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Nat’s shoe kicks a rock. The sound echoes off the toe of the shoe, a dirty old pair of chucks she’s had for too many years, but carried too many memories to let go of. She huffed, the air she breathed out becoming clouds of smoke. It was the cold part of the year, and she felt far too unprepared for it. She pulled the leather jacket closer- it stiff from the cold, as it seeped into her bones.
Fucking early ass soccer practices. They were the bane of Nat’s existence.
And there she was, standing by the corner of the gym, in a skirt way too fucking short for this weather. Nat couldn’t complain about the way it showed off a pair of tan, long legs, accented with frilly white socks, and a pink pair of shoes to match.
“You’re going to freeze to death out here, you know?” Nat offers, taking the cigarette directly from Lotties mouth, and putting it in her own.
Lottie huffed, snatching the smoke right back, “Better than dealing with the two ice queens in there.”
Lottie didn’t need to elaborate, everyone on the team was far too familiar with Shauna and Jackie’s constant fights. And their constant need to involve everyone else in the fight with them.
“If everyone would just let me tell them they need to fuck and get over themselves, this wouldn’t be-“
“They need to come to that on their own, Natalie.”
Lottie had that fucking tone again. Nat would be complimented that she had earned a specific tone just for her, but it was always exasperated- and always telling her off.
“And in the meantime, we play wash, rinse, and repeat until they get their heads out of their asses.” Nat slumped against the wall, right next to Lottie, close enough that she glanced down, observing how close their shoes were to each other.
So she kicked her shoe into Lotties, and Lottie kicked hers back. Much harder.
“Ouch!” Nat complained, as if Lottie could actually manage to hurt someone, “You owe me a smoke now.”
Lottie rolled her eyes, taking the cigarette from her mouth, and offering it to Nat, before putting a new one in its place, “You could’ve just asked, instead of acting hurt, you know?”
Nat didn’t care to answer that. She kicked against the wall as she took a few puffs, the slight headache she had wearing off. If there was one thing that made being out in the New Jersey cold tolerable, it was Lottie Matthews, and one of the Winstons she favoured.
“Winter break plans?” Lottie asked.
Shit- Nat had forgotten that was just a few days away. They were practically sitting right on top of the holiday season. Nat never really felt merry, but this year she felt downright grinchy. It was going to be fucking weird to spend it without her dad, as much as the guy was an asshole, he had always pulled through for Christmas, making it the one day that Nat could just be what she was supposed to- their kid.
Her mind flashed back, just for a moment, to the sight of her father with a massive hole in his skull, and she involuntarily shivered.
Lottie looked at her like she had three heads. Actually, on second glance, Nat realised that it was concern.
“No plans.” Nat quickly answered, wanting that damn look to fade away, “Maybe not getting up at the ass crack of dawn because Taylor thinks that makes her a good captain.”
Lottie frowned. A pretty girl frown, because Lottie was one of those girls, but it got under Nat’s skin. She didn’t like being pitied.
“Well, my parents are in Switzerland again, something about Christmas markets, or business, I don’t know,” Lottie said, trying to fake nonchalance, but failing, just enough that showed the crack in her persona, “So if you find yourself bored, you can come over.”
“And what? We can have sleepovers together?”
Nat didn’t mean to laugh- it wasn’t an idea she hated.
“Maybe. Or we can drink until we happen to pass out in the same place.” Lottie caught her eye and smirked, “My dad never bothers to lock the liquor cabinet.”
Lottie had everything perfectly lined up to throw a rager, and yet she was- was what? Taking pity on the drop kick with no dad? Nat didn’t understand it, but Lottie Matthews was like a tangled up ball of yarn, and her hands got stuck anytime she tried to toy with it.
Nat opened her mouth to answer, but Jackie’s shrill voice cut through the cold air, “Matthews, get the fuc- Scatorccio, fin-a-fucking-ly! Get your uniform on girls! We have drills to run!”