"Call the ball ladies!" Coach K shouted from the sidelines, "This is shit you learned in elementary school! When you are goin' for the hit, call the ball! You look stupid running into each other."
Robin was frustrated. Sweat poured from her body and her thick hair escaping the messy bun she threw it in, causing it to stick to her face. Practice was running long tonight since most of the team practically forgot how to play the sport, which continued to irritate their coach.
After hours of practice, her legs were practically jelly and she smelled of sweat. But, she would take this exhausted feeling from working her ass off over being home sulking in her sadness. It had been two weeks since Miles posted his new girlfriend.
Robin spent the past two weeks locking into volleyball, even dedicating extra time to drills and practice. It was the only way she could push away the negative feelings. She had given the guy almost four years of her time just for him to publicly embarrass her on social media, degrading her in front of everyone.
She had always thought that the love that she and Miles shared was a safe harbor, a place where she could let her guard down and trust without reservation. But now, that sanctuary had been turned into a battleground, the betrayal etched deeply into her heart. The public display of her boyfriend's infidelity was a visceral jolt that ripped through her with a force she hadn't anticipated. The shock of the moment had left her feeling raw, exposed, and incredibly alone.
Robin's emotions were a tumultuous sea, each wave crashing over her with relentless intensity. The sting of humiliation was sharp and bitter, mingling with a sense of loss. She felt isolated. While she knew she had Harley, her mother, hell, even the girl's she had created a friendship with, but she did not want to burden them with the emotions she was feeling throughout this whole process.
In the midst of the confusion, anger bubbled up, a fierce flame that scorched through her hurt. How could he have done this to her, so brazenly, so thoughtlessly? She wanted to confront him, to shout and demand answers, but her voice seemed to have been stolen away, leaving her in a state of impotent rage.
I mean, what the hell would I say?
"Hey, Miles, you really crushed my heart when you allowed the woman that you were sleeping with behind my back to answer your door knowing that we had planned to see one another that day." If she were to say that, there would be no surprise if he laughed right in her face. Because that's what she felt like, a joke.
"Ali," Coach shouted out to her, stopping her from walking out of the gym. She turned her body towards her coach, awaiting the lecture that she knew was coming, "what is going on with you?"
"Nothin' coach," she replied quickly, "I just got knocked off my trail, but I swear I'll be back to normal by the time the nationals season begins."
"I'm worried about you, kid. At the end of the day, I don't give a damn about your performance if you are not doing okay. You know you can talk to me about anything. I will always be here for you, coach or not."
Robin nodded, pushing back the emotions that were dying to escape, "I hear you coach, but I assure you that I am fine. I just need a little rest."
She could not afford to allow her emotions about everything overpower her desire to win a national championship and be accepted into medical school. Robin just wanted to escape all of the emotions she was experiencing. While one part of her was heartbroken and utterly shattered, the other part wanted to move on. She was stuck between using her heart and head, not knowing which way to go.
After the slightly awkward conversation with her coach, she had finally managed to trudge into her and Harley's dorm room. She dropped the large duffle bag by the door, planning to come back and get it later. Exhaustion was shown clearly on her face as she collapsed on the sofa, not even bothering to take a shower.
She wrapped up in the custom quilt that her mother had made her, turned the TV on Vampire Diaries, and laid there. Too tired and heartbroken to do anything else.
MEANWHILE
Paige's eyebrows furrowed as she sent another message to Robin's phone, attempting to get in contact with her and ensure that her newfound friend was alright. While it happened kind of quick, she immediately became attached to the woman, in a friendship type of way of course.
Through the past two weeks, Paige allowed Robin to have her space, but that did not mean she did not reach out, call, and text her consistently, even sending her small gifts through Harley to make her smile. No matter who you were, the basketball star always made sure to show that she cared.
"Why yo' face look like that?" KK asked, turning her nose up at the distressed look on her teammates face.
"It's Robin, I want to make sure she's okay, but she is not responding to any of my messages. I'm getting worried." Paige continued to refresh the screen, searching for any indication that the woman might respond back, or even just acknowledge the messages, but it said nothing but delivered.
"Yeah, I really do feel for her right now," KK started, sitting down on the couch beside Paige, "She may just be taking a break away from her phone, P. This has been extremely hard for her, and on top of that, she may feel embarrassment. Her and ole' dude were together for years, and all of a sudden he pops out with another girl that's the complete opposite of her. We gotta' give her time."
Paige knew that KK was right, but for some reason, a part of her still wanted to hear from her, see her, make sure she was taking care of herself. While she'd never been in a relationship or even experienced what Robin was going through, she still wanted to be there for her.
"Fuck it," Paige mumbled, still seeing that her messages were on delivered, before standing up and grabbing her keys, "I'm going to grab some stuff and go see her."
"You're just gonna pop up at her place?" KK asked, her eyebrows raised in shock, "What if she's not there?"
"Yes," Paige said, walking towards the door, "And if she's not there, then I will wait outside the door until she comes."
KK laughed, but soon realized Paige was serious, "Oh, you're deadass."
Paige did not bother to answer, but instead walked out of the dorm and to her car. Before she would go check in on Robin, she decided to find something that would lift her spirits. So, not only did she buy her favorite ice cream, which was Butter Pecan, and Canes, but she also got a lego set that they could do together. It was an Eiffel Tower set, which Paige thought was the cutest thing.
She anxiously pulled up to the dorms, stepping out and heading in the direction of her room. Opening the door to the building and traveling down the long hall, Paige finally arrived at the front of Robin's door. Before she could even lift her hand to knock, it was suddenly pulled open by Harley.
"Oh, hey P," She said with a confused tone, her eyes looking down at the items in the basketball player's hands. She then instantly smiled, knowing that the items were for her best friend, "You're right on time. I was about to head out and I genuinely did not want to leave her alone."
Harley whispered the last part, glancing back into the room, then back towards the blonde, "She has been putting on a brave face, but I can see right through it. She's in her room, the first door on the left."
Paige nodded, quickly hugging the girl and stepping into the dorm. This was her first time coming fully inside their place, and she took in the scenery. It was nicely decorated, exuding both of their bright personalities. She walked down towards where Harley told her, and knocked on the door. After hearing a muffled come in, she opened the door.
"Harley, I told you I am fine by myself," Robin said, her back still turned towards the door, as she was tightly wrapped in her blanket, "Go see Aubrey and let me suffer in peace."
Paige cleared her throat before stating, "It's actually Paige."
Robin turned around, seeing the blonde clad in a UCONN Women's Basketball hoodie and a pair of shorts. Her blonde hair was pulled in a low bun. But, what stood out to her was the fact that the girl had multiple bags in her hands.
"I wanted to drop by and check in on you," Paige said, her worried gaze burning into Robin, "You haven't answered any of my messages,"
"I'm sorry," she responded quickly, plopping back down on her pillows, "I've been so in my head for the past couple of weeks and I didn't wanna stress you, or the other girls, out."
"Don't apologize, Robin, you had no obligation to message me back," she assured, "This was just me being extra and making sure everything was okay."
The volleyball player looked back at Paige, her eyes full of tiredness. She was grateful that the girl cared enough to stop by, and it surprised her. She was used to Harley doing things like this, but now that she was experiencing it from a new friend, it felt different. A good different.
"Thank you, Paigey," Robin responded, before pulling her blanket back and patting the spot next to her, "Come join me?"
Paige did as she was asked, handing the girl the bags that she'd brought. She kicked off her slides before getting in right next to her. She would do anything to see a smile on Robin's face, especially after all she had gone through. She wanted the girl to know that she did not just have to rely on Harley.
Paige was here now, and she was here to stay.
pbuckets5
@kakeyarnold
@totallynotrob
liked by assy35, kakeyarnold, and 32 others
pbuckets5 perfect ayeeee, have a good day! *robbie has been saying that so much that it's become a part of out vocabulary*
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totallynotrob that canes was perfect AYEEEEE
kakeyarnold oh I made the spammmm!!!!!!
assy35 robin so cute bruh
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