Love for the Game- Paige Bueckers

C H A P T E R 18

The whole team bustled into the hotel, everyone carrying multiple bags and trudging through the main lobby. It took multiple elevator trips to get everybody up to the level the rooms were on where you found out you would be rooming with Aubrey.

Setting down your bag on your bed, you got a notification on your phone. Opening it, you saw a text from Paige. 

miss u alr 

It read with a sad emoji, causing you to giggle. Next came a photo of her making kissy lips at the camera, and that only made you smile harder. You sighed contently and plopped down on your bed, holding your phone close to your chest. 

"Excited for your first game?" Aubrey asked, sitting down on the bed opposite of you.

You thought for a moment, "I haven't really thought about it, I guess. I try not to think about games so I don't freak out," you laughed, Aubrey following.

"Well, you're amazing so, I don't think you have anything to worry about," she said with a reassuring smile, standing back up. 

"Thank you," you replied genuinely before following her out of the room and into the hallway. 

"Long time no see," a familiar voice said behind you, and you spun around to see a grinning Paige. You rolled your eyes at her joke before she continued, "Hey, you never responded to me," she faked pouted, referencing to the text and picture she sent.

"Yes, I did!" You exclaimed, placing your hands over your heart and making puppy eyes at her, "I responded with my heart."

She scoffed, and you saw her eyes flicker to your lips. No matter how much you enjoyed this moment, you knew it had to stop. I mean, you were literally surrounded by your teammates and coaches.

"Save this for later, Paige," you warned, placing a hand on her chest and gently pushig her away from you.

Before she began to argue, Nika appeared, "Hey, guys," she said obliviously.

"Hey, twin!" Paige greeted her excitedly.

Nika's eyes widened, "I'm so nervous I'm actually about to faint." 

Smiling, you thought about how much you loved Nika. The two of you bonded almost instantly over the fact that you were both from different countries. And even though Nika was much better at English then you were, she understood you in a way that no one else could, no matter how hard they tried. 

Before anyone got the chance to respond to her though, it was time to go watch film and eat. 

You sat next to Paige while Geno went over the game plan, watching how the team we were going up against played and how we should guard them, get past them, etc. 

You felt Paige's hand brush against yours under the table and your stomach fluttered with endearment. Giving her what she wanted you grabbed onto her hand, squeezing it tightly. You saw her smile, her eyes still glued to the screen. 

By 1:00pm, you had an hour left before the game started so you went to the gym to shoot around, watching as the UConn fans filed in.

Excitement buzzed through the arena, and you just now realized how big of a deal this was. This was your debut to American basketball. The first time you would ever play for UConn, and suddenly you felt the need to throw up.

Paige noticed this, coming over to you and asking sweetly, "You okay?"

You nodded, biting your nails, "I'm nervous."

She patted your back, "Don't worry, me too. But coach said that he would sub us in at the same time, so we'll be good," she reassured you.

"Ok," you replied, focusing back on warming up.

Before you knew it, the starting line up was being called and you were taking a seat next to Paige on the bench, watching the game begin. Tip off went straight into Christyn's hands, who brought the ball up the court and passed it to Liv for an easy layup. You cheered with Paige, watching the game intently and taking notes from what the upperclassmen did.

Paige nudged her knee against yours as she said a joke, making you laugh and causing your nerves to settle down a bit. You found that you wouldn't mind never being put in the game, sitting on the bench with Paige was fun enough.

"Paige, Jada let's go!" CD yelled at you, telling you to get ready to sub in. The two of you shared a panicked look as you knelt down on the sideline, Geno yelling instructions at you from the coach's box.

You looked at Paige with wide eyes, to which she said, "Don't worry, we're good." You nodded, not fully believing her as the refs called for subs.

Being the point guard, you brought the ball up the court, slowly dribbling in front of the girl guarding you, assessing the court and trying to decide what to do. "Jada!" Paige yelled, wide open in the corner for a three. You quickly passed it to her and she instantly took a shot, swishing it as the crowd erupted. You gave her a high five as you ran down the court, wide smiles on both of your faces.

Falling back into defense, you saw an opportunity to steal the ball from the other teams point guard. So, making your move quickly, you popped it out of her hands, running down the court and getting an easy layup.

The crowd and bench cheered once again as you heard your name being announced, and you couldn't have asked for better first points as a Husky.