After a sad ending to an eventful season, the Uconn women's basketball team found themselves in the gym getting warmed up for their first practice back. For Paige Bueckers, a red shirt junior, returning for her fifth year, she was conflicted between all of the emotions running through her mind. On one hand, she was absolutely devastated knowing that when she would look around the room, Nika Muhl and Aaliyah Edwards, her teammates from the year before wouldn't be there. On the other, she was excited for many reasons like getting to know the new freshman class, getting ready for the upcoming season and she was thrilled to finally and hopefully play a full season with Azzi Fudd, her long time best friend who was coming back from an injury. Azzi was just as thrilled to be coming back but she was also terrified of what was going to come, she was struggling to find her rhythm and return to the athlete that she once was. She promised herself that during this offseason she would work on both her skills and her confidence to hopefully come back stronger than she had left.
Paige was a 6'0 blonde girl with the prettiest blue eyes most had ever seen. She had a muscular build, perfect arms, perfect legs, really she had a perfect body. She was known as the best women's basketball player on the Uconn basketball team and would probably leave as one of the greatest to ever walk through the doors of the school. Azzi was a 5'11 light skin girl with a smile that could light up the world. She was known as a shooter and even Stephen Curry had credited her with the best shooting form he'd ever seen. Both girls together were a dynamic duo and had a connection that most teammates could only develop after years of practicing together but with Paige and Azzi, it had been automatic after only one meeting.
Geno walked into the gym with his usual angry expression that had earned him the nickname "the grandpa from up" from Nika last year.
"Let's pray he doesn't make us run" Paige whispered to Azzi, Kk Arnold and Ice Brady earning a small laugh from all the girls.
"Alright girls, today is going to be a little different from our regular practices. We are entering a new season without Nika and Aaliyah who we all considered great leaders to this team and we are being joined by a handful of new teammates. For the next few practices we will be working on our team bond meaning we will be strengthening bonds that already exist between each other but we will also work on getting closer with the ones we do not know as well. For today's exercises, I've placed everyone of you in teams of two and each of you will be either asking each other questions or fulfilling activities that should help you bond. It's basically the game of 20 questions as you like to call it but we will be going into a deeper perspective during these questions that have already been decided based on who will be your partner", Geno states.
He then went on to naming teams - Ice and Kk, Ashlyn and Allie, Aubrey and Morgan... and lastly Paige and Azzi. Both girls were pleased to be with each other considering they had been best friends for almost seven years. They went to sit down in the far corner of the gym following the instructions given by their coach as to obtain the most privacy possible. Paige was wondering what questions they could possibly have to ask each other to fulfill the task of getting to know each other on a deeper level seeing as how they already connected of everything possible. Geno came over to them and handed them a stack of cards containing questions that had been submitted by the team managers, non athletes Uconn student.
"Alright question one: What is the one thing you admire the most about the other regarding the concept of your relationship?" Azzi read out looking up to Paige indicating her to answer the question first.
"That's an easy one, I admire how you complete me" she said without diving into detail.
"What does that even mean" Azzi answered laughing.
"I don't know how to explain it, it's like you're literally my other my half. I talk too much and you tell me when to shut up, I'm always agitated and you know how to calm me down, I'm always confused and you make it make sense, I'm always hungry and you know what I want to eat. Two peas in pot." Paige said smirking and raising her arms up in the air, stretching her back and shoulders. She was wearing a navy blue practice shirt that made her ocean blue eyes stand out and a matching pair of practice shorts that she had rolled a couple times making them rest low on her waist. Azzi watched as her shirt rose when she lifted her arms, displaying her carved stomach and the muscles she had continued to gain. Paige noticed her eying her and for some reason felt a tinge of pride knowing that the work she put into her body had and effect on others. "Your turn to answer the question".
"I like that you don't pressure me. I mean you like to hang out all the time with the girls and I don't, sometimes I prefer quiet and being by myself and I'm thankful that you let me have my space without trying to force me to hangout with you guys" Azzi said smiling at her blonde friend, her brown eyes full of admiration. Paige smiled back before asking the next question.
"What is something you either dislike about the other person or wish you could change about your relationship?" Paige read to her curly haired friend.
"Sometimes I feel like you're embarrassed to be seen with me. I know that people are constantly assuming our sexualities and the nature of our relationship and I find that since the rumours started you've been avoiding me as soon as a camera is in sight" Azzi admitted finally getting her confession off her chest. She looked down to the floor embarrassed not meeting her fiends eyes. Paige felt saddened hearing those words come out of Azzi's mouth and seeing the way those feelings were so evident on her friend's face. She reached out and grabbed Azzi's legs pulling her closer to her. She used her hand to lift her chin to meet her eyes.
"I thought all the assumptions made you uncomfortable I mean I know you don't like being on social media so I thought if I stayed sway from you when people were filming eventually the rumours would stop and you'd be confortable around me again" she said starring deep into the others girl's eyes. Azzi's gaze softened as she relaxed knowing that her best friend didn't want to get rid of her.
"Quite frankly I don't care about what they make up about my life and I don't care if they want to pretend we're dating, I just don't want you to ever shut me out and I don't want you to push me away" Azzi said grabbing Paige's free hand with both of hers.
"Okay I'm sorry I will no longer push you away" Paige said softly caressing Azzi's cheek both girls completely lost in their eyes. Snapping back to reality, Azzi dropped her head to her chest making Paige removed her hand from her face. "My turn?" Azzi nodded.
"I wish you would let me 100% in, I tell you everything that ever crosses my mind and I feel like sometimes you're hiding things from me and I mean you can have secrets I dont mean everything but I guys I mean I don't want to have to guess if you're feeling up to seeing us or if you'd prefer being ignored I just want you to tell me how you're feeling. Sometimes I can't tell if you just want to be alone if you don't want to be with me" she said.
"Okay I'll try harder communicating with you" she said lightening up the mood with a smille. They continued with the rest of the questions and they were now down to the last card. Azzi picked it up.
"Okay this one isn't a question. It says: Looking into a mirror, point out you're insecurities to your partner and help the other get over them. Dorms?" Azzi asked looking at Paige to which she received a nod and off we went to the bathroom in our dorm room.
"You're turn to go first" Azzi said.
"I don't know if I'm honest, I've gotten so much more comfortable with myself this year I guess the only thing I'm still working on is muscle. I have gotten stronger but I don't want to be a skinny kid and I want to play more physical so I guess that's the only thing I'd want to change" Paige said while looking at herself in the mirror.
"Well like you said it's a good thing you can change that and with your work ethic I don't think it'll take much longer to get to your goal even if you're body looks amazing as it is already" Azzi answered her friend while eying the blonde girls body. Paige caught her checking her out through the mirror and smirked to herself going red.
Paige watched Azzi look over herself in the mirror, her hands subconsciously rising up to her stomach. Without needing to say anything, Paige placed herself behind the girl and wrapped her arms around the younger girls waist, setting her head on the girls shoulder.
"You are the prettiest girl I will ever come across and there's nothing you could ever change about yourself that could make you prettier, you've already reached perfection" Paige whispered in her ear in a low tone sending a shiver down the other girl's body. Turning her head to look into the mirror, the girls eyes locked. When Paige turned her head back towards Azzi's neck, her lips hovering over her skin, inhaling her vanilla perfume and closing her eyes, something shifted in the mood. At that moment, the main door to their dorm opened and the sound of many girls laughing could be heard. Coming back to reality, the girls practically jumped to the opposite side of the bathroom, Paige rushing out of the room altogether.
YOU ARE READING
Finding each other - a pazzi story
RomanceWhen the feelings that had always been friendly suddenly change to romantic, how will Paige and Azzi deal with their new found attraction? Will they erase each other from their lives or will they find some way to deal with their new relationship.
