Off the court

Breaking truth

Disclaimer: panic attacks

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I woke up to my 6 AM alarm, and immediately, a headache hit me. I missed Paige. I didn't know why I was feeling like this; maybe my mental health was going downhill again. Too tired to pick out an outfit, I threw on a hoodie and some PJ pants. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and didn't even bother fixing my hair. Instead, I just threw it up in a messy bun. I slipped on my Yeezy slides, grabbed my book bag, and headed out the door. As I got to the elevator, I saw Paige. I followed her in, and she greeted me with, "Hey, Mya, you okay?"

We stepped off the elevator, and I admitted, "No, not really."

"I can tell," she said softly. "You don't look okay."

"Yeah, but bye, Paige. I gotta go to class," I said quickly, hugging her and kissing her cheek before heading to class.

In class, I sat next to Jana again, and, unfortunately, Jackson, too.

"Hey, Jana," I greeted her.

"Oh, hey, Mya. You alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stressed," I responded.

"Okay, I hope you feel better," she said warmly.

"Thank you," I replied as the class started.

I took lots of notes for the test we had tomorrow. Once class ended, I headed back to the hallway. My math class with Paige wasn't for another two hours, so I went to the food court. I spotted Paige sitting with that same girl, Kayla, so I sat alone again.

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Paige's POV:

I noticed Mya sitting alone again, and honestly, it was making me mad. Did she really think I didn't care about her? I walked up to her and asked, "Why do you keep sitting alone? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "I just didn't want to interrupt your conversation with your friend."

"Mya, you're always welcome to sit with me. I promise. Come on, you're not sitting alone," I insisted.

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly and came over to sit with us. Kayla introduced herself, but I noticed Mya fidgeting with her bracelet—something she always did when something was wrong.

"Mya, let's go to the bathroom real quick," I suggested.

"Um, okay," she said, following me.

Once in the bathroom, I turned to her. "Mya, you seem stressed, and your outfit shows it."

"I know, I don't look very good today," she sighed.

I couldn't believe she would say that. She was so beautiful and smart, but she didn't see it. "Mya, don't ever say that about yourself again, please."

"Yeah, sorry. I shouldn't have said that," she muttered.

"Thank you for listening," I said softly.

"Wanna go to your dorm?" she asked out of nowhere. I agreed, and we told Kayla before leaving. The car ride was quiet—it was only five minutes, after all. When we arrived, I opened the door for her, and we headed to the elevator. Azzi was there when we got to my dorm.

"Hey, Azzi," Mya greeted her.

"Hey, Mya. Hey, Paige," Azzi replied.

We all sat on the couch, but then my phone buzzed with a text from a random number.

Random:Hi, do you know Paige Bueckers? 

Mya:Umm, why?

Random:You can try to fight me or whatever, but I will get her back.