After Kiera Parker transfers to UConn her junior year of college after was offered an internship for a sports agency, senior Paige Bueckers and her have an instant connection.
It's been weeks since everything went down, and I still haven't spoken to Kiera. It's not like I'm mad at her. How could I be? Being with her means she knows—knows what happened. But things haven't been normal. I see it in the way she looks at me. Nothing feels normal anymore.
I head down to the practice center, hoping to clear my head. Aubrey and Morgan are lifting together in the back of the gym. "Hey, P," Aubrey calls out as I walk by. We exchange a quick dap, and I do the same with Morgan before heading to the locker room. Upper body day.
Forty-five minutes later, sweat is dripping down my arms, but my mind still isn't clear. I head over to the couches and collapse into one. Grabbing my phone, I shoot Inês a text.
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Hey if I venmo u can u pick me up mcds
Im at the practice center rn
Yeah I will bring some
Ill be there in 20.
I drift off before she arrives. The exhaustion from the workout pulls me into a deep sleep.
A sudden shake stirs me from the nap. "Ugh, leave me alone," I murmur, turning away, trying to hold onto the peace of sleep. "Okay, guess I'll let Kiera eat your burger," Inês teases, and I'm instantly awake. Kiera? My eyes snap open. Sure enough, there she is, sitting at the end of the couch near my feet. Inês hovers above me, a McDonald's bag hanging over my head.
She drops the bag directly on my face. "Ow!" I mutter, pulling it off.
"Next time you beg me for food, I'm saying no," Inês says with a smirk. I sit up and grab a fry from the bag, avoiding Kiera's gaze. "Thanks for the food," I mumble before glancing at Kiera. "Hey, how've you been?"
She doesn't hesitate. "I've been okay. How about you? Are you okay?" Her eyes lock on mine, full of concern I don't want to face.
"Yup, fine," I lie quickly, shoving another fry into my mouth and grabbing my phone as I stand up. "Gotta go." I practically bolt out of the facility, the weight of her stare clinging to me as I head back to my dorm.
Once there, I finish the food, toss the bag aside, and fall onto my bed. I stare blankly at the wall. Sleep calls to me again, but just as I begin to drift off, I feel a hand tighten around my wrist. My eyes snap open, but the room is empty. My wrist is free. I clutch it tightly to my chest.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Kiera POV
"Paige is so weird," Inês mutters beside me, but I don't respond. I don't think she's weird at all. "Hey if you want to work out you can, I have class soon so I'm gonna go. "Okay bye, have fun," she replies and leaves to the half court rooms in the practice center.
I kinda lied, but not really I do have a class, but not for a little while. I decided to head to Paige's dorm instead of to UConns campus.
I knock lightly on her door and wait. No answer. I knock again. Finally, I hear her moving around inside. When she opens the door, she looks rattled. Her eyes dart from me to the hall, and she lets out a breath like she's been holding it in.
"I thought you were someone else," she admits, stepping aside and motioning for me to come in.
I step inside, and the familiar scent of her room wraps around me. It's comforting and yet heavy. She closes the door behind me, and I hear her let out a small sigh.
We stand there, the silence stretching longer than it should. I want to reach out to her, to ask her if there's anything I can do to help her, but I don't want to push. Not yet.
"Do you wanna sit?" she finally asks, nodding towards the small couch near her desk. I follow her over and we sit down, the space between us feeling bigger than it has before. She pulls her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them, and for a second it looks like she's going to say something. But she doesn't.
I fidget with my hands, trying to fill the silence. "Paige you know you don't have to shut me out, right? I'm here, for real." She glances at me, her blue eyes soft but guarded. "I'm not shutting you out."
I can feel the resistance in her voice. "You kinda are. And I get it-if you don't want to talk, that's fine. But don't act like I'm just...like I'm not here, Paige. You don't have to go through this alone."
She takes a deep breath, her lips pressing into a thin line. "I'm trying, Kie," she whispers. "But everytime I see you, I just...I remember that night. And I hate it." Her words hit me hard. I never wanted to be a reminder of what happened to her. I just wanted to help, but maybe that's exactly what's pushing her away.
"I'm sorry," I say quietly, not even sure what else to say. "I didn't mean to make it harder for you." She sighs and leans back against the couch, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "It's not your fault," she murmurs. "It's mine."
"Hey, don't say that." I reach for her hand, but she pulls away, tucking it under her leg instead. "I know you want to help, Kie," she says after a moment. "But I don't even know how to help myself right now."
The words hang in the air, heavy between us. I want to tell her it's okay, that she doesn't need to figure it all out right now, but I don't. I can see it in her eyes-she needs space. And as much as it hurts, I have to give it to her.
"Okay," I say softly. "I'll wait. Just...Don't shut me out completely, okay?" She nods, but I can't tell if she's really listening. Still, it's the best I can hope for right now.
