𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄 , 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬.

ⅰ. 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭

' get ready, now we're on. ' — sativa , jhené aiko

"victoria! come here for a sec." geno called from the stands. two reporters stood in front of the man with cameras readied around their necks and notepads in hand. a preparation victoria hart was all too familiar with.

the girl stood with hesitance on the court. her feet scampering the polished floors as she clambered herself together in a hurry. smoothing her hands along her ponytail before greeting the reporters with a big smile.

"hi, i'm greta harrison i'm apart of the uconn wbb media team. i was wondering—if it's okay with you— to take a few clips with you and ask a few questions?" she was treading over her words, as if one wrong move would send the basketball player into a hysterical state. which many people had been doing upon her arrival.

"yeah of course."  victoria folded her hands over her jersey, smoothing the creases within the fabric before smiling widely at the camera. a deep breathe interjected her lungs as the punctured her mouth in a heavy exhale.

it didn't matter how many times she had done interviews. or how many times she's stood in front of a camera. the nerves remained the same. now more than ever as everyone was expecting the downfall of victoria hart.

"so victoria how does it feel to finally be here at uconn?" greta harrison indicated as the three moved along the stands. victoria looking back occasionally as she made her way down the stairs.

"surreal, i've always loved the program here and the tight knit community it provides." victoria had rehearsed her answers many times. every question being the same over and over again. her teeth moving in an organised array as if it was on instinct.

"who are you most excited to play with here?" victoria already knew what they were trying to do. feed out the answer all reporters were hoping for. to quote headlines in their articles— "victoria hart and paige bueckers. power duo or forever rivals?"

it was tiring. feeding into the constant facade the media pleads for. two players fighting for the star player title.

the only good thing that came out of it was that they didn't need to pretend they didn't like each other. it was a given fact that victoria hart loathed paige bueckers with every fibre that created her. her mind suspended with malicious demons that only reckoned at the ruination of paige.

—"everyone, i think they are all phenomenal players." lies tipping from her tongue as smooth as honey. sweet as it suckled on the roof of her tongue in a specific tang. if she were to answer it honestly the whole industry would be pulling her out by her hair.

"yeah, but i think everyone is excited to see some victoria-paige action." the statement had victoria hart seething. burning right through her own skin at the mention of the blonde's name. she hated how often their names were put together in some praised renaissance. they were completely different.

"...haha...yeah." victoria forced a chuckle, clicking her teeth as they came to a stop at the benches.

"okay, perfect. we'll finish this later with paige. she agreed to an interview with you. y'know just to get the fans hyped for this season."

is this bitch fucking joking?

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