#usc wbb

Synopsis: Juju and Thaleia go into town to run errands and end up going on a record store side quest.

A/N: part 2 'cause it was requested. I wrote an outline for a full story, but I don't trust myself to commit. For that reason, I'm taking this part by part idk if I'm turning it into a full story yet.

WC: 2.3k

Callie and Sari sent out their daughters, Juju and Thaleia, for the week's essentials. That consisted of a farmer's market run for fruits and veggies, and a gas station run to get the floaties inflated. Thaleia, being the people-pleaser that she is, agreed without protest. Juju, on the other hand, was making up every excuse under the sun she was currently sunbathing beneath.

"Juju, it's going to be 2 hours tops", Thaleia, who was sent out to inform Juju of the mothers' requests, said exasperatedly for the third time in the last 5 minutes.

"Why us, Thaleia?" Juju responds as she finally turns her head to Thaleia, who's towering over her, lying on the chaise longue. She perches her sunglasses up on her head as she squints at the sun's exposure.

"Why not us, Judea. It is what it is. Are you freaking coming or not, 'cause I don't mind going alone." Thaleia snaps finally, in a fast-paced spew of words, her signature eyeroll to top it off. Her sudden irritation is only partially because of Juju's defiance, though. The other reason for her outburst is that, for some gnawing reason, Thaleia cannot stand hearing Juju say her name.

Thaleia.

She doesn't say it like everyone else does. But it's not something Thaleia can ever put her finger on, and it drives her up the wall. Similar to a quiet and lingering animosity, you can't address it head-on. She doesn't have hard proof that Juju says her name differently. It's in her eyes; she never says her name without first making eye contact. Maybe it's the way she pronounces the first syllable, precisely the "t"; she shows more teeth.

"Ooh. I riled up Thai-thai." Juju said with an annoying, knowing smile of someone who has spent a lot of time with someone and knows exactly what comes next from them, which was Thaleia's immediate deadpan look, followed by a dramatic spin before walking away from the conversation.

Juju finally sat up quickly and stepped forward to grab Thaleia's shoulders to halt her storming off, "Alright, alright, I'm just teasing. I'm coming, just let me change real quick"

-----

After 20 minutes of Thaleia begrudgingly waiting for Juju to change, she walks out in long jorts sitting precariously low on her hips with her tan lines and hip bones peeking out, daring Thaleia to drop her gaze and look.

And she does. Her eyes follow Juju’s toned body down to her abs, immediately drifting away in a reverie of what it would be like to stare without shame. To get more than stolen glances. To be chosen by Juju and bask in that loudly. The issue is that she's not even in competition with anyone. She simply hasn't even qualified for that race, so she forces her eyes away as she turns toward the door with her heart beating erratically like even the little thoughtless organ feels the need to jump out of Thaleia's chest and cling to Juju, only withheld by the ribs caging it in.

"Come on, we're gonna miss all the good produce," Thaleia monotonously says—a clear disconnect present in her voice.

Juju recognises it but writes it off to being the remnants of the irritation she caused her earlier before following Thaleia out to the front of the house where all the cars are parked and watches her beeline to her mom's car without asking who's driving. She hastily gets into the driver's side, desperate for a distraction, something to force her eyes and mind away from temptation. Juju follows, getting into the passenger seat obliviously.

"Damn, Thai-thai, why are you so tense?" Juju teases.

Thaleia simply side-eyes her before reaching to put some music on, a mediator in this particularly provocative day.

The short drive to the market, paired with the music, allowed the tension in Thaleia’s shoulder to loosen up and her mood to be lifted again. Since she was a kid, Thaleia was never someone who held grudges easily anyway. Twenty minutes tops was all it took before she showed all 32 again.

Thaleia parks down the road to where the actual shops and markets are and gets out of the big ‘mom car’ with a hop to the ground. Juju follows with her usual slugglish and unrushed exterior, getting out of the car before stretching as if the barely 7-minute drive was 2 hours long.

They are immediately hit with the earthy and muddy scent of fresh produce as they make their way up the street to where all the markets are. A kaleidoscope of the vivid fruit and vegetable colours comes into view as they approach, and Juju's stomach audibly responds to the sight with a loud growl.

"Looks like your tummy is contradicting your aversion to coming here, Judea," Thaleia teases with a nudge to Juju's side, to which she responds with a side-eye of her own.

The sellers' voices and yells drown each other out as Thaleia grabs her phone to pull up the shared family note where they put all the needed groceries. She scrolls down to where the fruits and veggies section is, "Alright, we need red onions, heirloom tomatoes, carrots, arugula and then 'what looks good' is what's written for fruits."

"That's not helpful. Literally everything looks good right now." Juju says as she squints at Thaleia from the bright midday sun as they walk over to a carrot and onion seller.

"Some stuff isn't in season, but they still try to sell it, like those tangerines over there," Thaleia points behind Juju with her head, "If you go squeeze them, they'll be hard as hell even if they look fine."

They finally approach the booth right as some customers finish up. "Good afternoon," Juju greets politely.

"Good afternoon, ladies. What can I get for ya?" the old, grey-haired woman responds with a toothy smile.

"May we please get a bunch of rainbow carrots and 4 red onions?" Thaleia asks before Juju adds, "and one white onion, please."

Thaleia looks to Juju with a frown, to which she elaborates by saying, "White tastes better with vodka pasta, and I want to have that this week."

Before Thaleia could respond, her phone dings with a text from Niko, her youngest brother. She reads it with a breathy laugh before reading it aloud to Juju, "Please grab chocolate. Mom won't let me put it on the list"

"Valid, dude, it's summer. Shit, I also want chocolate." Juju claims dramatically.

-----

After almost an hour at the market, a layer of sweat covers both girls' skin. Juju's face is now in a deep frown as they make their way back to the car after spending her entire time fighting flies off her. Thaleia unlocks the car, and they both set down their purchases in the trunk with a loud thud.

"This is why I didn't wanna come," Juju points vaguely at her sticky body and the several bags of produce.

Thaleia responds to Juju's complaints with a gasp, although she's not even looking at her, "Is that a record store?" Thaleia asks excitedly, her head already looking both ways as she moves to cross the street, leaving Juju behind.

Juju stares at her dumbfoundedly for a second before yelling from across the street, "I was talking."

Thaleia waves her hand dismissively before responding, "You were being a smellfungus."

That elicits an offended gasp from Juju, now, "A WHAT? I HEARD FUNGUS, THAT CAN'T BE GOOD"

She hurriedly crosses the street as well and stops next to Thaleia, who's reading the front of the store, confirming it is, in fact, a record store.

"What the hell is a smellfungus, Thaleia?" She repeats, offence still present in her question.

"A complainer, like you." Thaleia quickly explains before she pushes the door forward, "Now, come on, I want to go inside."

They walk into the record store, immediately being hit with the air conditioning and the faint smell of new leather and air freshener. A shiver runs down Juju's spine at the contrast of the outside humidity and noise to the cool and quiet environment they are currently in.

"Finally, some goddamn AC," Juju says, her face relaxing a bit now

The store is lined up with rows upon rows of vinyl displays, all with a vintage touch accentuated by the shadows caused by the red brick walls framing the place. A beautiful woman with a voluminous afro and perfectly stacked earrings sits at the cashier to the far left of the store, offering a warm, casual smile of acknowledgement. Her eyes lingered for a beat longer before she returned to whatever she was working on before they walked in.

"How did I never know this place existed? God, we must've driven into town a thousand times before, and I never noticed this." Thaleia says as she starts running her fingers along a set of organised vinyls, already in her element.

Juju watches Thaleia getting lost in a daze with that many vinyls in front of her. A loose curl slides to the front as it dangles to the side of Thaleia's face.

"The universe didn't want you to find it 'til now. It was your fate to find it this summer." Juju says as she peels her eyes off Thaleia and busies herself with the stack of vinyls next to the ones Thaleia is flicking through.

Thaleia releases a half laugh, half scoff at Juju's explanation, clearly not taking it seriously.

"What? I'm serious. You don't believe in fate?"

Thaleia pauses for a second, their background offering the perfect amount of unobtrusive noise from the chimes of the door with people walking in and out, paired with the mellifluous chatter of other customers.

"I believe in divine timing and connection, but fate and destiny..." Thaleia trails off, thinking for a moment, "I dunno, I think a fated existence negates the concept of free will."

Juju fully absorbs what Thaleia says as she focuses her attention on her, then responds, "But doesn't anything divine require some sort of higher energy and a submission to that?"

"Perhaps, but it definitely doesn't remove free will from the equation. Oftentimes, a connection that feels divine is still a connection that one consciously chooses to nurture every day." Thaleia responds as she picks up a vinyl and tucks it under her arm before continuing, "Same with a timeline, you may have trust that things will align when it is right, but it's still a timeline you choose to put effort into day by day."

Their conversation dies down as Juju zones out in what seems to be one of the many existential crises talking to Thaleia has caused her over the years. Meanwhile, Thaleia obliviously walks away to the next chunk of vinyls labelled "alternative rock", Juju trailing quietly.

Juju absentmindedly looks through the vinyls before one particular album snaps her out of her trance. She picks it up and stares at the cover, immediately transported back to the beginning of her rehab days. After a whole lot of bed rest and a slow buildup of mobility, she was finally able to start independent walking. That's when she decided to open up the dreaded and long-avoided rehab playlist that Thaeliea made for her, titled "Judea's jams back to bball ✨🏀😝".

"Only shadows ahead, barely clearing the roof. Get to know the feeling of liberation and release." Juju quietly murmurs, almost to herself.

That gets Thaleia to look back at Juju for the first time since walking into the shop, a questioning expression on her face. Her eyes drop to follow Juju's gaze on the vinyl in her hands. From the 5-hour-long playlist with ranging genres, artists and songs, the one that stuck with Juju most was the classic 'Don't Dream It's Over' by Crowded House. Thaleia's eyes soften in understanding as she watches Juju's face embody a battle between a sedulous melancholy fighting to return and a seraphic peace claiming its victory.

Thaelia doesn't interrupt her moment of reflection, allowing her to slowly dismantle the wall she has around her injury—a topic they have danced around for a year and a half now.

Juju finally placed the vinyl back with the others before she made eye contact with Thaleia, marking a moment of vulnerability. "The playlist you made me...that was my favourite song on it."

"Hm, I thought you weren't gonna like it; too on the nose," Thaleia responded.

"Sometimes on the nose is good." Juju pauses for a second before snatching the album from underneath Thaleia's arms and asking, "You done shopping or nah, 'cause I really wanna go home and jump in the pool right now."

"I'm done, I guess," Thaleia replied, despite being far from it, but she knows this isn't Juju's thing, and she would rather come back another day alone and take her time anyway.

Juju silently gives the smallest of nods before walking to the front of the store, where the previously mentioned cashier was sitting and handing her the record. Thaleia watches her with an eye roll, knowing Juju is very patient until she's suddenly not and right now, all the patience has left her body, and she's buzzing to get out of here.

She follows her to the front before realising she's already holding up her phone to the machine to pay. Damn, really impatient, Thaleia notes as the cashier reaches over to put the record in a small brown paper bag. Juju hurriedly takes the bag and walks out of the store, Thaleia trailing close behind. As soon as they're out of the store, Juju stops and turns to hand Theleia the bag.

"You couldn't wait 2 seconds for me to come up and pay?" Thaleia confronts with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah, too slow. Consider it a thank you for the playlist," she says, clearly avoiding eye contact.

Judea Watkins had never been one for emotions, thoughts and such; always phlegmatic.

-----

Wanted to switch things up a bit and make a post that isn't about recruiting for once lol. I got to watch USC practice within the last week or two, and the thing that became very obvious is that this is a big ass team lmao.

A few height observations:

Juju isn't 6'2, and I don't think she ever was. I'd put her around 6'1-ish.

Kennedy is basically the exact same height as Juju, so I'd call her 6'1 too.

Jazzy is taller than both of them but still a little shorter than Saniyah. She's a true 6'2 in my opinion (and she's said so herself).

Saniyah surprised me the most. She's listed at 6'1, but she's noticeably taller than Jazzy, Juju, and Kennedy, and she's pretty close to Sara Okeke. I'd honestly put her around 6'3.

Sitaya Fagan and Sara Okeke both look much closer to 6'5 than 6'4.

Pania is definitely 6'6.

I don't really question Rian, Ryann, or Brooklyn's listed heights, although Ryann might be just a little shorter.

Overall, USC has great size and versatility this season. To me, the biggest question heading into November is more about figuring out the roles. With this much talent across the roster, I actually think everyone's efficiency should improve because there won't be as much pressure on any one player to carry the load.

My way-too-early lineup prediction:

Not really a PG but I'll just give her that role: Jazzy — Doesn't mind playing a Robin-type role, can facilitate, but needs to greatly work on her handle.

SG: Juju — Still believe is the team's most aggressive three-level scorer and offensive engine.

SF: Kennedy — Her ability to adapt, defend, and make plays makes her the perfect complementary piece.

PF: Saniyah — Great size, physicality, interior scoring, and solid rim protection.

C: Pania or Sara — Both bring size and physicality. I'd give Pania the edge defensively, while Sara is the more polished offensive big.

First players off the bench:

Sitaya

Whoever doesn't start between Pania and Sara

Ryann

Those are my early thoughts based on what I've seen so far.

As most of you probably figured out by now, USC missed out on Kejia Ran. That said, they're still very active on the international market.

If they recruit well enough, I'd expect USC to add one or two late depth pieces before the roster is finalized. Just a reminder: the players below are being evaluated as bench contributors, not high-usage stars. The goal is to add depth without disrupting the balance of the roster.

Here are a few names I've heard are on USC's radar:

Stella Colas | 5'9" Guard (France) Probably the safest fit of the group. I really like her combination of rim pressure, playmaking, and perimeter defense. She reminds me a bit of Julie Vanloo in the way she embraces her role. During a five-game stretch in November 2025, she averaged 6.0 PPG, 5.9 APG, just 1.4 turnovers, and 2.6 steals while shooting 43% from the field. I think she'd be a really solid depth guard.

Buba Ezzine | 6'4" Forward (Japan) Probably my favorite prospect on this list. She's only 17 and still very raw, but the athletic upside is ridiculous. At the 2026 NBA Rising Stars Invitational Finals, she put up 53 points, 35 rebounds (17 offensive), and 4 blocks, and in the same tournament added 38 points and 18 rebounds in another game. Yes, the competition wasn't elite, but that level of dominance is impossible to ignore.

Fatoumata Toure | 5'8" Guard (France) Her biggest strength is her defensive intensity. In the 2025-26 season she averaged 7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and shot 37.5% from three. She's actually had statistically better seasons, but what makes her valuable doesn't always show up in the box score. She'd be a great defensive addition.

Alesya Talkovskaya | 6'0" SG/SF (Belarus) My second favorite prospect behind Buba. She's widely considered the top U18 prospect in Belarus and is already starting in the country's top professional league. This past season she averaged 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 steals. I also think she's probably the most realistic commitment out of everyone listed here.

We're also entering the part of the offseason where the 2027 recruiting class starts making decisions. If y'all are interested, I can start doing recruiting updates for high school prospects the same way I covered the transfer portal.

Bonded: In which two sisters who had the sports world at their fingertips must adjust after injuries no one expected. One sister is hell bent on making sure that the other doesn’t go down the dark path she did, while the other wants reassurance that’ll she’ll be the same player when she returns to the court.

Bonded: A JuJu Watkins Mini Series

Toriah and Judea never fought. Their parents considered themselves lucky in that way. Even as Toriah grew older and her popularity grew, she always made it a point to let everyone know that she and her sister were a package deal. Yes, the two had their own identity and hobbies but they genuinely enjoyed being around one another. Which is way Judea was so puzzled now. It had been a few days since Toriah had taken her to her rehab session and she hadn’t heard from her after their ice cream and move night. Her feelings were hurt but she decided to let it go.

“All set?”

She looked up at her door and saw her mother standing there. She sadly nodded her head and sighed.

“Let’s get this over with.”

“Still haven’t heard from Ri?”

“Nope. I’m trying to give her some space but I miss her.”

Sari smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Just give her some time baby.”

“I don’t want her to shut me out again. I just really need my sister.”

“I know. Let’s get you to rehab and then maybe we can give her a call.”

“OK.”

Her rehab session was agonizing. She’d gotten used to Toriah being in the building with her and making silly faces or giving her encouragement when she was clearly getting frustrated. Sari had opted to reach out to Toriah and see why she hadn’t been around. It was starting to get frustrating, how easily it was for her to disappear without any notice. She wanted her to explain what was going on because to her no excuse was good enough for disappointing her sister or parents for that matter. She stepped off of the elevator and used JuJu’s key to get inside of her daughter’s apartment. The apartment was clean, too clean almost like she hadn’t been home in days. Fear immediately washed over Sari as she pulled out her phone to call her daughter. Straight to voicemail.

“Toriah Sari Watkins where are you? I don’t know what’s going on but I need you to call me back.” Her voice cracked as she thought back to a time she didn’t want to go back to. Her first born calling her in a panic after two months of not speaking because she couldn’t breathe properly and she felt like she was losing control of her body. She rushed to her daughter’s off campus apartment. A trip to the hospital had saved her life. Doctors had called her lucky because a few minutes later and she would’ve had a fatal overdose. Sari refused to take any chances especially after Toriah admitted to mixing up her medications and their schedules, so she moved her back into their family home. Much to the delight of her father and younger sister. Neither knew the reason behind the sudden chance of heart, but both were happy to have their girl back. Toriah was happy that she didn’t have to pretend that she didn’t need anyone. She was even happier when her family had welcomed her back like she hadn’t shut them out for months.

“We love you. Nothing or no one will change that.”

Sari could see the change. She’d started to take rehab seriously and had come to terms with life without volleyball. She still had moments of doubt and what ifs, but she would bounce back quicker than the thoughts could linger. But this, this felt different. Looking at the time, she saw it was almost time to pick JuJu up from rehab. “Please be OK,” she whispers as she leaves the apartment.

……………

Meanwhile Toriah was dancing on a table to a song that brought back simpler times. Before her injury, before she didn’t have to question who or what she was anymore. Three days, she hadn’t been home in three days and she had mixed feelings about it. She was upset with herself because she knew was letting her sister down. Sighing, she hopped off of the table and pulled her phone from her pocket and decided to turn it back on. She noticed a missed call and voicemail from her mother and decided to listen to it. In her drunken state of mind she laughed.

“I don’t know what I was expecting. I’m gone for I don’t know how many days and all you have is my full government and call you?”

She turned her phone back off and decided to order another round of shots for herself.

“Cheers to being the family fuckup,” she said bitterly before knocking her shots back.

……………….

A week. A whole week of no communication with her sister and she was fed the fuck up to say the least. She’d even unshared her location and to JuJu that was worse than no contact. Her parents had basically moved in to help Ju with everything. She was currently putting on her shoes before standing up to get her crutches. She still wasn’t able to put all of her weight on her leg, but that wasn’t stopping her. She pushed open her apartment door and walked to the elevator.

“Where are you going?”

She turned around to see her dad standing in the doorway.

“To see if Toriah is home.”

“We’ll come with you.”

“No dad. I’ll be ok.”

He nods his head before opening his mouth. “Five minutes and we’re coming up.”

“OK.”

Toriah was asleep in bed. The covers over her head. JuJu walked into her room and noticed the empty liquor bottles on the bedside table.

“Wake up.”

She didn’t get a response, so she decided to get louder.

“Wake up,” she yelled.

Toriah shoots up and then groans as she grabs her head. She looked around trying to remember where she is before her eyes land on a teary eyed JuJu.

“Is this what you’ve been doing ? Instead of helping me like you promised you would, you’ve been getting drunk?”

That’s the final straw. JuJu sees the switch flip in her sister’s eyes. She looks at her like she’s a stranger instead of someone she’s spent her entire life loving and protecting.

“Everything isn’t about you Judea. I know it’s hard to believe but the world doesn’t rise and set your ass.”

JuJu recoils at that. “I didn’t say that it did. But you’ve been ghosting me for a week! What is happening with you.”

Toriah rolls her eyes and attempts to stand but wobbles for a few seconds before she can successfully stand.

“Get the fuck out.”

“No. I’m not leaving! We’re going to talk.”

“TALK,” Toriah yells. Her emotions finally bubbling to the surface. “You don’t want to talk. You want me to help your crippled ass and be the carrier of your problems because God forbid you have to do anything else besides dribble a ball.”

Toriah sees it, the hurt that flashes across her sister’s face. But she can’t stop herself, in her defense she’d told her to leave. Instead JuJu had wanted to talk so they were going to talk.

“Stop it.”

“Stop it,” Toriah mocks her. “Aww what’s the matter? The people’s princess is having a hard time not being the center of attention?”

“Alright now that’s enough.”

Toriah laughs as she sees Bobby and Sari entering the bedroom. The take one look at the scene and focus in on JuJu. That infuriates Toriah even more.

“Typical,” she says as she shakes her head.

“Excuse me?”

“I said typical. You have two daughters who have needs, but yeah let’s focus on one and ignore the other.”

“That’s not what-“

“Yes it is! You’ve always made sure that she was good. Like I was just some robot who didn’t have feelings. And don’t touch me,” Toriah says as Sari reaches out to grab her hands.

“We don’t do this,” JuJu says.

“Do what,” Toriah says as her anger starts to rise again. “I told you to leave anyway so please hobble your ass out of my apartment. All three of you can go actually.”

“We aren’t going anywhere until you apologize to your sister,” Bobby said.

“Fuck her. It’s always about her and I’m tired of being the one who has to fix her problems.”

“No one asked you to fix her. You better watch that tone.”

“Whatever,” she mumbled.

Sari grabbed her face and when Toriah tried to pull away, her grip tightened. Her eyes watered and then she broke open. JuJu wipes her tear stained face. She’d turned to leave and Toriah opened her mouth to speak. Attempting to be vulnerable with her family.

“It’s suffocating.”

That causes JuJu to stop, but she doesn’t turn around. So Toriah keeps talking.

“Being your sister is suffocating and not because I hate it or you. You’re perfect Judea. Always have been, but after I got hurt, it seemed like people didn’t love me for me anymore. People who I thought I would have in my life forever simply stopped talking to me.“

“So that’s my fault,” she asks as looks over her shoulder. “I’m your sister and I tried to be there for you and you’re still punishing me for what others did to you? You’re pushing me away now because I got hurt?”

“No.”

“Yes you are,” she shrieks. “Listen I’m sorry that I’ve been a burden to you. Mom and dad can help me with my rehab. Wouldn’t want my crippled ass getting in the way of your little pity party. Thanks for being there for me when I needed you the most. Glad to know that I can count on you to actually show up for me.”