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“We don’t know that yet. Maybe Oklahoma State can pull off the upset.”
“Maybe, but I doubt it,” Hilton replied. “Either way, Layne told me that only two twelve seeds have ever made it to the Sweet Sixteen, so we’re already joining a small group. I’m proud of that even if we lose.”
“Me too. But I still want to win.”
“Hell, yeah!” Hilton added. “Coach said we can watch their game in one of the hotel’s conference rooms as a team. They’re up next. I’m going. You?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there after I shower and eat, so maybe a little later. But…” She glanced over at Layne. “I want to talk to her first.”
“Everything okay there?”
“Not yet. But I’m hoping it will be soon.”
“Well, good luck,” Hilton said.
Minutes later, they were on the team bus, heading back to their hotel. They weren’t talking that much because of the confined space, and even though they were all wearing masks, they didn’t want to chance it. Arriving at the hotel, they all took the stairs, and when Layne got to her door, Shay opened her own, flipped the doorstop, and turned to her, finding Layne standing there after having done the same thing.
“What?” Layne asked.
“You did the doorstop thing, too. I thought you’d want to shower real quick and go to the room to watch the game.”
“I do, but… I wanted to talk to you first.”
“I wanted to talk to you, too.”
“Yeah?” Layne asked.
“You really were amazing tonight. You saved us.”
“You made clutch shots, Shay.”
“Layne, they had me. I could hardly get a shot off all night, especially in the first half. You being there – you coming back to Dunbar and playing tonight – that’s the reason we’re going to the Sweet Sixteen right now.”
“I’m pretty sure there are some other players on the team who might have contributed,” Layne joked.
“Well, I might be biased, but I stand by what I said.”
“Why would you be biased?” Layne asked.
“Um… We dated for, like, a year,” she joked.
Shay had planned on being brave, damn it, but when Layne had asked her a question that would’ve allowed her to do just that, she’d make a joke instead.
“Shay?”
“Yeah?”
“That thing I want to talk to you about; it has to do with that,” Layne shared.
“With us?” She swallowed hard.
“Yup.”
“Um… Okay. Should I sit down on the floor?”
“You can, but it’s up to you.”
Shay looked down and realized her feet were sort of dancing nervously.
