Pacify Her | Paige Bueckers

seven | exchanges

"Surprise, surprise" a voice echoed as they knocked on the door. Ava had been in the art room at Harvey hall—one of the lecture buildings. She didn't recognize the voice, as she now had a close friend named Bria and knew Azzi and Paige's voices by heart. She turned around slowly, "oh my gosh?"

"Aren't you.." Ava trailed as she walked toward the entry of the door. "Um, um, Kamorea Arnold!"

"Girl boo!" KK replied, "call me KK. But yeah, wanted to see how the Paige fan club was going. The whole team knows, we're pretty excited to see all that you come up with."

Ava was alarmed at the mention of the entire team knowing. Surprisingly, it had never crossed her mind that Paige and Azzi might discuss her, and ultimately find out about one another. Well, Azzi pretty much knew, Ava knew that. But would Paige be okay with it? Because the fan club was for Paige and not Azzi, Paige was, respectfully, slightly more important in that regard.

"Do you guys talk about me?" Ava curiously asked, trying to find out if Paige and Azzi knew about one another without straight up asking. KK looked down at Ava, her face baring an unreadable expression.

"Um," KK thought, "Paige do, sometimes. I mean, Azzi might have before, I think. But it's nothing bad." That was something short of a confession in Ava's eyes; she reads between the lines pretty well.

Ava folded her arms, "what made you tell me that?" She asked KK, "that you guys don't say anything bad." KK was startled for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows and stuttering, though barely.

"H-h-huh?" She asked, chuckling in an awkward manner as she scratched the left side of her neck with her left hand. "What are you talking about, bookie?" Ava looked up at her, trying to read her.

"I'm fucking with you," Ava resorted to saying, cracking a smile as she did so. But was she really? No, she meant what she'd asked KK. But she also knew that sometimes, less is more. If she plays her cards right, she can find out all she needs to know. But also, why was KK, of all teammates, here? Ava knew that KK was close to Paige. It made her wonder if Paige told KK about she and Ava's hookup, making KK interested in getting with Ava also.

"You're pretty funny, KK," Ava said as she walked toward some art supplies on a desk near a window. "I do have a question though, if you don't mind."

KK jerked her chin slightly forward, "shoot."

"Is it pink?" Ava asked, referring to KK's gun. KK sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes, knowing what Ava was talking about. Ava burst into laughter.

"Girl boo!" KK folded her arms. "Why do everybody ask me that?!" Ava looked KK up and down.

"You're asking me why everybody asks you that?" Ava mockingly asked KK. KK had been wearing a UConn tracksuit, the grey version. But her jacket was unzipped and when she folded her arms, her shirt lifted a little bit, showing the band of her boxer briefs. To Ava, that was dead giveaway. But overall, KK just didn't have an overtly girly look to her.

"Man," KK flicked her wrist toward Ava, "fuck y'all."

Ava looked around the room, looking to point out that she was the only other person in the room with KK. "May I ask who 'y'all' is?" KK rolled her eyes.

"Girl," KK started, not adding the boo, "you're full of it, ain't you? Some real piece of work."

"I'm just playing with you, Kamorea" Ava insisted. "But if you want me to stop, I will."

"I ain't say all that," KK retorted, "and quit calling me by my government, Miss girl."

"So what should I call you by?" Ava tilted her head with a small smile, "because I'm not calling you KK, everybody calls you that. I want my own nickname."

Chile, wait a minute! Was Ava flirting with KK? She couldn't even tell if she was or wasn't herself. But what was clear, was that KK didn't mind it.

"You got any names in mind?" KK asked, sitting down on a spin chair. Ava looked at her.

"I may in the future," she said, "but I'm drawing blanks right now." Suddenly, an idea came to Ava's mind. She walked toward KK, "do you have any questions for me, like I did you?" She figured that KK might accidentally tell Ava what she knows through the questions that she asks her.

"I do, girly pop" KK raised both eyebrows. "You asked me if my gun was pink, is yours?"

"Mine?!" Ava forced out a taken aback response, "hell no. I like dick, KK. Strictly."

KK bowed her head quietly, slowly looking back up at Ava. She exhaled softly, motioning for Ava to "come here" with her hand. Ava did as was asked.

"Hunny," KK began as she lightly cupped Ava's left hand with both of hers. "I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this..." Ava yanked her hand away.

"I'm not in the closet or in denial!" Ava insisted, though she wondered more and more if she might've been, lately. KK knew that Ava was lying, and she didn't even have to mention Ava's hookups with Azzi or Paige to prove that. KK raised an eyebrow.

"You have a fan club that you have worked on extensively" KK made clear to Ava, "not dedicated to the team but instead just one single woman. If that ain't gay then The Nile ain't a river in Egypt, pookie."

"Whatever," Ava shook her head, "but did you need something today? I kind of need to get a specific design done and sent to my secretary by 6 p.m.."

"Aye," KK put both hands up, "my fault, man." She stood up, "you cool though, you got any social media accounts that I could reach you at?"

"Want my number?" Ava asked. She was past the 'freaking out over the Huskies noticing her' stage. At this point, she wouldn't be surprised if every gay woman on the team came her way, all conceitedness aside. It seemed that to a degree, Ava might have been interested in woman. At first she used a video as an excuse but the more she knew Azzi and Paige, the more she really wanted them both, genuinely. What started out as a curiosity—wanting to know what being with these two women, who were on top of the basketball world, felt like, became a true to heart crush.

"See you around," KK gave Ava a side hug. Ava's cheeks grew peachy, she was light enough for her blushing to show to a degree. "Bye," she shyly waved.