"I want to do something stupid." Kai says as she walks into Paige's room, "where's Ice?" She adds as she notices the other tall hooper wasn't in the room. Paige shrugs her shoulders.

"What do you want to do that's stupid?" Paige asks snapping Kai back into focus.

"I want to do a stick and poke." Kai responds with a giddy smile on her face.

"What are you gonna do?" Paige questions, dropping her phone on her chest. Kai shrugs before Paige smirks, "I know what you can do."

Kai raises an eyebrow at the blonde, "and what is that?" Paige sits up and grabs Kai's hand. "Do a P on your wrist." She suggests, outlining a 'P' on her wrist. Kai gasps, "only way I'm doing that is if you get a K." Paige nods, surprising the girl.

"No way we're actually doing this." Kai says as she grabs the needle and skin safe ink. (DO NOT DO STICK AND POKES WITH PEN INK.) Kai grabs a bottle of Everclear to sterilize the needle. "Do you want a shot to calm your nerves, Bueckers?" Kai teases noticing how fidgety the blonde was.

"Maybe a dirty Shirley?" Paige wonders with a nervous laugh. Kai smirks at her, "does it look like I can make you a dirty Shirley right now?" Kai doesn't let Paige answer before dropping the needle in the alcohol and using a moist towelette to clean the area she was going to poke.

Paige bites her lip in anticipation and a little bit of fear. Kai laughs as she grabs the needle out of the alcohol and dips it into the ink before grabbing Paige's wrist. Paige lets out a sigh and turns her head away, Kai stifles a laugh before making the first poke. Paige lets out a small whimper before Kai continues with the poking.

Paige groans, throwing her head back, "is it hot in here?" She asks. Kai looks up to see her face was red, no doubt holding her breath.

"Princess, you have to breathe." Kai says teasingly. Paige rolls her eyes before looking at her wrist seeing the new ink. "That felt like it took fiveever."

Kai snaps her head up to look at the blonde before putting a pout on. "You used fiveever." She points out, seeming to have rubbed off on her. Paige rolls her eyes, jokingly of course. Kai throws out the used needle before grabbing a new one and setting it in the alcohol.

"Do you want to do my stick and poke?" Kai questions while cleaning the spot on her wrist. Paige shrugs.

"What if I fuck it up?" Paige asks, a tattoo is permanent. Kai shrugs, "It's just the letter P. You can't really fuck it up in my eyes." Kai reassures as she hands the needle to the blonde.

Paige hesitates before grabbing it and copying what Kai had did by dipping the needle in the ink. Paige grasps Kai's wrist and positions it so the P wouldn't be backwards. "Ready?"

Kai bites her lip and nods. Kai whines as the needle pierces her skin. Paige stops and looks up at Kai, "don't stop, keep going or I'm gonna chicken out." Kai says and Paige doesn't miss a beat before continuing with the poking. Paige sets the needle down, signaling that she was done with the stick and poke. Kai takes a deep breath and looks down at her wrist. The letter 'P' was branded on her skin now.

"Holy fuck, I can't believe we just did that." Kai speaks as she runs her finger over the fresh ink on her wrist, being surprised when the ink doesn't move. "Oo, can we go shoot some hoops!" Kai asks, grabbing Paige's arm. She shrugs and Kai cheers before rushing out of the dorm room.

Kai laughs as she grabs the basketball cart and rolls it out onto the court. Kai grabs a basketball, Paige doing the same. "Watch this!" Kai yells getting the attention of the blonde. Paige raises an eyebrow while watching the girl try and move the ball in between her legs.

"I literally had it the other day! You just have to trust meeeee." Kai groans, dragging out the 'me.'

"You've been practicing or something?" Paige asks with a teasing tone. Kai smiles, "yeah, you sort of got me hooked with basketball. Even though I'm not good at it."

Paige grins. "1v1 me." She suggests.

Kai groans, "no way, you're too good at basketball for me." Paige smirks slightly before putting on her pout to make the brunette cave. "Stop doing that!"

"Go easy on me." Kai adds while getting into position to play against Paige. Paige nods and immediately goes for a three point shot. Kai follows the ball and it goes in effortlessly. She turns to Paige with a glare. Paige gives her a wink before Kai goes and grabs the ball. Kai dribbles the ball, trying to sike out the blonde— being very unsuccessful with how quick she was.

Kai tries to get physical with Paige by trying to just push her way through, but the blonde had a strong stance and was not budging. "Paiguhh," Kai groans. "You're supposed to go easy on me." Kai adds before chucking the ball in no specific direction. Paige's eyes go wide, "I will. I promise."

Kai smiles and grabs the ball, dribbling it and making it past Paige's defense. Kai goes for a layup despite her short height, hoping it goes in. It doesn't. Kai sighs as she tries to do defense against the blonde, even when the blonde was going easy on her it was still hard to defend the hoop.

Paige lines up a three point shot, Kai gets ready to jump up to try and stop the ball from going in. Paige lets the ball fly and Kai jumps up trying to catch or send the ball away from the hoop. She gasps as she feels her fingertips graze the ball. "Oh my fucking god, did you see that?" Kai asks in disbelief at how high she must've jumped to have grazed the ball.

"I did, but did you really have to say the Lord's name in vain?" Paige questions.

"Sorry, I was excited." Kai says, apologizing. Paige smiles before pulling her into a hug. Kai laughs as she grabs a basketball and goes to make a layup. Kai pouts as the ball doesn't get high enough in the air to make it in the basket. "Layups are hard." Kai speaks while dribbling the ball with her head down trying to look bummed out.

Paige rolls her eyes, "quit faking." Paige calls her out on her bullshit. Kai groans at the blonde. "You're supposed to feel sorry for meeee," she responds, dragging out her words. Paige nods and puts her hand to her heart and juts out her bottom lip in exaggeration. Kai playfully pushes the girl before snatching the ball out of her hands and goes to line up a shot.

"Hold on, your stance is all wrong." Kai stops and lets Paige adjust her body to have a better stance, "alright, now shoot."

Kai lets the ball fly and it was a perfect swish. "See, this is much better than a 1v1." Paige nods, not being able to argue with that.

-

"Is this cute or too like slutty and not covering enough to keep me warm?" Kai asks showing Jana and Ice the piece of clothing she was thinking of bringing with her to the next away game. Ice tilts her head trying to imagine Kai wearing it in the cold weather.

"You won't be warm enough, wait until March and it'll be perfect." Ice says, Jana nods as well. Kai groans and puts the piece of clothing back. Kai shifts through her clothes before pulling out a scarf and throwing it on the bed, hitting Jana in the face. "Ow!"

Kai gasps before laughing and going back to her clothes, basing off her choices on the advice Ice and Jana gave her. Kai groans as she packs the last of her items and collapses on top of Ice. "My back hurts." Ice gets the gist and rubs Kai's back. Kai lets out a big sigh as Ice relieves the tension in her back. Ice laughs while Jana takes a video of the girls.

"We have to leave for the airport soon," Jana says, notifying Kai and Ice. Kai groans, not wanting to go on a plane again but it was part of her job. Kai thanks Ice before sitting up and getting her bags ready. "Wait, are we even spending the night?" Kai asks, noticing how the other two don't have a suitcase.

"No, it's only an hour plane ride, we'll be back by like 10 pm tonight." Jana explains, "so you just let me pack a suitcase for nothing!" Kai shouts making the two girls laugh. Kai rolls her eyes as she unpacks her suitcase and instead packs a medium sized duffel bag, as well as her camera bag. The three of them arrive at the gym where some of the other girls were there already waiting for the bus.

Kai sees Paige next to Inês and makes her way over to them. "I'm already tired." Paige laughs, slinging her arm over the brunettes shoulder. Kai smiles and wraps her arms around Paige's waist, genuinely feeling sleepy. "Alright let's get you on the bus." Paige says and picks the girl up effortlessly. Kai laughs as Paige carries her all the way to the back of the bus where they always sit.

"Thank you," Kai says with gratitude while Paige sits down next to her. This was their routine, Kai soon fell asleep after five minutes into the ride. Paige wakes the girl up and they load up the plane to go their destination. Kai didn't know where this game was.

The plane touched down at JFK Airport, and as the seatbelt signs flickered off, Kai's anxiety spiked. She gazed out the window at the unfamiliar landscape, her mind racing.

"Paige, where are we?" Kai asked, her voice trembling.

Paige, sitting beside her, followed her gaze. "We're in New York, Kai. We have a game tonight."

Kai's eyes widened in panic. "New York? Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Kai's breath caught in her throat. "I didn't realize...I thought it was somewhere else...I can't do this..."

As the plane emptied, Kai's anxiety spiked. She felt like she was suffocating, unable to escape the memories that haunted her. Paige, sensing her distress, stayed by her side.

"Kai, what's wrong?" Paige asked, her voice laced with concern.

Suddenly, Kai's vision blurred, and she stumbled, her chest constricting. Paige, who was standing nearby, rushed to her side, concern etched on her face. "Kai, breathe!"

Kai's panic attack consumed her, transporting her back to that fateful day. She was a child again, watching in horror as her brother fell to the ground.

Paige held her tight, whispering soothing words, but Kai was trapped in her nightmare. She couldn't escape the memories, the pain, the guilt. She felt like she was drowning in her past, unable to breathe. Paige's words were a lifeline, and she clung to them, desperate for solace.

As the attack slowly subsided, Kai collapsed against Paige, exhausted and shaken. Paige guided her to a nearby chair, holding her hand tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Kai. I'm here for you. You're safe now."

Kai's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Paige. "I saw him die, Paige. I saw my brother die in front of me. I can't escape it."

Paige's eyes filled with compassion, and she pulled Kai into a gentle embrace. "You don't have to face it alone, Kai. I'm here for you."

As they held each other, Paige's touch ignited a spark within Kai. She felt a rush of emotions: fear, desire, and a deep longing for connection. Their faces inches apart, Paige's eyes burned with intensity, and Kai felt herself getting lost in their depths.

Without thinking, Paige's lips crashed onto Kai's, their kiss a passionate, desperate plea for comfort and connection. It was a kiss that spoke of secrets, of hidden desires, of a love that had been simmering beneath the surface.

Kai felt like she was melting into Paige, their hearts beating as one. The world around them faded away, leaving only the two of them, lost in the intensity of their emotions.

As they broke apart for air, Kai's eyes locked onto Paige's, shining with tears. "I've been waiting for that," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Paige's smile was radiant, her eyes burning with tears. "Me too, Kai. Me too."

-

whoops my finger slipped

ENJOYYYYY 🤍