The pining will do that, she supposes. She can feel her heart beating in her chest, and it's not just the adrenaline of chasing storms.
She probably doesn't stand much of a chance. But a girl can dream, right? Maybe, if she works up the nerve, she could even do something about it.
If Jess says no, then...it'd probably hurt, but Zoé would eventually recover. They're living miles apart, after all. Distance and time kills stuff like this, Zoé's heard, and there are plenty of hot people in New York. She could get over it if something bad happened.
Zoé grips the wheel tighter and steels her resolve. The storm, just then, moves on -- leaving as quickly as it came. Zoé revs the car's engine -- she's capable of showmanship when it's appropriate, and there's no better time. She starts driving in the direction of the storm, clouds forming a path.
Now the fun really begins.
They spend another twenty minutes driving after the storm, matching its pace perfectly, until it dissipates -- giving way to lighter gray clouds with no rain behind them. Or at least no rain for the foreseeable future.
Zoé will wait until they part ways with her to ask Jess for a date -- if Jess says no, then that'll infect the car ride with an awkward atmosphere, and that's not something she wants.
Jess flicks off their GoPro. "We might be able to see a rainbow, if we encounter somewhere sunny that caught that thunderstorm."
"That'd be cool," Zoé says. Though it's fairly unlikely. She keeps driving, making sure to keep an eye on the sky. The clouds give way as she drives down the highway and -- huh, there really is a rainbow.
"Would you look at that," Jess whispers. "It's beautiful."
"Just like you," Zoé comments without thinking. Whoops.
Jess splutters. Zoé doesn't dare look at their face -- what will she see if she does? At least Jess isn't actively disgusted by Zoé's thoughts.
"Um. Sorry about that," Zoé says, very purposefully keeping her eyes on the road. "When we get back in town...would you like to go on a date?"
"Sure," Jess answers. "And, um. For the record, I think you're beautiful, too."