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plot: in which unrivaled brings them back together

trope: college teammates to lovers

pairings: wbb black! southern reader x sabrina ionescu

warnings: death, cheating, boyfriend, homophobia

a/n: i love this woman 🙏 was listening to beyoncé's 'daddy lessons' and got inspired 🙂‍↕️

part 2 coming soon!!

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"Remember, focus on your studies and basketball. Don't be gettin' distracted by all these boys now." Y/n sighed, she heard this a million times the entire ride to the University of Oregon. Her dad made it an entire road trip. They drove all the way from Louisiana. "I know, Pops. I'll make you proud, I promise."

He sighed, still disappointed that she chose Oregon over LSU. He wanted her close to home. Choosing Oregon was one of the few decisions she got to make on her own. They came to the agreement that if she could average 20 points in her freshman year, she could stay at Oregon. If she didn't...she had to transfer to LSU. "Don't disappoint me, Bee. Get on to your dorm now. Make you some friends."

He was definition of tough love, always had been. But she couldn't resist bringing him into a hug, even if it made him tense. "Love you, Daddy."

He sighed softly, hugging her back, "love you too, Honeybee."

She waved goodbye and turned, walking in the direction of her dorm. She entered the building and went up a couple flights of stairs to get to her floor. The stairs didn't bother her- in fact it felt relieving after being stuffed up in a car without being able to get much exercise in. She only had two suitcases and a duffle with her, and it was filled with the essentials. She got to the correct number on the door and set her stuff down to get her keys.

But, the door was already unlocked so the key wasn't necessary. She pushed open the door and stepped inside, kicking off her shoes and pushing them to the side. Shoes inside was a big no where she was from. A blonde girl turned the corner and froze, they both just stared a each other for a full 20 seconds. Y/n gulped, "..please tell me this is the right dorm room."

"Is your name y/n?" The blonde asked, tilting her head with a curious gaze.

"That's me." She chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, "..you ain't one of those secretly racist white girls, right?"

Her eyes widened, she clutched her shirt collar, "what? No! Absolutely not! I'm sorry if I did something to make you think that." Y/n sighed in relief, she really didn't want to deal with one of those girls as a teammate. "It's cool. You didn't do anything wrong. I just dealt with one of those girls back in highschool."

"Oh. I'm sorry you had to go through that." She frowned, awkwardly picking at her fingernails.

"It's okay. I got back at her."

"What'd you do?"

She casually pulled her stuff back over her shoudler. "I stole her spot on this team." The blonde couldn't find it in her to be surprised. She knew y/n was the star of her team in highschool. She followed her down the hall towards the rooms. "Uh, I chose the room on the right, I hope that's okay. If you wanted it- we could totally switch."

"It's okay. I shoot with my left anyways. It calls to me." She joked, pushing over the door to the room on the left.

She turned and the blonde held a hand out to her, "by the way, I'm Sabrina Ionescu." Y/n smiled kindly, taking her hand to shake politely. "Right. Excuse my manners, I forgot to greet you. I'm y/n y/l/n, it's nice to meet you, Sabrina Ionescu."

Sab smiled brightly, cheeks burning red, "you can call me Sab."

"Nice. You can call me Bee." She returned the smile, and tossed her duffle onto the bed. "I like your accent. Are you from Texas?" Sab asked out of curiosity, hearing the southern accent spilling from her mouth so angelically. "Thank you. I'm actually from Louisiana. But I got family in Texas."

Sab already decided this girl was her favorite on the team within the few minutes they've met. "That's sweet. I'm from California, and Romanian is my first language."

"Cool. Mine is English. I'm also fluent in French so I'm very open to learning Romanian for you." She said, always down to learn about other cultures and their language. Sab's cheeks flushed red again, very flattered by her willingness. "That's very sweet but you don't have to do that. I can imagine you already have so much on your plate with studies and basketball."

"True. My pops said no distractions." Y/n mumbled, unzipping her bag and pulling out the picture frame that had a photo of her mom.

"I'll leave you to unpack. If you need me, I'll be in my room." She nodded and glanced over to see Sab walk out, her hands behind her back.

A week later, y/n got back from practice, it was a tough day for her, a lot of her teammates noticed how different she'd been acting. Sab was the only one bold enough to actually confront her though. So, she picked up some food for them and returned back to the dorm. She was in her room, so Sab knocked against the door softly. She heard a small voice saying, "come in."

She pushed open the door and walked in, spotting her roommate sitting on the floor staring at some pictures placed on the floor. "I got us some food if you're hungry." She spoke gently, sitting down beside her and moving her sight to the pictures. "Is that your mom?" She squints, leaning closer to pick out the detail, "..in a ducks jersey?"

"Yeah, she played here when she was in college," she mumbled, picking up the picture with the faintest smile. Sab smiled, she could see the resemblance, y/n was a splitting image of her mother. "Is that why you chose Oregon over LSU?"

"Mhm. I wanted to feel closer to her. With basketball, it feels like she's always with me." She picked up the other pictures, her eyes peering over them once more before she set them back into a drawer. She knew Sab wanted to ask, but didn't want to come off as rude. "On this day, she died in a car accident when I was six. But, back home, we don't ever talk about her. It's almost like she never existed."

"You can always come to me whenever you wanna talk about her. We're friends. I'm always gonna be there for you, Bee." Sab reached for her hand, taking it into hers to comfort her. She glanced over their intertwined hands, she never had friends in highschool and a lot of her teammates didn't like her because coach held favoritism for her, so this was very new to her. Was it normal to feel attraction towards a friend? She had no idea, and it confused her.

There was a knock on the front door, interrupting their moment. Sab sighed, releasing her hand to get to her feet. She picked at her nails with a nervous smile, "is now a bad time to tell you I have a twin brother?"

"A what now?" Y/n quickly got to follow her, interested to see just how much they'd look alike.

"..yeah." Sab pulled open the door and smiled at her brother who held up a box of cinnamon rolls with some iced coffees on top. "Which boy on campus do I need to beat up?" He questioned, stepping inside and kicking off his shoes. He was told Sab's roommate was upset so he automatically assumed it was boy trouble...cause it typically was.

Y/n raised a brow, looking at Sab 'cause she herself was not messin' around with no boys. "There's a boy?"

"No- I mean, I told him you were upset and he just assumed it was boy drama. Now I know it isn't." Sab said, hitting her brother's arm and he winced dramatically. "Ow!"

After setting the stuff down on the counter, he held his hand out to her. "Hey, I'm Sab's brother, Eddy. It's nice to finally meet you. I hope I didn't come in at a bad time." Y/n smiled up at him, taking his hand to shake politely. "You didn't. I'm y/n, but everyone calls me Bee. I only just heard about your existence but it's nice to meet you too."

He chuckled at her words, finding himself staring at her a little too long so he quickly averted his eyes. She noticed his laugh sounded so much like Sab's, and as she observed him closer, she could definitely see the resemblances. "I'm startin' to see some of that resemblance. I ain't never met twins before believe it or not."

"I'm better looking though," Sab mumbled, grabbing one of the drinks on the counter.

"I agree with that," y/n added, causing Sab to cheer, shooting her twin a smug smirk as he rolled his eyes.

"I really appreciate all 'dis, but I would like to be alone tonight if that's alright." Sab smiled softly, nodding her head, "of course you can. Just take some food at least, I want you to eat." She handed her some of the food and a drink. "Thank you- both of you. Have a goodnight." She gave Sab's hand a small squeeze before walking back to her room, hearing a small 'goodnight' from Eddy.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Why didn't you tell me your roommate was smoking hot?"

Sab shrugged, a little annoyed that he was attracted to her roommate. "It didn't come up..and I think she's gay."

Eddy turned to her, crossing his arms over his chest with a judging look. "Are you stereotyping?"

"What- no! I am not. She just..doesn't ever talk about boys- like ever, it's like they don't exist to her." She argued her point, but he wasn't understanding her at all. "Maybe she's just never had a boyfriend. I should ask her out. Can I ask her out? Please, Sab. I'm begging you- don't hold out on me now. This could be my future wife."

Sab sighed, she didn't want to be one of those bitchy sisters who stopped her brother from dating a nice girl just because they were friends. She felt backed into a corner. "Fine. But, wait like two or three weeks. She's going through a lot right now so a boyfriend is out of question."

"Alright. Make sure to tell her about how cool I am." He said, grabbing out a cinnamon roll from the box. "Love you, twin."

"Yeah okay, love you too. Get out." She pushed him towards the door and waved sarcastically.

Another week went by, y/n had been busting her ass in the gym working to get a position on the starting five. The coach had already grown quite fond of her. She even gave her a box of cds that had her mom's basketball tapes in it. She said the school gave it to her and she felt that Bee and her family should have it. Y/n had yet to tell her dad about it...and honestly, she didn't plan to.

She'd been spending lots of time with Sab, being under the same roof and all, they were together a lot of the time. So who better to watch her mom's old games with than her favorite teammate. She held the small box under her arm and unlocked the door, pushing it open and immediately spotting Sab's twin Eddy on the couch with a bowl of popcorn on his lap.

He turned to look at her and his eyes widened, he quickly put the bowl on the table and brushed himself off just as Sab stepped into the living room, her hair still wet from the shower she had just took. Eddy shot a pointed look at his twin, feeling like he just embarrassed himself in front of his crush, "you said Bee was staying at a teammates dorm."

"I was- but I canceled. I'm not interrupting, right? I can go-"

"No, it's fine. We were just having a movie night. You can join us- as long as you sit next to me, it's essential. You don't wanna sit next to Eddy." He shot her a look of disbelief but she wasn't paying him any mind, her eyes completely focused on y/n. She was still sweaty from practice and that's honestly when she looked her hottest. Her eyes drifted down to the box tucked under her armpit, "what's the box for?"

"Coach gave me cds of my mom's old games. I actually was wonderin' if you wanted to watch them with me." Sab's eyes brightened and she smiled excitedly before it dropped and she grabbed her brother's bicep, pulling him up from her couch. "We'll reschedule. Go back to your dorm."

"Damn, I was lookin' forward to Doctor Strange." He sighed, grabbing the popcorn bowl cause he was taking it with him. "Bye, Bee." He winked, walking past her to get to the door as Sab scowled at him.

Y/n brushed off the flirty goodbye, remembering her father's words...it sounded so stupid when she thought about it. She was grown. She could make her own decisions. It was college. If she wanted a boyfriend, she could have a boyfriend. And before she could even think it over properly, she turned on her heel and reached for her wrist to stop him in his tracks. "You wanna go on a date? Saturday, maybe?"

Both twins eyes widened in shock and Sab's eyes burned with jealousy, wishing she was the twin to be asked that. She tried to be happy for him, but it felt like he was stealing her. "Yeah, that sounds great. I'll pick you up at 8, Bee." He took her hand and brought to his lips, pressing a kiss over her knuckles. "Bye," she replied, voice barely above her whisper.

Sab forced herself to give him a smile and wave before he exit their dorm. Y/n turned to her with a cheerful smile, and she couldn't help but mirror it. Seeing her happy could instantly bring up her mood. "Ready to meet my mom?" She joked, walking to the living room with the box.

Sab joined her on the floor, watching her sift through the cds, conflicted on which one to watch first. "What about this one?" The blonde pointed out to the cd labeled 'senior class' on the plastic cover. She nods, taking the disc out to insert it into the DVD player connected to the tv. After a few seconds, the video came on. The first person she saw was her mom.

"State your name for the video," the person behind the camera spoke, practically shoving the camera into her mom's face. "My name is Honey Jones, but everybody calls me Bee 'cause I ain't afraid to sting ya." She winked with a smile that lit up the room. "And my name-" Honey pushes her teammate out of the frame with a laugh, "you stealin' my spotlight! I gotta talk to my future self!"

"What happened to that southern hospitality?" Her teammate joked, pushing her playfully, earning more laughs from their other teammates in the locker room.

"Anyways. In my future, I hope I married a nice southern man who loves basketball just as much as I do. I hope I retired in a professional team to raise my babygirl. I already know her name. It's gonna y/n, and we'll all call her Bee 'cause she gon' sting everyone just like me. If she's watching this- Momma loves you so much babygirl. I can't wait to meet you."

"What if you have a boy?" Her teammate interrupted with her sudden thought.

"I'll have a daughter. I know I will. I meant to be a girl mom. It runs in the family, T!" She smiled, blowing the camera a kiss before the camera moved to her teammates.

Sab grabbed the remote to pause it, noticing her friend on the verge of tears. She immediately pulled her into a hug and that's when she finally broke. Her lips trembled, tears rolling down her cheeks and falling onto Sabrina's gray t-shirt. After a minute, she calmed herself down, her breathing shifting back to normal. "We can try again tomorrow," the blonde suggested.

"Okay." She agreed and they silently packed the cds back into the box.

Saturday came by fast, and Sab had been dreading it the whole week, but she forced herself to try and be supportive of her best friend and twin brother. She was still bitter about him stealing her, but y/n was the one to initiate the date so she couldn't put all the blame on him. He didn't know she had the biggest crush on y/n.

Y/n was a mess. She was contemplating just canceling this date. But, she had her roommate to talk her out of it, so that's what she was going to do. She fixed her braids into a low bun, and added a butterfly pin that belonged to her mom. Then she walked out and went to Sab's room, knocking on her door before opening it up and walking in, the blonde laying on her floor stuffing marshmallows into her mouth.

"I need your help, S." Sab swallowed the marshmallow and sat up as the girl moved to sit on the floor across from her. She tried her best to keep her composure but the tight black dress her friend wore was making that nearly impossible. She looked like an actual goddess and it was truly a miracle that she hadn't fainted on the spot. "With what? You already look perfect," she blurted out.

Y/n smiled warmly at the compliment.  "Thank you. But, it's not that. I've uh- I've never kissed anyone before, and I don't wanna make myself look like a fool in front of your brother if I don't know how to kiss properly. Can you teach me? Please? I won't tell anyone."

Sab almost choked on air, her eyes widening at the request. "Y-You want me to teach you how to kiss?"

"Yeah- unless you don't know how..?"

She scoffed, brushing her hair behind her ear, "okay- whoa, I know how to kiss. I'm just processing this request. Are you sure? Wouldn't it ruin your first kiss?"

"I been contemplatin' it all week and I'm perfectly content with you bein' my first kiss. I mean- it's not like we're dating. It would be a friendly kiss. Girls kiss their friends all the time- at least that's what my friend in calculus says." She chuckled awkwardly. She wasn't freaked out that her first kiss would be with a girl. She wasn't at all against that community. She was just nervous about having a first kiss after so long.

Sab wanted to object what she said, but if she did that, she probably would never get the chance to kiss her crush. So, she was gonna shut up and teach this incredibly fine country girl how to kiss. "If you're okay with it then I am too." Y/n smiled, immediately throwing herself forward to tackle her into a hug. "Thank you! You're the best, Sab."

Y/n hadn't even realized she was on top of her until her eyes opened and she realized Sab was on her back staring up at her with those pretty brown eyes. "Just copy my movements, okay?" She tucked the loose braid strand behind her ear and cupped her jaw delicately. Y/n nodded, hyperfixating on her and all her features. Sab refused to crumble under her gentle stare, no matter how bad she wanted to.

Y/n leaned closer and Sab initiated it, softly pressing their lips together, her other hand moving down to rest on her waist. She almost believed y/n was lying about this being the first time given how good she was at kissing. Before they knew it, those soft kisses were turning messy really fast. A mere kiss turned into a full make out session.

Was kissing supposed to feel this good?

Pulling away for air, they just stared at each other- almost in shock, but not exactly that. Something screamed at them to do it again. But, not everything could go their way. The door was being knocked on. It completely snapped them out of their daze, suddenly remembering she had a date. Y/n quickly got up and wiped her mouth, pulling her dress back down as it rode up when she sat down. "T-Thanks for the help, S."

"No problem." Sab breathed out, watching her run out with urgency. Now she was all by herself, hot and bothered by the events that just occurred on her bedroom floor.

»»

Their first game was coming up and y/n was super excited because her dad was coming to watch in person so he'd be able to meet Sabrina. But now, to address what happened two weeks ago on Sab's bedroom floor- yeah, they had yet to talk about it. And honestly, they didn't plan to. Y/n was dating Eddy now, and she was really happy. That is, until the night before the game happened. She had stayed over at his, and things got...weird.

So, when y/n left to get breakfast in the morning, he rushed over to see his twin and tell her all about what happened so he could fix things. He entered the dorm and walked to his sister's bedroom, he pushed open the door and grimaced when he seen a half naked girl laying beside her. "Dude, don't you know how to knock!" Sab threw a pillow at him and he groaned, shutting the door.

About two minutes later, the door opened and the girl was fully dressed, offering him a small nod before making her way out of the dorm. He walked back into the room and Sab was sitting up in the bed yawning. "That girl kinda looks like Bee," he comments. "What? No she doesn't," Sab objected defensively. If it wasn't already obvious, she was lying.

He didn't understand her defensiveness but he also didn't care enough to ask. His problems were urgent. "Something happened last night between me and Bee and..."

Sab immediately grew defensive over y/n, "what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! Chill out- let me tell the story before you jump to conclusions." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for him to continue. "We were watching a movie together, and then we started kissing and things escalated from there. Anyways, we were...having sex, and she just didn't seem like she was into it, you know? I thought things were going well until suddenly she's on top of me and then she looks at me- literally screams in horror and runs into the bathroom."

"What? Oh, my god, is she okay?" Sab frowned, her eyes softening in concern.

"Y-Yeah, I mean- maybe. She came back and said it wasn't my fault and we just went to bed after that. She seemed okay in the morning. But she won't talk about it and I feel like I did something wrong. You know Bee the best so I figured you would know what to do." Sab sighed, giving him a supportive hug. "I'll talk to her about it after the game. I don't wanna upset her before it."

»»

It was game day, and y/n was nothing short of excited. She made it on the starting five, just like her mom did in her own freshman year. As she was tucking in her jersey, she started looking around in the stands, hoping to see her dad in the crowd. She hadn't spotted him yet, but that was fine, he would want her to focus on basketball.

She had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks by halftime, the crowd was loving her to say the least. She shot a stepback three to finish the 2nd QTR, and that's when Sab ran over and jumped onto her back. She pressed a big kiss to her cheek before jumping off, all their teammates hyping her up. Before they went to the back, Sab stopped her and pointed to the stands. Y/n immediately laid eyes on her dad and grinned...until they moved and noticed Eddy sitting beside him, and beside Eddy was Sab's parents.

Y/n rushed to get in the back, immediately worrying Sab who was quick to follow her. "What happened? You look like you seen a ghost."

"My pops doesn't know I have a boyfriend," she blurted out, immediately growing stressed. She was praying Eddy didn't say anything to make him suspicious. "Oh. Okay, does Eddy know that?" Sab asked, growing a little worried for her. "No. He thinks my pops is really happy for us....I may have lied to him."

Next thing she knew, coach was tapping her shoulder. "Your dad is out in the hall." Y/n gulped, and Sab gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze. "Come with me," she said towards the blonde, needing the comforting support of her best friend. Sab nodded and followed her out, they went down the hall and found her dad standing there waiting for her.

"Hey Daddy," y/n greeted, letting go of Sab's hand to walk over. He cracked the smallest smile, bringing her into a hug. "Hey, Honeybee. Who's your friend?" He knew who Sabrina was, her brother was a splitting image of her so clearly there was some relation there. "This is my best friend, Sabrina. We're also roommates. Uh, Sab, this is my Pops." Sab smiled kindly, shaking his extended hand politely, but she couldn't help but feel like he knew something about her just by the way his stare felt.

"Nice to meet you, Sir. Your daughter is amazing."

"So I've been told. Your brother had a lot to say about her." He said, and the two tensed almost immediately. Y/n frowned, shooting him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's just- you said no boys- or distractions." He sighed, "it's okay, Bee. You don't gotta explain yourself. He's a good kid, and a basketball player so even better. You've proven out there that he isn't a distraction."

Y/n jumped excitedly, bringing him into another hug, the affection catching him off guard once more. "Thank you, Daddy! You're the best! He's a really good boyfriend, I promise."

"Alright. I'd like to speak with your friend here. Go on now." She nodded, and Sab was a bit confused on what he would need to speak to her about. Y/n returned to the locker room, knowing her dad was probably gonna say something about keeping an eye on her to Sab.

"Is this about my brother? 'Cause I promise he would literally never hurt her. He's super smitten." Sab declared, very positive that this was about her twin.

"I'm not worried about your brother. I'm worried about you. Now, I've done everything to protect my daughter from catching your...beliefs. My daughter is a kind person, so she's befriends your..kind. But that don't mean she's gon' be like all these other girls in basketball betraying God. All I ask is that you respect that."

Sabrina was appalled by his..request? She was not at all expecting to hear that. Her parents were so supportive of her she almost forgot other parents weren't. But, the last thing she needed was to upset him and get y/n kicked out of her dream school. "Yes sir. I understand."

"Glad we're on the same page. Y'all have a good game now." He tilt his head and walked away, unaware of her glare on his back.

They won the game, and to celebrate, y/n's dad was taking her to fancy restaurant to celebrate. She figured she'd celebrate with Sab's family next time. Right now, spending time with her dad after such an important game was something she couldn't say no to. After dinner, he walked her back to her dorm, as it was late, he wanted to be sure she was safe on the way back.

She told Sab ahead of time so when they got to the door, Sabrina pulled open the door and to y/n's surprise, her friend Dess from calculus walked out. "Bee." She greeted with a polite smile, stepping out and leaving down the hall. Sab just pretended as if that was totally normal, holding a sarcastic grin on her face, "thanks for getting her back safely, sir."

"Night, Daddy. I'll see you in the mornin'." Y/n shared a quick hug with him before stepping inside, shoving her shoulder into Sab's without a care in the world.

"Goodnight." Sab waved before shutting the door and locking it. She turned around to see y/n glaring daggers into her soul. "What's your problem?"

"My problem?" She scoffed, throwing her bag onto the floor and kicking off her shoes. "You are my problem. Look- I am perfectly fine with your lifestyle. I couldn't care less who share a bed with- but I told you my friends are completely off limits. You just went behind my back, and for what? What did I do to you to deserve that?"

"You fucked my brother!" Sab exclaimed, finally letting it out, unable to hold it in anymore.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, "you said you were okay with us dating!"

"Well, I changed my mind!" Y/n scoffed, rolling her eyes at Sab's sudden mood change. "You can't change your mind, Sab. I can't just break up with him to please you."

Sab scoffed under her breath, running a hand over her hair, she took a step closer. "He told me what happened. So, tell me. Why'd you scream, y/n?" She immediately grew tense and dismissive, "what me and your brother do is none of your concern, Sabrina."

Sab didn't care what she said, she had her suspicions, but she needed to know. She didn't care to hide it anymore. She already expressed her discomfort with their relationship. What was the point of lying now? Y/n tried to walk away but Sab just grabbed her wrist to pull her back. "Tell me why you screamed. I'm not letting you leave until you tell me."

Her jaw clenched in frustration, she stepped closer to the blonde. "Fine. I was fucking your brother and every time I looked at him, I saw you. Is that what you wanna hear, Sab? Can you let me go now?" She didn't release her grip, but she did use it to pull y/n closer, so close they were inches from each other. "Tell me the truth. Tell me why you saw me."

Y/n wanted to scream. She didn't want to admit anything. She didn't want to admit that she was experiencing inappropriate thoughts about Sabrina. That was against everything she was ever taught. She was supposed to only feel these things for boys...not a girl. "'Cause I wanted it to be you!"

"That's all I needed to hear." Without a second thought, she leaned forward and connected their lips. A small whine slipped past her lips, her hands gripping at her t-shirt, bringing goosebumps over the surface of the flesh. Sab pushed her back to the living room all the way until she fell back onto the couch. She pushed her legs apart and climbed in between, pushing her knee against heat.

Y/n pulled away, catching her breath as Sab pushed her dress above her hips. "What about your brother?"

Sab shrugged, really not wanting to think about him right now. "I had you first. He'll get over it."

»»

"She should be up by now. She goes to sleep pretty early." Eddy explained, walking down the hall to his sister's dorm with his girlfriend's father. They were going to get breakfast before he had to leave to catch his flight to go back to Louisiana. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. They walked inside, and to the living room, immediately freezing at the sight of y/n and Sab curled up on the couch together, a blanket covering them, clothes discarded on the floor.

Sab squint at the light, and then she noticed them. She was mortified. "Eddy- let me explain."

His jaw was clenched and he walked to the bathroom, grabbing their robes they had hanging up on the door. He tossed it to her just as y/n stirred awake. They turned around, Sab quickly getting up and pulling the robe around herself. Y/n wanted to cry, 'cause she knew how this was going to end. "I'll be right back." Sab pulled the robe over her and pressed a kiss to her head before rushing over to grab her brother's hand. "We need to talk."

"I don't even know what to say to you right now." He scoffed, following her to the room in pure disbelief.

Y/n gulped, tying her robe together, tears already pooling in her eyes as her dad turned around, tucking his phone in his pocket. She had never seen him look so disappointed. "I gave you a chance, and you blew it. Pack your stuff. We're gettin' on a flight back to Louisiana and we're going to cleanse your mind of this disease. Then you're transferring to LSU where you should've went to begin with."

"W-What? No. No. I can't leave. This was mom's school- this was her team! Daddy, please, don't do this to me. I need to be here. I have to be here." She pleaded, standing to her feet and walking over but he couldn't even look at her. "We're not having this conversation, y/n. Pack your things. We are leaving whether you like it or not. These are the consequences of your actions."

She sniffled, a tear falling down her cheek, "yes sir."

She got herself dressed and packed her stuff. She didn't have very much, just her two suitcases and duffle bags. He carried her stuff into the hall, and after some pleading, he allowed her to go say bye to Sabrina. Y/n knocked on the door, the twins had still been arguing, she wondered how they hadn't got dehydrated yet. Sab pushed Eddy away to get the door, faced with a depressed looking y/n. "Are you okay?"

"I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm going back home, and we're transferring to LSU. My mind is poisoned and I'm not myself here. Thank you for your kindness, Sabrina. Same goes to you, Eddy. I'm sorry it didn't work out. Please don't blame her. It was my fault." Sabrina reached out to grab her but she moved away, shaking her head, "you can't."

Y/n walked away but Sab was quick to rush after her, tears in her eyes. She glared at her father, the man unphased by his doings. "You can't take her away! She didn't do anything wrong! She belongs at this school! It's her mom's school! What is wrong with you?! Please, I'll do anything. I'll leave-" Eddy pulled her back, more tears sliding down her face as he pulled open the door, not at all phased by her pleas.

"I'm sorry," she whispered sadly.

Before she could blink, they were gone.

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8 years later. Yes, eight long years since that morning in Oregon. Y/n did commit to LSU and she shined there, but none of those games compared to her first game in Oregon. She and Sab kept tabs on each other, and got drafted the same year, but they had never even spoke a coherent sentence to each other being in the WNBA. They avoided each other like the plague. It was almost as if they didn't exist to each other.

Y/n played for the Las Vegas Aces, drafted to them in 2020. Her last season with the Aces was in 2024, and now she was declared a free agent. She had offers from many teams, but she had yet to make a choice yet. It didn't help that she was coming off of injury. She tore her ACL before the 2024 season even started, leading to her missing out on her last season with the team, including the Paris Olympics.

Napheesa Collier encouraged her to come play in Unrivaled in hopes that it would help with recovery so she didn't just jump right into the WNBA season with a new team and unreliable knee. She ended up signing with them, but that was all before they signed Sabrina Ionescu. If she had known Sab was gonna be apart of it, she probably wouldn't have jumped to sign. But now, she was stuck with her decision.

But tell her why they put her in Phantom BC...the same team as Sabrina.

She got to the Unrivaled hq and entered the building, heading down to the halls to find her club's locker room. It was media day, a day she was never too fond of. Her knee brace remained on her leg, still feeling discomfort on it. She spotted Chelsea down the hall and smiled at the sight of her former teammate but still very good friend. "What's up country girl?" Chelsea grinned, making her way over.

She embraced her friend with a gentle smile. "I'm good. I missed you! How you been?"

"I been good. We gettin' all settled in here. I'ma text you my apartment number so make sure you swing by, alright? I'ma hold you to it." She chuckled softly, nodding her head, "A'ight, I'll make sure to do that, Chels." Chelsea pointed down the hall to the the Phantom locker room, "that's your locker room. Good luck. Get your foundation shade right this time," she joked.

"I take it back. I ain' miss you," y/n muttered sarcastically, earning laughter from the woman who went separately ways.

She walked towards the locker room, entering it and all eyes immediately went to her. All her teammates were in there just talking, waiting to get their makeup and hair done for photos as soon as the other teams finished. Sabrina looked at her for maybe 2 seconds before she averted her eyes back to her phone.

"You're late, but I'll let it slide 'cause I like your boots," Marina said with a cheery smile.

"Thank you." Y/n chuckled, looking for her locker...and of course, it was right beside Sabrina's. She sighed, walking over and setting her bag in the locker. Her jersey was hung up and she couldn't help but smile at the black and white color scheme. It reminded her of playing in Vegas.

"Hey Bee, have you decided on a team yet 'cause I think you'd look mad good in a Mercury jersey..." Tash said with a smirk. She was always a big fan of y/n's game and getting her on the same team in the W was such a steal. A lot people suspected the Aces couldn't 3-peat because she was injured. And...she wasn't gonna argue with that. She was a 2x WNBA champion for a reason.

"I haven't made any decisions yet. I'm just focused on my recovery," she answered, pulling off her boots.

"But you have got offers, right?" Satou asked.

"Yeah. I've gotten offers from every single team." She confirmed, and Marina almost choked on her coffee. "I'm sorry- you said every team? Like every single team wants you?"

"Can you blame 'em?" BG input, she herself wanted y/n on her team.

"Yeah, I'm still surprised myself. I didn't think anyone would want me after this season," she mumbled, still bummed that she got to miss out on the whole 2024 season. "Don't be hard on yourself. You're closer and closer to being that same beast you were in 2023. They want you 'cause they see your potential. They know you're strong," Marina stated, everyone else nodding in agreement. All but Sab, she didn't react to anything since y/n walked in.

She held a soft smile for the blonde, "I appreciate that, Marina."

"So...I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but how's it going with Joe? We all seen you at his game." Tash comments, referring to Joe Burrow- who y/n dated in college as they both went to LSU. They were a bit of an it couple back then. Her dad was genuinely upset when they broke up. "Oh, it's not like that. We're just friends. We've stayed friends for a while. He made me go to the game so I wasn't stuck in the house."

"That's nice of him. But, in other words, you're single? 'Cause I got a friend I could hook you up with-" Marina smacked Tash on the shoulder to get her to shut up, noting y/n was clearly not with that idea. "I appreciate the thought but I am perfectly happy being single." She picked up her stuff and stepped out to change.

"Okay- is it just me or does she radiate gay energy? Like- I don't understand, I feel like I'm bein' messed with." Tash rambled passionately. She'd been suspecting it for years but every time she thought she had proof, y/n popped out with a man on her arm. She just had yet to see y/n look genuinely in love with a man. Every time she was with one, it looked forced.

"You got a point. As a straight woman, she does not give that energy," Katie Lou expressed honestly. She never saw it. Given y/n always looked like she was being held a gunpoint when she dated a man.

Tash sighed in relief, glad she wasn't the only one. "Thank you! I thought I was trippin'."

"Maybe she just hasn't figured it out yet," Satou suggested, feeling a little bad for her.

"She could be a closeted bisexual," Marina suggested, getting nods of agreement.

"She knows what she is. She's just lying to herself." Sabrina stated bluntly, getting up and walking out.

"I wouldn't have worded it like that but.." Tash trailed off awkwardly.

The next day, y/n entered the facility, wanting to get a workout in with her PT while it was empty. She showed up early so it wouldn't be so crowded. They did some stretches and a quick warm up. Y/n wanted to jump straight to the leg press to test how much her knee could take. When she sat down, someone else walked in. It was Sabrina. Of course it was.

"We'll take it slow. Let me know when you feel uncomfortable at anytime." He spoke and she nodded, just ready to get this over with. They started with no weights and slowly continued to add more. He moved to 40 lbs/18 kg and that's when she started to struggle. "Add more," she directed. He added another 10 and she tried to push up but the pain she felt was too much. "I can't."

He quickly pulled it up so she could get off. She sat down on the floor, slamming her hand down in frustration. She wanted to cry. It all felt impossible. She felt like she was all alone in this. She had nobody. "You can go. We'll try again tomorrow," y/n said. He gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze before leaving, not gonna fight her on it cause she'd win.

In a second, Sab sat down across her- but keeping a good distance. "What happened to you?"

Y/n glanced up from the floor, already not in a good mood so Sabrina's attitude was not helping. "What the hell do you want, Ionescu?"

"Oh, come on. What happened to that southern hospitality? It doesn't apply to me?" Y/n rolled her eyes at her mocking pout, choosing to ignore that comment. "I'm honestly so disappointed in you. The sweet girl I used to know wouldn't be sitting on her ass whining about her knee. She'd be up every single morning working her ass off to recover so she could keep playing the game she loves. I guess some things do change, huh?"

Y/n scowled, "don't act like you know me. We were roommates for all of five seconds."

"Five seconds was still enough time for you get between my legs, wasn't it?"

She scoffed, getting to her feet and brushing herself off, glaring down at a smug Sab. "You disgust me." Sab got up, she wasn't done talking. "Why do I disgust you? Is it because I'm gay or is it because I remind you that you are too?" Y/n turned around, pushing Sab away from her, the blonde unphased. "My dad was right about you. You took advantage of me and poisoned my brain. Now I have no idea who I am anymore and I blame you. But here you are, perfectly content with yourself makin' jokes about my struggles."

"What's goin' on here? Y'all good?" Courtney interrupted, seeing the tension and anger radiating off of the two.

"I'm fine." Y/n turned on her heel and walked out, deciding she was done with the gym.

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The next day was nothing short of challenging. They were working on her knee again, and actually managed to put more weight on it without it hurting so much. But, as she watched the team practice, she wasn't sure she was ready to get back on the court just yet. She just watched from the sidelines, just offering advice to her teammates who needed it.

Marina and Tash tried to invite her out to eat with them but she declined, pretending to have a date so she could get out of it. She honestly just didn't have it in her to socialize tonight. She left almost immediately after practice, wishing to avoid any small talk with anyone. It wasn't like her at all. That was one of the few things Sabrina was sure of.

So, being the nice person she was, she asked Jackie for y/n's apartment number so she could go check up on her. She knew Chels wouldn't give it to her, so she had to ask Jackie and she sold her out for a protein bar. That's how she found herself knocking on the door of y/n's apartment. She was only a floor above hers.

Y/n walked to her door and pulled it open, immediately irritated. "Jackie sold me out?"

"For a protein bar," Sab smiled, stifling a laugh.

She sighed, slamming the door but Sab quickly stopped it and walked in. "That was rude." Y/n rolled her eyes, walking to her living room to continue her movie. Her cat Sage jumped off the sofa to examine their guest. Sab smiled, kneeling down to pet the black cat. "Sage, get away from her! She has rabies." Y/n scolded.

Sab rolled her eyes as the cat retreated back to her owner. "I thought you didn't like cats."

Y/n sat down, kicking her leg up as Sage crawled onto her lap. She pet her head gently, "I didn't but...she's okay."

"Where'd you get her?" Sab asked as she kicked off her shoes before walking over. She figured y/n was too exhausted to kick her out. "I found her diggin' in my sage plant a couple months back. Hence the name." She glanced at the blonde who sat down on the couch, getting a little too comfortable. "You realize the only reason you're still here is cause I'm too tired to force you out. I still hate you."

"Hate is a strong word. You don't hate me. You just hate what I make you feel." Sab remarked, the cat climbing off of y/n to come to the blonde. "We're not having this conversation, Sabrina." She stated, picking up Sage so she wouldn't keep going to the blonde. The last thing she needed was for Sage to develop a bond with her.

"Fine. I didn't come here to talk about that anyway." Sab grabbed the remote to turn off the tv so y/n could actually pay attention to her. "What's going on with you? I'm serious. Is it a breakup? Did you lose a family member? Talk to me. I want to help you."

It wasn't anything shocking when she came off as defensive. "Why do you care? We haven't talked in 8 years and suddenly you care about my life?"

"Okay- hold on, you made it very clear that you wanted nothing to do with me and now you're surprised that I took the hint?" She argued back. They both had very different perspectives on what happened, clearly. "I'm trying, despite all the shit you've given me, 'cause I still care about you. I never stopped. What happened between us that night never affected how much I valued our friendship. Please, let me help you."

A tear rolled down her cheek, her cat purring against her arm. "You can't help me, Sabrina."

Before she could ask what she meant by that, y/n's phone went off. She quickly grabbed it, checking the name on the screen. She sighed deeply, "I need to take this." She got up and walked to her room, giving Sage the chance to go over to Sab. She climbed onto her lap and laid down, getting cozy, enjoying the pets and ear rubs the blonde provided.

After about five minutes, y/n returned. "Who was that?" Sab asked.

"Funeral home." She answered shortly, and Sab's face completely fell. "..why is a funeral home calling you?" That was just her way of asking who died without coming off as disrespectful.

"Cause they're puttin' my Daddy's funeral together."

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