Pacify Her | Paige Bueckers

fifteen | wonders

As part of some kind of building exercise, Ava was to invite everybody who's been in her circle here at UConn (at one point or another) to her session with the psychiatrist. Ava was also giving out personalized apologies today.

"I'm sorry for..." Ava practiced in a random mirror in the hallway of the psychiatric's office, before scrunching up her face. "No, no, no."

"I'm sorry that I-" Ava stopped herself again, "nah."

Ava felt that the appointments were working, in the sense that she no longer felt a need to be irrational most of the time. She took a deep breath, scared out of her mind for whatever reason. She knew that Azzi and Paige were going to accept her apology, but still.

Meanwhile, Azzi and Paige were getting ready to attend Ava's psychiatric session, having been invited by KK. Usually, Paige and Azzi matched energy when they dressed. If one person was in a fancy mood, then they were both dressing fancy for the day.

While Azzi was happy that Ava was doing better, and no longer had a fuming dislike for her, it was starting to dawn on Azzi that Paige and herself probably should not be so close to Ava. Like, tolerating her for KK's sake and so that she doesn't feel alone, sure. But why were they about to attend her psych session? Azzi hated taking the lead and often followed along with Paige. She realized in this moment, that that's what she'd been doing.

"Why are you friends with Ava?" Azzi kind of just blurted out to Paige. She basically was trying to ask why they were so involved in Ava's business, but it came out the wrong way. Paige, who'd been putting on eyeliner—a rare sight—in the mirror, turned to face Azzi, who sat on her bed with a bra and jeans.

"Aren't you also friends with Ava?" Paige wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow. "So why can't I be?"

"Well," Azzi began, standing up. "I wouldn't say I'm friends with her. Glad she's managing and wondered about her because she suddenly went M.I.A, but now that we get ready to attend her psychiatric session, I'm wondering if we're too involved in her life."

"Three things," Paige flashed her index, middle and ring finger to Azzi. "First," she started, "we're close to KK. I don't know what she and Ava have going on, as our friend dynamic has shifted a little, but I know that they're intertwined romantically, to an extent."

"Right," Azzi folded her arms and nodded.

"So by icing out Ava, we are hurting KK" Paige said as she concluded her first point. "Secondly," she huffed, "do you know what the word 'pacify' means?"

"Shit," Azzi looked out in the distance. "I've heard it before and I swear I just had it on my tongue for a second." She squinted, thinking. "Isn't it something along the lines of doing something to make somebody happy?" Paige tilted her head side to side.

"Something along those lines babe," Paige replied, "yeah." Azzi got butterflies, catching Paige call her babe in passing. Just like Paige wearing eyeliner, this too was also a rare occurrence. "But it's like, bringing peace to somebody. So in the case of Ava, I'm just trying to pacify her."

"But," Azzi thought aloud, "why? Respectfully, Paige, it isn't really your job to pacify Ava."

"Who would you say is the leader on the team, Azzi?" Paige asked as she put on earrings. Azzi didn't understand where Paige had been going with this.

"Everybody knows the huskies is your team, Paige," Azzi chuckled. "You're the face of the organization."

"Okay," Paige looked in the mirror for a moment, "so as team leader, it's my job to limit any threats to our team's success and wellbeing. That isn't always on the court or in the locker room. Ava, if unhinged, can be an external threat. So actually, it is my job."