Crush - Paige Bueckers

1- Just Friends

*Flashback* (Senior Year of High School)
Violet

I watched in awe as Paige dribbled the ball effortlessly down the court. Her ponytail swaying as she jogged smoothly, and her eyes focusing on her opponents every move. She is so good at basketball.

The game was at 45-40, with our team (Hopkins) leading. With Paige on the team, we hardly ever lost. That's just what happens when the #1 recruit of 2020 was on your team.

I went to most of Paige's games. I loved to support her; she was my best friend after all. She was also fun to watch, her skills were crazy.

Once the game was over, I walked over to Paige who was celebrating with her teammates. She looked good even drenched in sweat.

Once she noticed me, she smiled and ran up to me giving me a big hug. I love Paige hugs.

"Did you see how I made that girl trip when I faked her out?!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down laughing to herself.

I laughed along with her, nudging her shoulder in excitement for her. "That was so awesome!" I replied to her.

Her blonde hair was wet with sweat, making it appear more brown than blonde. She wore her bright blue hopkins jersey, with a black undershirt. And of course, she had her usual nike headband pulling back her hair into a smooth ponytail. I loved how she looked in her basketball gear.

I caught myself staring for too long, creating a silence between the two of us. "Hey, me and the team were gonna go get ice cream, wanna come?" she finally spoke, snapping me out of my trance.

"Um, duh!" I squeeled. Her teammates were the nicest people, and genuinely fun to be around. Just like Paige. I took every chance I could get to hang out with them all.

Paige drove me and one of her teammates, Amaya, to the ice cream place. We listened to her r&b playlist in the car, all swaying our heads to the tunes. Paige's music taste was top tier, so she always had aux in any car she was in.

After a 10 minute drive, we finally arrived. I hopped out of the car, and Paige and Amaya followed as we all walked into the shop. The whole team was already here.

We all ate our ice cream, talked for a while, and laughed our asses off. We were so loud, probably annoying the workers in the shop. But we didn't care, as long as we were having fun.

The night came to an end, and most of the team had left, leaving only me and Paige, along with two of her teammates.

"Hey we're gonna leave, bye Paige and Violet!" the two said as they finally exited.

"Yo, Vi, you wanna come to my place and stay over tonight?" Paige asked me as she gathered her keys.

"Yeah, sounds fun" I said, hiding my excitement. As normal as hanging out with Paige was, I was always so excited to have one on one time with Paige. She just made me feel happy, and since she was literally a basketball god, always at interviews and tournaments, it was rare to have. alone time, just us.

She drove us to her house, blasting music with the windows down. Once we got to her house, she parked in her driveway, and opened the door to her house quietly. Her brother Drew and her dad were most likely asleep, as it was already 11 pm.

We tip toed up to her room, where I collapsed onto her comfy bed. She was still in her basketball jersey from the game earlier.

"I'm just gonna take a quick shower" she began, "make yourself at home."

"Ok thanks" I replied. I got under her covers, watching her walk into her bathroom. I then opened up my phone and got to scrolling.

After about 5 minutes, the shower turned off. The bathroom door opened, and Paige walked out, only a towel wrapped around her body. I was still on my phone, but I could see her through the corner of my eye. The towel hugged her tall body tightly. Oh my god.

"Yo don't look for a second" she laughed, and so I obeyed her, turning onto my stomach and facing the headboard of her bed which leaned against the wall. I could hear shuffling through her drawers, and it took everything in me not to turn my head, even just for a little peak. Ew I need to stop.

"Ok you're good now" Paige finally said as she jumped onto the bed next to me. "Wanna watch something?" she asked, looking at me with her intense eye contact that always made me want to fold.

Her eyes, a bright blue, always suck me in, and make me never want to look away. They are beautiful. Just like her.

I stare at her for a few seconds before remembering that she had asked me a question. "Oh sure" I say, hiding the embarrassment in my cheeks.

"Aight chill" she said, "What do you wanna watch?"

"I don't know" I shrugged, "I'm kind of tired so you can choose. I won't be awake for much longer." I lied my head back onto one of the pillows, and so did she. As she shifted under the covers, I felt our legs brush against each other, sending butterflies through my body.

Me and Paige have been best friends for only a year, but ever since I laid eyes on her, I felt something I had never felt with anyone else. Even a gaze from her sent chills down my spine. Let alone any sort of touch. The only thing is, Paige is straight.

Her family is super religious, and I know that even if she were to like girls, she would never be allowed to. I felt bad, but the fact that she always talked about boys made me feel better. And worse at the same time.

Knowing I never have a chance with her hurts, but she's still my best friend, and I'll always be there for her. If she ever decided she does like me, I wouldn't even hesitate to go to her. My heart ached for her everyday.

My mind was wandering to thoughts of Paige, but I snapped out of it forgetting that she was literally next to me in bed. My eyes dosed off, and my head slowly weakened, falling onto her shoulder. I always did this when I had a sleep over with her, because I knew she would never suspect anything. After all, I was asleep, right?

I felt her inch closer to me, cuddling up against me. This is all I needed in life.

"Goodnight, Violet" I heard her whisper. I wanted to respond, to let her know I was still awake, that I was choosing to cuddle up to her. But I didn't. I never wanted to ruin our friendship. I couldn't risk losing her.

A/N: first chapterrr! don't worry, the chapters will be more interesting as we go along, but this chapter serves mostly as background info on their friendship.

I'll try to update as frequently as possible, and hope u guys enjoy! Don't be shy, comment and vote! I want to hear what yall are thinking as you read! :)