mygm9-blog - Tumblr blog

mygm9-blog · 11 hours ago

Text

trouble on the orange carpet.

summary – reader reluctantly attends the orange carpet for the WNBA when her friend haley got the offer. and when bribed with free drinks? reader attends the after-party and bumps into somebody very familiar. kate money martin. and in the back of the studbudz stream? the two were caught sneaking off and exchanging a few things.

warnings – cussing, drinking. that’s about it…

authors note – this has been in the works for a couple weeks and i had never got around to writing it.. so here you guys go! feel free to request :) enjoyyyy. reader is also kate’s age but had attended her first year of college in marquette before transferring (which all happened in 2019.)

word count – 5190

you didn’t know how you got here. really. one minute you were in your apartment in a small neighborhood in iowa city and then you were being dragged into your friend haley’s mini cooper for a five hour road trip to indianapolis for all-star weekend. haley had gotten her degree in sports management meanwhile you had gotten your BSN to become a NICU nurse. you had transferred to the university of iowa from marquette your freshman year to be closer with family and thats where you had met haley. haley was a ball of energy and she absolutely LOVED women sports. hell, she practically dragged you to any iowa basketball, soccer AND softball game. there was never a dull moment with her. that’s why you guys were such great friends.

and it wasn’t until she had texted you just about a week ago, freaking out, saying that she had been asked if she wanted to attend the orange carpet for all-star weekend to interview some players. and you knew haley. there was no way in hell she was passing it up. so, that was how you got here. staying at the hyatt regency in indianapolis. you had booked the hotel room for the weekend. Friday through sunday. but part of you couldn’t wait to get back to your apartment. relax. and to return to the job you had grown to love over the past couple of months. you knew that this was going to be a long weekend.

you had taken two ibuprofens with a glass of water before leaving the hotel, haley following behind you as she stumbled over her own feet. you threw your hand back, making a grab motion. “i’ll drive.” haley blinked before handing over her keys. haley was practically bouncing out of her skin, her hands trembling. no way in hell you were letting her drive. you knew it. she knew it. the convention center wasn't anything but a minute away from the hotel, but before that? you needed a redbull. some sort of caffeine to keep you up and ready for the next half an hour. you had promised haley you’d record the interviews on your camera, edit them, and send them to her once you were finished.

you had decided to wear your black sheer lace backless top that you had bought online just a few years back, pairing it with your black strapless and backless bra. your low-rise jeans were baggy and light-washed and you wore your four inch black zara heels which were already killing your feet. your hair was curled, you had put on your favorite rings and bracelets, your black mini purse hung from your shoulder which held some extra cash, your cards, and your ID along with your lip gloss that you knew you’d apply a thousand times before the night was even over. you were all set. you had just swiped on some mascara, applied a little blush to your cheeks and put on some lip gloss.

the orange carpet started off good. you stood off to the side, camera pointed towards haley and the player beside her. you watched her panic as paige approached her, caitlin complemented her outfit, and how she laughed nervously as angel reese approached her. she asked countless ridiculous questions, complimented everyone's outfits and asked for pictures after every interview. haley and her tiny mic were ridiculous. though, you could admit that you were definitely amused when all of it was over. you packed your camera up and followed haley right out of the glass double doors in hopes of going back to the hotel.

and just as you shut the passenger side door after placing your camera in the seat? you realized she wasn’t going back to the hotel. your lips paused on the can of your white peach redbull, eyebrows furrowing as you turned off your phone. “where are we going?” you spoke, your voice barely audible as you stared at her figure, headlights passing by, and some distant honks being heard. haley shrugged, stopping in her tracks before turning to you.

“after-party.”

“no way.” you spoke through a laugh. it was soft and almost full of disbelief. it was safe to say that you didn’t come here to go to a party. though it would be nice. you’d never admit that though.

“y/n, you spend your weekdays in a hospital working twelve-hour shifts and spend friday through sunday sulking,” ouch. you loved your job. taking care of those babies was your life and you wouldn’t change it for the world. “you are going to this party.” you grimaced as you took another sip of your redbull. you didn’t even have to say anything because your silence was an answer enough.

it was definitely crowded when you walked in. voices rang out, music played, drinks were served from the bar. that’s the moment you knew this was going to be a long night. and so, you parted from haley and headed straight to the bar where you were greated by a nice bartender. probably in her mid-twenties. tattoos on her arm. smile so warm that you immediately smiled back.

“what all do you guys have?” you asked, your voice attempting to rise over all of the other voices and the music playing through speakers. the bartender smiled at your attempt and laughed as she wiped out a freshly washed glass with a rag before throwing it over her shoulder. “we have mixed drinks and canned drinks. we can also do shots.” you just nodded, your head stuck in their laminated menu. you ended up getting a canned drink. a black cherry truly. i mean – one of you had to be sober enough to drive back, and haley usually got her hands on as many drinks as she could. because as soon as you left the bar? haley approached and began ordering a drink.

and it wasn’t until you spotted a familiar head of pink hair. natisha. or ‘t’ as everyone called her. you had met her your freshman year at marquette. it was her senior year. you had asked her where a certain building was and she had showed you. after that? the two of you kept on seeing each other in certain places and had become friends all up until you transferred to iowa to be closer to family. though, the both of you still followed each other on social media, occasionally commenting on certain things. you hadn’t seen her in years. and so, your heels carried you towards her as your truly stayed tight in your grip in your other hand. once you got closer, your hand came out and landed on her shoulder.

you watched closely as she turned around, her eyes falling on you just a few seconds later. her face morphed from confusion to shock to cheesing so hard. you knew she was drunk. and you laughed as she spoke, “no fucking way? what are you doing here?” her grip was tight as she embraced you, your arm wrapping around her in return. “haley. she interviewed on the carpet but i guess we cleared out before you could reach us,” you let out a small breath. “how are you, t?” the smile on your face betrayed you as she muttered something before throwing an arm around your shoulder and motioning to the little tripod in front of her which sat on a small circular table.

she was streaming. well – they were. the studbudz. courtney williams and natisha hiedeman. they streamed on twitch. and you would know because you watched occasionally. courtney stood behind you, interacting and laughing with people. “say hi to the people,” t practically shouted into your ear as you waved towards the phone, mumbling a greeting through a laugh. the chat had already been blowing up at the time.

user9037820432410 : oh. who is THIS baddie?

katemartinsgirlfriend : okay but has anyone seen kate?

user50789346712 : t is so gone already 💀

wnbaenthusiasttt: OH HERE COMES CAITLIN AND KATE

a few seconds later after some conversation, you see t turn around as courtney dapping someone up. not just someone. kate martin. low messy bun, unbuttoned black and white flannel with an oversized white tee under it paired with cargo pants and the socks hidden under her shoes. “what’s up?” kate spoke in a raised voice as courtney pointed to the phone. “say what’s up to the people.” your eyes followed kate as she leaned in close, mumbling something to the phone while waving to it. either way, you couldn’t hear because behind you came caitlin clark who was screaming as she laid eyes on courtney. she looked stunning. black dress. heels. you winced as your ears began to ring as natisha and courtney continued to interact with caitlin and kate. you said something to t about stepping away for a few moments. you didn’t hear her response but you felt her hand on your waist as you passed her to step behind the group. caitlin. kate. natisha. courtney. aaliyah boston who snatched the white claw out of caitlin’s hand as she stepped into view of the stream. and a few other people you didn’t quite recognize. you had busied yourself by burying your face in your phone. the music still played, voices mingled together, and the smell of alcohol filled the air.

hours seemed to pass but as you looked back down at your phone? 11:45pm. you groaned as you slipped your phone into your back pocket and threw away your truly, walking back to the bar where you had ordered some sort of fruity mixed drink. once it was served, you stirred it with your straw before sipping on it. chaos was everywhere at this point. everywhere you looked. a dance circle, glasses clinking, laughs erupting. haley had approached you a few minutes ago, something about her feet hurting. she told you she was going to the bathroom but you knew what that meant. and so? you sipped on your drink and continued to scroll through some boring article on your phone.

unbeknownst, to you, you felt someone brush past you. you had been standing behind one of the barstools, straw in between your lips as your acrylic nails tapped against your phone screen. it wasn’t until you looked up when you noticed a presence beside you. kate. in all her glory. you knew she had went to iowa. of course you did. you two graduated in the same class. never once interacted but had eyed each other down while walking around campus. you had definitely heard about her. your lips slowly unwrapped themselves from your straw as you met her gaze. she was trying to act nonchalant, her eyes scanning the room before they landed on you. cute. you almost laughed as her lips quirked up slightly.

“hey?” your voice was soft over all of the noise. just a hint of amusement hidden in your tone as you stared up at her. her blue eyes never left yours. not even for a second.

“hey,” she was definitely a soft spoken person.

“is there something i can do for you? or–” she shook her head slightly, a small laugh passing her lips. the cup in her hand was half full as she pushed some strands of hair away from her face. “no, i just saw you with natisha over there and i–”

“got curious.” you answered for her as you took another sip of your drink before clearing your throat. her lips parted like she wanted to say something before they turned up into a sheepish grin. you watched on with soft eyes as she leaned in towards you, her mouth close to your ear as the environment around you both seemed to have gotten louder. “i guess you could say that.” her voice was almost teasing as you bit back a smile. and just a few feet away. in the back of the studbudz stream, you and kate were clearly visible but were clueless. but the chat? oh, they definitely weren’t.

“you just looked– so familiar,” she took the last sip of her drink before tossing it into the trashcan next to her. “it was driving me crazy.” gosh, the tone of her voice seemed to be driving you crazy. though you swallowed your pride.

“i went to iowa.” her eyes widened just a tiny bit.

“what year did you graduate?”

“spring of 2022. i got my bachelor of science in nursing.” you could see the faint outline of her smile though the LED lights were starting to dim just a little.

a pause then came. not awkward. surprisingly. and then – “that’s amazing.” you tried not to smile as you took the last sip of your drink before tossing it in the trash.

the conversation seemed to go on for awhile. you talked about your job in the NICU, kate talked about how her season was going with the valkyries (though you already knew what she was talking about. haley made you watch the games.) kate had even bought you another drink, mumbling something about how you didn’t have to pay her back as you had gotten out some cash. it was around 12:07am when haley approached you, slurring on her words and whining about how she had to pee again. it was quite the timing because caitlin had come up to kate mumbling about how they had another party to hit before heading back to caitlin’s party.

“well, it was nice–” your voice trailed off as your eyes trailed won her face before meeting her eyes again. “catching up with you kate.” a small smile formed on her lips as she glanced around for a split second before pulling out her phone.

your heart basically dropped to your ass as she held out her phone, the blank new contact screen basically taunting you. “here,” you slowly took the phone out of her hand before putting in your number nad naming your contact “y/n” and sliding it back to her as haley tugged on your arm. “just incase you ever want to catch up again.” her voice was low in your ear. and with a raise to your eyebrow, kate left. leaving you alone with a drunk haley.

though you weren’t comnplaining. you had just given kate fucking martin your number.

It wasn’t until the next morning in which you woke up with a text from haley who has slipped out of the hotel room to go get a coffee.

haley j <3

8:27am – imessage

BITCH. check twitter right now.

read 8:46am

8:39am – imessage

people are fucking detectives because how tf did they even catch that shit? 😭

read 8:46am

8:40am

also i’m bringing you a coffee. i think you’ll need it.

read 8:46am

and with one swipe out of the message app, you were already on twitter. someone had screen recorded the studbudz livestream. and not even that – they somehow managed to pick kate out of the crowd. The clip showed it all. how close the two of you had gotten, how kate glanced around before sliding you her phone. all of it. the only thing they couldn’t make out was who the hell you were. all you knew is that fans were absolutely going crazy.

after what seemed like forever scrolling through countless socials, your phone dinged.

unknown number

9:34am

uh oh. looks like we’ve been caught.

your phone dinged again not even a few seconds later.

kate m

9:35am

it’s kate btw lmao. wanna go get some dinner tonight? it’s on me :)

you were in so much trouble when it came to kate martin.

112 notes · View notes