Coach's Daughter

4

Paige's pov

The whole team gave me a hard time after practice for what y/n did. Just picking on me and saying stuff like "she might not be coach's favorite, but she sure is his daughter's" and referring to Geno as "Paige's father in law".

Nika and a few of the others were hanging out at mine and Azzi's. We had ordered pizza because we were all starving and deserved comfort food after that hell of a practice.

"Hey, P," Ines gets my attention from the opposite side on the table, "can you pass the marinara?"

I'm about to grab it when Aaliyah stops me, "Awww, no, don't make her do it." Everyone starts laughing. "It's been a long hard day for poor Paigey-Baby." Ines starts wheezing and pounding the table with her fist. I look over at Azzi beside me to find her head thrown back in laughter.

I'm done being defensive because that is just the reaction they want out of me. I can't help but laugh a little myself. I put my hands up and say, "all right, all right, I can't help she likes me and not you guys." Everyone keeps laughing.

"Hey," Ines pipes up, "you should dm her or something." I feel my stomach get slight butterflies. She doesn't know, none of them know, that I followed her on Instagram last night.

"You tryna get her benched again?" Amari asks still laughing. "Coach would kick. her. ass."

"What would be so wrong about one of us getting with his daughter?" Ines asks naively.

Nika looks at her like, seriously? "No coach in the history of coaches has ever wanted their child, especially a daughter, being with one of their players."

"Ouuuu it's like a forbidden romance." Azzi comments and I shove her shoulder, "oh no, not you too."

Eventually the subject changes. Doesn't take long with this group. Yet, I find myself still thinking about her. It was really nice of her, taking up for me like that. I'm starting to get the feeling my suspicions about her liking me are correct. At first it was just me catching her staring at me. I would show off a little extra sometimes when I thought she was watching on the occasion she would show up at a practice or a work out. I thought I was just flattering myself, but now, after seeing that she had already been following me on Instagram when I searched her up, plus her begging her dad not to punish me during practice. I mean, something is telling me she wouldn't have done the same for one of the others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/n's Pov

Today is a Tuesday, which means Paige doesn't come in to physical therapy today. We did, however, have a couple patients come in that play other sports. I thought Steve and Laura only worked with the women's basketball, but terns out they help any of the athletes at UCONN, their office is just located where the girls practice. Apparently there are also physical therapists at the men's basketball gym, volleyball gym and just general physical therapists located in their own building near the football practice field.

We had a cheerleader come in earlier, sprained ankle from a stunt. Now we're dealing with a guy who runs track complaining of lower back pain.

"When did the pain start?" Laura asks him and I prepare to write down what he says. That's what they've been making me do today, write down what they tell us. This guy didn't seem like he was seriously injured.

"Ya know, one day after practice." he says veigely, looking up at me over Laura's shoulder.

"Uh... this past Friday. I thought it would go away after a couple days, but it didn't."

I write it down, even though it kinda sounds made up. What did this guy think this was? A high school nurse's office?

"Okay." Laura stands up from where she was sitting in front of the guy. "I'll be right back and we'll start exercises."

When she walks away, the guy, his name was Spencer, smiles at me deviously. "So." he says simply.

"What?" I ask.

"Is she gonna let you help me or what?" he asks, gesturing to Laura.

"We don't even know if there's anything wrong with you yet." I tell him dryly.

"There is!" He says defensively as Laura comes back to us. She probably just went to go inform Steve that this guy is full of shit.

"Stand up," Laura demands. He does as told when the door opens. I look to see who it is and my heart skips a beat when my eyes land on the tall lean girl with her long silky blond hair worn in a pony tail. I almost choke when I see that she's wearing a black muscle T with her basketball shorts.

She comes in smiling and greats us, "Hey, guys."

"What are you doing here today, Paige?" Steve asks as she makes herself at home, sitting on top of the counter past me and Laura.

"Just thought I'd stop by and say hi on my way to the gym." she says cheerily. They didn't have practice right now so she was just doing solo practice today I guess. There's probably other players practicing or working out right now too though.

"You like working out too, right Y/n?" Paige catches me off guard. I mean, I do. At my house. By myself.

"Uh... yeah, I guess." I cringe at how weak my voice sounds all of a sudden.

"I like working out!" the guy, Spencer exclaims like an idiot.

Paige ignores him, "you wanna come with?" she asks me, looking at me all smiley as she tilts her head to the side. God she's so cute it should be illegal.

I feel so put on the spot as I finally say, "Sure," completely forgetting about my intern hours.

"Sweet! I'll come too!" The rando, Spencer, jumps up from the floor where Laura was making him do various stretches.

"I thought your back was hurting?" Laura asks, accusatory. Paige hops off the counter, nodding her head at the door for us to go. I stand and follow after her.

"Ah, I'll be alright. And I can do all these stretches in the gym!" he comes and walks up behind me, saying to me in a lower voice, "I'm sure you can help me with that."

I give him a weird look and Paige stops at the door and turns to look at us. "We're going to the women's basketball gym. Players only, sorry." I suddenly feel like I'm not allowed to go now too.

"She's not a player." he says, gesturing to me.

"She's coach's daughter." Paige says in an exasperated tone before opening the door for me. I walk out past her and she closes the door behind us, practically slamming it in the guys face. What the creep deserves.

"Gees, he's annoying." Paige comes up beside me. I start to get a little flustered because Paige just held a door for me and is now walking beside me. Like we're walking down the hall together.

"Yeah. And I'm pretty sure he faking a back injury." I tell her and she scoffs.

"He probably just heard there was a pretty girl interning down here." she mutters.

"What?" I ask because it sounded like Paige Bueckers just called me pretty.

"What?" She asks right back, not repeating herself.

We turn into the weight room that also has treadmills and other workout equipment in it.

I sigh when I realize what I'm wearing: a nice white dressy top with jeans and my new lavender converse that are not meant for working out.

"What is it?" Paige asks me as she drops her duffel bag on a bench.

"I'm not wearing workout clothes." I tell her as I lean on the door frame.

Paige goes over to the weight lifting bench and starts removing the weights on the bar and replacing them with different ones.

"You'll just have to watch me then," she throws me a smirk and I feel my face go red.