Chapter Text
Practice sessions had gotten longer since the team made Nationals. Coach Martinez wanted to do twice as many drills as they normally did, plus endurance training.
The day before they left for Nationals, Coach Martinez had them practicing penalty kicks. Even after Allie got hurt, they each had to score 10 in a row before they could all go home. The JV keeper was in goal, so it was really easy. Natalie liked doing this drill because she could show off a little bit.
Since Misty was finalizing travel plans with Coach Scott in the office, Travis Martinez was in charge of putting the ball on the spot before each goal.
“A little straighter, would you, Martinez?” Natalie insisted.
Travis raised an eyebrow. “Afraid you couldn’t kick it in from even an inch further than the spot?”
“Y’know what I could kick in-”
“Oh my God, Nat. Just go. Some of us have plans after this,” Jackie interrupted from a few spots behind her in line. Maybe Natalie had plans, too, but of course, Jackie would think she didn’t. Not that Jackie was mean or anything, but she wasn’t exactly the type to think that Natalie would have something planned for Friday night other than smoking a pack and finding a rando to hook up with.
Natalie went up to the penalty box, moved the ball back another few feet, and scored without worry. “I can handle more than a few extra inches, Martinez.”
Travis looked stunned. Some of the other girls looked a little scandalized by the implications of her comment. He turned around and went to fetch the ball. Travis was wearing a worn pair of jeans and sneakers.
Natalie, now finished with her ten penalty kicks, sat on the bench next to Rachel, who was also done. Rachel, like Allie, was upset about missing the prom.
“My sister even gets to go. It’s totally not fair,” Rachel said to her.
Natalie tried to act like she didn’t care. But, truthfully, Natalie was a little sad about missing the prom too. Not that she would ever tell anyone. Well, anyone except-
“Ladies, let’s go inside and discuss strategy,” Coach Martinez yelled.
The group gathered into little huddles to walk inside. Natalie walked by herself, which she never really minded. She wouldn’t describe any of the girls on the team as her “friends” off the field. They were nice, sure. But not all that close.
Coach Martinez spent the next 45 minutes or so explaining the tactics that they would use during the Nationals tournament in Seattle. 50 teams in the tournament meant a whole lot of games. The tournament got some big sponsors this year, so it was a bigger event than it normally was.
After the tactics discussion, Coach Scott came in to discuss the “appropriate conduct” for a team during a nine-day tournament.
“When you are hanging around, you are not only representing the team or Wiskayok, but the entire state of New Jersey. That means being polite. Saying please and thank you. Not swearing too much. No-I repeat- No contraband. This includes drugs, alcohol, and weapons of any kind. Anything may be confiscated by Coach Martinez or me.”
Everyone looked at Natalie.
Natalie nodded along like she was going to follow the rules.
Coach Scott continued. “Curfew is strictly 10 o’clock, unless you are participating in an official tournament event. You are going to be exhausted after playing so many games. At the end of the day, this is a tournament of endurance, not of strength. Do not leave the hotel at night.”
Natalie was itching to get going. Unlike what Jackie had assumed earlier, she did have plans, people (well, someone ) to see after this. He was probably getting antsy waiting for her.
Finally, Coach Martinez said that he would see them at 8 the next morning. “No later than 8, ladies.”
They all hit the showers, and the normal locker room gossip began. “I heard that Kelly is going with the quarterback from Southbridge,” Jackie began.
“Nuh uh,” Lottie countered. “Kelly has been seen around town with Jacob Reynolds.”
Natalie was already showered and in her black jeans. No one else had even gotten out of their practice uniform.
“Hot date tonight, Scatorccio?” Van teased.
All eyes went to Natalie. “Yeah. I’ve got to get my night started if I have to be up with you lot so early tomorrow,” she said with a wink. Natalie never told anyone where she was going or who she was doing it with. Most people assumed it was Kevyn, but they hadn’t really seen Kevyn around recently. The team was pretty sure that Natalie had just been hanging alone.
“You are going to the party tonight? All the rest of the seniors are coming, so you have to be there, Nat,” Jackie said.
“Mmm hmm, yeah. I’ll make an appearance,” Natalie replied, smoothing over her damp hair and putting her bag over her shoulder.
“You better show up,” Taissa shouted as Natalie rushed out of the locker room. Natalie gave a thumbs-up as she exited the room.
Natalie rushed outside. A certain dark-haired, dark-eyed, warm-hearted boy was leaning up against a pole, waiting for her a couple of blocks away from the school.
She tapped his shoulder. “You waiting for someone?”
Travis turned around. “Nah, just heard soccer practice gets out soon and I wanted to see if I could bum a cigarette off any of them,” he teased.
Natalie smiled and put her arms around his waist. “Good job at practice today, ball boy.”
He kissed her damp hair. “Did I go too far? I thought it sounded natural at the time.”
Afraid you couldn’t kick it in from even an inch further? Travis had said that to deflect from any suspicions that people on the team had about him and Natalie being together.
“It was perfect, Trav. I thought it was pretty sexy, actually.”
Travis looked around before grabbing her hand. “Ready to go?”
They ran fast to his car, eliminating the chance that anyone would recognize them.
They had started dating at the beginning of the soccer season, months and months ago. The fascination had always been there. Natalie was interested in Travis’s quiet angst. He looked like he either cared so much or so little, and Natalie was determined to figure out which one of those options it was. Travis could read Natalie from the beginning. What started as bickering flirtation turned into mutual respect during a late-night detention that they both happened to be in. They got to talking (and then passing notes when Mrs. Altermyer told them to hush). Natalie’s smile reached her eyes for the first time in years. Travis offered to drive her home. She said yes. They both got detention on purpose the next week, and eventually, they just stopped looking for excuses to run into each other and made plans.
Their first kiss had been in the drive-thru getting ice cream after school. Travis was driving the old pick-up truck that his dad kept threatening to sell. Natalie was perched in the passenger seat, legs crossed.
“Fuck. I forgot my wallet,” Travis cursed.
“I can pay for it. It’s like a buck, Travis,” Natalie said.
“I’ll get you back next time,” Travis promised.
Natalie waited a beat. “Or you could kiss me… that would cover it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
They leaned in and kissed each other in the drive-thru. The center console stopped them from getting too close, but it wasn’t the type of kiss where they needed to be pressed up against each other. It was soft and gentle. It only ended because they were smiling too hard to keep going. And the car behind them honked at Travis and gestured rudely.
“Worth it,” Travis muttered.
Natalie giggled.
They got their ice cream and kissed some more in the parking lot. “I like you,” came out of both of their mouths, and they ended up with ice cream all over their noses. Travis held her hand the rest of the night.
They started dating not long after that. But they didn’t tell anyone. Travis’s dad would be too mad if he were dating a star of the team (little did Coach Martinez know that Natalie always played better if Travis was there). They also knew that no one at school would keep it a secret from Coach Martinez. So, they kept it their thing. Stolen moments in Travis’s car after school. When Natalie’s mom was out (which was more often than not), Travis would come over. Sometimes they put on Nirvana, and Natalie gave her commentary while Travis played with her hair. Sometimes they made brownies and licked the batter out of the bowl. Once, they watched a movie so sad that they cried on and off for the rest of the night.
The first time they said I love you was in Travis’s room. It was winter. Natalie was wearing his flannel shirt over her dress. They were still a little high from sharing a joint a little bit ago. No one was home except them and Travis’s little brother.
“You don’t have any pictures of me in your room?” Natalie teased, looking around.
“Look again, Nat,” Travis said.
She scanned the room. “Not seeing anything.”
Travis sat up and lifted a New York Yankees tapestry that was right above his headboard. A couple of dozen pictures of them, receipts from dates, and notes that she passed him in class were all pinned to the wall. Natalie looked at each of them carefully.
“Trav…”
“You don’t have to say anything. I like having pictures of what I love in my room.”
Her breath hitched, and he realized what he had just said. “I just meant-”
“I love you, too, Travis,” she interrupted.
They kissed until the high wore off. They didn’t need to reach for the second joint that Natalie brought. Travis put on a mixed tape on his stereo that started with Into Dust by Mazzy Star and only got moodier from there. Natalie took his flannel off, so she was just wearing her dress. It got dark outside. Travis’s room grew hot as they did nothing but make out until the mix tape stopped. It was slow, not desperate. They murmured about how much they loved between passionate kisses. Their hands stayed (mostly) above the waist.
When they were all worn out, Travis tugged Natalie close so that she was lying on his chest.
“You have really good taste in make-out music, y’know?” Natalie whispered.
Travis kissed her hair, messy from his hands running through it. “Glad you liked it, Nat. I made it just for you.”
They stayed like that until Travis’s parents came home from parent-teacher conferences at Javi’s middle school.
“Shit. I need to go. Your dad can’t see me,” Natalie whispered, pulling her shoes back on.
Travis smoothed his hair. “Wait a few, and I’ll make up an excuse to drive somewhere and I’ll take you home.”
She kissed his cheek and sat back down on his bed.
Loving each other was easy. Hiding it wasn’t- especially in front of the team and Coach Martinez. That’s why they pretended to bicker. They couldn’t hide that they had a connection, but they could act like the connection was a playful dislike rather than love. It worked. No one had ever asked Natalie about Travis. She winced when anyone called him Flex, but bit her tongue. One time, Taissa had done it one too many times before practice, and Natalie slide-tackled her in a scrimmage. That move had earned her a dozen laps around the field, but it was worth it. She fucking hated when people called him that.
It was hard for Travis, too. Once, Natalie had been knocked around a little by the opposing defender. The defender had called Natalie a “burnout slut” when Natalie fought back, and Travis was furious. It was the only time that he ever got worked up at a Yellowjackets game.
“You have to do something , Dad,” Travis begged. “They can’t do that.”
Coach Martinez barely looked at Travis. “She got a yellow card.”
After the game, Travis went over to Natalie’s place.
“That was so fucked,” he said, opening two bottles of beer.
Natalie took one of the bottles from him. “She was a shit player. And I saw her boyfriend on the sidelines, and my boyfriend is WAY hotter.”
That made Travis laugh. “I love you, Natalie.”
“I love you, too.”
They toasted to that.
Travis wasn’t always planning on going to Nationals. In fact, the original plan was for just Javi to go (Javi was to be registered as the official “ball boy”, therefore saving the Wiskayok Yellowjackets the fees that came with hiring someone who worked at the tournament). Bill Martinez was pretty sure that his team was going to make it all the way. The team was just so talented.
The person who had a problem with it was Travis’s mom. When Bill Martinez told Mrs. Martinez that only Javi was going, she got upset. Travis listened to them argue while sitting at the top of the stairs a few days before the final game of the New Jersey State Tournament.
“Bill, you are going to pull our twelve-year-old son out of school for a week and leave him all alone for so much time. He’s already lonely at school as it is. Take Travis, too. He can keep Javi company,” Mrs. Martinez insisted.
Coach Martinez tried to argue back. “You know how Travis is…”
“Yes, I do. He’s a good brother when it really counts. He’s also a teenager; they’re supposed to act that way,” she replied.
“Travis knows less about the game than Javi,” Coach Martinez argued.
Mrs. Martinez turned around. “It’s not only about the game. Maybe Travis wants to go on a trip, too. Maybe Javi wants someone he knows there.”
Coach Martinez raised his voice.“I can’t manage both boys. Javi is easier to deal with.”
“How many times have I taken both of them on a trip? You know you can handle both boys. You just don’t want to.”
Coach Martinez conceded not long after that. And the next day at breakfast, Coach Martinez told Travis to inform his teachers of a possible week's absence from school. Javi was thrilled that there would be someone he knew going. And, sure, Travis was happy to be there for Javi (the thought of his little brother being there all alone was outright depressing). But Travis was a little more than excited to be able to watch Natalie play in Seattle.
They were sitting on her bed, reading books for English class, when he told her that he would be joining the trip. Every few minutes, Natalie would scoot a few inches closer to him. Travis pretended not to notice, but he bit down a smile every time she did. Eventually, the two of them set their books on the nightstand and just sat next to each other, hands tangled.
“Big game tomorrow,” he whispered in her ear.
Natalie nodded. “It’s kinda stupid, but I’m a little nervous. Don’t want to fuck it up for everyone.”
Travis rubbed circles on her back. “ You’re never stupid. I get it. Plus, I heard they were getting us a private plane if you guys win.”
She nodded against his shoulder until she realized what he said. “Us?”
“My mom was furious when she found out Javi was gonna be spending so much time by himself. She forced my dad to take me with.”
Natalie sat up and moved her hips so she was straddling his lap. “Now I really don’t want to fuck up tomorrow.”
Travis rested his hands on her waist. “You won’t.”
They never did finish the books they were supposed to read for English class.
The evening after the team made Nationals, Travis took Natalie to a spot on a nearby river to celebrate. It wasn’t the most picture-perfect river, but it was private, and the sound of the river rushing was relaxing. Sometimes they went there to clear their minds. Travis had shown it to her once when the team was picking on her and she was in a pissy mood. The river wasn’t warm enough to swim in, but they didn’t need to. They took a beach towel and laid it down on the riverbank. Natalie was still wearing her sweaty Yellowjackets uniform, not bothering to change into something nicer. They sat next to each other on a towel, her head on his shoulder, just basking in the dimming light as the sun began to set.
“Y’know, you’re dating a big soccer star now,” Natalie teased, kissing his neck lazily.
Travis’s fingers were resting on the waistband of her uniform shorts, a few fingers resting underneath the cinched fabric. His breath hitched when Natalie kissed a sensitive spot.
“‘M proud.”.
Natalie took a break from his neck and looked up at his eyes. “Yeah?”
He nodded as she started on the other side of his neck. “Gonna cheer you on from the sidelines and everything.”
“It’s gonna be hard to hide. This. Us,” Natalie said, kissing deeper and harder.
“Gonna be even harder if you leave a mark on my neck right now,” Travis joked.
Natalie nipped at a spot right behind his ear. It was gonna leave a mark, surely, but not visible to anyone unless they were kissing his neck. “Like that?”
Travis smiled and rested a hand in her hair. “I don’t know? Can you do it again to make sure?”
That made Natalie giggle, and she continued to kiss his neck. They kissed playfully until Natalie got bitten by a mosquito, and he drove her home.
“Wanna come in?” She asked. “My mom’s not home. I just gotta shower real quick, and then maybe you can hold me a while?”
He was supposed to be home. But no doubt his mom was still out with ladies from Church, his dad didn’t care, and Javi was packing, already, for the Nationals tournament he was so excited to go to. And Travis was technically an adult now. Plus, he couldn’t say no. She was asking to be held , which made his cheeks warm. He knew how hard it was for her to ask for things like that. For Natalie to admit that she needed something like that was huge. His heart literally fluttered when she asked.
“Yeah. That sounds perfect, Nat.”
Natalie led him to her room and picked out a big t-shirt and some boyshorts to get dressed in. She muttered about soccer practice and how expensive the water bill was, and how she needed to get a new job this summer. Travis just liked to listen to her talk. Natalie’s brain had this way of making everything make sense, at least to him. She left to shower with a quick kiss. Travis just lay on her bed, took his shirt and his jeans off, and waited patiently. They ended up like this a lot of nights these days. They were practically inseparable. It’s a miracle no one who lived with either of them had ever caught them smiling at each other and cuddling in their underwear.
Natalie came back 15 minutes later, hair soaking wet and dripping onto the heather grey t-shirt that reached halfway down her thighs. She practically skipped back into her bed.
“You smell good,” Travis muttered, pulling her into his chest. Natalie adjusted so she was practically on top of him. One of his hands snaked underneath her shirt and drew patterns on her back the way she liked. His light touch made shivers run down her spine.
“I use really cheap shampoo, Trav.”
He kissed the crown of her head. “It must just be you then, not the shampoo.”
That made Natalie grin, and he kept a hand moving steadily on her back.
“Mmmm, thank you,” she mumbled into his chest. Travis smiled at her relaxed state. It was hard for her to calm down sometimes. Lying on top of Travis, who was always so warm, was a surefire way to get her to be in one of those sleepy moods.
“Gonna be hard to get all sexy in Seattle with all those people ruining our fun,” she murmured.
“I’m sure we’ll find time between all the goals you’ll be scoring,” Travis whispered.
“You’re funny.”
“Smart, not funny. I know you’re the best.”
Travis held her closer and felt her breathing. She fell asleep on top of him shortly after.
And that’s when Travis was sure he would miss as much school as it took to watch her on the field at Nationals. He didn’t care if he was gonna have to share a hotel room with his dickhead dad for a week and a half or be bored out of his mind most of the time. Natalie was ultra tough on the outside. But Travis could tell that it meant a lot, even if it meant him having to act like he wasn’t completely in love with the girl playing right midfield.
Natalie showed up alone at the Nationals sendoff party. Kevyn wasn’t talking to her as much since she started spending so much time with Travis. Before she left for the party, Travis kissed her and said that he would be waiting in his car to pick her up later. She dropped by the gas station to pick up a pack of cigarettes on her way.
Many people on the team would describe Natalie as the life of the party. She would often drink more than anyone, but her high tolerance would leave her feeling the least drunk out of anyone. She always drank the most when she was feeling bad about herself, which meant she was drinking as much recently. Not that having a secret boyfriend was the key to her self-esteem issues, but it was a combination of factors.
Laura Lee also arrived alone, and Natalie decided to stick next to her. Natalie lit up a cigarette as they made small talk about the trip. Apparently, Laura Lee heard about all these cool gardens they could visit in Seattle. Jackie and Shauna arrived fashionably late. It looked like Jackie was still with that Jeff guy. Jackie talked about him constantly, and it sometimes made Natalie wish that she could talk about Travis with other people. Just a couple more weeks, she reminded herself, and then they could be out in the open. This was her last season on the team, and Natalie was more excited than she would admit to not having to hide her relationship anymore.
Lottie showed up with a handle of vodka. “Drinking so much so fast, Natalie?” She joked when Natalie poured a couple of shots in her cup.
“I’m heading out early tonight,” Natalie said nonchalantly. “Gotta move fast.”
“Nat’s been in a hurry recently,” Van added.
“I’ve got places to be,” Natalie replied.
No one else dared to add on to the teasing because Natalie looked outright uncomfortable.
Then someone offered her a nip of something that tasted like gasoline. Then another when Van bet that she could outdrink Natalie. No one on the team could. Definitely not one of the other senior girls at the party.
Natalie called it quits after one more pour of Lottie’s moderately expensive vodka. She didn’t want to puke in Travis’s car on the way home.
Less than twelve hours before the team left for Nationals, they got into a massive fight. Shauna and Taissa yelled about the whole Allie situation. Somehow, they ended up slut-shaming Natalie, who was barely in the argument to begin with. Natalie rolled her eyes. On the field, the team had perfect chemistry. But most of them weren’t really friends outside of soccer. Most of them didn’t even like each other outside of the game.
Jackie led some sort of team-building exercise. Natalie hadn’t really been all that into it, but it helped her admit that maybe she understood why Coach Martinez made Jackie the captain. If anyone else ever tried to do what Jackie did, they would probably be laughed at. But they listened to Jackie. Even Natalie did because she really thought it might help. Moreover, she wanted to leave. Natalie snuck out after they finished. Travis was parked a few blocks away. Natalie ran the whole way there and knocked on his window.
“Taxi?” Natalie joked.
Travis smiled and unlocked the door. “Hey, you look great. How was the party?”
Natalie finished a cigarette she was smoking and stomped it out before she got in the car. “Lame. Missed you. Kinda drunk.”
He kissed her. “Wanna come over? I know it’s late, but my parents are asleep, and Javi is just watching a movie by himself.”
“Yeah.”
Suddenly, Natalie felt sad that Travis’s brother was watching a movie all by himself. Sometimes, Travis would mention that his brother got teased at school. It made Natalie sick since he really was a sweet kid. “If you want to finish the movie with your brother, that’s okay. You can take me home real quick.”
Travis shook his head. “I’ll say goodnight to him. There will be plenty of time to watch movies while we’re stuck sharing a hotel room with my dad for more than a week.”
Natalie nearly dozed off twice on the way to Travis’s place. He would just look over at her and smile. The final turn into his driveway jolted her awake.
“I’m gonna go say goodnight to Javi. I got some clothes you can change into if you want,” Travis whispered as they walked in the door.
Natalie nodded and tiptoed upstairs to Travis’s room. Travis had set out a pair of his boxer shorts and his favorite soft t-shirt for her to wear. He was always doing thoughtful things like that. Travis was whipped. She left her clothes in a little pile on his floor and changed into his clothes.
“Javi was asleep, too big to carry upstairs now,” Travis said. Sure, Javi could be his annoying little brother some (or most) of the time. But, Travis wasn’t going to pretend like he didn’t love the kid to death. Not in front of Natalie.
Natalie hummed an acknowledgement. “‘M tired, too. Vodka makes me feel sleepy.”
Travis sat down next to her and brushed her hair out of her face. Her cheeks were still flushed from the liquor and being cared for. “I can take you home.”
She shook her head. “Sleep here? Just for a while. Take me home around sunrise?”
Travis could never resist the opportunity to fall asleep next to her. They’d been bad about it recently. They really did spend a lot of nights together. He ignored the possibilities that someone in his family would come check on him (because they rarely ever did that) and set his alarm clock for 5:30. It was like 5 hours away. Whatever. They would just sleep on the plane.
Travis pulled his jeans and his long-sleeved shirt off and slipped into bed next to Natalie. Travis had a twin bed, so it was tight, but they didn’t care. She tucked herself in his arms and rested her head on his chest.
“I like the look of our clothes next to each other on the floor,” Natalie murmured. “Looks nice.”
“Mmmm, I like how you look in my clothes. And in my arms,” he replied, tightening his hold on her.
She nuzzled into his bare chest. “Big fucking softie, Trav.”
“I love you, too.”
They fell asleep, and it felt like the alarm went off ten minutes later. Natalie dressed back in her party clothes and boots, and Travis threw his jeans back on. It wasn’t too long of a drive to Natalie’s place, and they were in a sleepy mood the whole way there.
“I wonder if I’m getting my period soon. M' head hurts, and that’s like a PMS symptom,” Natalie said.
“It’s also a side effect of drinking vodka on an empty stomach,” Travis replied.
Natalie laughed. “Shit. You’re right. Forgot I did that.”
“Was the cuddling so good you forgot the rest of your night?” Travis teased.
Natalie looked at him with those eyes that just about killed him. “Oh, it rocked my world, Travis.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. They were silent the rest of the ride home. A comfortable silence that could only be had by two people who really knew each other.
“Thanks for the ride,” Natalie said, kissing his cheek as she exited the car. Travis blew her a kiss as she stepped inside her home. She showered, then packed. Luckily, she’d gone to the laundromat a few days ago and had a lot of clean clothes. Plus, most of her days were going to be spent in the Wiskayok High School Yellowjackets uniform. One thing she did bring was a dress for the awards ceremony. It was cheetah print. She thought it was kinda cute when she picked it out at the thrift store- and Travis couldn’t get enough of her in the dress. Although maybe that said more about her than the dress, since Travis was also obsessed with how she looked wearing his boxer shorts.
At 7:30, she waited outside for Van and her mom to pick her up. They carpooled to most of the stuff like this. The group was meeting at the school and then taking a bus to the airport, where Lottie’s dad had booked a private plane.
Van pulled up around 7:35, and Natalie thanked Mrs. Palmer for driving her. She only received a grumble in response, but that didn’t bother Natalie. She didn’t need to talk, really. Natalie did feel bad for Van, who was clearly embarrassed about her mom smelling like white rum. Natalie didn’t care. There were days (before she started dating Travis) when she would smell like white rum, too.
Everyone was quiet and hungover on the bus ride there. Except for Laura Lee (who was doing her English homework) and Misty (who was talking to Coach Scott so loudly that everyone was now privy to information about her aunt’s ringworm). No one really started to get excited until they saw the plane. The person who was the most excited was Javi Martinez, who tried to pull on Coach Martinez’s sleeve to show him, and Coach Martinez ignored him. Travis put a hand on Javi’s shoulder and listened to Javi talk about how cool the private plane was.
Natalie was standing alone again. She had her headphones on and was listening to PJ Harvey. In her bag, she had a few mixtapes that she and Travis had made with seemingly innocuous names. “Reminds me of ice cream”, “New York Yankees”, and “Secrets” were the ones she brought with her. She slung her duffle over her shoulder and waited in line.
Misty was handing out sports drinks and protein bars to everyone. Natalie took one graciously because she’d forgotten to eat. It’s not like she really had any food at home anyway. She took her headphones off for just a moment to eat in line.
“...And you’ll never guess what Jeff got me. A brand new jewelry box!” Jackie exclaimed.
“That is so sweet,” Mari replied. “The last guy I dated never even knew my last name.”
“Better than some of the guys that I’ve dated,” Rachel added. “One called me my sister’s name- twice.”
“I bet Natalie has some stories, with how she’s been acting recently,” Taissa teased.
Natalie whipped her head. “Nah. Don’t even know what you guys are talking about.”
The attention moved on from Natalie and onto Shauna, who Natalie could tell was biting her tongue as Jackie gave her unsolicited advice about getting a boyfriend.
Coach Scott interrupted this conversation with one more lecture about the rules. Contraband. Curfew. Safety.
“It can be dangerous to play if you’re not eating or sleeping, ladies. Seriously, exhaustion is no joke,” Coach Scott added.
The girls nodded intently. No one wanted to lose their spot in the starting lineup, and others were looking to get in there.
Natalie got her own row on the plane. Travis and Javi sat across from her. As soon as the plane took off, she popped in one of Travis’s mixtapes.
Travis tapped her from across the aisle. God, she wanted to kiss him and tangle up with him like they were that morning.
“Yankees fan?” Travis teased, pointing to the tape she held in her hand.
“You could say that,” Natalie replied.
“They’re gonna win the World Series this year, y’know.”
Natalie popped her headphones back on and fought a smile. “Whatever you say, Martinez.”
Travis spent the rest of the flight teaching Javi about exponents on his math homework. A few times, one of the brothers would get frustrated, threaten to go and tell their dad, and then chicken out. It was clear that neither one of them wanted to talk to their dad.
Natalie did eventually fall asleep and was woken up by Misty when they got to Seattle.
“Rise and shine!” Misty said.
“We’re here?” Natalie asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.
“In the Emerald City,” Misty replied. “Good thing I brought my raincoat.”
She got her backpack out of the overhead compartment and walked off the plane. It was indeed raining. They had a shuttle to take them to the hotel, and all shuffled in.
“My hair is wrecked,” Jackie complained.
“You look great, Jax,” Shauna assured.
“At least there’s no humidity here,” Lottie said. “That’d suck to play in.”
“Plus, I checked the forecast before we left. It’s only supposed to rain like two days while we’re here,” Mari added.
Natalie sat next to Gen on the way to the hotel, and she was very noticeably carsick. Natalie handed her a mint.
Once they got to the hotel and shuffled into the lobby, Coach Martinez had them circle up. “Alright, girls. Coach Scott has your room assignments. No changes will be made. They were all done alphabetically, so it’s all fair. We will meet back down here for dinner in 90 minutes and then have a quick stretching session.”
Natalie tried to remember who she was next to in the alphabet on the team. She didn’t have time to think of the possibilities before Coach Scott announced their room. “Quigley, Scatorccio, Shipman, and Taylor, come get your keys.”
Misty looked excited, which was nice. Natalie had no doubt that she would end up sharing a bed with Misty, which she didn’t really care about. Shauna and Jackie would surely spend the whole night holding hands and playing MASH.
“Hey, roomies!” Misty said as the four of them got into the elevator. Room 417.
“Do you mind bunking with Natalie? Shauna and I are used to sharing,” Jackie asked her.
“‘Course not, right, Nat?” Misty responded.
Natalie was snapped out of her trance. “That’s good with me, yeah.”
If Natalie didn’t get to sleep next to Travis, it didn’t matter to her who she shared a bed with. She knew that it sounded dramatic (and it almost gagged her to admit), but she fucking loved that boy. He was also a very pleasant person to share a bed with. He didn’t toss and turn, and he was the perfect amount of warm that made Natalie sleepy.
The four girls walked side-by-side to their hotel room. There was nothing special about the room, but they were all oohing and aahing at the novelty of it all.
“Look, a hairdryer!” Jackie exclaimed. “Mind if I do my hair? It’s totally ruined from the rain.”
The three other girls said they didn’t care, and Natalie curled up on one of the beds as she heard the hair dryer humming. She put her headphones back on and pulled the flannel out of her backpack (Travis’s) and closed her eyes. She had a really good feeling that the Yellowjackets could win it all (as long as it didn’t rain).
Dinner was served in one of the hotel's meeting rooms. They had plastic fold-out tables and chairs. The team sat quietly while Coach Martinez went over strategy.
“We play tomorrow. We got a first-round bye because of the competitiveness of our league. That means we could end up playing as many as 5 matches in 7 days. We need to rest, eat right. You hear me?”
“Yes, coach,” the team replied.
They spent the rest of the session talking about formations and set pieces. Natalie wasn’t sure she truly understood what Coach Martinez was saying, but she nodded along anyway. Natalie played on instinct. It used to get her in trouble with her coaches, until they realized that her instincts were pretty fucking good. Natalie knew that she probably wasn’t the best player on the team. She wasn’t strong like Lottie or fast like Shauna, and she didn’t have the superstar qualities of Jackie. But she was probably the smartest on the field, and that had to count for something.
Before dinner was over, Coach Martinez announced the starting lineup for the Round of 32 game the next day. Van, Lottie, Robin, Laura Lee, Gen, Shauna, Taissa, Natalie, Mari, Rachel, and Jackie would start. They would be playing a team from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
They all headed to the gym for the stretch session and then were sent to bed for the night. The original plan was for everyone to hang out, but they were all kinda jet-lagged and didn’t want to argue with Coach. While Natalie was heading up the elevator, she realized she’d forgotten her jacket in the lobby, so she told Misty, Shauna, and Jackie to go up without her. Once she’d gotten her jacket, Natalie went back up to the elevator by herself. The door was about to close when she heard a “hold the elevator.”
Natalie listened and stuck her hand in the middle of the closing doors. It was Travis . He was all alone. He looked at her with warm eyes. “Fifth floor, please.”
Once the elevator closed, and it was just the two of them, they tangled together. Natalie jumped on him, and they kissed passionately. Travis held her up against the railing of the elevator as she wrapped her legs around him. They moaned against each other, the idea that they might be caught any second making them both feel the intensity. “God, I hope this elevator breaks down right now,” Natalie muttered, hands tangled in Travis’s hair.
“Stretching didn’t get your heart rate up enough?” Travis teased, nibbling her ear.
Natalie whimpered. “Fuck no. Need you for that.”
The elevator was slow. If it wasn’t, they surely would’ve been caught.
Right at the ding of the elevator, Natalie jumped off him. They were both breathless, hair messed up. Smiling like they’d gotten away with something.
Coach Scott was waiting at the doors when they opened. “Going up?”
Travis nodded, pretending not to be out of breath.
Natalie grabbed her coat off the floor and got off the elevator. “Goodnight, Martinez.”
She made a heart with her hands when Coach Scott’s back was turned to her. Travis watched her leave as Coach Scott joined him, going up to the fifth floor. “Night, Natalie.”