Alyssa's P.O.V
"LYZZZ!!"
I hear the girl before I see her.
I feel the girl before I see her too.
'For her to be the size of a 14 year old... she sure hits hard as hell, jesus...'
Light green eyes look up at me, a face with freckles on them grinning up at me as the shorter girls body is attached to mine in a hug. I smile back.
"Hi Smalls." Smalls, or Maia Parker if you call her by her actual name, not only my childhood best friend but also the sister I've never had. Maia laughs, squeezing me before letting me go, moving to help with one of the suitcases I had behind me.
"It's been way too long, I am SO glad you're here."
I laugh at the girl's words, starting to walk behind the energetic, shorter female. She was the energetic, party girl. Me? I could party, no doubt, but I'd rather stay home for a movie night or something if I'm being totally honest, that's just me.
"We've been apart less than a year babes." Adjusting the backpack on my shoulders, I continue pulling the suitcase behind me, making sure that I dodge through the crowded airport crowds behind Maia. I was a year younger than her, a fact that she never let me live down sometimes, which led to her leaving college a year before me, but even then I came to visit her on multiple occasions, especially with me committing it helped me familiarize myself with campus a bit.
"Whatever it was, it's been way too long. I missed my pookie."
I laughed again, shaking my head at the girls antics earning a quick look back and another grin from Maia.
"It's also much better than rooming with a random." I hum in acknowledgement, thankful that I would be able to room with Maia in a nearby off campus apart, despite being an athlete. I've heard all too many horror stories about bad roommates from my friend herself.
"From random to bestie, you're really lucky huh?"
"Girl, don't even get me started." Maia breathes out, earning a laugh from me as we exit the airport building. A 2024 cherry red Camaro pulling up to the pick up area, a male with sandy blonde hair rolling down the window, a smirk being shot our way as hazel eyes meet mine.
"What's up Jake?" I give him a nod, the male putting the car into park, opening the drivers door and jogging over to meet Maia and I.
"Sup Knight, Hey sis, guess I'm right on time?" Jake hugs both of us, grabbing both the suitcase from Maia and myself before moving to put it in the trunk of his car. I adjust the backpack on my shoulders so both straps are now around my arms instead of one, I sigh in the relief it gives me.
"Yup, thanks again for picking us up. I knew it would've been a mess if I drove my own car." Maia responses, moving to get into the backseat, which I raise an eyebrow at.
"You guys are tall fucks, I know you need the leg room, you can get in the passengers."
Jake and I's eyes meet before we begin to laugh, Maia rolling her eyes and disappearing into the car. I drop my backpack on the floor of the passengers seat before getting into the car, still giggling to myself.
"Thanks Maia." A pause as Jake closes my door for me before heading to the drivers seat, entering the car himself. "And thank you too Mr. Iverson" I tease.
Jake smirks, grabbing sunglasses from the center console and putting them on. The male giving a finger salute before reversing out of the spot and beginning to drive towards our University. "Of course M'ladies." He looks into the rearview mirror, looking towards his sister.
"And from what you said before, your welcome. You know I got you guys whenever I can help." He nods, both hands on the steering wheel. I take the chance to look over the male. He was definitely attractive, I could see why he had girls after him left and right, but he was like an older brother to me which always knocked off any attraction I may have ever felt towards him.
Jake Iverson, Maia Parker's older step-brother and a Connecticut Native. When her mother and father separated when she was small, on good terms thankfully, her father had moved to Connecticut and remarried a few years after, welcoming both Jake and Maia's half sister Mary to the family. Despite this, all big birthdays, family reunions and all other celebrations you could think of that weren't very minor, Jake and his family would fly down to California and celebrate with us.
Oh yeah, I should have mentioned that earlier huh? Maia and I are from Los Angeles, California. When we were younger Maia had a dream in becoming a Hollywood actor, that switched pretty quick.
"Also helps that your guys school is less than 20 minutes from home." Jake laughs, the 25 year old turning his blinker on as he switches lanes.
"And the fact that Dad's losing his shit that he'll be able to watch Lyz's games consistently in person again." Maia laughs, her family was like my second family and definitely helped me feel more comfortable in the new area. Maia's dad used to always watch and support my games when I was about ten, before he and Maia's mom divorced, however even then he would fly back on and off to catch at least a game a year. I loved him for it.
You see the case of Maia's dad and mom separating wasn't because of cheating or abusive relationships. It was just one of where the two had realized they made better friends than a couple.
"The Iverson express is coming to an end. Hope both Miss Parker and Miss Knight had a safe and pleasurable ride."
"Dork." Maia leans up the center console, hitting Jake's shoulder before opening her door and getting out. Jake feigns hurt, rubbing his shoulder before looking at me with a chuckle. We both follow in his sisters steps, opening our own doors and stepping out.
"Do you guys want help?" He nods towards my luggage and I shake my head as Maia waves him off.
"We got it from here. Thanks Jake." He nods again, waving before getting back into his car, preparing to pull off before rolling his window down.
"Oh yeah, send me your volleyball schedule whenever you guys get it, Knight!" He slightly yells over the sound of the engine and I nod, giving him a thumbs up as he drives off. The athletes always tended to get the schedule a week or two before it was actually uploaded to the schools website.
"I forget how nice he is when he wants to be." Maia rolls her eyes with a grumble, "Only when you're around I swear."
"Don't hate the player, hate the game." I shoot back as we make our way into the newer apartment. Maia had been staying here for about a month already, leading to some decorations and such already being up, definitely better than arriving to a baren home.
"Your rooms down the hallway on the right, there's a bathroom down there too. My rooms down the left and also an 'office' area I guess." She says accompanying the word office with air quotes. "I just set it up with some desks and such to do our homework and vibe in. There's also like, a mini fridge and a speaker in there."
"Sickkk. I've got to thank your dad again for this when I see him."
Oh another thing, Maia's family is LOADED, the apartment? He's covering it. Yeah Maia has her job and savings, and I have savings from my job at home but he literally will not let us spend our money on anything he deems a necessity, so our monthly groceries and rent? Covered. Thank you Maia's dad.
"You know he would have a heart attack if he thought we didn't have what we needed." Maia shrugged, "I always try to offer to split it with him or even pay every other month for stuff but he refuses, talk about male chivalry."
"Makes me believe their still some really good men out there. Maybe my bisexual heart as a chance."
Maia fakes a gag.
"Ew, men."
I laugh
@TheRealKnight Home Away From Home
Liked By @Parker.M, @CaitlinClark and 3,766 others.
comments
@Parker.M: Roomie!!
@TheRealKnight Replied to @Parker.M: <3
@user4: My favorite dualie icon
@user 5: Omg I can't believe she's a husky now, I'm so proud of her
@Knightfanpage: Volleyball and softball fans are going to be EATING
@CaitlinClark: You didn't text me when you got there :(
My eyes widen as I see the latest comment on my post, instantly switching from Instagram to my calling app, clicking Caitlin's contact and listening to the phone ring.
"A girl get's to college and everything and just forgets about little ole me, huh?" I can hear the sarcasm dripping from the tone, and I imagine Caitlin grinning on the other line. I playfully roll my eyes before responding.
"I'm sorry honestly, I was knocked out the entire flight and when I landed I went right with Maia. And little ole me? Alright Miss record breaking shooter over there." That gets a laugh from the other side of the line.
"No problem. You know I'm just messing with you. Tell Maia I said hey." Caitlin responds, ignoring the last bit of my reply and I grin to myself, she knows its true and doesn't have a comeback, a point me, zero points Caitlin.
"Hi Clark!" Maia yells from somewhere else in the house, I had her on speaker so I'm not surprised she heard, now if Caitlin heard her is a different story.
"Maia says hi back."
"Ever the one with energy huh?"
"Oh most definitely." I giggle, I had met Caitlin when I was 14, I was at a club tournament for volleyball in Iowa and the, then scrawny girl's basketball team was there, supporting one of their teammates siblings that were on the other team my team was playing. One thing lead to another and eventually her team had dared her to ask for my number, and everything else went off from there.
'I've gotta stop being friends with my exes' Why I said exes, I don't know, the only person I've was Caitlin and even then it was less than half a year, us being much too young and too busy with the schedule we had for sports. But to each their own, Caitlin was definitely probably my closet friend besides Maia.
"You're going to come to the game when Iowa comes out to Uconn right?"
"Duh, do you really think I'm going to miss out on you? Hell no." I pause, looking around before going in my room, closing the door. I switch the call over to a face time as I sit on my bed, Caitlin's face popping into the frame as the athelete smiles at me.
"Still as beautiful as ever I see." I blush at the words, smiling back.
"And I can say the same about you." I flirt back, that was apart of our friendship as well, when asked we always told everyone we wouldn't get back together, at this point of being friends for so long it seemed awkward, but we'd be damn if we didn't tease each other, we knew we were both hot, we weren't blind.
Plus when we were drunk... That was another story for another time.
"But what I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted." Caitlin puts her hands up in a surrendering motion, the basketball player laughing.
"Go ahead, go ahead, my bad."
"Maia's got a spot to be a photographer for the women's basketball team, so I'll probably be around them a lot considering you know, besties for the resties- shut up." I flip Caitlin off as she snorts at my comment. "Plus, I think Maia's got a thing for one of the players. She's always talking about her."
"Who?"
"Uh.." I pause, trying to think of the blondes name, I was great with faces, not names though. "Paige Bueckers I believe?"
"Oh yeah. I know her, we played together on the U-19 USA team when we were younger. She's a really good player. Nice and funny too. I'm not surprised Maia likes her, considering Maia is Maia."
"Yeah she always did love people with humor. Especially taller than her mascs."
"I mean... The taller than her part isn't really hard for her to find."
"Don't let her hear you say that, she will fly to Iowa and beat your ass."
Caitlin laughs at that.
"Alright I won't hold you too long. Settle in, wish you were a hawk but good luck with your new husky life Lyz." I smile at her, my eyes brightening at the use of my nickname as I move to grab my phone.
"Bye C, I'll talk to you soon. Love you."
"Love you too Lyz."
How we feeling about the story yall? This would be my first time writing the girls out 😭