Falling for the Firecracker

Paige Bueckers never expected to lose her focus to anyone-until she met Shaylin "Shay" Donnelly, UConn's senior cheer captain with a Boston accent sharp enough to cut glass and one-liners that could bring the entire student section to tears laughing. Shay is one of a kind: quick-witted, effortlessly funny, and sassy in a way that makes Paige grin even when she's trying not to.

Shay owns every room she walks into-commanding the sidelines with fearless energy, big personality, and the kind of charisma that turns heads without even trying. She's the girl who can hype up an arena, roast someone in five words, and still flash a smile that somehow softens Paige's entire world.

Paige finds herself drawn to her before she can even explain it-first to the voice, then to the confidence, then to the heart buried underneath the humor. Shay sees Paige in a way no one else does, challenging her, teasing her, grounding her, and pushing her to laugh at herself. And suddenly the ice-cold, hyper-focused Paige Bueckers is falling-hard-for the sassy Boston girl who cheers louder, shines brighter, and makes her feel understood in ways she didn't know she needed.

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