XIV

Coach P

☆彡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑎

Narrative + instagram

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"Ohhh Eveeee! Rise and shine my sleepy head!!" Cameron sings.

"What???" My voice comes out in a croak.

"What time is it??" I look over at my clock to see it's 6:30.

"It's time for you to get up." She comes to the end of my bed grabbing my legs.

"Go away! It's way too fucking early. I don't even have any classes this early." I whine pulling my legs to my chest so I can hide under the covers.

"Please. Spare me the sob story. You've been waiting for this day for weeks, and so have I." I'm too tired to ask her what today was, so I wait.

"It's media day!!" Her voice shakes as she shakes me.

Oh yeah. Media day. Paige was able to hook me up with an offer to help out with photos for the team.

"Okay. Okay. I'm getting up just like give me 5 more minutes." I throw a pillow at her.

"If you go back to sleep you are not getting back up. So get up bitch." She grabs my covers leaving me to freeze and die.

"Fineeee" I groan. I'm definitely not a morning person. Waking up early should be a crime. I manage to pull together an outfit half asleep and almost blind since I'm not wearing contacts. Baggy jeans, a stripped button down and some docs are as professional as I'm getting. Early mornings suck but they are okay when the record player plays songs from the 60s, especially The Flamingos.

☆☆☆

The practice gym as pretty much empty beside the camera crew and all their things. Me and Cam were able to help with back drops and setting up cameras, basically learning how everything works. After 2 hours of learning and setting up the team starts to arrive in all their glory.

I have never really seen the team look like they didn't just get out of practice so I just stand in awe. Don't get me wrong they are all beautiful without hair and makeup done, but this has shined a new light on them.

"Look who it is, my favorite Italian." Nika says coming up to me and giving me a hug.

"I didn't know you would be here. You and Cam are basically apart of the team now."

I laugh. "We are just here helping out."

"Cool, cool." She says laughing when she sees Paige walk in the room with a clipboard and whistle. She takes out her phone going over to her.

"What is this?" Nika says.

"Coach P" Paige says as she starts to walk away.

"You not- you not a coach"

"I am a coach. Lock in lock in"

"You are not a coach." Their voices overlap and I can't help but laugh.

As Nika starts to walk away I can hear her speak again.

"She not my coach. Nope."

I love these girls. Paige walks over to me with all her "coach things" still in hand.

"What's up coach P?" I mock.

"You grow?" Is all Paige says. I forget when I'm in my docs I gain height.

"Nope." I point down to my shoes.

Before she can respond again she is called away to start taking some photos.

When Paige gets up there clip board in hand I can't help but smile. The way the whistle rests in her mouth as she slightly smirks. She has this charm to her that is so alluring and hard to look away from.

The whole day was filled with learning how to take pictures and having fun with the team. I didn't realize that media day would basically take the whole day. And choosing docs was starting to not be the smartest choice.

"You tryin to go to chipotle after this?" Aubrey says after getting her picture taken. All of the work I'm doing has made me forget that eating is even a thing.

"Oh for sure." I swear I heard my stomach growling when I responded.

"Okay I think we are done for the day, can you start to pack up the backdrops." The photographer tells me.

"Wait! I need a photo with my favs." I'm pulled in front of the camera and into Nika's arm. Cam is on the other side already smiling. After a bright flash hits my face someone's hand is at my waist. It's Paige's. Once it's there it doesn't move as more teammates move in frame changing their poses, we both stayed side by side. Her hand feels glued to my waist, but I don't mind.

After photos are taken I manage to not make eye contact with her, my ears are already starting to heat up and if I look at her they will turn full red.

Me and Cam work together on putting the backdrops in their small bags. Most of the team left to change out of their jersey's, but I could swear I felt someone watching us as we moved from place to place.

After everything is put away I was sweating, talk about out of shape. We say our goodbyes to the media team and head to chipotle.

When me and Cam get there we realize we were the first. Instead of ordering we put together tables, and now there was a line of tables pushed together and we probably look crazy.

The chipotle immediately got louder as the tall crowd of girls stumble in.

After everyone ordered their food we were sat at our long line of tables, and of course I was next to Paige.

"Do you have to go to physical therapy tomorrow?" I ask trying to break the silence.

"Yeah I do." She responds between bites of her bowl.

"Maybe one of these days I will join you, just to make sure you are actually doing it." She looks over at me and laughs. "What's so funny?"

"You don't believe me? Even after all the photos?"

"Okay fine, I do believe you. So what can I tag along? You wouldn't want your favorite Italian dying of boredom. You will lack all pizzazz in your life if I'm gone."

"Nah first of all I have pizzazz, a lot actually and I can go find some other Italian, but sure you can tag along." She laughs.

"Paige?" A young voice says from behind her.

"Can I take a photo with you?" She stands up taking the photo with the little girl.

"That was so cute. My heart." I put my hand on my chest. Her smile on me lingers for what felt like an eternity, but eventually she goes back to eating.

✰✰✰

♫ Pet Shop Boys • West End Girls

Tagged: @nika.muhl

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Tagged: @paigebueckers

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Tagged: @aaliyahedwards_24

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Tagged: @loulpzs

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Tagged: @ice.bradyy

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Tagged:@aubrey.griffin44

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Tagged: @dorkajuhasz_14

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Tagged: @caroline.ducharme3

@ines_pbettencourt

Liked by uconnwbb and 2,145 others

evelinaricci bts of my girls 🫀

paigebueckers send me that photo pls.

➬ evelinaricci 🫡🫡

cambennett we are the best photographers 😎

➬ evelinaricci obviously.

nika.muhl love these and you.

➬ evelinaricci 😘😘

uconnwbb 🤩

Comment liked by author

dorkajuhasz_14 🫶🏻🫶🏻

Comment liked by author

aubrey.griffin44 these are fire.

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user634 damn who is this girl she knows the whole team.

user267 anyone else see Nika's comment??

➬user892 omg what if they are dating.

➬user567 doesn't Nika have a bf?

user345 spill your secrets on how one gets in this position 🙏🙏

𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

Thank you sm for 11k reads!!! That's like actually insane.

When I was writing this chapter it took forever bc I kept getting distracted looking at pictures of Paige on Pinterest.....

Love you all lots ♡︎

-J