Years Of Love

Media Day

Chapter 12

Media Day was always a big deal. Not the serious kind of big deal, like "Oh my God, we have to be perfect" – but more like the "let's see how much chaos we can stir up while trying to act professional for two hours" kind of big deal.

Paige knew this. Azzi knew this. The whole team knew this.

Walking into the gym, Paige popped her AirPods in, letting the smooth beats of Bryson Tiller's "Exchange" kick in as she mentally prepared for the day. She always loved the vibe of Media Day: cameras flashing, interviews lined up, and the chance to act like a total goofball while pretending it was all part of the job.

"Yo, what's the playlist today?" Azzi asked, sliding up next to Paige and stealing one of her AirPods.

Paige smirked, letting the music play. "Little Bryson, little Drake. You know the vibe."

Azzi nodded approvingly as Drake's "Passionfruit" came on. "Alright, I see you with the emotional bangers. Gotta get the mood right."

The gym was already set up with the cameras, backdrops, and media crews milling around, but the team? They were focused on a different kind of prep. Nika was hyping up Kk to do a TikTok dance right in front of the camera crew.

"Oh no, not the 'SkeeYee' dance again," Paige groaned, but couldn't help laughing as Kk jumped in front of the camera and immediately hit the moves with way too much energy.

Azzi leaned in, whispering, "You know Kk's gonna end up on SportsCenter's 'Top TikToks of the Week' again, right?"

"Bet." Paige pulled out her phone and started filming. "Yo, Kk, hit that again, I need this for my TikTok."

Kk didn't miss a beat. She threw herself into the dance even harder, going all out. Everyone was dying, barely holding it together while the actual media guys were setting up their cameras in the background. Aubrey was trying not to spill her water all over the place from laughing so hard.

It was at that moment when the camera crew finally turned around, ready to start actual work. "Alright, ladies, we're going to need some serious shots now."

Serious shots? Please.

Paige and Azzi exchanged a look. The unspoken agreement: no one was taking this seriously today. Paige gave Azzi a mischievous grin, grabbing her hand and dragging her in front of the cameras.

"Come on, we got this," Paige said, striking a pose that was half-dramatic, half-ridiculous.

Azzi rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile creeping onto her face. "You're impossible, but okay."

The photographer took a few snaps, trying to keep his cool as Paige started making faces at Azzi—who finally broke and started giggling like crazy.

"Paige! Azzi! At least try to act like basketball stars for two seconds," Aubrey called out, but she was laughing too hard to be taken seriously.

Paige threw up a peace sign at the camera. "Hey, we're just here to vibe."

The team interviews were next, and Paige sat down in front of the mic, pretending to adjust her nonexistent tie like she was about to give a presidential speech. "Thank you, thank you. I'd like to thank Bryson Tiller, Drake, and my playlist for getting me through today. Also, shoutout to Azzi for keeping me entertained."

Azzi, standing off to the side, shook her head with a smirk. "You know you're not gonna get away with dragging me into this."

Paige leaned into the mic, lowering her voice dramatically. "And to my beautiful co-star, Azzi Fudd, the true MVP of Media Day."

The media crew chuckled as they threw questions at Paige, but she was already in full clown mode.

"Paige, how do you stay so focused before a big game?" one reporter asked, trying to reel her back in.

"Oh, easy. I just pop in my AirPods and hit shuffle. If Drake says to 'get in your feelings,' then that's what I do." Paige winked at the camera. "Feelings are part of the game. Plus, I'm emotionally complex, you feel me?"

Azzi shook her head from the back, crossing her arms with a teasing grin. "She's been emotionally complex since 8 a.m."

When it was Azzi's turn, Paige didn't waste any time hyping her up. She pulled out her phone and live-streamed Azzi's whole interview on TikTok, leaving a stream of "hearts" and comments rolling in from their fans. Azzi sat down, doing her best to answer questions seriously, but every few seconds, Paige would shout something goofy from behind the camera.

"Azzi! Who's your favorite teammate?" Paige hollered from behind her phone.

Azzi shot her a look. "Well, it's definitely not Paige after today."

The comments blew up.

TikTok live:
"💀💀 Paige in full clown mode today." "Azzi holding it together better than I thought." "Paige and Azzi are too much, LMAO."

Media Day was supposed to be about basketball, about showing off their skills and staying professional, but between the goofy TikToks, inside jokes, and Kk trying to get every player to dance in front of the cameras, it quickly turned into a Gen Z chaos fest. And everyone loved it.

As the session wrapped up, Kk leaned over to Paige, her phone in hand. "Yo, I'm gonna edit all of this and post it later. This Media Day's gonna be iconic."

Paige nodded, already crafting a caption for her next Instagram post:
"Big hoops energy today, but you already know we stayed in our Drake & Bryson feelings. 💔🔥 @AzziFudd @KkArnold #CourtQueens"

The bus ride back to the dorm was just as wild. Azzi was scrolling through their TikTok live's comments, laughing at all the chaos that had unfolded.

"We're literally trending," Azzi said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Paige grinned, reclining in her seat. "Told you. No one does Media Day like we do."

Azzi elbowed her. "Yeah, well, next time, don't make me laugh during every photo. Now half the pics are of me looking like I just lost it."

Paige winked. "Nah, you looked perfect. Just wait till the fans see those."

Azzi laughed softly, leaning back next to Paige. "I'll just let the fans decide, I guess."