[ if I write Dakota instead of Rio, please point it out. I'm crying. It's so hard to go from writing one character to another and I get them confused ]

☆︎

THEY GOT A SLUSHY MACHINE?

RIO CALDAS DIDN'T HATE HER LIFE. But she didn't love it either.

She was at Texas A&M, getting her masters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at twenty-three years old. She was concentrating on the effects of climate change on ecology, meaning she got to travel to different states a lot to perform experiments and do research — and it was all well-funded, which was nice.

That was what she liked about her life.

What she hated was that she didn't have any friends. Not real ones, anyway. And that was her own doing.

It had been years since she heard from Kate and Javi, all of them growing distant after what happened. Of course, being family friends, she still knew what Javi was up to. Her mother heard from his that he'd enlisted in the army, and Rio worried about him every day because of that. As for Kate, she was somewhere in New York, the last place Rio expected her to be.

Rio was always lonely nowadays, and it was for lack of trying. She didn't go out when classmates asked her or attend parties she was invited to. Everyone else in her program loved to socialize but not her. Rio didn't let herself get close to anyone.

Maybe she hadn't died in the storm that day, but sometimes, it felt like part of her had.

It made her wonder if Kate and Javi felt the same way. Surely, she couldn't be the only one that felt so lost? Like she was a zombie roaming the earth or like she'd been asleep for five years and was waiting for something to wake her back up?

Even now, as she was taking soil samples at a grapefruit orchard, her heart wasn't in it. Not really. Digging in the dirt just didn't seem so fun without friends to dig with — not that Javi and Kate had ever liked dirt the same way she did.

She had her AirPods in, Luke Bryan playing through them so loud that her phone gave her a volume warning. She always played her music too loud, hoping it'd help drown out any diminishing thoughts — thoughts like why she survived that day and others didn't.

Only for the song to be cut off by her phone ringing. She dug it out of the pocket of her dirt-covered overalls and saw that it was an unknown number. Given that she didn't exactly get a lot of calls what with her semi-reclusive life, she was a bit wary and almost didn't answer so she could focus back on work.

But she was glad she did when she heard Javi Rivera's voice on the other end.

"Is this Rio?"

Rio froze, knowing that voice anywhere. "Javi?"

He chuckled a bit. "Yeah, it's me, Re. Still haven't changed your number, I see."

"Well, no need to," she muttered. Then she sat down on the ground, forgetting about the dirt samples. "Why're you calling?"

"What, I can't call?"

"You don't call," she said flatly. "And I don't either."

"You're right," he said with a sigh. "Look, um, your mom said you were in Texas."

"Yeah, working toward a PhD. You wanting to visit or something?"

"Well, I thought maybe... maybe you could visit me," he said almost hesitantly.

"Are you on leave in Miami?" she asked. It might be nice to see him again, no matter how painful. "I mean, I could take a week off, you know."

"I'm so glad you said that," he said, the smile in his voice evident. "Because Kate and I are flying to Oklahoma. Just a few hours away from you."

Now Rio was really shocked. "You and Kate? Together? How the hell'd you get her out of New York?"

"Same way I'm hoping to get you out of Texas," he said before taking in a deep breath. "Look, I've got this business I started up. It's called Storm PAR."

Maybe Rio didn't know what it was, but at the word 'storm,' her stomach turned. "We're, um, we're tracking tornados and trying to get 3D scans of them. We're hoping with the data, we can learn more about these things. Including things like their inpact on the environment and how the environment is effecting them."

It was silent for a moment, Rio soaking in her words. "Why are you telling me this, Javi?" she finally asked in a soft tone.

"Because an ecologist on the team to analyze the data is something we could use," he told her. Then he sighed. "But also because Kate and I want you there. Going back to this — going back to chasing — I don't want to do it without the two of you."

"Javi—"

"No, listen, Re," he said quickly. "I know you're watching the news. There's a once in a generation outbreak in Oklahoma right now. It's tearing up towns — ruining lives. And I know you still wanna learn how to prevent these things."

"No, I don't still want to learn. I don't want to be anywhere near them," she told him firmly. "I - Javi, I—"

Rio got a bit choked up, so she sucked in a deep breath through her nose.

"Rio, I know," Javi said softly, her able to hear the pain he was also in. Maybe she was a bad person for being comforted by that. "But we could do some real good here. And Kate... I think it'll help her if you're here too. Not to mention you know I never get tired of you."

"Not true," she mumbled. "That first spring break my freshman year."

"Okay, yeah, I was fucking tired of you," he laughed. "So, is that a yes?"

"It's a maybe," she said, drawing shapes in the dirt. "I mean, I'll have to work things out with my classes and professors."

"Hey, but just think about how impressive working for Storm PAR will look to your advisor," he said, giving her more incentive. "You think you can be there tomorrow? Unless you're still driving that piece of shit Jeep. Then it might take you a few days."

"Don't knock the Jeep, or I won't help!"

☆︎

Rio wasn't... the best driver. She hit lots of curbs, forgot to use her blinker, honked at others, and played her music distractingly loud when driving. So it was noticeable when she pulled into the combination gas station and diner in the middle of Oklahoma.

Just a few minutes prior, a huge, obnoxious, red truck had made a scene pulling in, stunning Kate, especially when people cheered for the people in it. It had lights all over it, all terrain wheels, and what looked like some kind of launcher on the side of it, as well as the standard storm chasing equipment strapped to the top of it.

As the truck passed, a man with round sunglasses on poked his head out of the window with a huge camera in his hands, confusing Kate. "Hey, Storm PAR, we're live on YouTube. Say somethin'."

"Blow me, Boone!" one of the team members shouted.

The so-called Boone was unbothered as he grinned. "Hey, smile, man! Science is fun, right? Whoo!"

"Who are they?" Kate asked as the truck pulled past them, followed by a beat up camper that was just as decked out in equipment.

"Chasers out of Arkansas," Javi said, clearly not impressed.

"Hillbillies with a YouTube channel," Scott muttered.

Kate watched with interest as the driver of the truck stepped out, flocked by fans. He had on sunglasses and a huge white cowboy hat. Then the Boone character got in his face with the camera.

"Hey, T. Tell the folks how ya feelin'."

"I'm feelin' pretty good, Boone. And if you feel it—"

Suddenly the crowd chimed in with what was clearly a catchphrase. "Chase it!"

"I said, if you feel it—"

"Chase—"

The fans were cut off by tires loudly squealing, everyone turning to look as a beat-up, old, blue Jeep swerved into the parking lot, hitting a curb as it did so. Toby Keith was blaring from the speakers just as loud as the red truck had been. And then the car narrowly took out Scott from Storm PAR, who'd been standing on his own, just to the side of his car.

And Boone caught the whole thing on camera, the near-accident making him chuckle, glad they were live.

A young, dark-haired girl stuck her head out the rolled-down window and shouted a, "Sorry!" at Scott before going a little further. Her brakes squealed as she came to a quick stop, her Jeep lurching. Once she cut the engine, the music stopped, and then she jumped out.

Rio Caldas was in her standard attire — boots, a pair of sturdy overalls that were good for getting dirty with one of the straps unhooked, and a plain white tank top. A pair of dark green sunglasses were on her face, shielding her from the sun. But she slid them up on the top of her head, her eyes landing on two individuals.

Kate Carter and Javi Rivera.

"See you still can't drive for shit," Javi joked breaking the tense ice as they all looked at each other.

Rio cracked an uneasy smile and bounded forward, hugging Javi first, who grinned brightly. He picked her up off the ground a bit.

"Missed you somethin' mighty, Javi," she mumbled, hating herself for not reaching out.

"Missed you too, Re," he said, setting her down. Then he nodded to Kate. "Got someone else who missed you too."

Rio and Kate silently stared for a moment, the raw emotion clear in their eyes. It was different for them. Javi hadn't been in the storm that day. He hadn't felt his loved ones literally slipping away.

"Hey, Storm Chaser," Rio said, smiling at her.

"Hey, Dirt Grub," Kate said, making them both laugh. Then they hugged properly, both girls happy to see each other despite their seclusion.

"You missed it, Re," Javi said, leaning against the side of his car. "The truck drove in almost as horribly as you did."

"It wasn't that bad," she mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, it was," Kate laughed. "But they were worse." She nodded her head to the big red truck where people were beginning to pay attention to the driver again. "Who is that, by the way?"

"That's Tyler Owens. He calls himself a Tornado Wrangler."

"What does that even mean?" Kate asked, confusion washing over her.

"What's going on?" Rio asked, tilting her head. She studied the man in the huge white cowboy hat, noting that he was handsome but seemed a bit obnoxious given that he was flocked by fans. And someone with his back to her had a camera in his face.

"They're YouTubers, apparently," Kate told her what little she knew. "From Arkansas."

"I guess they're a big deal," Rio murmured, watching as someone hopped out of the back of the camper that accompanied the truck.

The woman had a handful of red and white t-shirts with her and a grin on her face. "Hey, you tornado nerds. Who wants a t-shirt?"

People were already holding up money, clamoring to buy one, which Rio couldn't believe. How could people enjoy something that ruined lives and destroyed everything in its wake?

"You can't be serious," Rio said, unable to believe someone would buy that kind of merchandise.

"This means our world is going to shit," Javi said as another man got out of the camper with a box full of thermoses in hand.

"We've got mugs. Whatever you put in here, it's gonna taste better. You're gonna get thirsty. You look thirsty. You look sweaty. Gimme some cash."

"Alright, let's get out of this bunch," Javi said before putting a hand on Rio's shoulder and facing her toward the team. "Everyone, this is Rio. Told you all about her. She's gonna be our resident ecologist for the week. Hopefully, she'll give us a lot more insight on why these storms are so frequent right now."

Rio just smiled tightly at all the men in blue shirts before making eye contact with Scott, who was glaring at her for almost killing him with her car. She grimaced, knowing that as far as first impressions went, she'd made a bad one.

"Nice to be here," was all she said, not really meaning it. She was there for Kate and Javi, not whatever Storm PAR was. "Ready to get started."

"Good thing," Javi said, clapping her on the back. Then he nodded to the tablet in Scott's hand. "Can I see this?"

"Yeah."

After he had it, he passed it to Kate. "Alright, Kate, which storm should we chase?"

She took in a deep breath and received an encouraging look from Rio.

"There's a nice looking cell over the east," Scott offered, thinking she needed a boost.

Kate nodded in thanks before walking off, Rio at her side. Only to stop and look back when she realized the entire team was following her, which made her nervous. She looked to Javi and whispered so the others wouldn't hear.

"It's uh, it's been a while. I'll just watch on this first one."

"No, no, Kate. It's alright. You got this. It's why you're here," he comforted her. Then he looked back at the team. "Alright. Alright, guys, let's go. Everybody get their last bathroom break in."

"Be quick, fellas," Scott ordered. "We're on the clock. Five minutes, then we're loading up. Here we go!"

"I'll give you some space too," Rio told her. "We can catch up later."

Kate nodded in thanks, watching as Rio walked toward the store. She didn't need the bathroom but figured she could load up on snacks. And as she trailed behind the Storm PAR workers, she noticed that Tyler Owens' crew was approaching too.

And one of the girls who had thick goggles on her head was making fun of the men in blue polo shirts, much to Rio's amusement — she thought uniforms were a waste of money and resources.

"Okay, uniforms. Wrinkle-free shirts. Crisp hat," she said, hyping them up mockingly.

"Y'all, it looks like y'all are going to church, man. I like it," a man said, catching Rio's attention then.

He had shaggy black hair and tan skin, as well as some facial hair. His eyes were covered with round, dark sunglasses, and his clothes were well-worn, including the red bandana he had around his neck.

Most importantly, he made her laugh, and that caught his attention.

He paused for a moment as the woman that was selling t-shirts went ahead, noting that the Storm PAR workers practically slammed the door on her face. "Hey, man, you're not gonna hold the door? Come on, man!"

Much to Rio's amusement, just before she could reach the closing door, the boy in the sunglasses caught it with his hand and held it open for her.

"Thank you," she said, nodding to him as she went in, noting that the dark-skinned man selling mugs looked at him like he was crazy for doing so. Clearly, he didn't make a habit of opening doors for girls.

"No problem, Darlin'," he said in a thick southern accent.

Rio just smiled at the nickname, rolling her eyes a bit. Then she moved on to the shelves, forgetting about him as she focused on the drinks. After getting a blue Gatorade, she moved on to the snacks, unable to decide on just one.

That was when the boy from before joined her, reaching past her for a Snickers bar. Then he stood next to her, nervously shifting on his feet as Rio slowly looked at him questioningly.

"May I help you?" she asked politely.

"You, um, you like Toby Keith?" he asked, just trying to make conversation.

Her face flushed. "Was my music too loud?"

"Naw, no such thing when you're playing the good stuff," he smiled. It was a little crooked, she noticed. And his glasses were pushed up now, revealing deep brown eyes. "Just wanted to say 'Hey.' I ain't seen you around these last few days. I'm Boone."

"Well, I'm Rio," she introduced. "And I just got in today from Texas."

"You working with the Storm PAR suits?" the girl with the goggles asked, coming over.

"Oh, no," she said, shaking her head. "Not even really sure what they do. Just here for Javi."

"Well, I'm Lily," she introduced. Then she started pointing at the other two around the station. "Over there, that's Dexter. Then we've got Dani by the slushy machine."

"They got a slushy machine?" Rio asked, her eyes widening as she stood on her toes. She quickly grabbed a bag of peanuts before heading that way, putting her Gatorade back on the way.

"So," Boone said, following after her. "You a storm chaser or a PhD like them other fellas?"

"I'm in grad school for ecology," she told him.

Boone froze and glanced at Lily. "What's that?"

"It's the study of the relationships between living organisms and their physical environment, including humans. So, I examine organisms at different levels — the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere," she explained in what she figured was simple terms. "And I'm here focusing on the damage that tornados do on ecosystems."

Boone's mouth fell open a little bit. "Wow," he said after a moment. "So, you're like a genius, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that," she said bashfully while fixing a Coke slushy. "But, um, Javi told me you're YouTubers. That's real interesting."

"Aw, naw," he said, waving his hand, not feeling very confident now that he was talking with a pretty girl on her way to getting a PhD in something he didn't even begin to comprehend. "Besides, I'm just the camera man. Tyler's the brains of the operation."

"Actually, I'm the brains," Dexter said while passing them by. His candor made her smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Hey," Scott snapped from the end of the aisle. "Enough chatter. We're heading out."

"Right," she muttered, not loving Scott's rough exterior attitude. And something told her that he didn't get sweeter the more you got to know him. Then she smiled sweetly at Boone, thankful that someone was being nice to her. "It was nice meeting you, Boone."

As she walked away, he stuttered out a, "Y - Yeah, me too — I mean, you too!"

Dani came up behind Boone, sipping on her cherry slushy while leaning against his side. She noted that he seemed to have stars in his eyes as he watched Rio walk away.

"You good, bud?"

"She's a pertty thing," he said, sighing a little.

"Girls aren't things, B," Lily said, patting his shoulder. "Now, c'mon. Tyler wants to head out too."

Rio made it outside just as Kate was rushing up to Javi and Scott, who'd come back outside too.

"Talk to us," Javi said.

"We want the cells to the west," Kate said, making Scott frown.

"Uh, the one to the east has much better numbers," he said.

"No. Conditions don't feel right. Cap is too strong. It'll never break," she explained.

"You heard her," Javi said, giving the tablet to Scott. "Let's move. Alright, let's move, fellas."

Kate and Javi walked off, leaving Rio with an annoyed Scott. "Guess we're listening to the dandelions now," he muttered.

Rio rolled her eyes and held back a scoff. "I think nature knows more about itself than your little tablet."