One Post, One Player, One Problem

1

Jazlyn Morales didn't plan on falling in love. Not during senior year. Not with her. And definitely not via an Instagram caption she meant to send to her private spam account.

But here she was, standing in the middle of the UConn cheer practice gym, heart in her throat, phone in her hand, and every ounce of blood draining from her face.

"Oh. My. God," she whispered, voice trembling as she stared at her screen.
It was too late.
The post was live.

The photo was innocent enough—Paige Bueckers mid-game, sweat-slicked and golden under the stadium lights, her jersey clinging to her frame, mouth open as she barked a play across the court. Jazlyn had zoomed in, just a little, and captioned it as a joke for her friends:

"I'd let this girl do anything to me after nine 😩🏀."

And now? It was on her main.
Public.
Visible.
Liking, sharing, blowing up.

"Jaz?" her co-captain Bri called from the mats. "What's with the ghost face? You see a spirit or something?"

Worse.
She saw a Bueckers.

She moved fast, scrambling to delete the post, hands shaking so hard she almost dropped her phone. Notifications were already rolling in. Fire emojis. Screaming-face emojis. A Paige Bueckers liked your photo notification that nearly made her faint.

"God, I'm gonna die," Jazlyn muttered.

She wasn't even into athletes like that—okay, she was, but only from a distance. They were dangerous. Especially Paige Bueckers, campus royalty with a jump shot and jawline sharp enough to ruin lives.

And now Paige knew.

Elsewhere on campus, Paige was icing her knee and trying not to laugh out loud.

"Yo, did you see what that cheer captain posted?" Azzi handed her the phone. "Tell me you saw it before she took it down."

Paige did.
She had.
And she'd liked it on purpose.

"She bold," Paige said, raising an eyebrow. "I kinda like it."

Azzi grinned. "You're so full of it."

But Paige just smirked, her mind already spinning with curiosity. She'd always noticed Jazlyn—the way she moved, loud and lithe and impossible to ignore. But now? Now she had proof. Jazlyn was watching her, too.

Maybe this year wouldn't be just about basketball after all.