Chapter 16

Something changed in the second half, and Kazzi was floored. She thought Paige was being plenty aggressive in the first, but that couldn't compare to Paige's aura now, competitiveness amped up by hundreds.

Kazzi spotted Caitlin giving Paige an exasperated head-shake after a particularly nasty shot, and Paige flashed her a cocky smile, egging her on in turn. This was the famous rivalry Kazzi came here for, and she was positively buzzing in her seat. She was interrupted by an elbow jabbing her side, and she doubled over, wincing.

"You never told me what happened with Caitlin," Lili whisper-shouted, "Why does she know you?"

Kazzi nursed the spot of impact, scowling, "I kicked a vending machine for her. The water bottle she paid for got stuck."

"Wow, and they say chivalry is dead."

"Shut the fuck up," Kazzi muttered, eyes refocusing on the game and dutifully ignoring Lili's giggles. The scores were so evenly tied that Kazzi couldn't exactly determine who would win, when UConn scored, Iowa followed up, and whenever Iowa scored, UConn followed. They were at each other's necks.

Kazzi almost choked on her inhale when her eyes caught Paige lifting her shirt to wipe the sweat off her face. The blonde was facing to the side, though, so Kazzi couldn't really get a good look, but just the image of her doing it made Kazzi internally squeal. She was a bit disappointed she couldn't get a good view, but she didn't mull over it for long as the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter. Iowa was winning by a hair.

The players seemed to be reaching their limits by now, and Kazzi's eyes were glued to Paige's heavy breathing as she retrieved her bottle. Without thinking too much of it, Kazzi whipped out her phone and opened twitter.

mrs.bueckers @ktalks.azz

me when shes blonde, 5'11, plays basketball, goes to UConn, won the women's college player of the year award as a freshman, first name is Paige, middle name is Madison and last name is Bueckers 😍 😍 😍 (shes so hot i need her before i go clinically insane)

Lili pulled out her phone, taking a second to read the notification before snorting. "Down horrendous."

"And proud," Kazzi proclaimed, grinning widely at the flat look Lili gave her. The other sighed, sparing her phone one more glance before commenting, "I'm surprised there aren't any spelling mistakes. Good job."

Kazzi glowered, "I can spell amazingly, I just make typos when I'm fast."

"Excuses."

Kazzi was about to retort when her phone buzzed in her hand.

Paige Bueckers liked your tweet!

Paige Bueckers @paigebueckersofficial

@ktalks.azz im actually 6'4

Kazzi smiled, unconsciously scouring the premises for the blonde, eyes finally landing on Paige. The other was staring straight at her, phone still in hand, and Kazzi froze.

Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest as Paige anchored her with a single look. The player gripped her phone in a way that seemed to mock Kazzi, and the latter swallowed uncomfortably, wondering if she'd been exposed. Kazzi's limbs felt like lead, only lightening up when Paige's gaze flickered away, and Kazzi shakily released a breath she was holding.

Holy shit.

Kazzi's head spun as the game signaled the start of the final quarter, the players filing into the court with renewed determination. Kazzi made a point of not looking at Paige, ignoring the way she could feel the blonde's eyes boring into her skull. There's no way she knows, right?

The final quarter had everyone fighting tooth and nail to come out on top, and Kazzi resisted the urge to jump out of her chair and cheer when UConn finally gained a lead on Iowa. The game was nearing an end. Kazzi could see the frustration starting to brew in the eyes of the Iowa players, UConn managing to keep their sliver of a lead for a majority of the quarter.

Caitlin shot a 3 from half-court with thirty seconds to spare, the ball soundlessly swooshing into the basket. Kazzi watched the faces of UConn fall, Iowa now winning by one point, and gnawed her lip. Azzi gained possession of the ball, movements rushed as she attempted to dribble towards the end of her goal. Iowa was not letting up, guarding her with a desperation that had Kazzi sitting at the edge of her seat.

Azzi passed, the ball traveling through the air and landing in the hands of none other than Paige Bueckers, who was quite a distance from the basket. Kazzi glanced at the clock, with less than ten seconds to play, Kazzi expected Paige to dribble, maybe do a lay-up to win.

Kazzi's jaw went slack when Paige dribbled back, wondering if the blonde had forgotten which basket she needed to shoot in. Paige stopped at half-court, turning around and barely allowed a second re-orientate herself before the ball left her hands. It sailed with a beautiful arch, and Kazzi felt like the air had been punched out of her when the ball swooshed into the basket as the buzzer went off.

UConn erupted, crowding Paige in a high of celebration and joy. Iowa slumped, having lost by two points, and Kazzi applauded their efforts. It was admirable, how a practice game had everyone playing to their fullest potential. Kazzi was filled with newfound determination to finish off her essay that was due tomorrow.

Paige was all smiles and laughter, taking the praise in stride as she congratulated the players on their hard work. She was glowing, and it was at these moments where Kazzi found her the most beautiful. Kazzi wiped the soft smile off her face when she noticed her facial muscles doing what they're not supposed to do, frowning when Lili pointed at her and laughed.

Lili hopped off her seat, saying she was going to go see Azzi. Kazzi held her tongue from teasing, and was about to follow when she saw Caitlin lingering nearby. Caitlin looked up when she heard Kazzi's footsteps approaching, and offered a defeated smile.

"That was intense," Kazzi commented, shooting her a smile of her own, "Thanks for the great game. I really enjoyed it."

"I'm glad," Caitlin replied, tipping her head back with a sigh, "It's a bummer we lost, though."

"I mean, there's always next time."

"True."

Seeing the discouraged expression on the other's face, Kazzi lightly smacked Caitlin's arm, expression genuine as she said, "You guys were amazing. Don't sweat it and destroy them next time."

"Aren't you a UConn fan?" Caitlin questioned dryly.

"Yeah."

"You shouldn't be talking about destroying them then. That's bad fan etiquette."

Kazzi rolled her eyes, "I'm trying to encourage you here, Clark. I don't actually want them to be destroyed."

Caitlin laughed, eyes twinkling as she remarked, "Not even by me?"

"Not even by you."

Caitlin pulled out her phone, tapping on it as she retorted, "That's unfortunate. They're gonna get destroyed next time whether you like it or not."

Kazzi giggled, shaking her head, "Unlikely, but I'll be watching just in case."

"You better," came the reply, before a phone was thrusted under her nose. Kazzi blinked, confused.

"Could I get your number? We can stay in contact."

Kazzi's eyes widened, stamping down the giddy feeling as she grabbed Caitlin's phone. She tried to stop her hands from shaking as quickly punched her number in, returning the phone to a smiling Clark.

"I'll text you," Caitlin said, taking a couple steps back. Kazzi waved as the player returned to her team, getting a loud 'bye!' from the other. Kazzi couldn't wipe the grin off her face, cheeks hurting as she bounded across the court towards Azzi and Lili, who were conversing animatedly.

Lili perked up when she spotted her, waving her over with an excited look.

"Kaz, wanna hang out with Azzi and I tonight? I wanted to go try out this new pasta place Azzi was talking about, and she offered to just take me there!"

Kazzi almost tripped, sparing Azzi a glance and almost laughing when she saw the other's pained smile. Kazzi was sure Azzi was asking Lili on a date, but the latter was too oblivious to pick it up. Kazzi decided to save Azzi the trouble, she wasn't too keen on third-wheeling.

"It's okay, you and Azzi should definitely go try it out though."

"Oh," Lili slumped, "I don't really wanna go without you."

Kazzi closed her eyes and sighed, not believing that her friend was this dense. A new voice cut in.

"Pasta? Wait, is this the new place that opened recently?"

Kazzi startled, turning around to come face to face with Paige's twinkling expression. Her heart stuttered in her chest.

"Yeah," Azzi sighed, clearly having given up, "Wanna come?"

"Of course!" Paige exclaimed, "I've been seeing so many posts about it and I never got the chance to try it out."

Lili then gave Kazzi a sly look, "Paige is coming. Do you wanna come?"

Heat rushed to Kazzi's cheeks as she felt Paige's gaze turn to her, feeling chills run down her spine. She felt particularly spiteful at Lili's knowing expression, and she can't let Paige know she wants to hang out with her. They're rivals. And so, she opened her mouth and said–

"Nah, I have an essay due toni–"

" –tomorrow," Lili cut in, throwing an arm around Kazzi who tried wiggling out of the former's hold. Kazzi's protests died in her throat when Paige laughed, "You can do the essay later. Trust me, you do not want to miss out on this pasta."

Going lax in Lili's arms, Kazzi sighed, "Okay. Pasta it is."

It was only when she was being dragged out of the gym did Kazzi realize – with startling clarity – that this was suspiciously akin to a double date.