turning page - nm

III. added up

november 28, 2020
uncasville, connecticut

"i'm worried about it. i have a bad feeling." he spoke, crossing his arms as the team played. "its the first game of the season. they need to win it."

she watched miss after miss, tapping her foot on the ground as she thought. "do you think they need more motivation?"

"maybe... what are you thinking?" he frowned at another missed shot. "honestly, i don't think anything could hurt too bad."

when the half time buzzer went off, they were down by fourteen."
the girls came off to the side, frustration plastered over their faces.

jayden was grabbing more water when geno called her over, "what were you thinking? about this...?" he pointed to the group of girls huddled around. geez, they all looked pissed.

she thought for a second, tapping her foot. jayden smiled, "if you win ill get a tattoo," she shrugged.

the angry looks instantly changed into confusion and excitement.
"what type of tattoo are we thinking?" olivia asked.

she pressed her lips together, "nothing ridiculous, but you guys can choose it."

their laughs were hushed by geno as he shifted to going over plays quickley, letting them rest aswell.

the buzzer had sounded and it was time for them to go back and fill the twenty point gap. it seemed practically impossible.

but when they were back on the court, and before they knew it, they had started to completely turn the game around.

"you know, thats not what i was thinking when i said motivation earlier," geno spoke, glancing back and forth from jayden and the team. "sorry. but it seems to be working?"

"i know."
they eventually had the lead for the first time in the entire game, and the rest of the game went through in a blur. when the final buzzer rang out, they all went to the court, jumping and celebrating.

paige came over and engulfed jayden in a hug, "looks like your getting a tattoo," she pestered, smiling and dragging her into the middle of the circle.

"shes getting tatted up!" paige yelled, and they erupted in more yells that were ruffled around with their celebration.

jayden sat with evina and olivia in the locker room, chatting about this tattoo she had to get. she could get a husky, but its not personal enough. she doesn't have a specific jersey number. she could get a quote, but they were all to long.

evina gasped and pulled out her phone, "i have an idea!"
she opened the calculator app and started typing numbers in.
5+
13+
20+
3+
22+
44+
10+
11+
24+
32+
2+
4=

"what are you... huh?" jayden and olivia both lent towards the girl, staring at her confused.

"its everybody's jersey numbers added up." olivia audibly gasped, loudly. "thats so smart!"

"you can get it right... there." she spoke quietly, tracing her finger over the front of jaydens wrist. "#190."

evina glanced up at the younger girl, "what do you think?" she smiled at her, "text the girls and see what they think. i have to go do some work." she hugged the two goodbye, leaving for her dorm.

the walk wasn't far, maybe half a mile, (at most). plus, jayden loved going on walks. if she was stressed or angry, she would go on a walk. if she was upset, she would walk. even if she was happy or just bored, she would go on a walk. it was like she could leave all her problems in her office or her dorm. she loved it.

it was just perfect. she loved watching people have fun. and during fall when the leaves turned orange and red and yellow, it was so beautiful. she could walk forever. but that's not possible.

the steps of the dorm building came into view. she walked inside and up a set of stairs, down the hall, and into the room. jayden instantly flopped onto her bed, curling into a ball under her covers.

despite the fact that the group hat was sending out constant notifications and that it was only three in the afternoon, she still managed to fall into a deep sleep.

at 10 pm, paige barged into her room. "wake up. im bored." she lied down next to jayden, sliding under the covers. "get out. go hang out with nika or someone."

"geez, your in a bad mood." she brushed hair out of her face, "i just wanted to know if you'd go get some food with me."

"no. get out."
paige got out of the bed, frowning with her hands on her hips. "hey, the tattoos gonna be great, by the way." she smiled, "its a really cute idea."

"i know." jayden had already fallen asleep before paige had even managed to say anything else. "goodnight, jayds." she whispered, leaving the room quietly.

the next morning (it was almost noon) when jayden woke up, the first thing she did was open google, type in "tattoos near me", and scrolled until she found one that looked good.

jayden pressed the call button, letting the phone ring for a second until the other line picked up. "hi, can i make an appointment?"

after many questions, they decided on a time and date, and she hung up the phone. jayden walked over to the small calendar on the wall and wrote it in, three days from now.

she tossed on a uconn sweatshirt and a pair of grey sweatpants on, tied up her shoes, tossed her bag over her shoulders and left for the autoshop. she called herself an uber and was on her way.

authors note
okay i know i said i had it planned but i lied help