In the relentless spotlight of fame, Jocelyn West (rising pop princess) and Paige Bueckers' fiery romance ignites, but their struggle with toxic tendencies threatens to consume BOTH their careers, and each other. Who knows if they'll come out alive.
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CONNECTICUT | WOMENS BASKETBALL APARTMENT Paige swung open the door to the shared apartment she lived in with her UConn teammates, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She tried to keep her cool, but the frustration and confusion from the night's benefit concert still gnawed at her.
I mean how could Jocelyn blow her off like that? NO ONE has ever blown Paige off like that. She was used to getting what she wanted, and this was a new feeling that Paige didn't enjoy. Could this be what rejection feels like? Fuck. that.
Paige! You okay?" Azzi called from the kitchen, where the girls were gathered around, eating pizza. The smell of cheese and pepperoni filled the air, mingling with the faint scent of sweat from walking home from the concert.
Paige sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, but her voice lacked conviction as she grabbed a slice of pizza from the scattered boxes.
Aubrey looked up from her phone, concern etched on her face. "You didn't seem fine when you practically dragged us out of the concert. What's going on?"
The room fell silent, everyone's attention now focused on Paige. She felt the weight of their stares, each one like a probe into her carefully guarded thoughts.
Paige shifted uncomfortably. "It's nothing, really. I just... I really don't like Jocelyn's music."
Ayanna snorted. "Seriously? That's it? You made us leave because you don't like some pop star's music? I mean it's pretty generic. EVERYONE likes her music man."
Paige could feel the skepticism in the room growing. She needed to sell this lie better. "She's not just some pop star," Paige said, her voice growing more defensive. "She's a stuck-up diva princess. Thinks she's better than everyone else. It was pissing me off."
KK Arnold raised an eyebrow. "I've seen you deal with worse people without batting an eye. There's got to be more to it than that."
Paige's mind raced. She couldn't tell them about the strange, magnetic pull she felt toward Jocelyn, or the confusion that came with it. She settled into her anger instead. "I just hate her music, okay? It's all fake and superficial. And she acts like she's some kind of royalty. It was driving me nuts."
The girls exchanged glances, still unconvinced but willing to let it go. Azzi stood up, clapping her hands. "Alright, enough of this. We just won a big game, and we should be celebrating, not moping around. Let's get dressed and hit the bar."
Paige hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to be around more people, but maybe Azzi was right. Maybe she needed to drown her thoughts in a sea of alcohol and loud music.
"Come on, Paige," Ice urged, her tone softer. "You need to blow off some steam. Let's go have some fun."
Paige finally relented. "Fine, let's do it."
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