"YEAH, I'M GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS." Nika answers getting the attention of Kai. Kai hated the holidays. She never had family to go back to. She didn't celebrate anything, it was pointless to her.

Her childhood had ruined it for her, she never got Christmas presents. She didn't make a big fuss about it, she just sat on the sidelines watching the families gather around and open presents and eat food together. All while she was sitting alone in her apartment.

Kai shakes her head, snapping herself out of her trance. Some of the girls had a photoshoot today so Kai was getting ready for it. Kai heads out to the gym where the sponsors were setting up, sadly she wouldn't be taking the pictures for this photoshoot, just overseeing it and making sure it gets done on time.

Kai yells at the girls anytime they'd get off track, "we have a time limit." She says reminding them. They roll their eyes and cooperate with the photographer.

The shoot ends on time, a little earlier than expected but Kai was glad it was over. "Send me the photos as soon as you can." Kai says with a tight smile, the photographer nods as they start tearing down the set.

Kai fishes her phone out of her pocket and looks up the schedule for the rest of the week, noticing that they have a few more shoots in the next couple days after their next game— which was in Connecticut, thank god. Kai could not handle traveling again at the moment.

Paige walks past the brunette with haste, not even stopping to say hey. "Paige, what the fuck?!" Kai shouts, walking after her. Paige doesn't let up and keeps walking— at a faster pace as well.

Kai rolls her eyes, Paige's height making it easier for her to walk away. Kai jogs up to the blonde and grabs her arm to turn her around, "talk to me." Kai demands. Paige scoffs. "You can't order me around." She says with a clenched jaw.

Kai reels back at this, "actually, I'm your fucking media director, so yes I can order you around if I need to." Kai retorts, seething. "Why don't you just go talk to your girlfriend, even though you don't do long distance relationships." Paige spits out, putting quotation marks around 'long distance relationships.'

"This is about Kate? Are you serious? You've been ignoring me, shutting me out, slamming doors in my face because I went to Iowa." Kai speaks, Paige doesn't respond. "Why do you care what I do, we aren't dating." Kai finishes.

"Yeah. I know." Is all Paige responds with before yanking her arm out of Kai's hold and walking away. Kai's eyes well up with tears out of frustration, at least that's what she tells herself as the tears fall.

-

Kai gags, trying to get food in her system: her body not letting her eat anything. Kai scoffs and pushes the plate away from her, being disgusted by the food in front of her. Kai grabs her smoothie, it being the only thing she can keep down.

Kai watches as Paige and Ice walk into the cafeteria, she grabs her food and throws it away before leaving the cafeteria. Paige had no reason to be mad at Kai, it's not like she knew that her and Kate kissed. If anyone should be mad, it's Kai. But instead she was frustrated, maybe sad but she doesn't like being sad, and starving.

Kai sways as she walks into the gym, not stopping to say hi to the players. Kai drops her stuff in her office and lays on her couch, too tired to do anything but at least in her office she could pretend she was working.

Kai groans knowing she'd have to get up, she didn't get where she was by sleeping her life away. She trudges on to her chair to start up her computer. Kai works for thirty minutes before deciding she could not work anymore. She was sure Geno would understand.

Kai shuts her office down and heads to the gym. Kai stops in her tracks, feeling light headed. She needed to get to her room as soon as possible. She shuffles out to the gym where the players were practicing. Before she could make it to Geno, she passed out— hitting the wood floor. "Kai!" Paige yells, being the first to the girl on the floor.

The girls surround Kai on the floor. The personal trainers make them back up so they can tend to her. The trainers grab a gauze soaked with ammonia and place it under her nose. Kai blinks awake, "what the fuck?" Kai says as she sits up. The trainers help her sit up, having just passed out. "You haven't been eating," one of the trainers said as they look at the blood sugar.

"I can't. I keep gagging, I thought the smoothies would be enough." Kai explains, Paige clenches her jaw at this. If she knew Kai wasn't eating she'd wouldn't have shut her out. The trainers leave her there while calling an ambulance to pick her up and take her to the hospital.

Paige is by her side in an instant, "why haven't you been eating?" She asks. Kai takes a deep breath, feeling tears come to her eyes. She was not about to cry in front of everyone. Kai shrugs her shoulders, "dunno."

Paige sighs but doesn't push the girl for answers. Kai gets loaded into the ambulance and taken to the hospital to make sure she doesn't have any underlying health issues with not eating. The team wanted to go with but Geno made them finish their practice as they had a game soon.

The girls head straight to the hospital, not even changing out of their practice gear. Kai was laid in her hospital bed, with IVs in her arms. The girls were like a stampede, Kai could hear them before seeing them.

"I'm fine," she says as they practically burst through the door. "I'm on fluids and shit." She adds, motioning to all the wires coming out of her. The girls stay with her for the rest of the night before most of them left to sleep in their beds as hospital chairs were not comfortable.

Paige stayed. "Are you okay?" She asks, Kai nods softly. "Do you hate me?" Kai whispers.

Paige's eyes snap up to meet Kai's, "no, I don't think I'll ever hate you." Paige says, her eyes still locked onto Kai's. Kai smiles as a single tear falls down her cheek. Paige brings her hand up and swipes away the tear, "I try not to cry in front of people, my dad says it shows people you're weak." Kai tells Paige.

"You can cry on my shoulder whenever you're feeling sad." Paige says, something inside Kai broke and the tears just started coming. Paige was quick, she pushes Kai to the side of the hospital bed and gets on the other side. Kai curls up against the blonde as years of bottled up emotions start flowing out. Paige held the girl, Kai's sobs come to a stop and Paige looks down to see her sleeping.

Paige admires the girl in her arms, tired, cried out, and passed out: she still looked like the most precious girl. Paige leans down and kisses her forehead.

-

Kai stays in the hospital for the next two days as they kept wanting to run tests. She ends up missing the game but was able to watch it on her phone. It wasn't the same as being there but she still cheered her players on through the screen.

After their win against Ball State instead of going out and doing something, they went to the hospital and hung out with Kai until the staff kicked them out. Kai sighs as she walks out of the hospital where the team was waiting for her, "guys, I literally just fainted." Kai says, loving how worried they got about her.

The next game wasn't for another four days, giving Kai plenty of time to rest up. "I'm going to be making sure you're eating." Paige says while pointing a finger at her. Kai smiles and nods before leaning her head on her shoulder as she dozes off.

They arrive at the school, Paige picks up the sleeping girl and takes her to her room. Kai stirs in her sleep before going back to lightly snoring. Paige unlocks the door to Kai's room, placing her on her bed and making sure she had a blanket over her.

Paige looks in her fridge seeing it was all stocked up with fruit. She looks at the sleeping girl before leaving and locking the door behind her, she puts her back against the door before sliding down. "I'm so cooked."

-

okay sorry for the short chapter, i rearranged my room today 🙈

would yall read an enemies to lovers fic of paige bueckers?? bc i have so many ideas for it, it wont be worked on until i finish this book tho 🤍