Husky Heart

Prologue

Y/N Y/L/N was born with a lacrosse stick in her hand, coming from a family that had dominated the game for years, she was born into the medicine game. Y/N had always been the one: the fastest sprint down the field, the crispiest goals, the flashiest assists, and the kind of loud confidence that made coaches grin behind clipboards and parents whisper in the bleachers. She was a storm in cleats, she had pure speed, pure control, and pure game. Leading her teams to many championships and having multiple MVP performances, she had just scratched her surface of play. Underneath every trophy, every night game under stadium lights, and every bus ride home replaying highlight reels in her head, there was another dream. A quieter one. One that made her heart beat harder than the final seconds of a tied championship game: The dream of becoming a D1 women's lacrosse player.

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Well... that was the dream until 8th grade. Basketball had been an accident, something she tried because her friend needed an extra player for a fall AAU tournament. One weekend tournament turned into practice invites, and practices turned into coaches whispering, "She's never played before?" in disbelief. By December, she was dressing varsity, 13 years old and casually dropping 12 points a night like she'd been doing this forever. Suddenly, Y/N Y/L/N wasn't just a lacrosse phenom. She was a two-sport problem for every future coach in America, and that's where things got messy.

Her desires became complicated when it split. She didn't just want to go D1, she wanted to go D1 twice. In two different sports. At two different schools. On one hand, there was lacrosse, the sport she'd loved first. North Carolina... , UNC wasn't just a lacrosse school. It was the lacrosse school. ACC dominance, four national championships, two undefeated seasons, a legacy of blue and white confetti raining down in May. The idea of running out onto Dorrance Field wearing Carolina blue felt like destiny. On the other hand, there was basketball, the new love that came out of nowhere and wrapped itself around her life. UConn... Twelve national championships, six undefeated seasons. Big East dominance for literal decades. Household names. Legends. Banners in the rafters. The kind of program where greatness wasn't suggested, it was assumed. But the clock was ticking. Junior year was fading, senior year looming, and recruiting emails stacking up.

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UNC wanted her. UConn wanted her. Other schools wanted her. Coaches asked for highlight reels. Scouts took notes in the stands. Club directors pulled her aside after practices. Her parents stopped opening mail at the dinner table because it was all offers and questionnaires anyway. It was thrilling until it wasn't, because at some point, she'd have to decide. Lacrosse?Basketball? Or the impossible: both? And then one morning, sitting on the edge of her bed with her phone buzzing beside her, Y/N realized something very real and very terrifying. Dreams were easy. Choosing between them was not.