PRESENTING THE PAST - Paige Bueckers x Nika Muhl, Diana Taurasi x Sue Bird

CHAPTER 10

"That's strange, huh," Aubrey says while holding the ball at her waist, watching Paige shoot threes and Nika exiting the gym with Olivia and Saylor.

"I know," E answers, whispering. They are both alarmed and entertained by watching Paige miss the threes she usually knocks down easily.

"Thought threes were layups for you?" E teases Paige, but the latter seems not to hear anything.

"You think they're having a lovers' quarrel?" Aubrey asks E, still watching Paige. She even covers her mouth when the rookie miscalculates a layup and it goes out badly.

"I think so. Pookie even missed an uncontested layup. This is bad," E says, starting to run to the locker room, where she finds Nika alone, just staring at the ceiling.

"Don't dare!" Someone whispers and pulls her to the shower room when she's about to walk close to Nika.

"What?" Evina asks Olivia.

"She's been like that ever since we came here. She's so preoccupied. It didn't show in training, though. But she's so out of character after," Olivia says while they're peeking to see if Nika has moved already. She still hasn't.

"You know what's nasty?" E asks her teammate. "The other pookie stayed to shoot threes, but nothing's going in. She even missed a layup with just herself on the court," she shares, making Olivia's mouth form an O in shock after hearing that.

"What are you looking at?" Saylor asks, making E cover her mouth.

"Shush...we're looking at Nika," Olivia whispers, still observing Nika, who hasn't moved an inch even though her cellphone has sounded at least twice already.

"Oh! She's been like that ever since she and Paige came home last night. Usually, they would still hang out in the living room, but Paige went to bed as soon as they arrived, and Nika just sat at the table watching her glass of water," Saylor shares, making her two seniors look at each other.

"Okay, thanks, Saylor! You can go tell Nika she can shower now," E says, gently pushing Saylor.

Both seniors act as if they weren't watching the rookie the whole time by walking to their cubicles casually.

"Nika, shower," Saylor repeats for the third time. It is only then that Nika notices her because Saylor taps her shoulders.

"Oh! Sorry! Okay, thank you, Say!" she says, grabbing all her clean clothes and heading to the shower area.

"Say, call everyone now so they can shower too and rest," Olivia asks Saylor politely, who just nods before zipping her bag closed and walking out of the locker room.

"What do you think is wrong?" E asks Olivia, who just shrugs her shoulders. They both clutch their chests when Nika's cellphone sounds, scaring them.

"Who is it?" Olivia asks E, who walks close to where Nika's phone is.

"Katey Boo," she reads, not daring to touch the phone. "13 missed calls, 27 texts," she informs Olivia, walking back to where she is.

"You think Katey Boo has something to do with what's happening to our babies?" Olivia asks E, who's also as puzzled as she is right now.

"I think so..."

NIKA

"You wouldn't understand, Nika. Even if I tell you everything."