Two Rookie Lives

June 6th, 2024

Las Vegas, Nevada

Kate has been living in Las Vegas for a few weeks now and she couldn't love it anymore. Las Vegas was the perfect place for her. There was not one straw in living here. If Kate could live in Las Vegas for the rest of her life, she would. The food was great, the vibes were great, the views, and especially her teammates.

The Aces seemed like where all rookies wanted to be. It was clear to see Kate was having the most fun of a rookie year. Caitlin has been struggling a little in India but Kate was confident she was going to get her groove.

Every person on the Aces took Kate in as their own. Especially Alysha Clark, Kelsey Plum, and A'ja Wilson. Yesterday, they went out celebrating for dinner to celebrate Kate's birthday and she was late for the bus when leaving so they drove off a little without her. No one was angry. It was pure laughter by every person.

It has only been a few weeks but Kate felt that she was learning a lot from her vets. She was just so mesmerized and fascinated. However, she did have a few 'Welcome to the W' moments but she just admired the fact she got to experience that first handedly.

Her favorite memory she has of being in the WNBA already is from the Aces vs Sparks game. It was the first game Kate played. Despite it being an away game, the crowd cheering for her felt like they were at home. Kate managed to get a three pointer and a vicious block which became the talk of the media for a few days.

The most exciting day was yet to come.

Tomorrow, the Aces and Storm will be playing each other tomorrow and all Kate wanted to do was scream from happiness. Kate was a massive competitor but it would be worth the loss if that means she got to see Nika.

Kate was currently at a restaurant with a few of her teammates, Jackie, A'ja, Kelsey, Alysha, new teammate Tiffany, and former Iowa Hawkeye, Megan. Everyone on the team was initially invited but a lot of people were exhausted from the W they got last night and the flight back home.

"Damn Meg you eating all of that?! We've got a game tomorrow." A'ja's eyes were wide, jaw dropped, with everyone laughing as they looked at Megan's massive prime rib with fries, mac cheese, and a salad.

Megan put her hands up in defense. "Hate on me all you want but this is my go-to meal from here. Besides, whatever I don't finish I take home and give to Pancake."

Everyone rolls their eyes in the most playful ways when Megan mentions her dog, Pancake. Pancake was the cutest dog Kate's ever seen. Megan told Kate the breed of Pancake several times but she always forgets it.

"I think that's sweet of you Meg. But you better not be texting the group chat at 2 AM in the morning that your stomach bothers." Everyone nodded and agreed with Kate.

A'ja rubbed her temple as she sighed. "Yes please listen to Rook Kate. Besides I ain't trying to be yelled at by Becky tomorrow. Speaking of which, Imma use the bathroom real quick. Jackie didn't you say you had to go?" Jackie shakes her head. "Jackie, come on!!" A'ja flopped her hands to her sides as she whined and left to the bathroom by herself.

"I'll go with you A'ja." Kate immediately stood up from the table and locked her arms with A'ja as they made their way to the restroom.

It was hot as hell, the sun was shining bright, but as soon as they stepped into the restroom, they were met with the nice cold AC. For once, a bathroom in Las Vegas didn't smell like absolute shit. So today was a good day.

"So how is it being the big 24?!" A'ja stuck her tongue out as she shook Kate's shoulders. Kate's 24th birthday was yesterday and honestly, there was no place she'd rather be but here.

Kate didn't need to use the bathroom but she just decided to wash her hands. "It feels the same honestly. Only different in the aspect that I'm in a whole different area of the U.S. But I'm glad to be celebrating with you guys."

A'ja wraps Kate in a hug and then goes into one of the stalls. No one besides the two girls were in the restroom so A'ja decided to keep the conversation going even in the stall. "You got any birthday wishes Ms. Money Martin?"

Kate was trying to control herself from laughing when she heard A'ja's massive sigh when she began using the restroom. "Yeah, I've got one wish."

"Does that wish have to do with that tough girlfriend of yours?" Although A'ja couldn't see Kate's face because she was in a stall, she already knew that Kate was smiling to herself in the mirror. Even one tiny mention of the Croatian is enough to make Kate smile wide.

"Maybe. Maybe not." It obviously did. Kate wanted nothing more than to see her girlfriend. It's only been a few weeks but it felt like years to Kate since she last saw Nika and all she wanted to do was see the girl.

The thing is though, they haven't had much time to FaceTime and talk to each other. They've both been super busy with travelling and playing games and going into different time zones every other day. They both stuck to their plan of saying 'Goodnight,' 'good morning,' and 'I love you,' to each other.

Nika and the rest of Seattle Storm fly into Las Vegas early tomorrow morning so if both have the chance. Nika and Kate are going to try and see each other before the game starts. It seems very unlikely but given how their past year has gone, almost anything seems possible.

A'ja came out of the stall and smiled when she saw Kate's cheeks still being rosy. "Aw like at my baby rook getting all shy. Ugh you guys are so cute. I hate it." Once A'ja finished washing her hands, she pinched Kate's cheeks and Kate was quick to swat her hands away.

"Stop bullying me A'ja. Come on we have to go back out or else are food is going to get cold and everyone is going to think you were exploding the bathroom up." Kate received an eye roll from A'ja as A'ja opened the bathroom door up for Kate to go out of first.

If someone were to tell Kate this was how amazing her rookie season was going to be, she probably wouldn't have believed them. She doesn't know how she landed on such a jackpot at the draft. Let alone even being drafted.

Kate couldn't ask for a better team to be on. She fits right in, her teammates always got her back, she felt like she was at Iowa again with how much not just her supporters, but her teammates supported her. She truly couldn't wish for better teammates. Kate knows to not take any of this for granted and she isn't. She's super grateful of the opportunity she was given and grateful of the teammates she has.

Everything was perfect.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Seattle, Washington

Nika's currently at the practice facility getting shots up. Where else would she be?

She's been getting shots up for the past two hours, doing anything she can to improve her game. Lay-ups, mid rangers, even where she's most confident: The three point line. No one besides her and two practice players are in this massive gym. Nika kind of preferred it that way. So she wouldn't have to be criticized by anyone except herself.

Adjusting to life in Seattle has been more difficult than what Nika initially thought. The move from Croatia to Connecticut was extremely difficult because she was leaving her family behind. But she didn't expect it to hurt as much when she had to leave her second family as well.

Nika caught the pass from one of the practice players, her hands gripping the basketball hard as this was her way of letting go of the fury she has built up inside her for reasons she doesn't know why. With perfect form, Nika shot up the ball and it barely touched the rim as it made it through the net.

"Damn Nika. You a fly motherfucker with that three." Nika's teammate, Jordan Horston, had just entered the facility. One of the only people Nika has actually built up a connection with. "That's the kinda shit we need out there on the court."

For what felt like the first time in several days, Nika was smiling. Not a fake one. But a real smile. "Thanks Jordan. But nah, you guys already got those kinds of people out there. Jewell, Skylar, Victoria..."

"Maybe, maybe. But it doesn't hurt to have someone who can do that and also amazing and impressive defense." Jordan shrugged, receiving a smile from Nika. Jordan picked up the basketball Nika had been using and passed it to Nika.

Maybe one of the reasons Nika has grown closer to Jordan than most of the other girls was because this was only Jordan's second year in the WNBA. Like Kate, Nika was the only rookie on her team. Dyaisha Fair got waived from the Aces and Liz wasn't eligible to play because of her ACL tear.

"Thanks Jordan. All I can do and all that's left to do is just practice and get better." Nika wiped her sweaty hands down her chest. She threw the basketball on the ground and walked to the bench as Jordan sat down with her. "Also a reason I'm here is to just clear my mind."

Jordan looks up at Nika with a tilted head. "Missing your home away from home, yeah?" Nika looks at Jordan but doesn't say anything. That was enough to answer Jordan's question. "Look, it's going to be difficult at first, I'm not going to lie. But if you managed to move across the ocean from one home, I know you have it in you to do it again."

Nika smiled at Jordan. This reassurance from Jordan made Nika feel a whole lot better but there was something still wrong about this situation. Whatever. Nika was a tough girl and the only person who can help her is herself. That was her mindset.

"But cheer up Niks. We play your girlfriend and her team tomorrow. And then we get to play them in a month. The great things we have to wait for."

More words from Jordan that Nika was appreciating. If only she was playing tomorrow. But still, she's grateful that she gets to see her girlfriend tomorrow after long weeks of not seeing her except on a tiny screen.

After a few hours of practice with the team, Nika finally went home. She didn't stay after to practice a little more. She was so fucking exhausted and what made her even more exhausted was that they had an early flight in the morning. No matter how tired she got, she always had the energy for one person.

"Hi, princess." Nika just got into her apartment and set her phone down against a candle resting on her kitchen island. The lights of the skyscrapers around her were the only source of light for her as she decided to leave her kitchen/living room lights off.

Kate was also in her kitchen, except her lights were on. She was just sitting at her kitchen island doing a color by number.

"Hi baby. I'm so glad you called. How was your day?" Kate couldn't help but have a wide grin plastered on her face whenever she saw the Croatian. It's like Kate has been in the honeymoon phase since they first started dating. She doesn't believe she'll never look at Nika and not be mesmerized.

"It was good. Just tired from practicing the whole day but I got through it." Although being in America for a while, Kate could still hear a little of Nika's Croatian accent. Nika slightly smiled at Kate. "What about your day? Tell me everything."

Kate dropped the marker from her hand and set her coloring book aside. "Well me and a few of the girls went out for brunch as a way for celebrating my birthday. Then we went shopping for a little then hooped for a little bit and now I'm here. Coloring."

As much as she wouldn't want to admit it, Nika is a little bit jealous that Kate seems to have such a great and close bond with her teammates. It's not even that Nika thinks it's just going to take her a little longer to get closer with her teammates, she just doesn't believe they'll get that level of closeness at all.

"Sounds like a very eventful day." Nika sighed, loudly. "So I know your birthday was yesterday but there is something I want to do for you." Kate looked at Nika immediately, intrigued.

"So you know how last year Dorka sang happy birthday to you in Hungarian? And then I sang it to you in Croatian but with everyone else singing it so you wouldn't really hear it?"

Kate reflected back at that time in Myrtle Beach. A beautiful day and memory she will never forget. "Yes. I loved you very much for doing that."

The red rushed to Nika's cheeks and Kate was able to tell despite the limited resource of light. "Well I've finally built up the courage this past day to sing it to you in Croatian. Alone." On the other end of the phone, Kate's smile grew wider which nearly seemed impossible.

Nika sang 'Happy birthday to you' in Croatian. She sang it in a sweet way which had both of the girls blushing the entire time.

Kate can still hear Nika's voice stand out amongst the 27 other people that were in the house with her, singing happy birthday to her. It was like everyone else's voices were blocked out and the only one that truly seemed to matter was Nika's.

"That was beautiful babe. Thank you so much. I loved it and I love you." Kate could tell Nika was uncomfortable singing it but she knew that the only person the Croatian would actually do this for was her.

"I love you too." Nika put a sweatshirt lying on her couch on, fixing her hair on the bottom right corner of the screen where her face was. "So how's Vegas? You seem really close with your teammates. That's good to hear and see."

"Oh yeah they're amazing. I honestly couldn't picture myself being anywhere else, no offense. I felt figuring out the chemistry with all of them took extremely quick. They're so funny, great personalities, I love them." There was a moment of silence between both of the girls and Kate decided to speak up again when she realized Nika wasn't going to say anything anytime soon. "What about your teammates? You like them?"

Nika seemed a little caught off guard to the question back. "My teammates?! Oh yeah they're great. I feel the same with the chemistry and stuff you know? Obviously I don't play as much in games so our chemistry isn't as good compared to yours with your team on the court but off the court, it's getting better everyday."

If there was one thing Nika was good at besides her defense, it was hiding her emotions. If someone needed a person who was tough, didn't show emotion, it would be Nika. She knows that Kate knows her almost better than anybody in the world. But sometimes it was even hard for Paige, her twin, or her sister or mom to actually sense what's going on.

"Well I can't wait to see you on the court tomorrow. Please don't hate me when you guys lose tomorrow."

Nika rolled her eyes and smirked at Kate. "The princess won't get what she wants tomorrow. Get ready for the L."

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

June 7th, 2024

Michaelbob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

There was currently only two minutes left of the game with Seattle up 8. The game had been close all game but the Storm started to completely obliterate the Aces this last quarter. No one on the aces had been playing their best besides A'ja. Jewell and Skylar and Storm were both having great nights so it was kind of impossible for just one person (A'ja) to defeat two amazing players and the rest of their team also doing good.

Kate was currently in the game and she had played a few minutes in the second quarter. She managed to get two points and a few rebounds up. There was a foul call on the Aces to the Storm and when that whistle rang from the referee, the crowd started to get loud.

Nika was now checking into the game and so as soon as she got in, she and Kate patted each other's lower backs as a friendly gesture without making eye contact.

"And there we have it folks, the two rookie lovers who started going out in their college days now facing each other off for the first time in the WNBA."

For the remainder of the game they weren't really guarding each other. But every time there was an inbound or a foul or ref call, they would look at each other and smile. Whenever they got the chance, they spent it looking at each other.

Each passing second was a second closer to Storm going home with the dub. The game ended with Seattle Storm winning 78-65. The Aces unfortunately lost on home court but by the sounds of the crowds, most people cared about seeing Nika and Kate play against each other more than anything. Nika was even surprised she got minutes at all. Even with all of her practicing, she only managed to get a rebound.

Kate went back to her apartment after saying hi to Nika after the game, saying hi to fans, and a lecture from Becky to the whole team in the locker room. Kate really did wish that they won that game but Kate was just more excited to see Nika who should be coming to her apartment in a minute.

As soon as Kate got to her apartment, she took a quick shower and put on black Aces sweatpants and a gray Iowa sweatshirt. She sat on a chair at her kitchen island, waiting patiently but impatiently for Nika to knock on her door. The a few minutes after she sat down, she heard a knock on the door.

"Hi princess." Nika wrapped Kate in a warm, strong hug the minute Kate opened the door for her to come in. "I'm so happy to see you again even though I just saw you an hour ago." Nika cupped both of Kate's cheeks and pulled her in into a warm, delicate kiss.

"I've missed you so much." Kate returned the favor as she began to pepper kisses all across Nika's face. "Come sit."

Kate held her hand out for Nika to grab as they made their way towards the couch. There was low music playing on in the background and the lights were dim. When Kate could see Nika's face more clearly in the subtle light, she noticed something she hadn't noticed even just a minute ago.

"Are you okay? You seem sad." Kate caressed Nika's left cheek with her thumb, trying to figure out what's going on. Everything seemed fine a minute ago so what happened?

"I'm okay baby. Just...just a long day." Nika watched as Kate tilted her face and she knew at this moment that her girlfriend didn't believe a word she just said. It was becoming more obvious and right now, Nika started to feel tears coming and no way to stop them.

"Are you sure? You just seem really upset right now. Did I, did I do something wrong? If I did then I'm sorry-"

"I lied Kate. I fucking lied." Nika immediately stood up and her voice began to raise. "I fucking hate everything right now. I lied about having a good bond with my teammates. There are like only two people who actually like me. Two!"

Nika gulped and looked at Kate's face filled with concern.

"I see you, your stories or your teammates or well, actually friends stories and I fucking envy it. My teammates don't do shit for me. Everything I seem to do is wrong." Nika lowers her voice. "When you fall, your teammates are there to help you up not even a second later. Nobody ever helps me up or came running towards me. That's if I get any playing time. I know I'm so fortunate to even have been drafted and made the cut but it fucking hurts when I worked so hard to get here and I don't even get the opportunity to play. I should be grateful but it's hard Kate. It's really fucking hard."

The tears flooding down Nika's face were obvious now.

Kate immediately stood up and held Nika close to her. Nika poured out all of the built up emotions inside of her, out onto Kate's sweatshirt. Making the gray an even darker shade.

"I'm so sorry baby. I didn't know any of this was going on. You know you can always tell me anything. I'll always be here for you."

The couple stood there, hugging for numerous minutes. Nothing but silence.

Life may be sucky for Nika right now, but it is going to get better. In a month from now, they will be seeing their best friends in Seattle who will be on vacation in Vancouver.

Kate has had a lot of goals in her life and she's achieved a good portion of them. Her only goal right now though, is to make sure Nika stays consistently happy.

Authors Notes:

If I was going to include A'ja and Jackie, I obviously had to use A'ja's famous catchphrase- Jackie come onnnn

Also yes, Im very aware Nika didnt play this game but its my story and I wanted to make a few adjustments

Also am I responsible for the Jordan injury bc I wrote that part before her injury?

Once again hope yall enjoyed