No Ones Favorite Until You | Paige Bueckers
Dehlilah Rivera is a 5'6" spark plug from Woodlawn, Maryland. Black and Puerto Rican. Tough as nails. Grew up learning to talk with her eyes and protect her heart with sarcasm. She transferred into UConn as an unranked junior, overlooked by scouts, unwanted by her former coach, and rejected by an ex-girlfriend whose family said she was "too hood to be taken seriously." She plays with something to prove.
Paige Bueckers? She's college basketball royalty. One of the most famous players in the country. Clean reputation. Press-friendly. Rich Minnesota suburb pedigree. Golden child. All-American. Loved.
On paper, they don't match.
On court, they don't miss.
They're assigned to guard each other at practice-Coach CD's twisted way of keeping both sharp. Dehlilah drives Paige crazy. She talks trash, plays fast, fights for everything. Paige reads the floor like a chessboard, always two plays ahead. They push each other. Challenge each other. Make each other better.
And neither of them realizes that they're already falling.
Because Paige is completely oblivious to how deep her feelings run. She just thinks it's normal to stare a little too long. To offer her hoodies. To hate when Dehlilah laughs too loud at another teammate's jokes. To feel something primal when someone else touches her.
Azzi sees it. KK sees it. Everyone sees it-except Paige.
And Dehlilah? She refuses to believe someone like Paige Bueckers could want her. She's been called a mistake before. A phase. A risk. Her emotional walls are steel-plated. But Paige's constant presence starts to chip at them. Her softness feels safe. Her patience feels dangerous.
For Paige, no one ever felt like home until Dehlilah.
And for Dehlilah, no one ever looked at her like she was somebody's favorite-until Paige.
