Chasing Tornadoes (soon to be published)

Chapter 2

The Kansas/Oklahoma border is an hour and a half from Brooke's Creek. The place Jeremy was driving us to is Meadow Ridge, an hour from the border, making the drive two hours and half. I like the long drives, the feeling of being on the open road and being free.

We take short breaks to stop for toilet breaks and food, grabbing something from the gas station when Jeremy fills up his car. He also stops on the side of the road to admire the clouds. In the distance you could see the clouds building up for the afternoon storms predicted, white and fluffy.

We reach Meadow Ridge by noon. The storm still hasn't form. We stop at a park so Jeremy could study up the radar and look at reports to where the storm cell will be, and where a twister was more likely to form. Maybe it won't be out here in Meadow Ridge, but another town over. Meanwhile he did that, I took photographs of the sky with the incredible cloud formations in the distance.

"I think we might have to move north east," Jeremy says, closing his laptop. "This morning I thought it would hit around here, but what I see on the radar, north east is where it seems tornadoes could form."

One of the things I hated about storm chasing is the guess work to where a tornado is more likely to form. Some supercells produce tornadoes, and there are others that don't. I only hope that Jeremy's prediction was worth skipping school. But even if we don't see a tornado, at least I get to be out here with my best friend. I also get awesome photos of the sky. Photographing storms is what I enjoy. After high school, Jeremy really wants me to continue being his storm chasing partner. I may not be as passionate with storm chasing like he is, but I wouldn't miss being his partner. He has even suggested I sell some of the photos I have taken to magazines and other media. I haven't done that yet, but maybe someday I will.

"Any tornado watches?" I ask.

Jeremy nods. "Yes, there's a tornado watch in the whole of Glenfield County."

"Is Meadow Ridge in Glenfield County?"

"Yes, just on the outskirts of it. I reckon this storm will hit bad in the centre of the county."

I stare up at the sky, watching the clouds in the distance. Unlike Jeremy, I can't read the radar, so I honestly have no idea where the storm will most likely develop. I trust him to know where the storm will hit, and for him to keep us safe. Whether we see a tornado or not today, we will be home late and our parents will kill us for going chasing on our own.

"Okay," I say, getting off the table I'm sitting on in the park. "Let's get something to eat before we head off. I will also check in with Moxie."

I message Moxie once we get into the car, and Jeremy drives to the gas station to grab something for lunch. Moxie informs me that everything went smoothly when she pretended to be Jeremy's and my mother when she rang the school. It is unclear to when we will get back to Brooke's Creek, but I told her I will text my mother later to say I will be at her place. She didn't reply back, but I figured she was probably back in class.

While Jeremy waits in the car, I buy us a sandwich inside. We eat it quickly before heading northeast.

Brighton is the town we decided to stop at and storm watch. Here, the clouds were beginning to darken. It is just after one thirty. Thunder rumbles in the distance. There are several other storm chasers parked on the side of the road also.

Jeremy and I stand on the side of the road near a farm, looking out on a field to where the dark clouds were. I take out my camera and snap a few pictures. I look over him a few times, watching Jeremy as he studies the approaching storm, wondering what it was going to do. When it came to the weather, he always paid attention to the sky. It fascinated him, and being able to chase them is what drew his passion for storms even more. He wanted to get close and experience the power.