Swished Hearts

Lights Out

Paige was about to commit murder.

" You okay P? You look a little green" Aubrey laughed, following with her eyes what, or rather who, Paige had been staring at for the past few minutes.

"I'm gonna lose it," Paige muttered through clenched teeth.

Nika chuckled from behind her polaroid camera lens.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you very well. Could you at least make an effort for my photos please?"

Paige sat up suddenly on the sofa.

"I'm not jealous! Just since when is she buddies with Kate Martin?" Paige seethed.

"Don't ask me! I didn't even know she was that outgoing!" Nika defended herself, snapping another photo.

"URGH!" Paige wanted to scream as she watched Sofia throw her head back in laughter at something probably stupid that Kate said. The sight was infuriating.

Paige took a deep breath and composed herself. She knew her reactions bordered on the ridiculous, but it was stronger than her—watching Sofia with Kate had scratched at insecurities she didn't even know she had.

Or she did. She just didn't want to admit it.

Kate Martin was unproblematic, didn't draw journalists' attention on her everywhere, didn't lash out when under pressure and was literally nicknamed "the glue" because of her great leadership. She was more mature in a way probably, and drafted by the Aces, it looked like she could be getting a ring earlier than CC and Paige combined ever would. More than anything, Kate Martin was making Sofia laugh and Paige couldn't do anything about it without looking like a bigger idiot.

"Go to her!" Aubrey insisted, trying to be serious while Nika continued to giggle behind her camera.

"What for? She does what she wants! Last time I thought she was flirting with her roommate, so I'm not going to jump to conclusions," Paige retorted, though her voice wavered slightly.

"No wayyyyy," Nika was never going to let this one go, she knew. "You didn't tell us that!"

"IT. DOESN'T. MATTER. She—" Paige stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Sofia take out her phone and write down something Kate had said to her.

"Don't tell me..." Okay.  Now this wasn't funny or a tantrum anymore. Her pulse quickened, and a wave of heat flushed through her.

Why was Sofia taking Kate's number?

"Paige, it could be anything," Nika tried to reassure her, but this time she looked less convinced herself. The doubt in her friend's voice only added to Paige's anxiety.

Paige waited a few moments, stunned at the scene unfolding before her.

Kate Martin wasn't blind,  and she probably wasn't immune either to Sofia's smile, hair cascading down her back. Kate Martin wasn't blind, wasn't straight, and wasn't supposed to know the brunette was taken. Sofia almost slipped while standing up and Kate Martin was also not an idiot, so she caught her. She wasn't clueless either because her grip on Sofia remained, standing closer to help her balance, and Paige couldn't stand the sight anymore.

Aubrey and Nika had turned silent, knowing there was probably nothing they could say to explain the moment.

Spotting Kelsey Plum randomly appearing at the bar and walk where the two girls were was the last straw, and Paige was finally able to move again. She stood up and headed straight to the bar.

She pushed her way through the people dancing, eyes never leaving Sofia. As she drew close, the laughter of Kate Martin was grating on her already frayed nerves. Kate saw her arrive before Sofia did, and Paige tried to remind herself that this was supposed to be a party celebrating unity and female empowerment. Not petty rivalry and alpha andrew tate vibes.