Off the court

Good girl

I wake up and look around; I'm in Paige's bed. Slowly, I get up, trying not to wake her. I head into the living room, looking for my phone, and try to remember what happened last night. I see blankets and Netflix and remember the team had a movie night. I must've fallen asleep. I find my phone under a blanket and my purse. Paige walks out of the room and says, in a sleepy voice, "Mya, you good?"

"Yeah, Paige, go back to sleep," I reply.

"Okay, bye. Love you," she says.

"Love you more," I say, before leaving. I head back to my dorm and knock on the door, hoping Emma's awake. She opens it in her work uniform.

"Hey, Emma," I say.

"Hey, Mya. You slept with Paige again?"

"Yeah, on accident. What time is it?" I ask.

She looks at her Apple Watch. "It's 11:30."

"Oh, okay," I say. "Bye, Emma, see you later."

"Bye, bestie," she says, closing the door.

I look around, trying to figure out what I'm going to do. I put my phone on the charger and head to the bathroom to shower. 20 minutes later, I get out, put on lotion, sweatpants, and a crop top. I brush my teeth, do my skincare routine, and put my hair in a slick-back style since I'll be washing it tomorrow. Afterward, I go to the kitchen, make myself some cereal, and sit down to watch TikTok. I didn't realize how many Paige edits there were until I scrolled for 20 minutes. I add a few to my collection, and then I see a video about me. They probably think I'm famous since Paige follows me. I like the video and keep scrolling.

After finishing my cereal, I put the bowl in the sink and wonder what to do since there's no practice today. I text my friends around campus, asking if they want to hang out:

Mya: Hey, y'all, wanna hang out today?

Ava: Sure.

Aaliyah: Yeah, that's fine.

Chelsea: Yeah, ofc.

Mya: Okay, we can meet at my dorm in 30 minutes.

My phone rings—it's Paige. I answer, "Hey, Paige. Wyd?"

"Nothing, about to hang out with my friends. Hbu?"

"Oh, nothin'. I wanted to hang out today, but we can another day," she says.

I sit in silence for a moment, feeling bad. "Paige, don't worry. I'm gonna make it up to you. Wanna go on a church date tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Mya. Talk to you later. Have fun, love you."

"Love you more, Paige."

I hear a knock at the door—it's probably my friends. I open it, and they walk in. Chelsea asks, "So, you're dating Paige Bueckers?"

"No, where'd you get that from?" I reply.

"Emma told us," Ava chimes in.

"We're not dating, but we're friends," I clarify.

Aaliyah adds, "Mya, her getting mad and not letting someone have your Instagram and calling you beautiful is not 'just friends' behavior."

I look shocked. "Emma told you all that?"

Aaliyah nods. "Yeah, she did. Mya, she likes you."

I remember the moment at Canes when Paige whispered in my ear. Maybe she does. "I don't know... maybe. But she acts like we're just friends."

Ava says, "Her passing out from not being near you isn't 'friendly' either, nor is checking up on you when you're sad or knowing little things about you."