Notice Me (Feat. BENEE).
Natalie Scatorccio definitely isn’t gay. Despite the way she dresses and her general dislike for most people and the colour pink, everyone at school knew that, even despite the rumours that she hooked up with half of the school- it was the male half they always spoke about.
So how come when she looked at Lottie Matthews for a bit too long during practice she noticed that her heart sped up- not like in the way she looked at Brian from the dive bar she snuck into a couple weeks ago with the fake ID Rob’s cousin got them.
No, it wasn’t anything like that because Natalie noticed Lottie didn’t wear her normal pink scrunchie this time, noticed that Lottie took a bit too long to pass the ball to Taissa quick enough and suffered a scolding from her in the locker rooms after practice. Natalie definitely noticed Lottie in the practice rooms- but it wasn’t like in the gay way no, Nat was just wondering where she got that cute set from that she definitely couldn’t afford anyways and fuck-
Natalie noticed she noticed a lot of things about Lottie.
That thought just pissed her more off as she slammed her locker door shut and stepped out of the changing rooms like usual, waiting for Van and Taissa; Van always offered her a free ride ever since they joined the team together, what was it she said? ‘Trailer trash gotta stick together’ or some other cliche thing that never failed to make Nat’s scoff in amusement.
The blonde lights up a cigarette before she tries to rewind her cassette to one of her favourite songs- taking shaky puff after shaky puff- regretting picking a skirt over a pair of her jeans in this September cold.
“Those are bad for you y’know” The voice breaks Nat out of her mindless train of thought as she turns to see Lottie Matthews against the wall staring down at her- a faint expression of amusement on her face and something else behind her eyes as they meet Natalies.
“Yeah well, not like you can talk” Natalie says with a small huff back; remembering when Lottie came up to her several times throughout the night at Mari’s house party last week to borrow a cigarette or twenty- not that Natalie minded it gave her an excuse to speak to her and- oh fuck.
“Mhm” She hums, looking down at Nat in thought before she opens her mouth “I’m a social smoker” The brunette says with a glimmer of amusement in her eyes- she’s joking, just like how they always do whenever the two of them alone; the thought helps Natalie quell whatever thought that was about to come up as she thinks of a witty response.
“We’re talking now ain’t we?” Nat says and yeah- that’s good, she could have thought of something better if she wasn’t so caught of guard at the fact that when Lottie smiles her teeth show and she’s almost sure that Lottie has fangs- but before she can linger on that thought she’s pulling out another cigarette from her pack. “Y’Want one?” and yeah,
Lottie definitely has fangs cause the offer makes her face light up even more and the sight makes something in Natalie stir as Lottie grabs the cigarette and Nat’s holding out the light for her.
For once she’s thankful for the cold cause at least she can blame it if Lottie asks why her hands are shaking so much before she puts the lighter away and they stand there in a comfortable silence smoking together- aside from the Baseball team now taking the field for their practice and the subtle buzz of Nat’s walkman.
“Watcha listening to?” Lottie however, eventually breaks said silence, brows furrowed the slightest as she looks Natalie up and down- not in the pitiful way Jackie does when Nat stumbles into practice rather than walks or the judgmental way Tai does after Natalie misses a easy pass, or the way any teenage boy looks at her with that expectation behind their eyes, or the way her mother now looks through her rather than at her with those glossy blank eyes ever after the accident with her dad- no Lottie looks at Natalie with interest, brown almost black eyes meeting a steel blues.
“It’s uhm-” Natalie takes a moment as she closes her eyes and concentrates on the lyrics before answering “Astronomy” She answers before opening her eyes and meeting Lottie’s gaze again, getting distracted in how she can see her reflection in the dark pools before she clarifies “by uh the Blue Oyster Cult”
“Sounds cool” Lottie says as she leans against the wall still; her practice bag slung around her shoulder as she stands there- probably waiting for Jackie and Shauna to give her a lift too like she's seen any times before “What’s your star sign?”
But before Natalie can answer a familiar redhead approaches from behind with their girlfriend in tow, “How’s it hanging Matthews?” Van says wrapping an arm around Natalies shoulders- something that all four of them know wouldn’t be accepted if it wasn’t Van doing it.
“Good, that bruise healing any better?” Lottie asks Van after she takes another puff of her own cigarette and Natalie notices how her stomach turns when her gaze is focused on the redhead next to her rather than her.
“Wouldn’t of been there if someone knew how to actually score a goal” Taissa answers for Van- clearly still a little pissed of at yesterday's scrimmage, the one where during penalty practice Allie put a little too much kick into her kick and it went full force into the redheads jaw.
“I’d be a shitty goalie if I didn’t block it-” Van replies but is cut short by Taissa interrupting her “You didn’t have to block it with your face Van-” and before she know’s it they’re back to bickering and Lotties gaze is back on her- an apologetic look- one that she tries not to revel in before she responds in kind with a look of her own as she shrugs Van’s arm off of her and puts her headphones around her neck.
“We better get going” Nat says with a small huff asks she puts out her cigarette and tries to redirect the couple; knowing it’s not an actual argument and that Tai’s just upset her girlfriend got hurt by something avoidable- which yeah, fair she’d be upset if Lottie got hurt like that too- fuck fuck fuck- Natalie scraps that thought before she can look into it deeper as she picks up her own bag a bit too eagerly.
“See you tomorrow Natalie” Lottie says with a shrug and that amused glint returns to her eyes and Nat recognises the emotion behind her eyes and it’s almost- fond and it makes Natalie's cheeks warm.
“Yeah, you too Lottie” She says back a bit too soft for her reputation- which they both somehow sense and that makes Natalie put her walls back up as she walks off in the general direction of the parking lot, Van and Taissa not too far behind her as they make their way to Van’s car.
Putting on her headphones to tune out the conversation between the couple as she slides into the backseat of Van’s car and looks out of the window- eyes lingering on the distant image of Lottie and the two approaching figures- Jackie and Shauna- before they’re pulling out of the parking spot and making their ways home.
Natalie Scatorrcio isn’t gay- no, not at all- but just maybe she really likes how the colour pink goes with Lottie Matthew’s black hair.