Love Restrained

chapter two

II

Natalie was the last one to leave the locker room. She usually was. She took as much time as she could there because she didn't want to go home and deal with her drunk mother.

It wasn't new to anyone that Natalie had big issues with her family. First, everything that was related to her dad and what a shitty man he was. And also all the rumors about her shooting her own dad. That was not what happened, but again, Natalie couldn't bring herself to care what others thought happened. It was just awful that even after the man was dead, she was still haunted by him and deeply affected by the horrible years she had to live in the same house as the monster she once called dad.

As for her mother, she wasn't much better, not aggressive or abusive like her father but still was a shitty parent. A drunk woman who spend the whole day rotting on the couch and didn't give a shit about her child.

The environment she grew up on reflected directly on her present lifestyle. Always drinking, skipping school, doing drugs, hanging out with the wrong people. Nobody cared about her or what she was doing, and that could be good in a way, since no one expected anything from her, and living with no pressure was something comfortable for her.

Soccer was maybe the only good thing happening in her life, the only thing she cared about little. Even though she sometimes skipped practice and was constantly late, she did her best when she was on the field. She never felt like she really belonged there with those girls, but they were ok, they almost never bothered her, except for Hayden Atkins.

She thought about her fight with Hayden while making her way home. God, how she hated that girl.

Every time she stopped to think about their relationship she realized how complicated it was. It went a long way back, since freshman year, when one day that girl woke up and decided to act like a bitch and never stopped ever since. Natalie knew what Hayden believed, she knew about the whole situation with her father and Hayden's mother, the rumors about the situation because nothing was confirmed and will never be. She remembered the tension in the locker room and how Hayden never went to talk to her about it and instead just gave her dirty looks.

She's heard Hayden talking about how she didn't doubt that Natalie was unstable enough to shoot her own father and all that shit involving rumors and lies. Well, that was three years ago but since then things have been the same between them. They would fight and argue.

One time it got out of control. Hayden and Natalie had a argument during practice and Hayden said awful things about Nat, she called her a whore, who was gonna end up just like her fucked up dad. So Nat decided to show how much of a whore she could be and slept with one of the Atkins boys, Mitchell. She didn't really want to, but she was so mad at Hayden for judging without knowing her that she just did it.

And the hate Hayden had towards Nat got even worse, if that's even possible. But the feeling was pretty much mutual.

Today was just another normal day of having to live with Hayden Atkins. They argued, and fought and almost beat each other up. Honestly, Natalie would've loved to beat that girl up.

She finally arrived at the trailer park where she lived with her mom. As she entered her trailer, she saw her mom on the couch, barely awake. She just went straight into her room hoping the day would be over soon.

.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.

Lottie drove Hayden home and headed her way back to her lonely house.

"Hays?" she heard Charlie call her name from the kitchen.

"Yeah?" She replied as she entered the front door, exhausted from practice and the whole argument with Natalie. She made her way into the kitchen, finding her brother seated at the table.