# MISS INDEPENDENT
pairing: paige bueckers x syracuse!reader
word count: 1698 + social media
warnings: none but not proofread
song: miss independent by ne-yo
summary: paige plays her part in making you the best person you can be - on and off the court.
⭑ from lani: no hate to syracuse i just needed a low ranking school hehe...also this isnt super romantic or anything i just liked the idea so i hope yall do too :)
masterlist !
YOU HAD NEVER been more miserable in your life - and that was putting it nicely.
you, individually, were thriving as a basketball superstar.
cameras flashed in your direction every time you stepped outside, photographers hoping to get just a glimpse of your day-to-day life outside of your beloved sport. fans donning your jersey number screamed your name with homemade signs dedicated to grabbing your attention even from the highest seats of any arena you stepped foot in. you were loved. adored, idolized.
but did it mean anything if your real life - the one the public is oblivious to - was something so full of dread and hopelessness?
your coaches, god bless their hearts, were clueless. in quite literally every aspect of the game. they try to guide you on a path to greatness, but every attempt they make seems like a complete airball, setting you up for failure rather than success.
your teammates. jesus christ, your teammates. they also pretty much had no clue what they were doing on the court, but that wasn't the issue. the fact that they are horrible people is the heart of your problems. they all have little-to-no morals, resulting in carelessness, blatant disrespect, overbearing attitude, and strongly unlikable personalities. they also seemed to hate you. whether that was because they were internally homophobic or just jealous, it didn't help your case.
you fall during a game? get up yourself. you need help on defense? split it yourself. need someone to rebound some form shooting after practice? they already left the gym.
as a player who had such a passion and dedication for basketball matched with the talent and skills, it was exhausting not having anyone to support you - truly support you. over time, it drained the life out of you, and you were beginning to lose love for the sport altogether. that was probably the saddest part, in your opinion.
you considered quitting by the end of the season, possibly to focus on your backup career path. but for now, you were stuck on your own, and you had a game to play. win? that might be a stretch considering your situation, but you were sure as hell going to play.
"cuse on me, cuse on three!" you yell in your team's huddle, as they weakly shout back the chant.
you sigh as you make your way to the free throw line for what felt like the hundredth time this game. thanks to the lack of help from your teammates, it seemed like every offensive play involved you trying to muscle through uconn's defense and eventually getting fouled by their post. at least you could shoot some free throws.
you bounce the ball on the floor twice before smoothly spinning it in the palm of your hand. you breathe out as you let it fly from your fingertips and to the net. easy. too easy. you repeat the process, sinking both shots in the basket with ease. the score wasn't even close, uconn leading 78-56. 32 of your school's points were yours. you had 8 rebounds, but a mere 2 assists due to your teammates failed shot attempts. you were so tired. mentally and physically.
on the next play, you got fouled, but this time it was an and-one, miraculously. one of uconn's players had tried too hard to block your shot, resulting in you falling to the ground as soon as the ball left your hands, but thank god you were able to get it in before the whistle blew.
your celebration was cut short, however, when you felt a sharp pain in your ankle. you sat behind the baseline, grasping at your leg to try to ease the discomfort, but it was no use. you might have rolled it, maybe sprained it. the one thing you did know was that you couldn't play on it, let alone stand on it.
when you look up at the span of the court, your teammates were simply walking over to the bench to get water. your coaches didn't notice you still on the ground, one of them even scrolling mindlessly on their phone.
scoffing, you try to push yourself up and walk back to the line to complete the three-point play, but the sting is too much. your head hangs low in embarrassment and shame as you think to call out for help, but someone comes up to you before you can do so.
"yo, you good?" the person asks, but it's not a voice you recognize. it's when you look up that you can identify the source, "that's totally my bad, i'm sorry about that."
"it's fine," you dismiss absentmindedly, still slightly staring at the girl in front of you, "i'm fine."
"here, lemme help you out," she offers. before you know it, she's grabbing your hand to pull you up and wrap an arm around your waist to support your stance.
"thanks," you say shyly, face probably red as a tomato.
"no problem, i was the one who made you fall so..." she trails, slowly but surely helping you over to your still-distracted bench, "plus it didn’t really look like your teammates were gonna help you out. shitty for that - by the way. no offense."
"none taken," you laugh lightly, "it's a normal thing around here."
"for real? that's crazy," she replies, seemingly shocked, "you gotta find a better team."
"what, like yours?" you joke.
"maybe," she says seriously as she sets you down at an empty chair at the end of your bench, "you good here? actually, no, hold on-"
to your surprise, she yells out for an athletic trainer to evaluate your injury, craning her neck around your "busy" teammates to locate a decent staff member. you can see on her face that she's annoyed, but at the lack of help rather than your helpless state.
"i got it, you should go back to your team," you insist, lightly pushing her in the direction of her own bench.
she sighs loudly, rolling her eyes at your program's audacity to ignore their best player, "nah, i can call over one of our trainers-"
"paige," you state firmly, "i'm good. thank you for your help, but i got it from here."
"you sure?" she asks sincerely, her blue eyes piercing into your soul, the genuine care sending a shiver down your spine. you weren't used to looks like those.
"yes, i'm sure," you answer with a nod of your head.
"alright, but i'ma come check on you after the game," she says before quickly jogging over to her teammates.
and if you knew paige bueckers, you knew she would keep her word (but honestly, you didn't know, considering that was the first time you had ever talked to her).
but she kept her word.
you were making your way to your car when you heard a voice shout from behind you, "l/n! what's up, how you feelin'?"
"hey, bueckers," you smile softly as you turn around, "other than the brutal loss, i'm doing okay."
"that's good, that's good," she nods, her hands in the pockets of her loose sweatpants, "you got checked and everything?"
"uh...kinda? i just walked back to the locker room and taped ice on it."
"bro," paige deadpans, the tilt of her head highlighting the sharpness of her jawline, "that's it? what if you actually broke something-"
"it's fine," you cut her off, "i'm about to visit our facility's med bay right now."
"okay good," she nods, "good..."
there's a moment of silence between you two, the only audible sounds coming from passing cars and distant fans loading out of the arena. you were about to walk away when paige's voice urged you to remain still.
"i meant what i said earlier, by the way," she says almost shyly, nervously.
"about getting me one of your trainers? i said i'm good-"
"no, bro," she laughs, "that you deserve a better team."
"oh," is all you manage to say, your lack of reaction showcasing your shock.
"i can tell that's what you want. i see it in the way you play. shit, you're already a bucket. and the fans fuck witchu. but you could be so much better if you had the right help."
you're speechless as you listen to her explain. it's like a choreographer detailing the rhythm of a song or a director explaining the complexities of a scene.
she continues, her face lighting up more and more, "no hate to syracuse, but this program ain’t shit. you're the only person on the team that cares - actually cares - about the game. and i bet you care about it the same way i do. you wanna win. you wanna be a winner. you wanna break records and fill the stat sheet and own your shit because you know you're capable of it. feel free to stop me anytime you hear a lie, by the way-"
"stop," you say.
"what?" she freezes, not actually expecting you to stop her.
"you don't have to say anything else."
"but you know-"
"i know," you say softly, almost painfully, "i think about it everyday. i know."
you stand in front of paige with one of your hands resting in the pocket of your sweatpants and the other wrapped around the strap of your backpack. your stance is relaxed yet confident.
there was no doubt that her words sparked the dying flame in you. part of it hurt you, the realization that you were falling out of love with basketball. but the other part felt good, the excitement and anticipation building in your chest at the thought of what could be.
your whole life you felt like you were on your own. "miss independent," they would call you. but you just needed a little push, someone other than yourself to notice it. you needed someone who cared enough to see through you.
another beat of silence. this time it’s comfortable, though. the two of you gaze at each other thoughtfully. you can tell paige is thinking from the way she bites her bottom lip pensively. it's the same way she bit her lip when she was looking for a trainer to help you out earlier.
after a minute of quiet, she speaks up again with a growing smirk, "so whatchu gonna do about it?"
------
4 MONTHS LATER, APRIL 2024
liked by yourusername, uconnwbb, paigebueckers, and 837,038 others
espn syracuse guard y/n l/n, also known as "miss independent," has announced her entry into the transfer portal following a sufficient senior season. where do you want to see her go for her fifth year?
april 29, 2024
view all 6,304 comments
cusewbb we love and miss you! go be great!
↳ user01 yall treated her like shit the entire season dont switch up now
yourusername only a matter of ⏰
↳ paigebueckers tick tock
↳ user02 WAIT.
↳ user03 Y/N TO UCONN WHEN
↳ user04 thatd be a crazy front court holy shit
uconnwbb interesting...
↳ yourusername i agree
↳ user05 YOOO
↳ user06 dear geno and cd, PLSSS SCOOP HER UP
— leilani signing off ! 📁
