'𝐓𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 ( League Series #1 ) [ Paige Bueckers ]

016.

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Sneakers screeched on the floor, and the sound of the ball swishing through the hoop echoed in the gym. Paige and her team were deep in practice, working hard to improve their plays and skills. Paige was determined to regain her top performance after her ACL injury.

Meanwhile, Whimsy sat in the bleachers, her eyes staring nowhere and her mind wandering. Earlier, she had woken up feeling the weight of her conversations with June and Agatha. She thought that accepting Paige's invitation to watch their practice would provide a distraction, but she was wrong. As long as Paige was around, her thoughts always drifted back to the events of last night. Is Paige a good enough reason to stay in Connecticut for good?

Paige caught sight of Whimsy in the bleachers and immediately noticed something was off. Whimsy wasn't her usual self today. When she had arrived at the gym, her smile didn't reach her eyes, and it seemed almost forced. She was also strangely quiet, her typical cheerful personality replaced with deafening silence.

During a break in practice, Paige jogged over to Whimsy. "Whimsy, you okay?" she asked, her voice dripping with concern.

Whimsy sighed. "Yeah, just a lot going on in my mind." She forced a smile, but it only deepened the worry on Paige's face.

Paige sat beside her. "You know you can talk to me, right? I might be able to help."

Whimsy forced another smile, thinking that Paige's presence was already a big help. "I know," she said softly.

Paige's eyes softened. "How about I treat you to some ice cream after practice? We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We can just enjoy the ice cream and have some peace," she proposed.

That made Whimsy a little bit emotional. Ice cream had always been her comfort. Whenever she was breaking down, whether due to the pressures of her studies or her personal problems, ice cream was her go to comfort food.

Whimsy slowly smiled, this time it was genuine, which made Paige smile softly. "Alright, I can't say no to ice cream."

"Just say you can't say no to me," Paige said with a grin.

Paige's joke lightened Whimsy's mood. "Fine, I can't say no to you," she said, pretending to be reluctant. But deep down, Whimsy knew it was true—she couldn't say no to Paige.

As she stared at Paige, who was laughing now, she suddenly remembered her plan to ask Paige to go out, just the two of them. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"Is it just the two of us?" Whimsy asked, trying to sound casual.

Paige paused for a moment, looking concerned. "Oh, are you not comfortable? I can ask Kk to come with us."