best girl <3

paige bueckers x azzi fudd

summary: azzi just can’t catch a break. she’s got an ongoing bad luck streak that she just can’t seem to shake until something positive finally comes her way in the form of her longtime friend, paige bueckers. mild drinking, brief throwing up.

a/n: heard ‘honeybee’ and ‘stupid song’ and wanted to write something short between projects ෆ.

wc: 3.1k

azzi thinks she’d get hit by a falling piano before she ever wins the lottery.

she wouldn’t call herself superstitious by any means, but she definitely thinks she’s got bad luck to a certain degree. she sprained her ankle climbing the stairs one time— who falls up the stairs? when she was walking to class last week she dropped her airpod in a sewer grate. the same day, her professor gave out a pop quiz the one time she didn’t study. it wasn’t completely her fault, practice ran late and she was super tired. she even made sure to double check the course schedule to see if she could slide that one time.

azzi turned over onto her side, burying her face into her pillow. her room felt hot, way too hot. she squinted, pushing herself up slightly to mess with her fan. she tilted her head, clicking the on and off buttons only to find that it wouldn’t turn on. she then noticed that her alarm was off, “shit!” she hissed. she sat up quickly, tossing the sheets around and flipping her pillows. she finally found her phone and turned it on to check the time: 2:36 PM. “shit!” she repeated, dropping it back on the bed.

she rushed to her closet, scrambling to find something to wear as fast as she could. once satisfied, she raced out of her room. she looked presentable enough, she wasn’t runway ready but all that mattered was that she didn’t look like she just rolled out of bed, even if that really was the case. “mom?” she called, “dad?” she didn’t get a response back so she tried again. “mom? dad?”

crickets.

nobody was home and she figured that was the case, because usually if she slept in one of her parents would’ve woken her up. azzi plucked her keys off the hook by the front door and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, preparing herself for her commute and praying there was no traffic.

parking was impossible to find (because of course it was). she drove laps around the parking lot, trying to find a spot but everything was either compact or some jackass didn’t know how to park and she wouldn’t fit. “oh my god,” she muttered, turning the radio down to focus better. she finally found a spot after what felt like an hour. it was a tight fit but it would have to do.

azzi was sure she looked miserable on her way to class. she was still half groggy, annoyed, and hungry.

“azzi!”

azzi turned to look for whoever was calling her name and lo and behold, the voice had belonged to paige. she jogged to catch up to her, adjusting her pace once she was beside her. “you’re late too?” azzi asked. she lightly tugged at her hoodie, trying to straighten it out.

“no,” paige started. “you didn’t get the email? class was canceled.”

azzi stopped to stare at her. “you’re joking?”

“why would i be joking? i’m being so deadass,” she insisted, pulling out her phone to show her the email. surely enough, class had been canceled due to a partial outage on campus.

azzi rubbed her face and let out a heavy sigh, crossing her arms. “this is ridiculous.” she shifted her weight to one leg, bending the other knee slightly.

paige could tell something was bothering her but she didn’t push yet. she knew her long enough to tell when she was upset, so she just switched the topic. “wanna go grab a bite? y’know, since you’re already here.”

azzi hesitated but ultimately shrugged, “i could eat.” she knew she was grumpy, and figured that she’d feel a little better if she got some food in her. “you got anything in mind?” she asked as the pair made their way outside.

“there’s a wing place not too far from here. it’s like a fifteen minute walk, if you’re okay with that.”

“that works, i’m not picky.”

“great, sounds good then,” paige smiled.

azzi’s attention was split between her phone and paige as they walked.

azzi: did the power go out? my alarm was off and i didn’t wake up for class

azzi: paige said theres an outage here on campus so i was wondering

she looked up to focus on whatever paige happened to be saying. the blonde was always saying a whole lot of nothing, but it always made her smile nonetheless. she liked listening to her talk, even if she found her incredibly annoying sometimes. this time, she was talking about something stupid she argued about in a tiktok comment section earlier, which made azzi shake her head. “you really spend your time arguing online?”

“hey, you make it sound like it’s a hobby!” paige shot her a look, deeply unserious but feigning offense. she knew how silly it sounded to waste time arguing online— especially when she didn’t know these people and would never know these people but she couldn’t help herself!

“is it not?”

“no!”

“could’ve fooled me.”

paige frowned and waved her off, her lip quivered, wanting to giggle but also wanting to stay firm in her offense. she sighed dramatically and looked away, mindlessly watching the people and buildings they passed. azzi looked down at her phone again, pretending to busy herself rather than initiating another conversation.

azzi like sitting in silence with her as much as she enjoyed paige’s nonsensical ramblings. it was comfortable, she felt like she could just be with no expectations. she didn’t feel that she always had to fill the silence. if you asked her how she felt about paige, she’d tell you she thought she was insufferable but she’d pick her first every time.

paige pulled the door open and followed her into the shop. she idled by the door for a minute, staying behind to skim the menu. she joined azzi at the counter and decided to cover her lunch as well. paige was the type of person who always bought things for her friends and insisted that they didn’t have to pay her back. “you wanna eat here or do you wanna go?”

“we could eat here. i don’t want my food to get cold.”

“alright, sure.” paige turned her attention back to the cashier and let him know they’d like takeout instead of dining in. they stepped to the side while they waited for their food. paige leaned her weight against the counter with the utensils and assortment of condiments. azzi rocked back and forth slowly, reading every sign and looking over every poster on the walls. she checked her messages to see if she got anything back from her mom, then cycled through the rest of her messages.

paige pushed herself off the counter and crossed over to the register upon hearing her name called. she picked up the tray and gestured for azzi to follow her to one of the empty tables by the window. the restaurant wasn’t huge, it had two or three small tables since it was mostly a takeout spot. azzi half heartedly picked at her wings, too distracted to properly eat. she watched paige eat and watch tiktoks on her phone without a care in the world. paige never seemed to have a bad day. for her to have a bad day, something real fucked up would have to have happened to her or she had a bad game and neither of the two looked to be the case. they didn’t have another game until fall rolls back around.

“why were you late?” the other girl finally asked, wiping two of her fingers on a napkin.

“my alarm didn’t go off. i guess there’s probably an outage nearby since all my stuff was off and wouldn’t turn back on. then y’know, campus issues apparently.”

“you use an actual alarm clock?”

“yeah, you don’t?” azzi picked up a fry but didn’t eat it. “figured an actual alarm would work better in case my phone dies overnight.”

“look where that got you,” paige joked. she picked up her own fry and bumped azzi’s, pretending they were fencing. she jabbed the fry lightly a few times before eating it.

azzi shook her head at her antics. “right, right. that’s usually not how it goes though, i just got unlucky today.”

they went quiet again. azzi pushed her food around the plastic box some more. she listened in on the cashiers’ conversation and occasionally took little peeks at paige’s phone. her for you page was mostly shitposts and basketball content. she expected it in all honesty, sometimes azzi was sure she shared the same humor as most middle schoolers.

“what do you plan on doing after this?” paige asked, breaking the silence once again. she was more extroverted than the younger girl, so naturally she controlled the flow of conversations.

azzi thought for a minute. she drummed her fingers against the table and looked up at the ceiling. “probably gonna head over to the weight room.” she took a bite of one of her fries to stall before speaking again, “get a few reps in. you?”

“probably take a nap.”

azzi tilted her head. “anything else?”

“maybe hang out with some friends later tonight, but i don’t have anything set in stone yet.”

“got it.” she shut her box and put the crumpled napkins on the tray along with the rest of their trash. “i think i’m gonna take the rest of this to go. you done?” she watched paige nod and wipe her hands again as she followed suit. paige stood up and walked the tray over to the trash bins to discard it. she came back and shook her cup, watching azzi get herself together as she took a sip of her soda.

“i’ll see you later.” paige leaned down to give her a quick hug. she waited for azzi to get up so that they could at least walk out together before parting ways for the day.

“not if i see you first,” she replied, patting down her pockets to make sure she didn’t leave anything. she gave her a playful nudge before finally leaving to make her way back to her car to get on with the rest of her day. she already felt that she was way behind schedule and she absolutely hated feeling like she wasted her day.

azzi spent the night treating herself after the rough day she had. she cleaned her room from top to bottom and took a nice bath before getting comfortable in her bed. there wasn’t much else that felt as rewarding as cleaning then settling down in fresh sheets for her. she even decided to do a face mask and light a candle.

she was nibbling at her leftovers when her phone rang. she wasn’t expecting any calls at this time so she was hesitant to answer, but then she read the caller ID and decided to just pick up. paige’s voice came through on the other end, loud and slightly higher than normal.

“wanna come out?” paige asked, “you don’t got anything going on right now, right?”

azzi frowned. she looked at the cozy setup she’d made on her bed and honestly considered saying that she was busy but she didn’t. “sure, i’ll come out.”

they kept it short over the phone. paige wanted her to hurry up, azzi told her that she could be there faster if she didn’t talk her ear off for thirty minutes. she had to cut her off or else she’d spend three hours talking about nothing again.

she reluctantly forced herself out of bed and decided to call another friend when she was doing her makeup. she called caroline on facetime, propping the phone up against the mirror so she could still see her while focusing on her reflection. caroline was half paying attention to her screen, watching some tv show that was a little too loud in the background.

“where are you going again?” caroline asked. she raised her arm to lower the volume on her tv. she moved the remote in a circular motion, trying to will the tv off since the batteries in her remote were just barely hanging on.

“out to hang out with paige.”

“you’re going out with paige?”

“no! i’m going to hang out with paige, i’m not going out with paige,” she said.

she insisted that there was a difference but caroline wasn’t buying it. obviously, she knew there was a difference but she didn’t believe that it would be a strictly platonic hang out. everyone but paige and azzi could tell that they liked each other. “whatever makes you sleep better at night,” caroline teased.

azzi rolled her eyes. she screwed the wand back into her mascara and leaned in close to her mirror to make sure she didn’t have random smudges around her eyes. “bye, carol,” she said, pretending to be annoyed with her. she hung up the phone and stood up, dusting herself off and taking one last look in the mirror before she decided she was ready.

paige somehow managed to end up the least drunk between the two. she spent the night hovering near azzi. she pulled her into games, conversations, dancing, she just wanted her involved. azzi didn’t go too crazy at parties, especially if it wasn’t with people she was familiar with. tonight was different though, paige could tell that she had a little too much a little too fast. she kept her close, wanting to make sure she was okay.

azzi couldn’t understand why she drank so much herself. she usually had really good self control, maybe it was just her nerves from throughout the day. the past few weeks had been a pain in the ass, especially with finals just around the corner. the end of the semester always got to her, even if her grades were amazing.

“you okay?” paige asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. she’d slung an arm around her shoulder, leaning in slightly to hear her better over the music.

“i’m good,” she replied, looking her face over.

“huh?”

“i said, ‘i’m good’,” azzi called a little louder.

“you sure?”

“i’m sure,” she confirmed. she gave her a double thumbs up and playfully swatted paige away. “i’m gonna go dance.”

paige let her go and took a step back. she didn’t want to smother her, so she just let her wander off to go dance. part of her wanted to follow her but she ultimately decided against it. she wasn’t her babysitter and she definitely didn’t want to look like a clingy girlfriend, not that she thought of her in that way. she rubbed the back of her neck and went to go grab another drink.

they didn’t bump into each other again for about an hour. “you’re fucked up,” she commented, gently taking hold of azzi’s forearm to guide her to a quieter spot.

“i’m not fucked up,” she protested weakly. “… i’m just a little tired.”

“you’re swaying.”

“am not.”

paige stared at her blankly. she let out a little huff and shook her head. “tired huh? we should probably call it a night then.”

azzi didn’t argue with her on that one. she was starting to feel nauseous but of course she didn’t want to say anything because then she’d just prove her right. so instead, she tried to push it down until they got back to paige’s dorm because in her mind she could just crash in her room for the night and wake up feeling better. but with how her week has been going so far, it’s no surprise that it didn’t pan out that way.

as soon as she step foot in her dorm, she felt her face go hot. “bathroom,” she blurted out, covering her mouth with her hand. she booked it to the bathroom because she’d be damned if she threw up on her floor. she dropped to her knees and clutched the bowl, puking into the toilet.

paige followed close behind. she scooped up azzi’s hair and held it back, making sure she didn’t throw up on herself. she moved one hand to rub her back gently, whispering quietly to try and comfort her. “it’s okay, azzi. let it out, i got you.”

azzi sat back on her knees when she was done, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “i’m sorry, i’m really sorry,” she mumbled.

“don’t worry about it,” she reassured her. “here, look i got an extra toothbrush if you wanna brush your teeth. don’t worry about it, you’re fine.”

“i’m not fine, i threw up in your bathroom. now the bathroom’s gonna stink,” she whined. her voice cracked as she fought back tears. she felt humiliated, even with paige telling her that she didn’t do anything wrong. paige helped her to her feet and carefully led her to the sink. “i’m really sorry,” azzi repeated.

“don’t apologize.” paige reached out to cup her face gently, thumbing away her tears. “you didn’t do anything wrong. i promise you that.” she let go of her and crossed the bathroom to stand just outside the door. “i’ll be out here if you need anything, alright? i’ll give you some space.” she watched her for a few seconds then shut the door to give her some privacy.

when azzi came out the bathroom, paige had been on the couch waiting for her. she played with the hem of her shirt and stood by the doorway awkwardly, suddenly too shy to talk to her again. “i don’t know what happened back there. i didn’t mean to do all that,” she mumbled. “i just… it’s been a little rough.”

paige watched her explain herself and it made her heart hurt. she didn’t want her to feel like she had to explain herself. “it’s fine. things happen.”

“i know, i just feel bad.”

“don’t feel bad. c’mon, it’s late. we can talk in the morning, okay?” paige stood up, beckoning azzi to take the bed.

“no, it’s your bed. i’ll take the couch.”

“take the bed. it’s better than the couch and you’re sick. i just want you to be comfortable.”

azzi surrendered relatively quick and crawled into her bed. she pulled her knees up and settled under the blankets, letting paige tuck her in. “thanks, p.”

“any time.”

azzi was quiet again. she took in the scent of her blankets paired with the cologne she’d been wearing. she bought that cologne for her birthday a few years back. the smell had become one of the most comforting scents in the world. “paige?”

“yeah?”

“i think i like you.”

paige leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “i like you too,” she whispered. “good night.”