Don't Get It Twisted, page 16
“Let’s follow this thing,” she said, flicking the wipers on to clean the windshield.
Turning around, she found the nearest crossroads and headed east. The clouds above her glowed an ominous blue-green and she quickly adjusted the contrast to make it look more impressive on camera.
“Look at this hail core!” She yelled. “We might get rocked.”
Incredible
OMG that color
Be safe Haley!
Wowowowow
Where did the tornado go?
That was a good question. The last radar scan still showed rotation, but the tornado was nowhere to be seen.
“I think it’s lifted, but it could re-cycle,” she said, then flinched as the first hailstones pounded into her roof. “We have golf ball sized hail. This is in Ripley County, Missouri, so if you’re in this area, take cover now. We are still under a tornado warning here.”
Dents were beginning to form on Haley’s hood as the sky pummeled her with hail. She accelerated, hoping her windshield would hold until she punched through the worst of it, then started laughing as she made it through. She was unstoppable.
Her phone rang. Noah. She muted her microphone to answer.
“You’re missing out,” she said.
“I know. You were right.” Haley could almost hear him rolling his eyes as he admitted it. “I was thinking about driving down and trying to intercept, you think it’ll still be going an hour from now?”
“This supercell’s not breaking up anytime soon.”
“Heading south on 55 now,” Noah said, and she heard his truck roar to life in the background. “See you out there.”
Haley stayed in front of the storm as it growled and gusted its way across fields and through towns, switching to her rear-view camera so her audience could enjoy the lightning show behind her.
“Come on, drop another one,” she urged under her breath. But no matter how hard she willed it, the storm didn’t want to listen.
Haley yawned. She’d been driving too long for too many days in a row, and her whole body ached. The road was slick with rain, but it had a broad, paved shoulder so she pulled over and rummaged in the cooler for another can of liquid stamina. Chugging it, she pulled out her phone to text Noah.
Don’t bother, she typed. It’s fizzling out, I’m ending in a few.
I’m close. Send your coords, he replied, so she did.
The sunset across the road was beautiful, the final rays of the day breaking through the waning drizzle to set the sky on fire. The orange sun glowed to the west between the remaining wall of clouds and the hills on the horizon. Even if the tornado hadn’t been the most impressive, the sunset was a hell of a way to end the stream. It reminded her of the one she had seen with Claire, and she wished she could go back and be in the moment again. Be with her again.
Normally viewers would be dropping off as she wound the stream down, but her numbers were holding steady. It seemed they were all enjoying the moment of relative calm, too. She glanced over at chat to see their reactions. Probably complaining that the day had been too uneventful.
Woooooooo!
A million! Way to go, Haley!
Dance dance dance dance dance
OMG yes we did it
I’ve been following since 200k
Here from Noah’s stream, congrats Haley
DANCE!!!
Congrats on a million
“You guys…” she said, unable to believe what she was reading. It had to be Noah fucking with her again. Though that would be cruel, even for him.
But the screen didn’t lie, and she watched as the number grew slowly, but steadily.
1,000,026, 1,000,029, 1,000,030, 1,000,028, 1,000,032.
“Oh my God,” Haley gushed. “Oh my God, thank you. You guys have no idea… thank you.”
She couldn’t believe it. Everything she had worked for was happening. Deep down, she knew it was just a number, but it made all the aches and long hours worth it. Years of studying had paid off, and finally she had something to be proud of. So why did it feel like there was still a piece of her missing?
Dance dance dance
Dance!!
You promised to dance at a million
Chat was a maelstrom of insistence, and Haley groaned, regretting the promise she had made months ago when a million followers felt like an impossible milestone. She had prepared for the moment, practicing alone in motel rooms over the past few weeks until she was confident she wouldn’t forget the moves to the viral dance, but she still wasn’t excited to have it on camera for the world to critique.
“I can’t even play the music. It’s copyrighted,” she argued, as if that would change their mind.
We don’t care
Dance dance dance dance dance
We get to see Haley dance
Do it!!!
A promise was a promise, and she had to make good on her word. It was like ripping a bandage off, she just had to get it over with.
“Don’t make fun of me,” she stalled as she framed the shot and decided where she would stand. “I’m a weather nerd, not a dancer.”
She checked her follower count again to make sure she wasn’t imagining the whole thing in some sleep deprived, energy drink-induced delirium. 1,000,096. And almost fifty thousand of them were watching the sunset with her. She figured she ought to give them a show. It was what they had subscribed for.
Heart racing, she stepped out of the car. Another band of rain was moving through, but it was a gentle shower that helped wash away some of her nerves. Her back and knees cracked as she stretched away some of the stiffness, and she combed out her braid with her fingers, shaking her head to fluff up her hair. She had done it. She had earned it, and she was going to enjoy it.
The road was deserted except for her, and she stepped around the side of the car and in view of the camera. A surge of confidence hit her as the rain washed over her, soaking her slowly as she looked up to the sky and spun. It was a new beginning, and her time to shine. She tossed her hair and looked into the camera, then began to dance.
Any feelings of silliness evaporated as the viral music played in her head and she worked through the steps she had practiced so many times in the mirror. She felt powerful, she felt sexy, and no one could stop her. She was Haley Hunter, the Tornado Whisperer.
Headlights approached and she darted onto the shoulder to let the car pass, but then she recognized the light bar spanning the roof, the cameras mounted in every direction, and the grinning face behind the wheel. Noah parked in the middle of the road and jumped out of his truck.
“You did it!” He yelled, running towards her.
Haley jumped into his arms and he spun her around before setting her back down.
“I’m so proud of you,” he said, brushing damp strands of hair out of her eyes before hugging her again.
Haley glanced toward her car and the thousands of people watching, making sure the stream could see what was happening. She hoped Claire was among them.
I did it anyway, she thought. Fuck you.
Stretching up on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to Noah’s, noticing his eyes widen in shock before she closed hers. His stubble was rough and pricked into her skin and he tasted like dipping tobacco, but he was there. Just like he always was. Reliable, dependable Noah. He was returning the kiss, the hand at the small of her back pressing her closer to him until she could feel the swell in his pants against her stomach. But other than that, she felt nothing.
Haley pulled away.
Noah’s brow furrowed and his face filled with questions. He opened his mouth to say something, then his eyes darted to the microphone clipped to Haley’s tank top and he bit his lip instead.
“Meet me at the motel?” She asked, fully aware of what chat would infer.
“Yeah,” he said flatly. The muscle in his jaw twitched as he grit his teeth, then walked back to his truck.
Haley flashed another smile for the camera before hopping back behind the wheel. Chat was going crazy over the most overt display of public affection she and Noah had ever shown.
Did you see how he RAN to her?!?
Omg they’re literally so perfect
Ahhhh it happened! No-ley confirmed!!!
So happy for Haley
Get a room
They’re the cutest <3 <3 <3
They’re going to
Boyfriend goalssssss
“I think we’re going to wrap it there for today,” Haley said to the stream. “Thank you so much for tuning in, and for the million. I wouldn’t be here without you all, and this means everything.” She let the last few comments roll by in a daze, wondering what she had just done. But it was too late to second-guess herself. She turned the camera off.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Can someone bring napkins? Carlos asked the group chat.
Yeah, I got it, Jaz, another of their mutual friends, replied.
Claire checked the time. She needed to get ready to go soon. Carlos and Danny were hosting a barbecue to celebrate a big mystery announcement, and she was looking forward to getting out of her stuffy apartment.
But she still had time to watch Haley’s stream a little longer. After all, Tobey was curled up in her lap and it would be rude to move him.
He was purring.
Claire winced as Haley’s car was pelted by hail, then exhaled in relief as she made it through the worst of the storm. She grinned at Haley’s reaction to finding out she had surpassed a million followers, feeling like her heart would burst with pride. There was no one who deserved it more, and even though it stung that she wouldn’t be able to share in the joy with Haley, she was happy that Haley was getting everything she wanted.
Her elation for Haley soon faded into an all too familiar ache for what she couldn’t have when Haley appeared on screen. She looked radiant as her untamed waves whipped in the wind, wild and free as the storms she chased. Her movements were as fluid as the rain falling around her, sensual and uninhibited. Claire longed to reach through the screen, to touch her once more and know that Haley was dancing for her.
Then he appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere. Claire reached forward to close her laptop, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away as Haley ran to him. As Haley kissed him.
Of course she did. He had everything Claire didn’t. More money at thirty than she would probably make in her entire career, a big house, nice cars, millions of fans. A dick. So of course Haley would end up with him. Girls like her always did.
Claire shut her laptop angrily and set Tobey on the floor. She was going to be late to see her friends over that? Pining for someone who had clearly never wanted her? It was pathetic. At least Whitney hadn’t let her quit her job over her. Maybe her boss was looking out for her more than she’d thought.
She got dressed quickly and walked the few blocks over to Danny and Carlos’ brick townhouse, determined to have a good time and get Haley off her mind.
“You made it!” Carlos ushered her in with a quick hug. “Everyone is out back, we were just waiting on you.”
“Sorry I got held up,” Claire mumbled, embarrassed to be the last one there even though she lived the closest.
“Everything okay?” He asked, pausing just before the sliding doors in the kitchen that led to the back patio.
“Fine,” Claire said, determined for it to be true.
He looked skeptical but didn’t press, sliding the door open.
She made the rounds, greeting a few familiar faces as she wandered through a citronella and charcoal-scented haze looking for a drink. She found a cooler full of seltzers and cracked a mango one, making small talk until Danny interrupted everyone by clinking a glass.
“Okay, announcement time,” he said, pulling Carlos to his side. “We’ve been keeping this a secret forever and we’ve been dying to tell you… We found a surrogate. We’re going to be dads in seven months!”
There was a half second of stunned silence as everyone processed the news, and then the backyard patio erupted with joyous chaos as friends rushed Danny and Carlos to hug and congratulate them. Claire felt her eyes welling up. It felt good to cry happy tears again after so much heartache. Carlos and Danny had been planning their journey to parenthood for almost as long as she had known them, and it was so heartening to see them getting closer to that dream.
“I’m so excited for you,” she said to Danny when the buzz died down a little and she was able to reach him. “You and Carlos are going to be the best dads ever.”
“Thanks,” he said, looking elated. “It still doesn’t feel real, but we can’t wait to meet the baby. But speaking of meeting people, I wanted to introduce you to my new coworker.” He led Claire over to a woman standing by an overflowing table of food. “Evie, this is my good friend Claire. Claire, this is Evie.”
The woman turned around with a smile. Her dark hair was cropped to shoulder-length, and she had a sparkling nose ring and warm eyes that seemed to light up when she saw Claire.
“Nice to meet you, Claire,” Evie said, offering her hand for a handshake.
Claire took it, wondering if it was her imagination or if Evie held on just a little longer than normal. “So you met Danny through work?”
“I just started in the accounting department a few weeks ago.”
“You must be good with numbers, then,” Claire said, making herself a plate of ribs and potato salad.
“More like spreadsheets. But that’s boring stuff, tell me about you.”
They sat down to eat in two lawn chairs a little away from the rest of the group, making small talk about their lives. Evie was cute– and flirtatious– and Claire felt herself warming up to the possibilities she presented. By the end of the evening, they had exchanged numbers and promises to meet up again soon. It was starting to feel like moving on from Haley was possible.
But later that night, long after Claire should have been in bed, she received a text from Haley.
I forgive you.
Three simple words of the absolution Claire had yearned for, but they felt tainted by the fact that they were a door closing, not one reopening. It was all too easy to imagine Haley laying next to him in some dark roadside motel in the middle of a flyover state, writing the two a.m. text from a place of victory, a place where forgiveness was easy to grant. Writing it to hurt Claire.
I miss you, Claire replied, mortified by her own desperation but too tipsy to stop herself.
She fell asleep waiting for a response that never came.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The full gravity of everything was finally starting to sink in. Everything was changing for the better, so why did Haley feel so hollow? Making things official with Noah seemed like the logical next step, and his response to the kiss made it clear that he was open to developing their relationship into something more. He fit her like an old pair of jeans, comfortable and dependable, and yet… nothing. But maybe if she pretended long enough, the rest would come with time.
Haley pulled into the motel parking lot just south of St. Louis. Her car thudded and scraped as she hit a pothole, and she cursed at herself for being so distracted she didn’t even notice the veritable crater in front of the parking spot she chose. Nerves were eating her up from the inside out, tearing a pit into her stomach and turning it until she wondered if she might throw up.
Noah had arrived before her and was leaning against his truck, waiting. His features were shadowed by his hat and the harsh, overhead glare from the streetlamp and Haley swallowed nervously, taking another deep breath before she stepped out of her station wagon. It was just Noah. So why did everything feel different?
He waited for her to get halfway to him, then wordlessly tossed her a key. She snatched it easily from the air, the worn brass dangling from a thick plastic diamond with the number twenty-four etched into it. When she looked back at him, he was already striding away.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in for a drink?”
He froze, his back to her. “No.”
His coldness felt like a slap in the face before confusion set in. He had always invited her in, leaving the door ajar for more if she chose it. He’d wanted her on the rainy road, she was certain of it.
“What if I want a beer?” She pouted in what she hoped was a flirty way.
“We passed four gas stations and two bars driving here, go get a beer.”
She walked over to him and laid her hand on his shoulder. His broad muscles tensed beneath her touch, and she felt him inhale sharply before shrugging her hand off and finally turning to face her.
“What if I want more than beer?” She reached up to touch his chest but he caught her wrist, blocking her with a boxer’s reflexes.
He dropped her arm and sneered disdainfully at her as he stepped out of her reach, his eyes dark with anger. “You can easily find that at a bar or gas station, too.”
The verbal blow was stunning and cut to her core. He knew about her past and her issues with men, especially drunk men. He knew she didn’t do hook-ups.
“Why are you acting like this?” She asked, tears pricking in her eyes.
“Why am I acting like this? Why are you acting like this? We both know this isn’t what you want.”
She wanted to want him, why couldn’t that be enough? “Maybe I do. I could. It makes sense.”
“What about this makes sense?” His voice was rising, though he wasn’t quite yelling, and Haley could almost see the waves of anger radiating from him like a heat rising from asphalt in the sun.
“Our audiences love it.”
“And that’s a good reason to fuck? Do you want to film it for them, too? Grow up, Haley.”
Haley ignored him and continued. “We’ve known each other forever and you’ve never let me down.” She thought for a moment. She hadn’t planned to have to convince him. “We have compatible lifestyles. You make me feel safe out here.”
