Chapter 114

Natalie trailed after Sofia. The locker rooms were a good distance away, so Sofia had plenty of time to notice. She was a competent delver, too, so was basically incapable of missing someone so plainly following her. Still, she ignored Natalie the whole way there. Natalie decided against jogging up and forcing the confrontation before reaching a somewhat private building.

When they arrived to the locker room, Natalie was pleased to find the space empty. It was one of many, with the locker rooms small and separated, so that wasn’t too odd—but it might not last long with matches starting to finish up. Sofa had completed hers earlier than most; the event was schedule to go for another half hour.

Sofia stalked to her locker, then agitatedly swung it open, the metal door clanking as it smacked into another.

“Okay,” Natalie said. “The hell is this? What’s going on?”

That was, admittedly, not the most conciliatory way to open the conversation, but Sofia’s attitude had gotten on Natalie’s nerves. She hadn’t done anything. All of this had come out of nowhere.

“Do you mind?” Sofia replied, not turning as she angrily rummaged around inside her locker. “I’m trying to get dressed.”

“No. You’re being weird. I want to know what’s up.”

“What do you mean? Nothing is ‘up’.” She almost growled the last word. Her rummaging-around became even more agitated.

“Uh-huh,” Natalie said, which turned out to be all the prompting Sofia needed.

“I guess I just don’t get it,” Sofia said. “Not at all.”

“Get what?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Or your hordes of lovers, I guess.”

Which hadn’t remotely been the response Natalie had been expecting. She paused, caught completely off foot, before finally responding with an ineloquent, “What?”

“Really. What’s the big deal?” Sofia asked. “Why is everyone always falling over you? It’s been like this forever.” She punctuated the statement with several aggressive bangs of metal inside her locker, violently moving items around.

“What are you talking about?” Natalie asked. So this had been about Sammy, as had been her only remote guess. Natalie just didn’t understand why.

“This is hardly new. But I honestly figured Tenet would at least be more resistant to your ‘charms’.” She scoffed the last word. “But no. Not even a week in and you were getting into everyone’s pants. Just like always. So like I said, I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?” Natalie asked. “And more than that, why would you care?” That was the even more confusing part, though Natalie was baffled from start to finish with this conversation, not just there.

“I don’t care,” Sofia growled, not doing a great job of selling the point. “I just said that I don’t get it. What, do you have magic fingers? How is it so easy for you?”

Natalie ignored the magic fingers comment, mostly because she didn’t know where to begin with it. “Easy?” she asked instead.

“You just have to look at a girl for her to fall for you. Or at least get into her pants. Just know that I’m not sold. Besides,” Sofia scoffed, “I doubt you’re even that good.”

“That ... good?”

“I mean, it can’t be that hard, anyway. They’re probably just easy to impress.”

What was this woman going on about? Natalie knew what, since Sofia was all but spelling it out, but it was so baffling that Natalie second guessed herself. Was Sofia talking about sex? Specifically, Natalie’s skill in it? Why? Natalie stared at her, at a loss for words.

“I’m just saying,” Sofia said. “It wouldn’t matter how good you were. I certainly wouldn’t be tripping over my feet afterward, like these ... these skanks.”

Natalie bristled at that, since the insult was clearly directed at Sammy, but she forcibly calmed herself. She could tell Sofia wasn’t exactly speaking with a clear mind. That didn’t mean the words didn’t piss her off, but she moderated herself.

“Uh-huh,” Natalie said. “And how, exactly, would you know? Aren’t you a virgin?”

Which wasn’t a response that took the high ground. She was no expert at controlling her emotions, either—calming her annoyance at Sofia’s insult of Sammy had been the most she’d been capable of.

And Natalie didn’t actually know Sofia’s level of experience, but by the way Sofia huffed, then continued rummaging around angrily in her locker—and she was sure having a hard time finding whatever she was looking for—Natalie could tell she’d gotten it right.

She wracked her brain for an explanation. Why would Sofia care about how easily Natalie hooked up with other girls? And comment on her sex life in the first place?

“I get it,” Natalie said, the puzzle pieces finally clicking. “You’re mad that I’m better than you at something. That’s what this is.”

Sofia turned an incredulous look toward her.