Work Text:
1 month earlier
“What happened to us, Natalie?”
Lottie was laying on the grass beside him.
His heart dropped. “W-what?”
“We haven’t hung out like this since…” Lottie’s voice faded.
“Since 8th grade, late October,” Nat mumbled.
“I just got busy…”
“Too busy for me,” Lottie’s voice begged.
Why does Lottie always do that to Nat. Whenever Lottie’s voice gets sad or there’s a hint of emotion that she’s holding back. Natalie can’t help but indulge.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn't of,” Lottie reached out her hand cradling Nat’s face.
“No, I just caught up with my Dad and I didn’t want to put all that on you, knowing all the shit you deal with at home,”
“Nat I wouldn’t care about that, I just wanted my best friend,” Lottie kissed Nat’s cheek as he let out a tear.
Lottie was always so touchy with him even when they were kids. So this felt warm. So comfortable that Natalie could sleep in it and he almost did. If Lottie hadn’t asked to go home.
—————
Present day
“Wake up Van it’s your turn,” Natalie teased. Tai gave Van a playful shove to add onto the joke.
They were at Jackie’s house celebrating their recent win. They were now fourth in the championship with one more game to go and if they won that one they could get to first place.
Jackie decided to invite the JV, just to be nice.
“Okay, Nat,” Vans eyes closed again, she was high as a kite. The whole team was from her cookies she so graciously gave out.
“Truth or dare,”
“Umm dare,” Nat grinned and took out the smoke from his lips.
The whole group erupts into ‘ohhhhhhh’ and laughter as Van, Tai and Mari huddled together to form a dare worthy of Natalie Scatorrico.
“Come on, Van,” Jackie rushed.
“Oh, yes, yes, yes,” Mari exited the little huddle and sat back in her seat. Van and Tai followed.
Van stood up like it was serious and waved her hands as if to give an annocomment.
“You,” Van’s finger pointed at Nat. “Have to make out with Lottie.” Vans point traveled to the girl sitting across from Nat and right next to Mari.
The whole group hollered. Everyone except Shauna and Laura lee. The blonde was helping the brunette lay down on a sun chair. Shauna just couldn’t hold her pot.
Natalie looked over to Jackie for permission. The girl in question was already looking at him.
Earlier in the year before Jackie and Natalie took their month break Jackie had cried to Natalie in person about how Jackie didn’t like the “problem” of the openness in their relationship. Natalie really didn’t see it as a problem but it made Jackie cry and he really did like this girl. He listened when Jackie voiced how she didn’t like hearing a guy talk about how he fucked Natalie last night. Even though Natalie had pleaded that he still loved Jackie just how Jackie loved him, It wasn’t enough for the perfect princess.
So Natalie stopped texting that guy. He didn’t go to any parties that he knew would have good beer or weed. He stopped and made himself Jackie’s.
“No, no I’m not doing that,” Natalie answered.
“You're backing out,” Taissa’s face morphed into surprise and disappointment.
Call him a wuss, a pussy, whatever. All Natalie knew was that he didn’t want to ruin a good thing. A thing that made him feel happy and safe and he definitely didn’t want to see Jackie cry like that again, not at least because of him.
“No, it’s okay Natalie. I really don’t care,” Jackie had a grin on her face and turned away from Natalie. “I mean…it’s up to you,” she shrugged.
On second thought; Lottie was hot. Like hottest girl in the school levels hot and the girl knew it too. Even if she didn’t act like it all the time. Natalie also hung out with Lottie a lot during the one month break. They had gotten closer like how they were friends in 8th grade. In middle school Nat had formed a crush on Lottie. So Nat did the only thing he knew how to when he was scared and he distanced himself.
So now seeing Lottie smirk at the opportunity to kiss him did nothing but make his heart beat faster though he tried not to focus on it, for Jackie’s sake.
“Oh, trouble in paradise,” Mari always brought her unwanted commentary.
The groups shared a collective laugh again.
“Am I the only one that’s still hungry,” one of the JV spoke.
“That’s what happens when you eat vegan burgers,” Van slurred. “They are soooooooo not filling,” she took another sip of her drink.
“But you're the one who ate the most of them, Van,” Jackie teased.
“Yeah, because they don’t fill you up at all Jackie, you really don’t have any normal meat in this house,”
“Okay…um, dare,” Mari tried to get the game back absentmindedly.
“If you won’t make out, then you have to bring us some snacks,” Tai cut in.
Lottie looked over to Natalie. Wordlessly accepting the offer.
“And whoever brings the best snacks can skip the next round,” Van continued in her high state of speech.
Lotties hummed. “That should be easier then kissing Natalie,”
“What do you mean Lot,” Natalie moved his hands to show attention to his body. “I’m hot,”
“Yeah,” Lottie paused. “But you’re not my type,”
“What’s your type then,” Mari asks, more noisy than ever.
“Church girls?” Van interjected. Putting out Lottie’s business and doubling over in laughter where she sat.
“Shut up,” Lottie downed the rest of her drink in a hurry. She got on her feet to go look for snacks in Jackie’s house.
“Oh, Lot thinks I’m not good enough for her,” Natalie smirked and crushed his smoke in the grass, following Lottie into the house.
——-
Nat opened a cabinet and softly shut it when he found nothing useful inside.
“Hey, no fair, you know this house better than I do,” Lottie catches up to him. Natalie is surprisingly fast when he knows what he wants and what he’s looking for.
Natalie ignored Lottie’s whining and continued looking at a shelf above his previous one.
“Fuck yeah,” Natalie praised.
The cabinet had salsa, fruit snacks, pretzels, name brand chips, and a bottle of whiskey?
Lottie’s hands went straight for the alcohol.
“Holy shit, this whiskey ,” Natalie watched as the taller girl examined the bottle.
“My mom loves it, she guards it like diamonds or something, I’d always get caught trying to drink a little,” Lottie mused.
“Yeah, when my uncle came around he’d only bring that on Christmas,” it wasn’t a complete lie, though Nat’s uncle stopped coming around when he was 10.
“Have you tried it?” A smirk was on Lottie’s face as she hovered over the bottle's cap and began to twist it open.
“No, he wouldn’t let me, and we probably shouldn’t drink it since it’s Jackie’s-“
The look on Lotties face stopped Nat’s sentence. The curve of Lottie’s smirk, the playfulness in her eyes. Lottie was ready to get in trouble or she just didn’t care. What made Nat shut up even more was how close Lottie was getting. The taller girl moved, the now opened, bottle close to Nat’s mouth.
“But you want to?” Nat could feel the cold of the glass across his lips.
Before Nat could speak his worry. Lotties pulled back the top of the bottle, right were Nat’s lips had been, onto her mouth.
Nat watched her drink a good amount of the liquid inside the mostly empty bottle.
Nat caught himself smiling for a second. It was kinda sweet seeing her middle school friend, who used to be scared of getting called on by the teacher, be a delinquent.
Nat raised his hand near the bottom of the bottle Lottie was still drinking from.
“Jackie will kill me if her mom finds out…”
Lottie chuckled and finally stopped drinking. Her eyes stayed on Natalie. Not leaving him for a second as she slowly put the cap back on the bottle. Winking at Nat when she finished swallowing.
Nat found himself smiling again and he felt dominant heat grow in his stomach. He glanced at Lottie’s full lips and he hoped Lottie pretended not to notice.
Lottie moved closer, leaving no more than 4 inches between her and Nat. Her eyes looked so intense it made Nat want to disappear.
“Natalie?” A voice spoke loud. It was probably Mrs. Taylor.
Nat pushed Lottie against a wall near the refrigerator. It was the only thing big enough to hide Lottie’s tall frame. Nat pushed himself up on Lottie. Making them smaller near the impossibly white piece of furniture.
Nat placed his fingers on Lottie’s mouth to cover up a sound Lottie made when her back hit the wall.
Once they heard the sound of hurried steps walking away and going upstairs.
Nat let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He also realized exactly what position he was in with Lottie. Lottie, a girl most boys would give their soul away to kiss her, and Lottie was looking extra pretty today too. She re-curled her hair, put on one of those skirts that left little room for the imagination and had on a cropped shirt to show off her toned stomach, but maybe she was doing all of that for the church girl’s attention.
Lottie was looking down at Natalie. Her eyes were wide and full of need. Natalie couldn’t hear anything; his heartbeat was the only sound. The commotion of all their friends outside faded away as Nat moved his hand and their lips met.
Lottie’s lips were incredibly soft and addicting. Nat deepens the kiss by titling his head. Lottie’s kiss was hungry and wanting. Lottie soon bit at Nat’s bottom lip hearing a groan of satisfaction from him encouraged her to go lower. Lottie continued on Nat’s neck no doubt leaving something for the blonde to cover up later.
Her hands were on Nat’s hips. Keeping him steady on her leg. They continued like this for a while. Feeding into each other's wants and needs.
Natalie wasn't technically dating Jackie, and he had wanted Lottie for so long, and Jackie said it was okay so why did this feel kind of wrong. The weed, alcohol and guilt, upsetted Nat’s stomach. Nat pushed back gently. His hands lay on Lottie’s shoulders. He felt Lottie squeeze his hips in desperation to continue.
Natalie honestly loved the way Lottie looked here. Her hair ruffled, her top almost exposing her chest and her lipgloss smeared across her kissable and slightly swollen lips.
Damn I did a good job.
His chest heaved, he had missed this freakishly tall girl so much.
“Snacks?” Nat exhaled.
Lottie’s brows furrowed and she looked confused.
“Oh,” Lottie turned her face down. “Right, snacks.”
Natalie caught Lottie’s disappointed smile.
—————————-
“Where have you guys been,” Tai’s down was sharp. Someone definitely had the munchies.
“Relax,” Natalie sneered.
“Snacks, Snacks,” Lottie made a show of it, tossing small bags of selected chips to anyone with their hands up. Natalie followed.
Both teams cheered and caught their bags, ripping them open as soon as they landed in their hands.
Lottie and Nat split their ways. Not before stealing a glance at each other.
Nat glided over to Jackie, who was eagerly waiting for him by the drinks table.
“Hey,” Jackie greeted, pulling Natalie close to her by his jacket.
“Hey,” Nat let her.
Jackie gave him a kiss. A quick and soft one, they were in public after all.
When Jackie saw Nat’s goofy grin she kissed him again, and again.
“I love this song,” Natalie interrupted.
Jackie pulled him impossibly close.
“I heard this band is coming to town soon,”
“Oh?” A smirk peeled on Nat’s face
“I can probably get us tickets,” Jackie swayed them to the music.
“Yeah?” One thing good about being Jackie’s boy fling thing was her princess status to everyone around her, even her parents, means she could get you almost anything.
“Yeah.” Jackie raised her eyebrows and went in for another kiss.
Nat closed his eyes but when he didn’t feel the sweet pressure of Jackie’s lips he opened them to make sure Jackie didn’t suddenly turn into dust or something.
“Is that a hickey?” Jackie backed up and folded her arms.
Nat hated lying but he was a pro at it.
“What where?,” his hand reached his neck.
“I can’t believe it,”
“It’s probably just a bruise from practice.” Nat rubbed his neck again.
Jackie’s eyes drated to Lottie across the lawn and Nat’s followed. She was talking to Mari. God help that girl. That junior won’t leave her alone. Lottie caught them looking at her and she smiled at Natalie.
“It was her, right?”
“Jackie, please, don’t start this again,” Nat turned and poured her a pink drink, remembering just how she likes it.
“Come on,” Nat gave a full grin.
Jackie gave into that smile she thought was so cute. Nat wrapped a comforting shoulder around Jackie’s back and lead both of them back to the group.
Nat tried to wash down the guilt at the top of his throat with alcohol the whole night, it sucked when Lottie had to take him home early.