To Us

The Beginning

June 2017

Azzi's POV

I need to ease my mind and shake off these nerves off before entering the gym for the U16 olympic tryouts. "Okay, remember, your name is Azzi Fudd. You're 14 years old and you can shoot the ball like no other." As I am headed to the entrance of the gymnasium, I quickly turn ed around to wave goodbye to both my mom and dad.They gave me reassuring smiles and each a thumbs up. That was exactly what I needed to have to courage to finally grab the door handle of the gym. Taking a deep breath and sigh to release some of the nerves. Opening the door, I step inside the gym and my eyes scan the whole place. Wow there must be a hundred of girls in here. The sound of basketball shoes scraping the floor filled my ears. Just as I was about to go into an internal rant, a whistle blew. I saw the many coaches and assistants standing in the middle of the court, instructing us to stretch first and then do some running. After the running and conditioning we did, we finally got a water break. The whistle blew again, echoing through the bustling gym, signaling the end of our break.

The head coach told us to get into groups for the positions that would be assigned to us. As I got in line for the point guards, I found myself behind a slightly taller blonde with her hair in a ponytail wearing a headband. She seems so energetic, and it's only 8 in the morning I thought to myself. I tried not to eavesdrop on the conversation she's having with the girls in front of her, but all of a sudden that said blonde girl turns around and faces me. "Hmm, she is really pretty" I thought to myself, noticing her face features before making direct eye contact with those captivating blue eyes of hers. She gives me a shy smile and I do the same. "Paige Bueckers" I think I heard her say, I blink twice trying to get out of the trance I didn't know I was in. "Hi, Im Azzi" I managed to say. Okay I said my name, what am I supposed to say to her now? I've never been this affected by someone I just met. " Well, Azzi, I want to say good luck out there. May the best point guard win" she gives me a cocky grin. Oh, its on stranger. " You know, there's going to be more than one point guard on the team. You never know we might be teammates" I replied. "That's if you make the cut" she told me while turning around, deciding that the conversation was over, which was far from it, but whatever she'll know what I'm made of soon. I didn't see her again since we all got separated after that weird interaction. Getting my bag and water ready to leave and rest up, happy to know I'm getting to come back tomorrow for day 2 of tryouts.

Paige's POV

Today is the day I try out for FIBA. It's nerve-racking for sure, but I can't let anybody see that. I have to make it seem like I look confident because "If I look confident, I'll feel confident. I am confident. You got this, Paige. Play with your heart," I whisper to myself. Entering the gym feels like a fever dream, I never thought I would be trying out for a spot in the olympics to represent the USA. Making my way to the bleachers, I put my bag down and change into my basketball shoes and the headband that's holding my ponytail in place. While tying my basketball shoes I look up and see this brunette girl enter the gym, looking as if she was lost. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. "Get yourself together Paige; you just saw the girl,"I think to myself. As I notice that same girl finishing up tying her shoe laces, a whistle is blows, and it's time for business. I give my all during conditioning but not to the point of exhaustion since theres still a few hours left of tryouts. While going to drinking water, I make a few small talk with the girls around me. They all seem chill, and from what I've seen, they are good people to talk too.

When the coaches told us to group into our positions, the same girls that I talked to during the water break were also lining up for point guard. "Now, it's game time, no more passive Paige" I told myself, "I need to get a spot on the team." I start looking around while in line to see how many people lined up, and when I turned around, the first pair of eyes I see are from the same girl I noticed earlier. She looked so innocent, and her eyes looked so inviting. The same eyes that once looked lost now looked determined. "I need to talk to her, but why are my hands sweating? Remember, Paige, if you look confident, you feel confident." I give her a little smile and introduce myself. "Azzi. Well, that's definitely a name I would never forget." Azzi threw me a smile back. I can't help but think that she is by far one of, if not the, cutest people I've ever seen. Her voice is even soothing. "What is wrong with me? I have to get a grip." I wish her good luck and say, "May the best one win," while holding my posture straight and keeping my head high. Azzi then told me that maybe we could be teammates, and on impulse, I just responded with something like, "Let's see if you make it out from day one."As I turn back around, I caught myself replaying the last thing I said to her. "Why was I rude to her? She didn't give me a reason for that; she seemed even shy and reserved. If I get the chance, I'll try to make it right."