BEAUTIFUL CRAZY

one. sir pain in the ass

It was true that Wren Cortez always saw herself leaving Oklahoma. She had big dreams... Well, not really. She was never sure what she wanted to do, she just knew that she wanted out. Out of the small town that felt like a cage. Out of the house that smelt like smoke and cheap whisky. Out of the grief that lingering in her entire body.

From a young age, all Wren knew was pain and destruction, and because of that she found solace when the skies would twist, bending the clouds against their will until a vortex struck the ground. So, there she stood in the middle of the grazing field, her eyes cast upon the darkened sky as rain pelted her. She couldn't look away from the tunnel of doom as it tore onto the barn three fields over, mesmerized by it.

And she was unbothered as a cow, her neighbor's she presumed, was pulled into the tornado.

There was a part of her that willed it to turn, to take out her house and the man that was passed out drunk on the couch. Even the barn, which had become her hide out... there was no part of that farm that she wanted to survive even if that meant she went up with it.

But it never came her way. It never granted her freedom... and that wasn't something a ten-year-old usually asked for.

Years later, freshly twenty-three, she had accepted that this was the only home she'd ever know.

Sure she had left her father's house the day she turned eighteen. And she had worked her ass off just trying to keep her head above the water, but it was never enough. Not even when the big tippers rolled into town, but she had grown accustomed to her day-to-day, to her routine.

Even if that routine was mostly centered around a dusty bar that was planted in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma. Somewhere between Sapulpa and Tulsa on a stretch of road that went on for miles. An odd place for a random bar, but they had a steady stream of business so she couldn't complain. And having a motel just a mile down the road helped, too.

Stubby's Saloon – named for the owner's love of old western movies – was what you expected it to be. It had a charm that screamed Oklahoma with rodeo memorabilia covering every inch of the walls, horse saddle bar stools, and a small stage set up for karaoke.

And the small little stage had become Wren's home when she picked up the mic on a slow Friday night. She belted out Jolene and the drunk customers were enthralled, as was Stubby, which is how she got the Friday night slot just before midnight – the best slot.

Applause filled the dimly lit bar, hands slapping together as whistles and cheers erupted. Wren couldn't stop her smile from growing as she bowed. "Thank you, and remember to tip your bartenders." With that she left the stage with a wave, but the applause continued. It wasn't like she had fans, no, just a few regulars that enjoyed hearing her sing some of the classics.

She smiled as she weaved through the crowd, waving when she saw a familiar face, and when she reached the bar, the girl behind it grinned, "look at you, superstar." she teased, merely glancing up as she poured a line of shots, not caring about the Tequila that split onto the bar.

"Shut up," Wren rolled her eyes, but her smile stayed intact as she rounded the bar. Then she scanned the crowd that had formed, "who's next?"

"Jack Daniels, on the rocks!" the man shouted over the music, which flooded through the speakers from the old jukebox in the corner.

"Coming right up, sugar," she nodded, quickly grabbing a glass, filling it with ice and pouring in the whiskey. "There you go," she pushed it across the counter and he slid a fifty her way with a wide smile.

"Keep the change," he winked and turned away, she gave Savannah a wide-eyed look as she pocketed it before helping the next customer.

"Finally," Savannah slumped into a chair, making Wren laugh as she swept. "Closing time is my favorite."

"We know," the younger girl mumbled. "But you could help, you know, get us out of here on time for once."

"Yeah, I like that plan." Austin quipped from where he stood behind the bar, drying the last of the glasses. "And maybe if you get off your cute little ass, we could convince Wren to sing us a little ditty."

The girl laughed at his choice of words, "ain't singing no ditty."

"Then a whole song," Savannah offered as she pushed herself up, lifting her chair onto the table. "It'll help me work faster."

The youngest of the three rolled her eyes, but made her way to the jukebox. She knew it like the back of her hand by now and it took no time at all for her to choose her song. She smiled, swaying as the music started, then she turned and looked over her shoulder, "Let's go, girls!"

She was still singing the song as she carried a trash bag to the dumpster after locking up – she was the last to leave the bar. Once she tossed the trash she made her way to her old beat up chevy, just as the sun started to peak over the horizon.

The truck whined, but rumbled to life and she smiled as Dierks Bentley spilled out of her speakers – well, speaker, the one in the left door was busted. She hummed along, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel as she made her drive home.

But her truck, dub Sir Pain in the ass, had other plans. She had only gotten a mile or so down the road before he sputtered out and just shut off completely, "Son of a bitch!" she huffed as smoke rose from under the hood. "And they always ask why I named you Sir Pain in the ass." she muttered as she slid out of the truck, not caring much as the rain pelted her, then she yanked the wheel so the tires were pointed towards the ditch.

"It's 'cause you're a pain in the ass," she continued as she slammed the door and moved towards the bed of the truck, and with a breath and a shove she pushed the truck into the grass. Once it was out of the road, she grabbed her bag and started down the road, luckily she had worn her comfy boots.

If only she had an umbrella.

If there was one thing she loved about Oklahoma, it was the vast amounts of land. She loved the fields upon fields of wheat, or cows. She loved the privacy it gave her from the rest of the world. Though in this situation, she wished there was at least a payphone within sight.

She had been walking for hours, the rain falling steadily, quietly singing along to a number of songs that had taken up most of her brain. Getting bored she held her arms straight out, watching her feet as she put one in front of the other on the white line. She still had miles to go, endless miles but she didn't care too much.

She stopped when the wind picked up, a strong gust pushing past her, she squinted her eyes as she glanced up at the sky. It had darkened and the clouds were thick.

With a huff, she turned and made her way back towards her truck, it was better to wait out the weather then to trek through it for several more miles. Especially with the fog that she could see rolling in from the distance. She chuckled a little when thunder shook the ground, "yeah, just my luck."

The drops of rain grew heavier, the thunder seemed louder and the lightning that struck the ground had her moving her feet just a little faster across the wet pavement. She wondered why she hadn't seen any cars out, but even if she did she was opposed to getting into a car with a stranger. Self-preservation and all.

She looked up at the sky as the clouds started to twist, she knew what that meant... "Fuck," she glanced around, hoping to find some sort of shelter as the wind blew stronger, nearly knocking her off her feet as she fought with her rain-soaked hair, she saw an overpass, and while she felt uneasy about it, it was better then standing in the middle of the road like a lunatic. So she ran for it, her eyes squinted against the rain as she reached the grass.

Behind her, the tornado had formed, pulling down power lines and picking up fence posts but she just pumped her legs faster, adrenaline drumming in her ears, until her foot got caught in a gopher hole. She let out a scream as her ankle twisted then she hit the wet ground, her jaw clenched and she pushed herself up but when she took a step she lost her balance as she hit the ground again, mud sticking to her clothes.

"Come on, let's go!" She sat up, her brows pinched, sure enough no one else was around. She hadn't seen a car for hours and there's no way anyone would drive into a tornado willingly. "Hurry!" She spotted four people, just as one was picked up and whisked away.

"Shit," she muttered, shoving herself up despite the pain. "Hey!" she shouted, forcing herself to run as fast as she could, "Help!"

A girl stopped, her eyes finding Wren, then she was running in her direction.

"Kate!" the guy behind her shouted, "Kate!"

"I've got you," Kate rushed out, pulling Wren's arm over her shoulders. "Come on." Wren just nodded, but it was clear they weren't moving fast enough. Another girl approached them, her glasses resting on her nose and without a word, she grabbed Wren's other arm.

"Come on! Let's go, let's go!" The guy yelled, he too had rushed towards them, nearly lifting Wren off her feet and away from the other two. When they reached the underpass, he started up the steep incline, Kate behind him.

"Thank you, I-"

"Just climb!" the guy shouted over his shoulder as he reached the top. Wren simply closed her mouth and climbed, tears welling in her eyes. But she pushed past the pain, a yelp leaving her lips when a piece of metal flew towards them and sliced Kate's thigh.

"Fuck," Wren muttered, her eyes wide then she reached up and pushed on the girl's ass.

"Kate, come on!" the guy reached down and held his hand out, pulling Kate towards him as Wren pushed.

"Where's Praveen!" Kate shouted over the rush of the wind as she looked back, realizing they had lost one.

"Kate!" The blonde with the glasses shouted, still at the bottom. Her sneakers had no traction, Wren could see that. She braced herself, pressing her boot onto a patch of grass then she turned, holding her right hand out.

"Come on!" She shouted, her arm extended as far it could go. "I've got-" just as they locked fingers a cluster of fence posts and barbed wire smashed right into the little blonde, the wire winding itself around Wren's arm, and in the next second the girl was gone and blood spilled down from severely deep cuts on the bartender's arm. "No!"

She didn't know the blonde, hell, she didn't even know the two who had reached the top, but she couldn't stop the tears from forming. She had never seen anyone die, much less someone that had just been within reach.

"Come on!" She felt a jerk on her shoulder and she was yanked upwards. She climbed, using her arm even though it hurt like a bitch. "Hurry! Kate, put your arms around the rail!" Kate did as told, sliding into the little cubby around the rail, then the guy looked at Wren. "You, too! Go!" He ushered her forward and she didn't complain as she slid beside Kate, her arms tight around the rail even if it hurt like hell.

Then the guy laid over the girls, "It's gonna be okay! Keep holding on! I've got you! I've got you, Kate! I've got-" he too was ripped away and Wren held tighter to the rail, even wrapping her arm around Kate as the other girl screamed, reaching back for the boy.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Wren sobbed, her face tucking into Kate's shoulder. "I'm sorry!"

NOVA SPEAKS

this book has become my obsession. I've been working on it for two days almost non-stop and i'm really looking forward this it!

hope you enjoy!!