IMGONNAGETYOUBACK - NIKA MÜHL

008

Nika | April 28th, 2024

Paige and I were cleaning things up around the room, preparing for our break. We had both stayed later than usual, because of Dawg Class; I wanted to come here before leaving, and Paige wasn't going home without Azzi.

We didn't have to move out of the dorms because we were in the athletes building, which only required moving out if you weren't coming back, which we obviously were.

"Guess what?" She prompted, folding some blankets on the couch. I was doing the actual cleaning, while she did the tidying. I was sweeping.

"What?"

"I was taking to Geno and he said he signed a new player for the upcoming season. A senior from Virginia; I didn't recognize the name, but it was like Violet Warren or something." She said, as if she was only stating an interesting fact, but my heart dropped. It couldn't be...could it?

"Violet Warner, you mean?" I asked, gulping nervously as my motions stopped, allowing for me to stare dead at Paige. I prayed that she would say no.

"Oh, yes, that was it!" She exclaimed, grabbing the next blanket. "She went to Dawg Class with you, didn't she? Was she any good? Will she fit with this team? Because you know how important it is to be a good teammate off the court too—" she rambled on, only stopping once she looked up to catch a glance at my frozen body.

My face was bright red, and I felt sick.

"Nika, are you—oh. Oh," she said, reading my mind: "Violet is the girl from Dawg Class, isn't she?"

I nodded slowly, jaw clenching as I met Paige's sorry eyes.

Her gaze on mine seemed to free my legs, bringing me back to reality. I flopped down on the couch, letting my head fall into my hands. I sighed loudly, before ranting: "How did this happen? I thought she was going to go to Kentucky, with Georgia—they're such close friends, or maybe even more—I didn't know she would come here, or else I would have—"

"Would have what? Ignored her all weekend long? Declared for the draft instead of coming back to UConn for another year? Nika, you know this isn't your fault. You don't get to choose who you fall for, and who knows, maybe this is just a week long crush that will go away as soon as you see her sweating her ass off." Paige said as she fell down beside me. I lifted my head at her attempts to make me feel better.

"I've already seen her sweaty. It's not gross, it's hot," I began, catching the face Paige made at that: "Oh, you know what I mean, you've literally played basketball with Azzi for six years."

"I do not like Azzi," she retorted, although the harsh red on her cheeks said otherwise.

"Yes, you do. Ugh, what am I gonna do?" I sighed as my head found its familiar place back in my hands. I thought back to the crushing pain I felt last time I had feelings for a teammate. "She broke me, Paige. She broke my heart and then I had to see her every single day. The only outlet I had was full of her. I can't go through that again."

Paige wrapped a comforting arm around me, knocking my hands from my face when she pulled me into her chest. "You won't go through that again, Nika; I won't let it happen. She's coming here, so you're going to have to find a way to coexist with her. You can avoid her as often as possible, or ignore your feelings until they go away, or you can even pursue them cautiously. Violet isn't her, though. There are still good people in this world who want to love you, too."

I sighed as I pushed my face further into her body, wrapping my arms around her in return. "I love you, Paige."

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