Last kiss // PAIGE BUECKERS

NINETEEN//LOML

(MESSAGES/TIKTOK/NARRATIVE)

(Victoria's POV)

flashback

02/18/21

"YOU TWO. COME HERE!" My dad yells as Paige and I walk out of the locker room. "Whoa, no need to yell. I'm right here," I say, putting my hands on his shoulders.

"You guys have to be on the practice court in seven minutes for an interview," he says, walking away. "What the fu—frick? I thought we were done; at least that's what CD told us," I say, looking at Paige, confused. "Watch your mouth in this building. And she was talking to everyone else—not you two," he responds. "Ugh, okay. Love you, Dad," I say as I walk back toward Paige and head to the locker room again.

Paige and I put on our Huskies sweats and team jackets before heading into the gym to set up for the interview.

The only information we had about it was that they wanted to talk about more personal topics than basketball, which could be a blessing and a curse.

**

"Hi, I'm Steffi Stevenson from ESPN, and I'm here with..." she starts.

"I'm Victoria Auriemma, a shooting guard from the University of Connecticut." I look at Paige and smile. "And I'm Paige Bueckers, a point guard from the University of Connecticut as well."

"Today we will get to know two of the top five recruits of 2020, but first, I want to acknowledge that these two UConn freshmen were standout players in a crucial game yesterday. If I'm not mistaken, Victoria had 20 points, 12 assists, and 2 steals, while Paige had 25 points, 6 assists, and 2 blocks, right?" she asks.

"Yes, that's correct," I say, smiling at the camera.

"Great! That is quite impressive, especially against a rival school. How do you feel about that?" the reporter asks, looking at Paige.

"I think it's incredible! This team works so well together, and I feel that the chemistry between me and Victoria on the court is unreal. I hope we can use that to win the Big East and maybe even make it to the Final Four," she says, nodding her head.

"With that mindset, I think you have a great chance! Now, Victoria, I just want to say that despite your height, you are one of the best players UConn has seen. How do you do it?" Steffi asks me with a big smile.

"Yeah, I mean, the people who taught me how to play this sport are basketball legends, so I never really thought about how tall I was," I reply, nodding my head and laughing.

"I was actually just about to ask you about that. How was it growing up around them?" she asks.

"I couldn't be more grateful. All of my skills come from so many different people. I got my work ethic from my uncle Kobe, DT taught me how to shoot, and Sue was drafted the year after I was born but was always around to train me. She has always been there for me, and she still is to this day. Finally, my dad taught me everything in between," I reply.

"Wow, that is so incredible. I have another question for you, but I want to make sure you're okay with it... Can I talk about your uncle and Gianna?" she asks.

I look around for a second and start slowly nodding my head. Paige looks at me and gently puts her hand on my back.

"I fully understand how sensitive this topic is for you, but I just have to ask: Why was he considered your uncle?" she inquires.