The Sound of Memories

"I promise no matter what happens, I will always be with you and be by your side no matter how shitty things get. That's how much you mean to me Kate."

No matter where you came from, whether it was one of your parents or a teacher, everybody gets taught the lesson that everything could change in the blink of an eye. It wasn't until last night where Kate realized she had learned that lesson. And she had learned that lesson the hard way. Gosh-how much Kate hates how everyone was right about that. Some lessons are meant to be taught, not to be experienced. Yet here Kate was, moving around in her bed continuously at 3AM, waiting for the time to move faster so she could leave Minnesota once and for all.

Kate managed to stop her crying, just sniffling here and there. The only thing on Kate's mind currently was watching the clock that was semi lighting up the dark hotel room, counting the seconds until the clock strikes another minute.

It didn't take much convincing to get Caitlin and Gabbie to agree to leave Minneapolis in the very early of the morning. They knew how much Kate needed to get out of here. Anyone else, they would be opposed to this idea. They would do quite literally anything and everything for Kate. Kate was always by their side for them whenever anything occurred. It was now their time to return the favor.

The clock had officially turned 4 AM when Caitlin's alarm rang. The silent room got filled with Caitlin's alarm ringtone of none other than 'Good Morning USA,' by American Dad. Caitlin says this song makes her hyped for what the day has to offer and fills up her morning with a sense of joy. The groans coming from Kate and Gabbie most confidently did not agree though. Although Kate used it, like everyone, Kate fucking hated alarms. She would have them set, and sometimes they would ring, sometimes Kate would tell Caitlin or Gabbie prior of the next morning, to wake her up. If Kate could have anything in the world, she would have someone that woke her up instead of an alarm that would give her PTSD wherever she would go.

For the lack of sleep Kate had, she was very energetic. However, the sleep deprivation will kick in like a bitch once they get on the road. It was a different story for the other two girls. Caitlin's hair was very messy, she was non-stop yawning, all around it just looked like she had been awake for 10 years. Gabbie was just as tired as Caitlin was, but still somehow managed to look so drop dead gorgeous.

There was chaos and fights going on between Kate and Gabbie. Gabbie had intentions to shower, was grabbing her clothes from the shared bed of her and Caitlin, but as soon as she walked back into the bathroom she saw Kate taking up all of the counter space. Gabbie was arguing she was there first and how she wanted to shower but Kate was in there. Kate argued that Gabbie left so Kate stole her spot. They tried to turn to Caitlin to see whos side she would favor but Caitlin had other plans.

ClarkyPoo

Paige u up?

Paige wake up girl

Call me when u can

Stop being lazy WAKE UP

Geno said u run suicides

if u dont wake up btw

WAKEE UPPPPP

PaigeyWaigey

Whqt the fuck Caitlin

Its 4:32 AM In tryna sleep

ClarkyPoo

I didn't realize the time

Sorry...

Also ur spelling is ass

PaigeyWaigey

Hard to b good when

u test me at 4 AM

But what u want

ClarkyPoo

I need u to meet

me downstairs for

coffee

In 30 minutes ok?

PaigeyWaigey

Whars this urgent

at this time

ClarkyPoo

Ull see

So will u come down?

PaigeyWaigey

Ig

ClarkyPoo

Thanks Alpha P 🥰

Caitlin walked up towards Kate who had lost the argument. Kate was currently in a sports bra and putting on her sweatpants looking as depressed as ever.

"Yo K."

"What do you want, Clark? I'm kind of in the middle of doing something. What happened to the existence of privacy?" Caitlin waved Kate off knowing that was just an excuse. They've changed in front of each other plenty of times. Caitlin knew all Kate wanted was to be alone swarmed with her own sadness. But the only way to not be sad is to be distracted with other things.

"Well I was just wondering what time check out is. I don't know if you know or if Gabbie does. But there's something I need to do in half an hour and I wanna make sure I got the time to even do the thing I want to do."

"That's very alarming Clark." Kate turned her head to look at the almost closed door of the bathroom then turned back around to the brunette right in front of her. "But yea I'm positive check out is at 5:30. I think that was the earliest we could've done. Why?"

Should Caitlin tell Kate who she was going to see? Nah. But she can't let Kate grow any sorta suspicion. Caitlin rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand. "Nah, it's nothing. I was just gonna go on the treadmill downstairs in the gym. You know, like, getting my legs moving before we're on the road."

"Yea I get that. Well, have fun doing that."

That excuse worked like a charm. Kate loved going wherever Caitlin went. But going on a treadmill at 5AM did not sound like it was calling for Kate's name. Caitlin wasn't sure if what she was going to say to Paige would be something that would bite her ass in the future. But Kate was her friend and Caitlin needed to tell this to somebody who wasn't Nika..

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

It was now 5 AM. Caitlin had been sitting at the hotel lounge for about 5 minutes. Paige was very unpredictable with timing. Sometimes she could show up a few minutes early, sometimes a few minutes later, sometimes not at all. But Paige and Caitlin were in the same hotel. Caitlin could knock down Paige's hotel room door if she wanted to, and she would if Paige doesn't show up.

Suddenly, Caitlin started to hear motion coming from her left side. She heard what sounded to be slides dragging on the marble floor. Fortunately enough for Caitlin, it was none other than Paige Bueckers. Paige dapped up Caitlin before she took a seat across the coffee table so now they were staring face to face, each sipping on coffee.

"So what do you want to talk to me about that is so urgent that you had to spam my text messages countless times until I woke up and replied?" Somehow Paige looked more tired than Caitlin. Nika was probably on a rage the whole night Caitlin thought.

"Right uhm so." Caitlin clasped her hands together. The tone in Caitlin's voice began to worry Paige which made Paige sit at the end of her seat. "I really don't know if I should be telling you this but uhm first. Hold up. How's Nika holding up?" Paige leaned back in the seat as she rolled her eyes from Caitlin trying to excuse herself out of the conversation she literally wanted.

"Nika's been a mess bro. I ain't ever been this scared of my twin before. I don't know how much longer I can take it. She's like knocked things down, made a dent in the fucking bathroom cabinets, about to break one of Azzi's crutches with her knee like one of those karate people but I stopped her before she could."

"Damn I didn't know her own decision could do such a big toll on her. I mean if she was going to react that way then why'd she break up with Kate?" This thought did come across Paige's mind. She actually had no idea why Nika broke up with Kate. She didn't even know Nika was even planning on breaking up with her at all.

"Man, I don't even know. Nika was a closed book to everyone except Kate. Yea Nika would tell me things but not nearly the half she told Kate. But recently, Nika has been acting weird when it came towards Kate and I suspected it but I didn't know why she was. I never would've imagined her breaking up with Kate. She liked her a lot."

Caitlin sat there for a moment looking up at the ceiling with her chin resting on her hands. For all Caitlin knew, Kate and Nika were fine. Kate was so bubbly thinking or talking about Nika. There was no way her and Nika were going through some shit and Caitlin didn't know.

"Do you know why Nika broke up with Kate?" Paige shook her head no.

"But what about Kate? How's she holding up? I'm sure it stung her pretty hard."

"And you'd be correct by that. Kate definitely didn't react as aggressively as Nika did. More so just crying. It just sucks because after years of searching Kate finally thought she found her person. Nika always listened, always understood and reassured her. Now, it's like that side of Nika never existed and she was like the rest." Caitlin sighed. "Hey Paige?" Paige looked at Caitlin with a curious look on her face. "If I told you something would you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Azzi?"

"Shit C, you're scaring me right now. Is this what you so desperately wanted to talk to me about?" Caitlin nodded in response.

"So on the car ride here, Kate said something to me and Gabbie that brought happy tears to our eyes. But ever since the situation, my heart broke even more for Kate...Kate was going to you 'I love you' to Nika. She was so excited for it and was so sure Nika loved her back."

Paige's jaw dropped and her eyes widened alike Caitlin and Gabbie's did in the car. Except this time, Paige's stayed like that. If she wasn't awake before, she definitely was now. "Holy shit Caitlin. I-I don't know what to say. You're not bullshitting right?"

"No no I'm being dead serious Paige. I think she was going to say it to Mühl when they went to dinner but Mühl had other plans and broke up with her."

Wow.

Was all Paige could think.

"Fuck I'm going to kill Nika. I just can't believe Kate went into today wanting to tell Nika she loves her while Nika broke up with her." Paige's mouth was still open.

"It's so weird yea? I know she's never said it but Mühl definitely loved Kate so I don't get why she would do that."

"Oh yea no as much as Nika wouldn't admit it, we have twin telepathy so I know she loved Kate. I've tried to tell her to say it to Kate but she would argue she only liked her a lot a lot. I mean the eyes don't lie, we've all seen the way Nika looks or looked at Kate, she loved that girl with everything in her and would fight anyone who ever tried to go near her."

"So then why did she break up with Kate then?" Paige shrugged as the two of them looked at each other. Each having many thoughts running through their heads. Paige would say its very unlike Nika but Nika wasn't the most predictable person. But still, she never thought in a million years that Nika would break up with Kate.

Caitlin checked her phone realizing it was almost time for her and the two girls in the hotel room to check out. Paige and Caitlin hugged each other goodbye knowing there was no chance Kate would want to go say goodbye to Paige and Azzi if Nika was there. The other UConn girlies didn't even know the three Iowa girls were here.

Caitlin used her key card to enter the hotel room and saw the room all cleaned up. The beds were made, the bathroom counters were clean, everything was there like they haven't ever been here before. Like yesterday when they first entered the room. Back when Kate still had a girlfriend.

"Do you want to go say goodbye to Paige and Azzi at least?" Kate mumbled a very soft and quiet 'no' in response to Gabbie's question. The guilt was starting to build up in Caitlin's body but Caitlin tried to ignore it. She did what was best for Kate. If karma comes around, then it does. Caitlin didn't care.

They checked out of the hotel and got into the car. At last, the car was filled with an air Caitlin and Gabbie were quite familiar with. The happiness that seemed to be in the car when they were on their way up here has seemed to pour out the window and vanish. It was still dark outside and the soft playlist of Gabbie's was playing in the background. Within a few minutes, Kate's eye's closed, finally letting her sleep.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport

Saint. Paul, Minnesota

A day had passed since Nika broke up with Kate. Geno switched their flight last minute and decided before they head to the Cayman Islands straight from Minnesota, they would go back to Connecticut for a day or two. Since the night of the breakup, Nika hasn't done a whole lot of crying. She just went to the same tough face she's always had.

But this time, the same tough face came with a brand new attitude. Nika seemed to be more dry, not listening or paying attention to anybody. She wouldn't talk to anyone that wasn't her friend or a coach. Hell, it was even a privilege for one of her teammates to even get a response from her.

Nika spent the whole day yesterday at a nearby gym. She went at 3PM and didn't get back to the hotel room until 10. The gym was always where Nika went wherever she needed to escape. That's why she was so built. Unfortunately for Nika though, there was no gym on an airplane.

Their group was finally called and they began to line up so that they could board the plane. Nika currently had Kendrick Lamar on blast, blocking out any other noise that was surrounding her. She just followed everybody's footsteps to make sure she didn't look like an idiot.

The plane was cold but there was a little heat shining through from the sun piercing through the windows of the plane. Normally on planes Nika would be wearing one of Kate's sweatshirts but not this time around. She used to be hugged by the sweet scent and warmth of Kate's clothes. Now she was surrounded by the stubbornness and coldness of her own.

As much as Nika loved KK, she thanked the lords KK wasn't sitting by her today. Yes KK talked a lot which meant she was good at distracting but, Nika just wanted to let all of her emotions she had bottled up now so she could feel like her normal self before Kate again. Nika was next to Ashlynn and next to Ashlynn was Aubrey. A nice, quieter batch of people for plane rides.

Nika looked out the window, watching as she felt the vibration of the plane speed up and run against the runway. As much as Nika was experienced to very long plane rides and this one was only 3 hours, she had a gut feeling this one would feel like the longest.

Nika kept skipping every other song in her playlist. Every single song that came up would remind her of Kate. Kate was the last thing Nika wanted to think about. So Nika officially knew what she was going to do on this plane ride. Make a new playlist.

Nika was a big music person so it was hard for her to find songs that she didn't already know. That doesn't mean that songs she's never listened to didn't exist. She asked Ashlynn and Aubrey for song recommendations. The two girls looked at each other with confused looks wondering why Nika was now talking to them. They were grateful she was though, and took advantage of their time with the Croatian.

Despite it being a few months from now, Nika was not looking forward to facing Iowa in January. She's going to have to see Kate whether she likes it or not. Unless Nika runs away and lives in a cabin in Alaska or something. All jokes aside, Nika knew in her bones that this next game will be a repeat of both of their last regular season games before March Madness.

It only took Nika about 30 minutes to finish the playlist. Sure it wasn't the longest playlist in the world, but as time moves on Nika will add to it. Plane rides were the perfect time for Nika to be a thought daughter. She utilized this time to look out the window, and reminisce on good memories whether it was memories from her childhood, or from a basketball game.

Somehow, all the memories Nika thought about, seemed to be leading her back to Kate. She couldn't think of Croatia without thinking of Kate. She couldn't think of basketball without thinking of Kate. She couldn't even think of her bed without thinking of Kate. She missed the girl so much but it clearly seemed to Nika that Kate doesn't want anything to do with her anymore.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Paige, Nika, and Aaliyah finally arrived back at their apartment after a long journey back to Storrs, Connecticut. It was still pretty early out but felt late because of the sun setting so early during this time of year.

Nika couldn't bear going into her room. She had her hand on the handle of her door, still pondering if she should go in or not. She knew that if she walked into the room, she would see the matching shoes and basketball, and all of the photos of her and Kate she had. But she had to go in.

Nika hesitated and soon enough she was in her room. Exactly how it was before she left. Only now she was walking into her room single, without having a girlfriend anymore. She ripped the basketball from off her shelf and shoved it into her closet. She took her matching shoes with Kate and flung them across the room so that they were out of sight. She spent countless minutes carefully taking down each and every photo of her and Kate or just Kate off her wall. Tears spilled from her eyes in the process.

Nika hated feeling the way she was. She hated it. There had to be a way for Nika to stop feeling like this. She sat on her bed for a moment before she thought of an idea.

Nika put on the sexiest clothes in her closet she could find despite it being almost December. Apparently it was summer to Nika because she put on a black bikini top with a dark light white jacket. She put on the shortest of black jean shorts she could find and matched her outfit with a pair of black and blue Air Jordan's. She straightened her hair, and began to leave her room.

As she was going to the front door, she heard whistles.

"Damnnn Nika where the fuck are you going?!"

"Fuck off Paige its none of your business."

"Listen Nika, I know we best friends and all, but I would totally hit that." Aaliyah had her eyes locked on Nika fully looking her up and down.

"Guys don't worry about me, I'm just gonna go have some fun. And no before you ask, none of you guys can come."

"We cool twin, neither of us was gonna go either way. We both hella exhausted. Besides I think I can speak for both Lilli and I when I say the only thing we're worried about is making sure you don't get sick from the cold."

Nika put her hand on the front door handle and rolled her eyes. "See you guys later. Love ya."

Nika only had to deal with the cold for a minute before she got into her car. She knew exactly where she wanted and needed to go. Within a minute, Nika arrived at her destination.

Nika made her way up to the house like a girl boss. Its insane how quickly the temperature can feel like it can change when you strut with confidence. It was 27 degrees out, but felt like 87 for Nika. Nika knocked on the door, hand on her hip as she looked down at the ground. She couldn't recall the last time she was at this house and yet, here she was.

The door opened up within a minute. She got the first word out before the other person even got the chance.

"Hey."

Nika looked up to the sight of a very familiar face.

Dayton.

Kate (@katemartin03) shared a new post

❤ Liked by hannah.stuelke, paigebueckers, and 165,377 others

katemartin03 Who wants to be a princess anyway? Queens are better

view all comments

user1 Now Kate, who is this about...

user2 Are u okay money martin 🙁

sydney.affolter U ain't just a queen, U the whole Empire

→ katemartin03 U always know the way to my heart

user3 Don't tell me this is what I think it is

caitlinclark22 I'm proud of u K

→ katemartin03 ty for always being there for me

aaliyahedwards_24 Money Martin is Money Martining

→ katemartin03 Only money Martining for u Lilli 😘

→ aaliyahedwards_24 🥰🥰

user4 Guys why didn't Nika like...

→ user5 prob just didnt see it yet

→ user6 Shes always the first to like

→ user5 oh. Idk then

hannah.stuelke Physicially strong, emotionally stronger

→ katemartin03 Tough face #activated

→ user7 Whats going on Kate

user8 I think her and Nika broke uo

→ user9 holy shit ur right

→ user10 Im lowk sad now

user11 WHY DONT U AND NIKA FOLLOW EACHOTHER

→ user12 The end of an era

→ user8 I cant believe this

user13 I actually cant stop crying. U and Nika broke up

→ user14 Stop dont do this to me

→ user13 Its true

→ user14 did they even confirm it?

→ user15 They didnt and they wont

paigebueckers Through all of this, the blonde duo still strong

→ katemartin03 U my Husky in crime 4Life

user16 Guys they dont follow eachother on anything no more. This def confirms it

→ user17 OMG AND SHE ALWAYS CALLED KATE PRINCESS

→ user18 How is Caitlin holding up?

→ caitlinclark22 terrible

→ user16 OMG?!

user19 Wait so did her and Nika break up

→user20 Yes Caitlin confirmed

gabbie.marshall Wouldnt wanna cry w anyone else

→ katemartin03 We the best of the best

kamoreaarnold Girly pop dont cry its gonna be okay 😕

→ katemartin03 Only time Ill cry now is cuz of laughter from u

→ user17 KK debut on Kate's comments?!

taylormccabe_ F Princesses

→ katemartin03 F EM TAYLOR!

Authors Note:

Sry im posting this during aces vs storm gme

which im currently watching

This book is prob like halfway done

Pls dont kill me for the end

Once again hope yall enjiyed