They're not rivals. Not really. They're just two girls who've been dodging each other since freshman year. Nika, UConn's unapologetically intense basketball captain, and Kiera, the impossibly put-together cheerleader who always acts like Nika's existence is a personal inconvenience. They've never liked each other. Everyone knows that. So when they're suddenly forced to co-lead a school spirit campaign? It's chaos waiting to happen. Because the problem isn't that they fight. It's that somewhere between the bickering and banter, they stopped wanting to. After all, all is fair in love and war. nika muhl x femoc

a paige bueckers story.

Who would have thought I'd end up being friends with the Paige Bueckers-basketball's golden child, admired by millions around the world? To everyone else, she's a superstar, but to me, she's always been just Paige. We met during Team USA camp, bonding over little jokes and quiet moments away from all the noise. Back then, neither of us cared about the hype; we were just two girls who loved basketball and understood the pressure that came with it. Over time, we became inseparable. Paige wasn't just insanely talented-she was hilarious, kind, and so genuine it almost didn't seem real. I admired her on the court, but it was off the court where I got to know the girl who loved messing around, eating way too many snacks, and singing badly to random songs. That was Paige to me-not some unattainable star, just a person I could be myself around. But lately, I've been feeling something different-something I never expected. Every time we're together, the air feels heavier, charged with something unspoken. I start noticing the way she smiles, the way her laugh makes me feel, and it's like the bond we share is shifting into something I can't quite name yet. And it scares me because this is Paige-my best friend, my teammate, my everything. What happens if I'm starting to feel more? What if... she is too?

#NIKARI or #MACMARTIN? nika muhl x fem!oc (PURELY FICTION) culledhearts 2024

Paige Bueckers is the star of UCONN's Women's Basketball team, but even an athlete of her status has to blow off steam somehow... On a very different part of the campus is UCONN journalism student Jovie Evans, who is not an athlete at all. In fact, she couldn't care less about sports. When the two meet in a bar and agree that they could use the outlet of each other sparks fly, but being an athlete with a secret isn't easy and being stuck with Paige Bueckers is even harder. This is a romance/mature story. *There is no coming out plot line to this story because I think queer spaces should be for queer people existing and not solely defined by justifying their existence. * Paige Bueckers is used as inspiration for her character here purely in likeness and stature as a basketball player, everything else about her is made up and imagined for this story, it is in no shape or form a reflection of her behaviour or beliefs. Some other teammates are mentioned by name but used solely for their names and nothing else.