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every time janine looked at ava, ava thought she was on the brink of death. okay lets take it back a couple. every time janine looked at ava, ava's heart sped up to a probably unhealthy degree if she wasnt quicksilver. every time janine looked at ava, ava's stomach flipped so violently she thought her meals would finally make their presence known one day. every time janine looked at ava, avas face became so warm that she thought it actually might be a fever that time.
and so, when ava coleman gathered up all the symptoms, her conclusion was that she may be dying. her doctor told her she was fine, of course. but no matter what they had said, the symptoms just kept happening.
ava never really trusted doctors anyways.
"i think death might finally catch up to me."
ava dribbled a basketball and passed it to iggy who caught it with ease.
"u good? whats up?"
swoosh. bounce bouncebounce bounce. roooooooll.
she picked up the ball as it made its way towards her and dribbled, passing iggy and going for a layup that he blocked with ease. damn something really must have been up if she didnt even make the basket.
"i keep getting these wierd heart palpitations and a queasy stomach."
iggy looked at her in curiosity and waited for her to continue but ava just shrugged as she halfheartedly jogged towards the ball that was rolling away from them.
he sighed. just a lil bit.
"how often do they happen?"
dribble dribble dribble
"only really when janine is around. its like she sets off medical conditions. must be radiation or some shit from her own wheezy self."
"that- thats not how that works-" iggy shook his head. it was truly a mystery sometimes how ava became the principal of a school but hey, who was he to say shit.
"do you get any other symptoms?"
ava thought for a moment and attempted a three pointer. this time she missed it with no help from iggy.
"i get all warm. like right in the chest and up my neck. not a fan."
iggy ran after the basketball this time, absorbing the new tidbit of information and piecing the puzzles together.
dribble dribble dribble dribble dribble
"maybe youre crushing."
"man, gimme that ball so i can throw it at you for saying some dumb shit. crushing. you must be off your rocker. ava coleman dont crush on any body."
she emphasized any body just in case the message didnt come across clearly. it did. iggy rolled his eyes.
"yeah you do. you just dont even realize it because its the first time youve had to work for someones affection."
swish
"i hate work."
"and yet for some wild ass reason you show up at abbott every day. sometimes even on the weekend. its kinda freaky the way you care about this school."
ava huffed and ran after the ball to give herself something to do. she hated her was right about abbott. she did care about work maybe just a little bit. what could she say? it was really growing on her.
"'s not so bad i guess... i care about he- helping the kids."
"kids dont go to school on weekends."
iggy stole the ball. damn she really was off her game today.
"yeah well uh- we got important shit to do to get ready for them for the week."
"and who would be this 'we'?"
ava made an attempt to steal the ball back, hoping iggy wouldn't wait for her to answer the question. he just held his arm up in the air and looked down at her tho.
"bitch if you dont play fair-"
"so whos 'we'?"
ava felt her face go warm as she answered in the quietest voice possible, "me n janine... shes really busy with the district during the week, okay? its like the only time we can get together and figure out what changes we can make."
iggy hummed to avas annoyance and began dribbling the ball again.
"sometimes me and barb are here too!"
"you know full well that aint the same."
ava glared at him. if he could stop being right for like maybe two seconds thatd be dope for her ego.
"just shut up and pass the ball already."
"admit it."
iggy smirked. he heard the shuffling of feet outside the gym and had a feeling he knew exactly who it was that had just arrived outside the abbott gym.
"what?"
"admit you like janine."
"hell no! i literally cannot stand her."
andre gave her yet another pointed look.
"ugh fine! i like janine. now gimme the ball!"
andre tossed the ball at ava and she went for yet another three pointer.
"i have a huge stinkin crush on miss teagues and it makes my body feel like the world is spinning just a little bit too fast."
whoosh. nothing but net.
a squeak could be heard from just outside the gym in the hallway and ava spun towards the sound with wide eyes. she only knew of two people who willingly spent their weekends on school grounds. and as far as she was aware, mr johnson was on some trip.
"tell me i did not just hear what i think i heard?"
iggy smiled at her wickedly. she had in fact heard exactly what she thought.
"so u just gonna stand here?"
"im gonna fucking get you one day i swear."
ava ran out the door into the hallway, making a sharp turn to where she knew janine might be.
"i thought it was just me," janine said from the bench.
"yeah well... your energy is infectious. s nice. youre nice or whatever. i guess."
ava sat down next to janine and pulled at her jersey awkwardly and ran her hand across her head. she wasnt used to people seeing her in her basketball gear and without a wig. she wasnt used to being so... relaxed around janine.
it was nerve wracking.
"this look suits you."
"yeah?"
janine nodded and smiled. she was really into basketball players and ava looked like the best basketball player she had ever seen in her life.
"you ever play in college?"
ava snorted, "scholarship and everything."
janines eyes went wide with realization.
"no fucking way! i think ive totally seen you play before!"
ava shrugged. she probably had. knowing janine, she would totally have been the type to go to all the games when she still had time like that.
"yeah probably."
"can i kiss you?"
the question threw ava's brain clear across the court. that was not what she thought would come out of janines mouth next and it took her a second to respond.
"o-or m-"
ava silenced the inevitable ramble janine was about to go on with a quick peck and janine smiled bigger than ava had ever seen her smile before.
ava's heartbeat quickened and her tummy fluttered and her face got warm. if she really was gonna die soon, she sure as hell was happy she'd gotten to kiss janine.
"have i ever mentioned that im really into basketball players?"
ava shurgged, "it may have come up several times."
"youre a basketball player."
janine shifted from the bench into ava's lap and wrapped her arms around ava's neck.
"r-retired. but yeah."
holy fucking shit. janine was sitting in avas lap. nono janine was straddling ava's lap. janine was raking her nails along avas scalp and straddling her lap and looking at ava through her long mascara-d lashes.
ava shuddered and gripped janine's waist hoping she hadnt used too much strength to do so. janine gasped and ava let out a breath she hadnt realized she was holding in.
"you should kiss me again."
"yeah oka-"
janine leaned forward not bothering to let ava finish her reply. their second kiss was longer. deeper. conveying a myriad of emotions they jadnt realized they had been holding back for eachother. or maybe janine had realized at least way sooner than ava had.
whatever. the kiss was fucking fabulous.
"hey so i-"
iggy finally walked around the corner and laughed at the expressions of absolute dismay both women wore on their faces at being caught in such a position.
janine scrambled off ava's lap and straightened out her little skirt, stuttering out a completely unbelievable excuse as to what they had been doing.
"just wanted ava to know i gotta head to practice. yall can go back to making out or uhh whatever it is you said yall were doing," iggy smirked with an all knowing smile that pissed ava off.
"i hope your layup game is weak today."
iggy clutched his heart dramatically as he made his way down towards the parking lot exit, "your words wound me. happy for yall tho!"
once he had finally disappeared, ava pulled a mortified janine back towards herself and the bench.
"so. where were we?"
janine hid her face in the crook of avas neck, "i think im going to die of embarrassment."