𝟢𝟧

6

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there she was. bright blue eyes, dirty blond hair, all the muscled 6 feet of her. paige bueckers.

she was still as stunning as the day she left four years ago. her face and the mix of emotions in me froze me in place. i still loved her, how could i not? but i also wanted to go up to her and punch her in her stupidly perfect face.

shock, hurt, and weirdly relief(?) darted across her face. it seemed like the rest of the world disappeared as we stared at each other. it was just the two of us.

"nika, can you show nina the locker room please? we'll begin again after you rejoin us." geno's voice startled me from my daze. i tore my eyes away from paige. but not before seeing disappointment in her eyes.

i followed nika as she began walking towards some doors at the side of the gym.

"here you go! there should be a locker, ah there!" she pointed to a large locker with the number 4 on it, a key hanging from the lock. "i'll leave you to it! once you're finished, you can just head back out, i promise we'll wait for you."

"thank you!" i call to her as she walked out the door. i sigh and turn to my large locker, emblazoned with a husky and the number 4. the locker with my jersey number, 4, on it.

right next to the locker with the number 5 on it.

•

i stared longingly at the door to the locker room, wishing i had been the one to bring her back there, so that i could talk to her, so that i could say sorry.

she is just as perfect as the day i left. bronze, glowy skin, brown wavy hair, warm chocolate eyes. short enough to fit under my chin, small enough to hide beneath me.

perfect. and i had ruined everything.

i watch as she walks out of the locker room, her hair pulled up in a perfect high ponytail, slicked back and bouncy. she was always so good at doing hair, the creator of my iconic basketball hairstyle. she had both of her basketball shoes tied, her practice jersey hugging her just right. damn, she was sight for sore eyes.

i'm sure she could feel my eyes burning into her, but she ignores me, walking straight towards nika and azzi, who welcomes her with open arms. they laugh and giggle as nika introduced nina. or at least, that's what i assumed she was doing. they had iced me out.

"alright, lets gather up again." geno calls out, walking to half court for the second time, this time followed by the assistant coaches. "i'd like you all to meet our new teammate, the famed nina lowery."

my teammates cheer, azzi clapping nina on the back. fuck, i shouldn't be jealous of my teammates, especially because of a friendly gesture. but all i wanted was to be the one next to her, to be touching her, even if it was just as friends.

"i guess we should thank lsu for letting her go!" ice yells, the girls responding with laughs and agreements.

"yes, yes. we're all incredibly grateful to have her here." geno says, pulling everyone's attention back to him. "all right, this is our year ladies. we were so close to the championship last year, but this season, we're gonna make it."

"stay locked in girls!" kk shouts, which makes me crack a smile. coach just looks exasperated, used to kk's antics.

"yes, we're gonna 'stay locked in." coach puts quotation marks around the phrase, making the team laugh. "similar regimen to last year and i'm gonna expect to see you all at practices and lifting sessions, as well as all other team related appointments."

the girls groan good heartedly, chuckling as geno rolled his eyes.

"now," coach claps his hands. "lets get started with some shooting around before running some quick drills. take it easy for our first practice. don't get used to it."

everyone scatters, grabbing the loose basketballs and spreading far apart. i watch as nina grabs a ball and making a beeline for the basket farthest from me. message received.

i spend the rest of the practice distracted, watching nina meld perfectly with the rest of the team. i wasn't at the top of my game, missing easy practice shots, too preoccupied by nina ignoring me. it hurt. it really hurt. it made me want to throw my ball on the ground, grab her by the shoulders, and beg her to give me another chance. but i didn't do that.

practice drew to an end, a grueling three hours, despite coach's insistence that it would be a light practice. the girls file into the locker room, jostling each other, as i follow behind them. i watch as nina walks to her locker, the one right next to mine.

i hang back and watch nina untie her shoes and remove her practice jersey, revealing her sports bra and abs. i blush and dart my eyes to the ground. all i wanted to do was drink her in, but i don't feel as if i deserve that.

the team start to trickle out, calling to everyone to meet them at the chipotle a walk across campus. it comes to just nina and i left in the room.

"hi nina."

•

ᴀ/ɴ! surprise surprise! a new chapter! a longer one! yay! this one, and all other ones before it, are unedited, so please correct any mistakes you see (just nicely). also, please don't be silent readers. i love reading your comments and seeing your votes! please also give feedback on the plot and storyline. too slow? too fast? too little dialogue? too much dialogue? anything you notice or like or dislike. thank you!