STRANGER - CAITLIN CLARK

CHAPTER ONE

「 ✦ STRANGER ✦ 」
CHAPTER ONE

APRIL 14TH, 2024

caitlin clark was tired of hearing about caitlin clark and it had only just begun. she sat on the hotel bed feeling completely unamused, overwhelmed, and dead tired. very faintly she can still hear the sound of the tv that she has been attempting to drown out. her boyfriend refuses to turn from espn, despite her already asking him to multiple times.

"connor please just turn it off." she sighs defeatedly one more time hoping maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be a dick about it.

instead he ignores her request and turns the tv up louder. "you need to get used to the noise, it's not just going to stop."

"i listen to it every single fucking day." she shouts standing up to her feet. "every single day i wake up knowing there will be a million cameras, a million questions, and on top of that, a million fucking articles scrutinizing every action and word that comes from my mouth."

"well this is what you wanted so suck it up." he shouts back.

caitlin laughs at him which seems to only make things worse. now it's him who's standing to his feet. he rushes up to her and gets in her face. this isn't the first time their fight has escalated to this point, and it surely won't be the last.

"yeah, what's funny?" he asks attempting to make his tone more menacing than before.

she pushes past him and heads for the door only to be stopped by him grabbing onto her arm. "you can't go anywhere caitlin, it's late and you have to be up early."

"fucking let go of me." she snatches her arm away. "don't wait up for me. actually, i want you gone by the time i get back."

she doesn't wait to listen to anything else that comes out of his mouth and walks straight out of the room. the hotel room she had booked in an attempt to not have to see him in the first place. now she's out of $400 and more mad than before. it's now half past 10pm and caitlin has more than a long day ahead of her tomorrow. trying to explain to her security personnel that she only wants to go down to the hotel bar shouldn't be so hard. safety this, long day tomorrow that, but luckily they eventually give in.

they agree to let her have one singular drink and she could only do so after they cleared all other people in the vicinity. when she looked around there was only one person sitting at the bar. a wavy haired brunette woman who was facing the opposite direction, her attention turned to the tv above her head. and of course she was watching goddamn espn.

"there's literally only one other person in here, it's fine." caitlin tells the guards before continuing her way in the bar's direction.

once she reaches the bar top, she calls for the bartenders attention. "would you mind if i turn the channel?" caitlin asks, taking a seat on a stool. "and could i get a lemon drop please."

"i would mind." the woman sitting a few seats down says causing caitlin to turn her attention towards her.

caitlin immediately is hit with a wave of nostalgia at the familiar face. she figures her eyes must be deceiving her until she realizes the woman on the receiving end of said look is returning a similar look of her own.

"isa?" caitlin questions just barely loud enough for the woman to hear.

"you haven't changed one bit, have you?" the woman assumed to be named isa responds.