JENESSA PRACTICALLY crawled out of class once their professor dismissed them. She and the rest of the team had been pushing themselves the past 2 weeks, game day approaching.

She walked side by side with her new friend Karmen, one she'd met in anatomy class. "Bitch that lecture was sooo boring." Karmen groaned, lazily throwing an arm around Jenessa's waist. "Tell me about it." She replied, her tone just as bored.

"Do you have practice today?" Karmen asked, a glint of hope in her eyes, Jenessa had turned down her offers to hang out the past 4 days in a row due to her training schedule. "No actually! Im free." She laughed at Karmens bewildered face and loud cheer.

Karmen was an extremely outgoing girl, loud, friendly, lovable, and overall a great friend. She's one of the only non-athlete friends Jenessa had made at Uconn so far, so having Karmen around was like a breath of fresh air, one the brunette so desperately needed.

"Perfect! We're doing something, I dont care what you have to say." She squealed, her short blonde hair bouncing as she skipped around. "Okay, okay. Let's hang out." JJ had a huge grin on her face, Karmen's energy contagious.

"Im gonna call Charlie, I'm sure he's doing somethin' tonight." Karmen pulled out her phone, typing away at it as Jenessa sat down on a bench, curious about who this boy was.

Her phone rung a few times before Karmen quickly began talking, the conversation went on for a while and JJ zoned it out, playing with her hair. "Okay, Charlie's having some friends over for a game night and we're invited. He's ecstatic to meet you, apparently he's a fan!" She smiled once she hung up, Jenessa looked up and nodded, feeling excited to meet some new people.

A knock on the door startled Paige, she didn't invite anyone over and Jenessa hadn't told her someone was coming over, but she rolled her eyes and got up from her spot on the couch and headed to the door.

Paige and Jenessa weren't exactly on speaking terms lately anyways, not since the huge blow up. Both being too stubborn to make the first move.

"Hello?" Paige's eyebrows furrowed as she looked down and was met with a short, preppy blonde, dressed in jeans and a crop top. "Hey! I'm here for Jenessa?" Karmen awkwardly said, not being prepared to speak to the 6'0, skeptical Paige Bueckers.

"Mk, come in. She's in her room." She dryly said, stepping aside so Karmen could walk in. Paige shut the door and plopped back on the couch, barely sparing her a glance.

"Karmen! Hi, you should've texted I would've let you in." Jenessa wrapped her arms around her shorter friend's shoulders, squeezing slightly before pulling away. "All good, met your roomie. Didn't tell me it was Paige motherfucking Bueckers."

JJ stifled a laugh, trying to play it cool so Paige didn't have a field day and so Karmen wouldn't ask questions. "You look hot by the way, you ready to go?" She continued and Jenessa nodded.

Without saying goodbye, both girls left and walked to Charlie's dorm, which was just across the street due to him being in the men's athlete building.

JJ fiddled with her maroon tube top as Karmen knocked on the door. "Karmennnn, whats up! Come on in you two, we were just about to start Uno. Y'all want drinks?" A boy Jenessa's height answered the door, curly dark blue hair catching her attention.

"Duh, you know me boy." Karmen teased, JJ noticed she was an absolute flirt, no matter if it was her completely platonic friends, and she honestly found it fun, sometimes flirting right back.

"And you're the one and only Jenessa Jayde, pleasure to meet you, I'm Charlie." He stuck his hand out after handing Karmen a drink. "Pleasures all mine, I love your hair!" She cracked a smile, accepting his hand shake.

"Thank you! I was thinking of dying it red next time, kinda like the colour of your shirt. What drink you want?" Charlie turned back to the fridge. "That'd be sick, and anything really, a beer maybe?" She asked.

"Beer? Shit, I like her already Karmen!" He laughed loudly, handing JJ a glass bottle and Karmen responded by slapping his shoulder and sipping her wine cooler.

The two followed Charlie to the living room, being met with 2 more guys and 2 girls. "Ight, this is Ryan and Dom." He introduced, pointing to a boy dressed in sweatpants and a tee, and then to another with dreads and a nose ring. Jenessa taking note that Dom was utterly gorgeous.

"Then my babies!! Summer and Rylea." Karmen squealed and jumped on the two. "Nice to meet you!" They all smiled, Charlie took a seat and pat the spot next to him, signalling JJ to sit down and she did, saying a quick thanks as he gave her extra room.

"Yall ready to loose in Uno?" He challenged as he shuffled the cards. "Oh, don't be too confident. Im an absolute demon at Uno." Jenessa proudly smirked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You're so on!!" Charlie bumped her and laughed.

Karmen's eyes caught JJ's and her eyebrows were shooting up and down, a knowing look on her face and Jenessa rolled her eyes with a smile in response. Picking up her hand Charlie had just dealt.

They played Uno for about an hour, JJ winning most rounds, Rylea won 2, and Charlie the rest. "This games rigged. Fuck you all." Ryan whined as Charlie placed down his last card.

"No, you just suck." He laughed. "Im so over this, we should play a drinking game!" Karmen suggested, obviously wanting to stir the pot.

Everyone eventually agreed and grabbed fresh drinks. "Okay so, we'll go around and each say something we've never done. If you have, you'll take a sip. Got it?" Summer explained, making sure they all got the point.

"Yup! Ill start... never have I ever gotten into a fist fight." Ryan smirked, staring at Dom as he rolled his eyes and took a sip. Surprisingly, Karmen did as well. "What the fuck?" Jenessa gasped.

"Some bitch and I were arguing in a bar once and she ripped on my hair so I swung, we got into it and I may have broken her nose before it got broken up." Karmen giggled, shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay, remind me not to get on your bad side!" JJ laughed, but also being dead serious. "Hmm, alright never have I ever kissed someone in this room." Charlie announced, his eyes canvassing the room in suspicion.

Rylea, Summer, and Ryan all cautiously take sips of their drinks, reeking havoc on the room. "Excuse me?" "BITCH WHAT!" "No way."

All of them denied giving answers, Summer making a zipper motion in front of her lips. "Okay, fine. Never have I ever received head from someone of the same gender as me." Ryan shot back, Charlie shrugged and fired his beer down his throat.

Jenessa looked around the room, slowly taking a sip of hers as well, afraid of everyone's reactions. "Did you just drink?" Karmen asked, bringing everyone's attention to JJ as she stared at her, jaw hung on the floor.

"Yeah, I'm bi." She awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear. "Oh my god! What?" Karmen continued, a smile on her face as she found out the news. "She plays fuckin' basketball Karmen, what'd you expect." Charlie laughed loudly.

"I mean- I just didn't expect that. Not that I care like hell yeah good for you but I'm shocked." The blonde got up from her spot to hug JJ. "Charlies right, you should've." She said in response with a laugh as she hugged her friend back.

After awhile, everyone got quite tipsy and Jenessa decided it was time for her to head back, saying goodbye to all her new friends, making sure to exchange numbers and social medias before walking out the door.

When she entered her dorm, it was quiet. JJ flopped onto the couch and turned on a movie, scrolling through her phone aimlessly. It was 11pm, and she was feeling the liquor but could not settle down.

She groaned in agony, rolling onto her stomach in defeat. Wishing she was sleepy drunk instead of 'I could run a marathon' drunk.

Just then, she heard a door creak and footsteps approach. "You reek like beer and frat boy cologne. Where were you?" Paige asked, tone clearly unimpressed as she grabbed a glass and filled it with water.

"None of your business? Whats it matter to you?" JJ shot back, not wanting to deal with her at the moment. "Sorry that I wonder what my roommate was doing all night when I hear her stumble into the goddam dorm like a bull in a china shop." The blonde rolled her eyes, scoffing.

"How kind of you, honestly Paige just fuck off." Jenessa sat up, running her hands through her hair as her head hung low. She could feel the annoyance build in her as she felt Paige's presence linger, instead of leaving like she wanted.

"Why are you such a bitch?" Paige mumbled, but it was enough to tick Jenessa right off. "Im a bitch? Are you joking? Theres no way you just said that." The brunette's voice rising as she spoke, laughing through the sentence. "Something funny? Yeah, I think you're a bitch." Paige retorted, her body slowly inching towards JJ.

"I think the fact that you even have the audacity to say that is funny, who do you think you are? Acting all high and mighty like you haven't done jack shit." Jenessa rose to her feet, now standing face to face with her.

"Okay sure, I fucked up. But that was so long ago, get over it. You're acting like a child, as if I completely ruined your life when all I did was end our friendship. Grow up Jayde." Paiges eyes lowered, glaring daggers into Jenessa's hazel ones. Shallow breathes shared between them, tension high.

"You ruined me Bueckers. And you know damn well it wasn't just a casual friendship. I lost my virginity to you, and then you dropped me, like I was nothing, like I never meant anything to you. That crushed me, you were my everything Paige. And for you to be able to do that and move on without a second thought? You completely, and utterly ruined me." Jenessa's voice was barely above a whisper, tears forming in her eyes.

Paige stared, her mind racing as she tried to keep her thoughts at bay. She knew what happened between the two hurt JJ, and it hurt her too. But she never knew how bad, all their shared friends refused to tell Paige about the brunette, how she was doing, what she was feeling, anything.

"That was- your virginity?" Paige's expression clearly showed Jenessa that she wasn't lying, and had just found out that night they shared was her first.

"Yeah, it was Paige."

6 years ago...

"I cant believe this is the last time we'll be able to see each other for a long time. Paigey- I don't want to loose you." 15 year old Jenessa sat wrapped up in a blanket, the two were in her hotel room. Her parents had rented a separate one and they decided to have a sleepover for their last night together.

"Me either Nessie, but it's okay. We'll see each other when we can, and we're going to go to university together. I just know it, 3 more years JJ, then we'll be roommates and have the best years of our lives! Together!" Paige smiled, trying to lighten the mood as her eyes were glossed over. A layer of tears threatening to spill.

"You promise?" Jenessa asked, her tone soft. "I promise, pinky promise, we'll be friends forever." The young girl stuck out her pinky, and JJ interlocked them together.

"What if.. what if I don't want us to always be friends?" Jenessa looked up, making eye contact with the blonde. "What? Why not? What do you mean?" She furrowed her brows in confusion, heart dropping.

"I like you Paige, more than just as a friend." She confessed, breaking their eye contact and looking away. She nervously played with the ends of her hair and chewed on the inside of her cheek, waiting for Paige to say something.

A soft hand grazed her cheek, before resting on her chin and making her look up. Their faces were inches apart after Paige had moved closer, big blue eyes staring back into hers.

"Paige?" Jenessa whispered, and in response, her lips delicately collided with the brunettes. Moving in sync, like two puzzle pieces made for each other. Jenessa swore she felt fireworks erupt within her.

When the two broke apart, a huge grin was displayed on Paiges face. "What are you smiling at." JJ giggled, resting their foreheads against each other. "You're just so beautiful Nessie."

As the night went on, things collectively got more and more heated, until next thing they knew, their clothes were spread out all across the room.

They laid under the covers, arms and legs all tangled together, skin burning. Jenessa traced shapes and squiggles on Paiges bare chest, sleep weighing on her eyes. "Goodnight J." "Goodnight P."

A week had gone by, JJ had barely heard from Paige, and if she did they were very quick and dry responses. She beat herself up about it, wondering if she'd done something, said something, messed up in some way but couldn't figure out why Paige was dodging her.

Being thousands of miles apart didn't help much, but the morning she woke up to a huge paragraph is one that'll haunt her forever.

Jenessa, im sorry ive been ignoring you lately. but honestly i just dont want to deal with you anymore, you're overbearing and annoying. it wasn't as bad when we were together everyday for team usa but im so so done. i dont like you, i never have, stop fucking texting me, get a life. you're weird, gross and i regret fucking you, im not gay. delete my number and leave me alone, i never wouldve played around and experimented on you if i knew this was how you'd act. all we did was have sex, i didnt ask you to marry me, it was literally nothing to me, meant nothing. get over me and forget about me, forget about that night too, if i find out you went and spilled about it you'll regret it. cant have you tainting my rep.

Jenessa locked herself away for days after that, she didn't eat, didn't sleep, didn't contact anyone. She'd never felt more betrayed, the one girl she trusted with her whole life, ripped her apart.

She cried until her eyes dried up, after that she was basically just emotionless. Jenessa tried countless times to wrap her head around the situation, the text, how it didn't sound like Paige, or at least the Paige she knew and loved, how two people can go from being so close to acting as if they'd never met, any of it.

And that was when her and Caitlin formed a bond that's unbreakable. She brought back her spark, made her believe in life, friends and love again. Caitlin was the reason she got her ass out of bed and went to school, went to practice, and made a name for herself. 

DENNY'S CORNER

okaaaaay more of a glimpse into their

backstory, hope yall are piecing together

the drama

i promise this is a love story js gotta let me get there 😔