Double Trouble | Paige Bueckers & Nika Mühl X Readers

~ Eleven ~

I roll my eyes, scoffing to myself as I retort towards her, "Whatever made you think that?" I grumble, not angry at the comment or the Croatian in front of me, more so the fact that I had already managed to somehow get injured.

"Are you okay?" Before I could even blink, Nika had walked in and picked up my bottle, moving towards me as she grabbed my shoes in before gesturing towards my back pack. "Take it off. I'll carry it." She adds.

"It's only a sprain, I can carry it on my back.."

"You can, but I want to carry it for you don't have to." I open my mouth to object but she just speaks up again, "Please?"

I sigh, shrugging the object off my back before giving it to the grinning athlete, the girl putting it on before carrying my bottle and shoes in her right hand. The girl walking over to where I had placed my crutches and grabbing them with her left, giving them to me.

Deciding to answer her question from before as I settle the crutches underneath my armpits, "I sprained my ankle, they're saying if I stay off of it completely for the next two or three days I should be fine..but I'm thinking probably three to four... I kind of lied to the trainer a bit about the pain level.."

Nika shoots me a 'What the fuck' glare as we start to walk, I shrug slightly as I shuffle alongside her, noticing the basketball player was walking slower to stay beside me

I fucking hate being hurt

I think to myself, mood souring as I hear Nika suddenly speak up.

"Why would you lie? Alyssa the trainers are literally there to help you! So you can you know, come back and actually play?" She says with an incredulous tone to her voice, her eyebrows furrowing as she talks to me.

"Because I'm a little ole freshman that can't even play a volleyball game without getting hurt, that's fucking why." I spit out, stopping where I stood and slamming the crutches into the ground slightly in spite. "How much of a fucking reject do I look like literally getting hurt in my first ever game?" I continue ranting, not sparing a glance at Nika as I just look towards the ground. "The faster I can get back to practice, the harder I can practice to make sure this," I gesture to my wrapped ankle and foot, "Doesn't happen again."

"Or," Nika starts, as I notice her feet in my viewpoint as she's bringing my head up with her hand to look up her. It was a gentle but strict touch, the foreign girl was going to make me look at her, whether I wanted to or not. "You can focus on getting better so you don't go back to practice, half injured and end up hurting yourself worst. Alyssa you jumped over not only the chairs but the scoreboard table as well, this injury could have been way worst, you landed without even being able to brace yourself what if you broke something or had a head injury?" She tells me, still locking eyes with me but having backed up a bit.

"Listen, you played amazing, everyone out there knows you did, you helped win that game, one hundred percent but you can't keep helping win other games with your teammates if you aren't healthy, you need to tell the truth to the trainers alright?"

I grumble, looking away, praying she wouldn't make me look up again. "I told you the truth didn't I? Does that not count for anything?"

I hear Nika sigh, the sound making me look back up on my own free well, Nika giving me a exasperated look but a small smile playing on her lips.

"It counts for something I guess because now I can make sure you don't overwork yourself these next few days." She nudges me slightly, gently so I wouldn't lose my balance I had on the crutches. "But promise me you'll be more careful? You had all of us worried to hell when you didn't get back up." She continued, "I was halfway down the stairs to join your coaches checking up on you before Evina stopped me."