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“I look ridiculous,” Kate murmured, adjusting the sleeve of her flannel. “Why are we even going?”
“You look hot,” Addy retorted, making Kate huff. “Besides, ever since you ditched us to go to New York, you barely hang out with us.”
Kate winced, giving Addy a sheepish look through the mirror. “I’m busy…”
Addy shrugged, not looking particularly upset by it, but not pleased either. “The city girl is too good for us, now.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “I’m going to this party with you guys. Isn’t that enough?”
Addy grinned. “I’m joking. You’re great.”
There was a knock on the door that echoed throughout the apartment, and Kate startled for a brief moment as the sound rang out. Addy brightened, and she hopped off of the bed, stumbling slightly.
“Who’s that?” Kate asked, peering back at her curiously.
Addy grinned, adjusting one of her thigh high socks. “Javi and the others. We’re all going together.”
Kate raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t tell me this, why?”
“Because you get pissy when you’re in a car loaded with people,” Addy said. “And I knew you wouldn’t have agreed."
Kate made an annoyed sound. “You’re awful.”
“You love me,” Addy hummed, moving out of the room. Kate huffed, turning back to look in the mirror. She adjusted her overalls, self consciously tugging at the strap dangled over her shoulder. She wasn’t introverted, but she didn’t exactly care about parties or anything. She was more adventurous back in university, but ever since she started working in New York her schedule had been way more hectic and she didn’t have time for much else.
Halloween used to be their thing. Back in university, their group always dressed up together. But they were older now, and while she enjoyed Halloween, it just seemed childish.
She didn’t even want to be a scarecrow. She didn’t even want to go to the party, really, but Addy was convincing.
From the living room, he could hear the others making a ruckus, and a small and amused smile lifted her lips. She ghosted a thumb over her face paint, the black painted stitches sprawled over her face. Her finger nudged at a stitch that streaked slightly, rubbing it off with her thumb.
“Kate!” Addy exclaimed from the living room, and Kate twisted her head. “Get out here! You look fine.”
Kate sighed, grabbing her boots from the ottoman at the end of the bed. She walked out of the room, shoving her phone into the pocket of her overalls as she went.
She walked into the living room, spotting the rest of them crowded in the entrance of the apartment. Javi's gaze fell on her first, and his eyes brightened.
“The princess finally came out of her castle!” Javi exclaimed, making Kate roll her eyes.
“Nice to see you too, Javi,” Kate grumbled, bending over to pull on her boots.
She straightened as she zipped up her shoe, and as soon as she stood up a hand was being held out in her direction. Javi was holding out a small pink tinted shot glass, filled with a clear liquid.
She looked at Javi, giving him a dry look. “What’s this?”
“Tequila,” Javi said with a grin, jostling the glass gently. She flickered her gaze down at it, giving the drink a displeased look. Javi snorted at her reaction. “You’re too good for tequila, now?”
Kate huffed, taking it from him. “You know I’m not,” she said, lifting the shot glass to her lips and downing the drink. Javi cheered, clasping her shoulder with his palm. She pulled the drink away, pursing her lips as the taste of the cheap alcohol sank into her mouth.
“Don’t worry,” Praveen sighed, eyeing the two of them from the small crowd that was gathered in the doorway. “There will be better stuff than what Javi got us at the party.”
Kate nodded slowly, giving Javi a dubious look. “Who’s party is it, anyway?”
Javi shrugged. “No idea. A friend of Addy's, I think.”
Great, Kate thought. She hadn’t partied— or drank— in ages, and her first party in forever would include people she didn’t know whatsoever.
They left the apartment, and Kate remained in the back of the group as they walked towards the elevator. Her purse swung at her side, and she lifted her hand to hold the strap of it against her shoulder.
“Hey,” she heard, and, startled, she looked up from the floor. Jeb smiled, albeit awkwardly, but it made her smile as well.
“Hey, Jeb,” she said, her grip tightening on the strap of her bag. “…What’re you supposed to be?”
Jeb shrugged, hands shoved into his pocket. “A detective.”
Kate laughed quietly, eyeing his costume. It was more so just a black suit and a tie, with a pair of sunglasses attached to the lapels. “You look like a… I don’t know, a businessman.”
Jeb huffed out a small hint of laughter. “I didn’t have much time to think of a costume.”
“Addy picked mine out for me,” she retorted. “I didn’t even know what I was going as until this morning.”
“You looked good,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said after a short moment of silence, a touch too long to be casual. They hadn’t talked much in over a year, not since they broke up around nearly a year and a half prior. They had resigned themselves to just being friends, but it was more awkward than anything. So, slowly, they stopped talking. They had spoken in group chats and whatnots, but besides that and the rare conversation, they hadn’t spoken. It didn’t help that Kate had moved to New York, while the rest of her friends stayed back home or in surrounding areas.
“You’re welcome,” Jeb replied, and Kate gave him a tight smile as she walked towards Addy, who greeted her with a large grin. She smiled back, shaking her head slightly to drown out the annoying thoughts.
* * *
Kate stepped out of the car, giving the driver a short but kind smile as she ducked outside. She gave the house a surprised look, and from beside her Javi whistled. She could see different coloured lights omitting from the house, and loud and obnoxious music was playing from inside the house, loud enough for her to have heard it while driving there.
“Damn, Addy,” Javi said, both amused and surprised. “You didn’t tell us your friend was filthy rich.”
Addy gave them a sheepish look, adjusting her glasses. “Shes not. She lives with a few friends, I think, and they all have a YouTube channel.”
Kate raised an eyebrow. “What do they do?”
“They’re storm chasers,” Addy said with a grin.
Kate made a displeased sound. “Oh.”
“C’mon, don’t act like you didn’t used to be one,” Javi nudged her shoulder, and Kate rolled her eyes.
“Up until we all almost died?” Kate huffed.
Addy and Javi both winced. “Well…” Addy started, tone falling flat.
Maybe Kate was being overly dramatic, but she had vivid memories of Praveen breaking his arm trying to run away and the large gash on Addy's arm that was the result of a stray tree branch. After that, Kate stopped working directly with tornados, and didn’t exactly plan on getting close to one anytime soon.
“Whatever,” Kate said, making Javi grin hesitantly. “I don’t care. I’m not the one storm chasing, am I?”
Addy nodded, but gave her a wary look. “Right. Let’s go in?”
“I don’t have a choice,” Kate mumbled, but followed the group towards the house anyway. The house was in the middle of nowhere, somewhat, with a few houses each stranded a few minutes away from another. When they went to the entrance of the house, the large front door was already opened, and the music only got louder as they went inside.
Kate winced when a guy nearly body checked her, narrowly avoiding the splash of alcohol that escaped his solo cup. She rolled her eyes, clutching her purse closer to her body, fingers forming into tight fists around the strap.
She already wanted to go home, and she’d only be in the house for less than a minute. She rolled her shoulders, an agitated sigh escaping through her teeth, but she followed her friends through the crowd anyway, shoulder to shoulder with Javi.
They walked into the kitchen, the room slightly less crowded than the rest of the hallways and rooms, but the stench of mixed alcohol was more potent. It made her nose scrunch up, and she ducted her head down when she caught sight of a couple making out against the counter.
Addy led her towards the large island in the middle of the kitchen, marble tiles holding a large assortment of different snacks and alcohol. A large jug of some sort of punch was placed in the middle, and it was too vibrant of a pink to be safe to drink.
“What do you drink, nowadays?” Addy asked, plucking out two solo cups from a stack of them.
Kate gave her a look. “Nothing, really.”
Addy laughed at that. “Come on. I’ll make you a drink.”
Kate pursed her lips. “Rum and coke, I guess.”
Addy nodded, looking oddly determined as she eyed the collection of alcohol. Kate followed her line of vision, until Addy's gaze fell on an expensive looking bottle of rum. She picked it up, shaking it slightly, giving Kate a pleased look.
“Is this fancy enough for you, Kate?” Addy teased.
“It’ll do,” Kate said dryly. Addy grinned, handing Kate the two cups. She took them, watching with mild bemusement as Kate opened the bottle. After a second, she began to pour the rum into the cups, a hefty amount poured into each one. “…That seems excessive.”
“What, are you suddenly a lightweight?” Addy retorted.
Kate raised an eyebrow. “As if.”
Addy placed the bottle back amongst the others, the bottles making various clinking sounds as she shoved the bottle between other glasses. She grabbed a stray can of cola from the island, pulling it open with a loud clink. She poured some into both of the cups, placing it back down against the marble once she was satisfied. Kate extended her arm once she was done, offering Addy one of the solo cups, and Addy took it with a sharp grin.
Addy lifted the cup to her lips, taking a hefty swig of it, and she shook her head as she pulled the cup away.
“Who’s the lightweight?” Kate teased.
Addy shot her a lighthearted glare. “Try it, then.”
Kate’s gaze remained on Addy, eyes steady as she lifted the cup to her lips. The drink poured into her mouth, strong and crisp, and after a moment she pulled away.
She winced, giving the cup an appraising look. It was strong, stronger than she expected, but Addy always did have a heavy hand.
“Could use more coke,” she murmured.
Addy rolled her eyes. “Knock it off. It tastes just fine!”
Kate grinned, dutifully not answering her and instead taking another sip. They stayed there for a moment, up until Addy's eyes swept the room and she visibly brightened.
“Oh!” Addy exclaimed, eyes settling on somebody for a moment. “Hey, do you want to meet Tyler?”
“…who?” Kate asked, blinking as she tried to follow Addy's gaze. She fell short, and she turned to look at Addy with faint confusion.
“My friend,” Addy said quickly, giving her a smile. “The one I mentioned earlier. He’s one of the people who live here.”
Kate hummed, then shrugged. “Sure.”
Addy began to walk, and Kate was quick to follow, swerving through the crowd and dodging swaying bodies. Kate pressed her cup closer to her chest, keeping anybody from knocking into it. After a moment, the crowd slightly cleared, and they stopped in front of a small circle of people.
“Tyler!” Addy yelled, loud enough to be heard over the music, tapping the bare arm of somebody who was turned away.
Then, she turned, and Kate blinked. She wasn’t wearing much of a costume, a white wife-beater and jeans, but they had a pair of golden wings spread out behind them, planted on their back. Kate’s gaze caught on their dirty blonde hair— nearly brown in most places— and tanned skin.
Tyler’s twisted around to look at the two of them, making a large and toothy grin spread on her face.
“Addy!” They exclaimed, sounding incredibly pleased to see Addy. “I didn’t know you were here!”
“We just got here,” Addy replied, bouncing on her heels. She twisted her head to look at Kate before turning back to Tyler. “This is Kate.”
Tyler turned to look at Kate, and Kate met their gaze. Tyler tilted her head, a pleased smile crossing her face. “Kate.”
“Hi,” Kate said, shifting on her feet, conscious of Tyler’s heavy look. “…nice to meet you.”
“You’re from New York?” She asked. “Addy mentioned you.”
Kate furrowed her eyebrows. “I work there.”
Addy nudged Kate with her shoulder, grinning at the two of them. “Kate’s really smart, but she was born and raised here with us. She used to chase tornados with us, you know?”
“Yeah?” Tyler asked, a surprised glint in her eyes.
“Yeah,” Kate echoed. “I don’t do that anymore, though.”
Tyler made a disappointed sound. “Shame. Me and my team are the best around. We could’ve worked together.”
“A bit cocky, aren’t you?” Kate drawled.
“Not cocky if I’m right,” they shot back.
Kate crossed her arms, pressing the cup to her elbow. It felt cold against her skin, and it gave her a slight moment of relief from the buzzing heat that burrowed in her skin. “Right…”
“I’d love to take you someday,” Tyler said, tongue grazing over their teeth. “If you can still handle it, that is.”
Kate scoffed. “You think I can’t?”
“You tell me.”
Addy butted in, nudging Kate with her elbow, making Kate flinch and turn towards her. “Kate was really good at it, actually. We were trying to, uh, figure out how to tame tornados.”
“Tame tornados?” Tyler drawled, turning his gaze towards Addy. “Why’d you guys stop?”
Kate bit at her lip, taking the flesh in between her canines. “Until a tornado nearly killed my friends and I, and Addy nearly got impaled by a damn tree branch.”
“Kate,” Addy said, voice twinged with an air of warning. Kate sighed, giving Tyler a displeased look.
Tyler gave her a look of surprise, face twisted with astonishment. Then, he said, “…I guess that’ll do it.”
Kate raised an eyebrow. “Yeah.”
“Yeah…” Addy said awkwardly, laughing faintly, and the overall tone of it brought a muted smile to Kate’s face.
“What do you do?” Kate asked Tyler, then tacked on, “Asides from chasing tornados.”
Tyler shrugged. “That’s all, really. Our YouTube channel gets us a lot of money.”
“Huh,” she said tonelessly.
“A lot of their profit goes to charities, too,” Addy added, and Kate made a mild sound of surprise. “It’s really cool.”
“Huh,” she said again, more pleased than before, teeth grinding against each other at the satisfied grin that slid across Tyler’s face.
Tyler nodded along to Addy's praise. “You should come on my channel some day. Addy's already been on it a few times.”
“Yeah?”
Tyler smirked. “I’m sure we could have a very informative video, if you’re as smart as Addy tells me you are.”
Asshole, Kate thought. “I am.”
“I’d love to see it,” Tyler retorted. “You in action, I mean.”
A subconscious grin fell onto Kate’s face, thin and barely there, but she fought to tamper it down anyway. “Maybe if you ask nicely.”
“Seriously?” Tyler exclaimed.
Addy snorted, making Kate turn back towards her again. “Ty, why don’t you introduce Kate to the rest of the team? Maybe it’ll influence her…”
“Influence me?” Kate echoed incredulously, and Addy gave her a cheeky look.
“Come on, wouldn’t it be cool?” Addy asked.
“This is peer pressure.”
“I’m happy to introduce you,” Tyler chimed in. “They’d like you!”
“I’m sure,” Kate grumbled.
Addy nudged her. “Come on! Why don’t you go with Tyler?”
Kate blinked. “Where are you going?”
A sly glint in Addy's eyes made Kate glare at her with suspicion. “I saw some friends from work.”
“Can’t I come with you?” Kate asked.
Tyler made an offended sound. “What, I can’t keep you company?”
“No offense,” Kate started, giving Tyler an agitated look. “But I don’t even know you.”
“None taken,” Tyler said easily. “But, hey, Addy's friends are all nerds, and I’m sure I can entertain you better than they could.”
“They’re not nerds,” Addy complained. “He’s right, though. Ty has some interesting stories.”
Kate came to the realization that Addy was absolutely trying to set them up. Which, okay, sure— Tyler was nice to look at. But he was kind of a dick. However, Addy did often make friends with assholes, considering how nice she was, so maybe Tyler was nicer than they appeared to be.
“…fine,” Kate grumbled, pursing her lips.
“Don’t act so disappointed,” Tyler teased.
Addy took a large sip of her drink, wiping her mouth with her sleeve before giving the room a sweeping glance. “Don’t let Kate get lost, ‘kay?”
Tyler nodded, looking awfully serious. “Scouts honour.”
“I’m not a child!” Kate protested.
“I’m just teasing you,” Addy laughed, and pressed her palm against Kate’s shoulder. She lowered her voice slightly. “If you’re seriously uncomfortable, then you can come with me— or we can leave. But, y’know… Tyler’s your type. And he’s nice when they’re not being annoying.”
Kate, despite herself, didn’t mind being left alone with Tyler as much as she wanted to. “It’s… it’s fine, I guess. If you like them, then it can’t be that bad.”
Addy grinned, wide and toothy. She didn’t answer, instead clapping Kate’s shoulder lightly before tugging away. Tyler looked between the two of them, seeming slightly confused at the quiet conversation, but otherwise not questioning it.
“I’ll see you guys later, then,” Addy said, giving Tyler a look that seemed kind of protective. It made Kate raise an eyebrow. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice,” Tyler grumbled, and Addy’s lips twisted, but she didn’t protest. Addy nudged Kate as she left, weaving through the crowd of people. Somewhat sullenly, Kate watched her friend leave.
“…so,” Tyler said, drawing Kate’s attention back to her. “How come you’re back in Oklahoma?”
Kate shrugged. “Well… I work a lot. And, uh, I don’t get to see Addy and the others a lot. Not at all, really. But Halloween used to be our thing. So I took a few days off.”
“You came all the way from New York just to spend Halloween with them?”
“I’m here until Tuesday,” she added. “But I’ve been here since Wednesday…. What about you? Are you from here?”
Tyler nodded, taking a short sip of their drink. “Born and raised. I used to compete in Rodeos, but now, well, storm chasing takes up most of my time.”
Kate’s lip quirked, twisting into a small smirk. “A cowgirl?”
“The best in town,” Tyler added confidently, and Kate hummed. “I was going to dress up as one, but, well, that sounded unoriginal.”
“Unoriginal,” Kate echoed, gaze falling back down to her outfit. “…What are you supposed to be, anyway?”
Tyler’s eyebrows furrowed. “You can’t tell?”
“Not really?” Kate said, hoping that she sounded somewhat apologetic.
“The guy from Saltburn!”
Kate snorted. “Yeah, I’ve never seen that. And, uh, are you wings upside down on purpose?…”
“What?!” Tyler exclaimed, twisting awkwardly to peer at the wings plastered on his back. The golden wings were downturned, the flimsy straps attaching the article to her body straining at her moments. Kate’s mouth went dry, and Tyler groaned in annoyance. “Why didn’t anyone tell me!”
“It could’ve been on purpose?” Kate offered.
“It wasn’t!”
Kate laughed, disrupting Tyler’s annoyed grumbles as he went to fix the wings, and she covered her mouth to muffle the sound.
Tyler smiled, looking back at Kate as he adjusted the wings. They were upright now, curling upwards unlike before.
“How do they look?” Tyler asked.
Kate bit at her lip to tamper down her smile. “Like angel wings.”
“Oh, good,” Tyler said sarcastically. “That’s what I was going for. But, hey, you’ve never seen Saltburn?”
Kate shook her head. “Nah. I don’t watch a lot of movies.”
“We should watch it,” Tyler said, and Kate tilted her head. “I mean, I don’t mind rewatching it.”
A surprised giggle escaped Kate, and she smothered it down. “Are you— are you asking me out?”
“I thought that was clear,” Tyler retorted, not sounding particularly upset by the question, but under the varying coloured lights that illuminated the room, Kate caught a faint blush on her cheeks. “But. Yeah. I’m asking you out. We could go right now, actually.”
“It’s your party,” Kate reminded him.
Tyler shrugged. “I don’t mind. They won’t even notice I’m gone.”
Kate dragged her tongue against her teeth, considering it. “Where would we watch it?”
“I have a bedroom.”
“No, really?” Kate asked.
Tyler laughed, lips stretching to show their teeth, and Kate smiled. “Biggest one in the house, actually. Real big tv, too. Great quality. Lots of movies.”
“What about meeting your friends?” Kate said, thinking back to when Addy left the two of them alone.
Tyler pursed their lips. “C’mon, we both know you don’t really want to meet them.”
Kate snorted. “When did I say that?”
“You looked like you wanted to die when Addy suggested it.”
“Well…” Kate said, struggling to come up with an excuse, but her mind fell flat. She sighed, not at all upset about it. “No funny business.”
“No funny business,” Tyler said easily, a cheeky smile on his face.