electric touch - lottienat

iii

where did i go wrong? i lost a friend, somewhere a long in the bitterness

and i would have stayed up with you all night

had i known how to save a life

- the fray

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It's been two days since Lottie met with Coach Martinez in his office to talk about tutoring Natalie. And in those two days she hasn't seen Natalie once. She wasn't in any of her classes, she wasn't at lunch (she usually isn't anyway) but Lottie had hoped. She hoped she'd be at practice the next day too, but of course she wasn't.

Now she's annoyed sitting her history class not paying attention to whatever the teacher is rambling on about. She already knows what happens during the Great Depression in the 1920s. Bouncing her leg and tapping her pencil on her purple note book while her mind is elsewhere.

Thankfully, the bell rings and Lottie is saved from history class. She stands up and grabs her things as she makes her way to the cafeteria for lunch. Still absent mildly thinking about where the hell the blonde haired girl could be.

"Earth to Lottie?" Taissa says as she sits down at the shared lunch table waving her hand in front of Lottie's face. Following Taissa is Van and the rest of her team.

"Huh, what?" She replies as she snaps out of her haze, noticing that Shauna, Jackie, Laura Lee and Misty have all joined her around the circular lunch table.

"Whatcha thinking about Lot," Laurie lee asks innocently.

"Has anyone seen Natalie," Lottie questions as she looks around the table. Shauna shrugs and shakes her head no, along with Misty and Jackie.

"Probably under the bleachers smoking again, or somewhere else drinking. You know how she is," Tai replies dryly.

"Tai be nice," Van says as she nudges her. Lottie doesn't really like how Tai is talking about Natalie in a negative tone. She doesn't know Natalie, or what she could be going through.

"I'm just saying, she's a burnout, that's usually what they do when they don't go to class."

"That's our teammate Tai, burnout or not you could at least pretend to care," Jackie speaks up as captain of the soccer team.

Lottie has already stopped listening. She's back to trying to think of where this girl could be, especially since her teammates were no help to her. Jackie changed the subject to Jeff, no shock there. Shauna immediately rolled her eyes at the name and Lottie couldn't help but laugh. That girl is so in love, she thought.

Abruptly, Lottie stands up and leaves the table grabbing her things in the process. She heads out to the field because ironically, that's where she does her best thinking, when she's not thinking at all.

Her plaid skirt and pink sweater were unfortunately not the best attire to wear when out on the field so she opted for sitting in the bleachers.

Laying down staring at the sky she thinks, Where the hell are you Scatoricco? She can't help but be worried. She's her friend after all. At least Lottie considers her a friend even if Natalie doesn't. She sits there for what feels like hours, watching the clouds make their way across the sky.

20 minutes later, the bell rings and she heads back inside for her next class. On her way down the bleachers she can't help but peak under to see if Natalie is there.

But of course she's not.

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Natalie didn't intend to skip two days of school and practice. But after the last beating from her father she needed to be alone. Away from people, humanity. She never understood how someone who was supposed to love her unconditionally ended up being the person who hurts her the most.

She spent the last two days rotating between a near by spot up on a mountain that she liked to go when she needed a break from the world and her bed in her trailer, but only at late hours of the night when she knew her father would be asleep.

You could see everything from that cliff. You could see the ocean in the distance and you could see the New York City skyline. You could turn around and see more mountains that seemed like they went on for miles. It always amazed Natalie how one spot could show so much of the world. Up there she felt unstoppable, like nothing could touch her. The people at school who call her a burnout, her father, the teachers at school giving her disapproving looks and lectures for the hundredth time. Up on that mountain top, she truly felt infinite.

She found this spot when she was younger. The night after her dad first hit her, she ran out the trailer and just kept running. And running, and running. Until she ended up there. And she sat there all night. Only going home because she was hungry and couldn't stay up in the wilderness forever. But, ever since then, when the world got to be too much, she went there.

The next day when Natalie wakes up the last thing she wants to do is go to school. Her face is bruised and she has to put an extensive amount of makeup on to cover it up yet again. She already missed two days of school and practice, what was one more? But she went anyway.

As she was walking towards the door, she ran into Kevyn, who was already trying to convince her to ditch class and smoke.

Lottie however, had other plans. She was sat across the courtyard talking to Shauna and Jackie about the upcoming game this weekend when Jackie pointed her out, almost in shock.

She didn't even think she just marched over there and grabbed Natalie by the arm and led her to the nearest janitor's closet.

"What the hell Lottie?" Natalie asks as Lottie stands in front of her blocking the door.

"Me? What the hell? How about where the hell have you been! Missed two days of class and practice? You're gonna get kicked off the team if you don't fix your grades and we need you Nat," Lottie explains as she looks Natalie up and down. Classic Natalie, wearing black faded Jeans, a black and white stripped t-shirt, combat boots and leather jacket. She looks kinda hot.

"None of your fucking business Matthews," Natalie replies as she tried to make her way around the taller girl.

Unfortunately for her, Lottie doesn't move. Instead grabbing Natalie's arms and holding her in place. That's when she sees it. A faint cut on her cheek bone and heavily blended concealer under her left eye.

"Nat what happened to you," she asks as her tone goes from annoyed to concerned.

"Nothing. I'm fine-" Natalie begins but is cut off by Lottie again.

"Natalie," her tone more stern this time. Forcing Natalie to come up with a lie on the spot.

"Kids were picking on Misty again, so I took care of it. You should see them if you think this is bad," She tries to joke as she rubs the back of her neck.

"When exactly did you 'stick up for Misty' when you haven't been here in two days?" Now she's just concerned. Is Nat in trouble? Who hurt her?  She swears if she finds out who did this to Natalie she's gonna kill them.

Shit. Of course Lottie fucking Matthews noticed she hasn't been here in two days. None of her other teammates would've. Run. That's what Natalie knows how to do best. Run when things get tough. Run when things get too real. She immediately starts to think of ways to get around the girl. Push her over? Crawl under her long legs? Both are terrible ideas. She doesn't want to hurt her, friend?

"Look it's a long fucking story that I don't have time for. I gotta get to class so I don't, you know, fail?" Nat says in a sarcastic tone.

"Library. 2:30. You better be there Natalie. I'm just trying to help you."

Lottie moves out of the way and lets Natalie storm out of the closet.

I never asked for your fucking help Lottie Matthews.

She doesn't go to class.

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And so it begins! Hope you enjoyed.