𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.

𝟎𝟏.

y/n's pov.

my father has coached UConn for 37 years. 11 NCAA championships, 27 conference championships. the list goes on for the exceptional things my father has done for the women's basketball program. so there was no room for error or unexceptional things when i was born. i had never been good with basketball, nor any sports that required using or playing with a ball. i think this is the biggest thing i've done that broke my dad's heart. the second is well, being gay. 

however, to his delight i did gain some of his and my mother's athletic ability, just in a different department. i get thrown in the air, and fly. i tumble and flip. i am a cheerleader instead. when this ability was discovered at the ripe age of 5, the basketball dream was scraped and the cheerleader dream was plastered all over my walls and through the halls. i have owned about 10 UConn cheerleading outfits before i ever made the team. i did exactly what dear old dad needed me to do, which was become the best. 

dad's walls are covered in banners of championships and coach auriemma paraphernalia. my walls are covered with banners of summit and world cheer championships, and rings with auriemma on them. this is my freshman year at uconn, and i bet you couldn't have guessed who made the team. 

time skip brought to you by angel reese's attitude!!

as i chug water, walking towards my dad's office, i see the basketball team practicing out of the corner of my eye. i just got done with the third practice of the season. as much as people want to say cheerleading isn't a sport, my sweat and tears say otherwise. i waltz into the women's basketball gym like i own the place, i see the team running drills. "heyy dad!" i shout across the room, as i can hear the anger booming from his voice. the girls look to me as i'm the saving grace, everyone knows i'm a daddy's girl and whatever has him upset, i can fix. "there's my favorite husky!" he says as we walk closer to eachother. i give him a sweaty hug and look to the team. "what did my girls do this time?" i ask and give the team a wink. " well your girls do not enjoy training in the summer apparently." 

i see paige panting and she mouths "water, auriemma." i giggle and pass the water bottle i had to her. i've known paige since our sophmore year. dad had been scouting her since then, and any time he went to hopkins, i would go with. i wouldn't say we were friends, just mutuals. i've always loved watching her play, or more so just watching her. but i knew my dad would kill me if i ever so slightly expressed that. "alright y/n/n (nickname) time for these girls to get back into shape, and bueckers gimme a couple laps for those couple sips of her water you had." i roll my eyes as i take back the waterbottle and i watch paige run around the gym while the rest  get back to their positions. 

paige's pov.

i start to run my laps as i watch y/n sit on the bleachers, she's wearing one of those cheer mini skirts. i can't say i don't like it. y/n and i have always had an understanding, she helps me out when it comes to practice and we hang whenever it comes up. she's watched me play since highschool, i've met her mom, she has met mine. i know the girl, but i don't know the girl. we live in the same building at uconn, i see her often but she isn't some i could really crush on. "bueckers, lets go!" i hear the booming voice rid my thoughts instantly. geno calls me over and we continue to run our plays.

i hear nika shoot a three, but my eyes wander to the benchers as she sits and watches. i see her eyes shift to nika's wrist, just like coach. "nika, finish through!" i hear coach yell, and i watch y/n purse her lips just as if she was saying the same. i chuckle and run to shoot. 

time skip brought to you by KK arnold's bread.

y/n's pov.

i watch as practice ends as the huddle dissipates. i watch as lili and nika walk to the locker room just as the rest of the team but azzi and paige stay behind. dad approaches them to talk, a coach talk of course. i quickly grab my things and run over to talk to them. "hey azzi, hey paige!" i say walking to the three of them. my dad shoots us a look and smiles. "you three have grown up so much since 10th grade." i had met azzi when we went and watched the USA team for paige. "get over yourself, dad" i say swatting his hand away from my face. the girls laugh as we say our goodbye to my dad. 

paige and azzi were roomates and lived on the floor above me so i usually walked with them after a practice. "how was flipping around or all that, y/n?" azzi asks as we walk to their locker room. "oh, the usual. my bases actually did not drop me today though!" i say as i giggle. paige had seemed off but laughed with me. she usually butts in with a remark about cheer not being an sport but not today i presume. "well i'm gonna get some food, but catch me at the food hall and we can walk to the dorms together?" i ask, rubbing my stomach. "sure! see you in like 15!" azzi says, disappearing into the locker room. 

paige oddly stands at the door, looking at me. "hey, auriemma." she says just as i turn to leave. "yes, bueckers?" i say, slowly turning around. "c'mere." i walk closer to her, and looking up at her eyes. i really had never notice how blue they were before until now. my eyes move down her face looking at her lips, a beautiful shade of pink. paige was so effortless. she never wore makeup unless for an occasion and still caught most people's eyes. "how about we go out tonight?" she says, leaning on the wall next to us. i feel my face turn hot as i muster out a reply. "go out?" i ask trying to play it off. "i mean the team and i were gonna hit a bar or two, why not come with us?" she asks smirking. she looks smug, as she knew why she worded it that way. "i guess so, i wouldn't mind bar hopping with campus celebs." i smile going to turn and walk away. "just don't tell daddy on us, okay auriemma" she yells after me, and i can't help but giggle at her.