Love for the Game- Paige Bueckers

C H A P T E R 7

It had been a couple weeks since you kissed Paige in the locker room, and things between the two of you couldn't be more awkward. You were barely in your dorm, and you avoided her as much as possible during practices.

It was Friday again, and everyone had decided to go to yet another party. You were nervous, planning on not drinking this time and hoping that you had learnt your lesson. After getting ready you met with all your teammates in the living room that you all shared, and you learned that everyone would be taking an Uber, since no one really wanted to be the designated driver.

Everyone ordered multiple Uber's because of how many of you there were, and you were the last one to get in the car. There were no seats left, and the other cars were full already. You bit your lip as you thought of what to do, standing in front of the open car door, Paige sitting in the seat closest to you.

"You can sit on my lap," Paige offered.

You stared at her dumbfounded, she could not be serious right now. In order to keep your teammates not suspicious of you guys though, and not make a scene, you really had no other choice (and you didn't mind the thought). So, you settled yourself on her lap, Paige holding your waist as you got situated.

It was painfully quiet in the car, and you wished that someone would talk as Paige rubbed her hands up and down your torso. You turned your head slightly to the side, so that when you whispered, only Paige could hear you.

For some reason, you suddenly felt the need to apologize to her for leaving her that morning, and everything that happened afterwards.

"Paige."

"Yes?" She leaned forward, a hopeful look in her eyes. Thankfully, the car was getting loud, as everyone laughed and talked.

"I'm sorry," you admitted, an overwhelming feeling of guilt washing over you.

"For what?"

"Just-" you paused, looking down at your fidgeting fingers that laid in your lap. "For everything," you shrugged.

"Oh," Paige mumbled, staying quiet for a little while. "Me too," she finally replied, snaking her long arms around your stomach, holding you close. She rested her chin on your shoulder for the rest of the ride, looking out the window as the two of you enjoyed the short-lived moment.

But you were also tragically confused. First Paige kissed you, then ran away, and now offered for you to sit on her lap? Did she still have feelings for you? Did she ever have feelings for you? Your brain almost hurt from how hard you were thinking, and you couldn't help but feel extremely stressed out.

Once you got to the party it was kind of boring, and you couldn't get Paige off of your mind. As much as you didn't want to, you liked her a lot, and you wish that you guys could always be like how you were in the car.

Speaking of Paige, you spotted her from across the room, slowly making her way over to you. But before she could get any farther, she was blocked from your view by somebody. You were very annoyed, until you saw who it was.

It was Trey, a junior on the men's basketball team at Uconn. The women's and men's teams spent a lot of time together because the coaches wanted you all to get along. You also ended up going to the same places for games a lot, and had all your practices at the same time. Trey, in your opinion, was by far the finest one on the team, and butterflies swarmed your stomach as he leaned on the counter next to you.

"What's up, Jada?" He smiled, taking a sip of his drink as he looked over at you.

You blushed, looking down at the counter and shrugging. The two of you fell into a comfortable conversation, and you found that it was very easy to talk to him, seeing that he was very patient with your broken English. But as much as he was a distraction, Paige still lingered in the back of your mind, and you almost wished that you were talking to her instead. Imagining that Trey was Paige almost made the conversation bearable.

"Hey," Trey spoke, snapping you out of your thoughts. "Wanna go back to my place?"

You thought about it for a moment, and decided it wasn't that bad of an idea. Plus, Trey had made it very clear that he liked you, and you appreciated how easy it was to tell that he was into you, compared to Paige's never ending mixed signals. You also didn't really feel like being at this party anyways, and you lived in the same building as Trey, so your dorm was not far in case you needed a quick escape.

"Sure," you shrugged.

Trey smiled, grabbing your hand as the two of you left the party. But the only thing you could think about was how this was you and Paige once.