SWEET NOTHING, caitlin clark

prologue.

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Angelina Hidalgo and Caitlin Clark have been friends for what felt like their entire lives. Mostly because it had been. They'd met for the first time playing against each other in a youth league in elementary school. Angelina had practically grown up with her seeing as they saw each other so often. After playing against each other for years they'd fallen into friendship, and before long the girls were inseparable. Over the next few years, Angelina would grow alongside Caitlin. Though they were a year apart they had become equals. They followed each other everywhere. It was only in Caitlin's senior year of high school that she and their core group of friends would be split apart, Caitlin and Sawyer going off to college. Caitlin had committed to Notre Dame and so had Angelina. She had every intention of following her. That was until Caitlin decided to rescind her commitment to Notre Dame in favor of Iowa. Angelina however, had no intention of changing her decision. Thus the two were going their separate ways for the first time in years. 

Within her freshman year at Notre Dame, the girl excelled, quickly making her name known in the world of women's college basketball. She had managed to become the star player on her own team and ultimately one of the most highly accredited freshman in the league. It'd been what she'd been dreaming of her entire life. She was finally being acknowledged for everything she'd worked so hard to achieve. Her name was beginning to be mentioned alongside the likes of Paige Bueckers,  Caitlin Clark, and even Rhyne Howard. While her team fell just short of the national championship in 2021, she left an incredible legacy behind after her freshman season as a collegiate level athlete. 

Going into her sophomore year all eyes were on her. Expectations were at an all time high. After the world witnessed her lead her team so close to a championship, they demanded even more from her. She felt the pressure coming from every direction. She felt it from her coaches, the media, the fans, and even her family. They all had such high hopes for a future that seemed so promising at the time. However, all of those hopes were squandered when she experienced a career ending injury halfway through the season. Her bright future was gone in the blink of an eye. Her season was over. Her team didn't even make it past the elite eight. She felt the disappointment radiating from everyone around her. It was inescapable. She felt the frustration of those that supported her, and everyone that believed she could win it all. 

Over time she faded out of public favor. Everyone had seemingly moved on to bigger and better things and brighter stars with brighter futures. LSU won the national championship and the memory of her was long gone. New faces were being plastered across Slam covers and making ESPN headlines. 

As she struggled to rebuild her body and mind piece by piece she feared she may never be the same. Would she ever reach that level of success again? The question that played over and over in her mind. The more time she took a way from the game the more she doubted her abilities. Everything had blurred into a jumble of fear, anxiety and an endless amount of weight on her shoulders. She needed to recover. Her team needed her back on the court. They needed her to heal. But what did she need? What did she want? That, she wasn't so sure of.  Basketball was the center of her universe and she'd suddenly been knocked out of orbit. The game made her who she was and she wasn't sure who she would be without it. It left her lost and searching for a new purpose anywhere she could find. In her time away from the game, she'd been left with time to reevaluate her priorities. After months of rehab and focusing on getting healthy, she'd finally decided she didn't want to go back. Angelina was officially leaving the world of basketball behind her. 

To say it was a shock would be an understatement. One of the top scorers in the NCAAW had prematurely ended her own career. It was devastating news to her team, her coaches, her family, and even to her herself. She hated that this had to be the way she saw her name in headlines for the first time in months. The fans were angrier than ever. Her name had been plastered across the internet with people slandering her and saying anything and everything they could. She felt like she'd wasted everyone's time, and she'd wasted her own potential. She could've been one of the greats, but her fall from grace was from a height far too high. That's when she knew it was time for her to leave Notre Dame once and for all. She craved to escape the questions, the prying eyes, and the judgement. She needed a place where she felt accepted, and loved. Her best friends had been begging her to transfer since the day she committed to Notre Dame, and while she'd always brushed them off she figured it might be time for a fresh start. Thus she'd made the decision to transfer. And so she was starting fresh at a new school, in a new place, surrounded by old friends. All she could do was only hope that she was making the right choice.

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