by Elicia Hyder
I frowned. “It’s not contagious, Ethan. And no, I don’t have a girlfriend either.”
He grabbed another slice out of the box. “Then what is it?”
“I’m playing roller derby.”
He paused with the slice suspended in the air midway to his open mouth. “You’re what?”
“The roller-skating sport I told you about.”
“Yeah, I got that. And you’re not dead?”
I shook my head. “I do have some pretty gnarly bruises though.” I pulled up my pants leg and showed off the ones on my shins. “I’ll spare you the ones on my hips.”
He put his whole plate down and turned toward me. “Have you lost your mind?”
“No. And I’m getting a lot better at it.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“How would you know? You’d never even heard of it before I told you about it.”
“I looked it up on YouTube when I got home. I watched a girl snap her leg in half!” He leaned toward me. “In half, Lucy.”
All at once, I lost my appetite. “Well, I haven’t snapped my leg in half. Or even come close to it. I’m really enjoying myself for the first time in…” I tried to do that math in my head and couldn’t. “A really long time. Even Olivia’s playing.”
Ethan didn’t look convinced.
“I’ve made new friends, and I’m getting out and experiencing the city. It’s good for me.”
“You got any hot teammates?” he asked, cutting his eyes over at me.
“A few.” I should’ve started with that angle. “Once you experience it in person, you’ll get it. I know you will.”
“Have you told Dad?” he asked.
My eyes widened, and I shook my head.
“Good. Unless you want him to drive up here and wrap you in bubble wrap.”
I shot him a smirk. “Dad doesn’t worry that much about me.”
“Oh yes he does,” Ethan said.
I crossed my arms. “He hardly ever calls to see how I’m doing.”
“He thinks you’re mad at him.”
I was a little mad at our father, but I’d never admit it out loud. Mom was gone, and in a way, so was Dad. As if dealing with the loss of a parent wasn’t hard enough, he had abandoned us and gotten himself a brand-new family. One that wasn’t freshly heartbroken and scarred. One complete with a grandbaby and endless home-cooked meals.
It was the first anniversary of Mom’s death, and he couldn’t be bothered to even answer the phone.
Ethan cracked a smile and waved a hand in front of my face. “Is that a therapy topic for another day?”
“Yes.” I stood and gestured to his plate. “Are you done?”
He handed it to me.
“Want to hear something funny?” I asked as I walked to the kitchen.
“Please,” he begged.
“There’s a girl on the roller derby team who’s helped me out a lot.” I put the plates in the dishwasher. “Guess what her derby name is.”
He turned around on the couch and held up his hands. “What?”
“Kraken.”
Ethan flopped back on the couch, and the sound of his laughter gave me an idea. I looked at the clock. Derby practice had just started at the Rollers’ Sweatshop. It was going to be a shortened Fresh Meat session because the All-Stars were scrimmaging that night to practice for the playoffs.
“Ethan, put on your shoes. We’re going out for a while.”
We walked into the Sweatshop as my red-faced Fresh Meat teammates were skating off the track toward the sidelines to take off their gear. The All-Stars were just warming up.
Ethan’s eyes bulged.
I pointed to where I spotted Olivia talking to Riveter Styx. “There’s Olivia. See the girl with the big skull on her leg?”
“Whoa, the chick with the tattoo is smoking hot. She single?” he asked.
“Not sure.” I was watching Olivia. She was giggling. Styx’s hand was on her shoulder. “Something tells me you may not be her type.”
“Bummer.”
“Olivia!” I shouted, waving my arm in the air.
Her face brightened when she saw me, and she skated over, doing a hockey stop in front of us. We hadn’t even learned those yet. Styx was right behind her. I was pretty sure I heard Ethan’s breath catch beside me.
“You made it!” Olivia cheered, hugging me. “I didn’t think you’d come.”
“No point in sitting around being sad, right?” I asked. “Styx, this is my brother Ethan.”
She shook his hand. “Hi, Ethan.” Styx glanced at Olivia. “She told me what was going on. I’m really sorry for your loss.”
I forced an awkward smile. “Thanks. I hope I’m not in too much trouble for sitting out tonight.”
“Not at all,” she said. “You came. That’s what’s important.”
I nudged Ethan. “I heard there’s a scrimmage tonight, and I decided my brother needed to have his horizons broadened.”
“Awesome.” Styx smiled at him. “Hopefully we’ll make a convert out of you.”
By the look on his face, I was pretty sure she already had.
“Are you staying?” she asked Olivia.
Olivia nodded. “Of course.”
“Great. I’ll see you after.”
They exchanged a curious smile before Styx skated off and Olivia turned back to us. My brow lifted. “What’s all the grinning about?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied.
“Lucy!” Grace called.
I looked over and waved.
“You staying to watch the scrimmage?” she asked. “I’m going to go buy beer!”
I nodded and pointed at Ethan. “We’re both staying!”
She held up the OK sign with her fingers.
Olivia nudged my arm. “I told them why you weren’t here. Hope that’s all right.”
“It’s fine.”
“I told them to not bring it up unless you do.”
“I appreciate that.”
By the time the All-Stars finished warm-ups, Olivia, Ethan, and I were on the front row of the second-floor bleachers along with the rest of the Fresh Meat skaters who’d stuck around to watch. Downstairs, The Duchess was dividing up the players into two teams, and Zoey was setting up the digital timer and scoreboard.
Olivia was explaining the rules of the game to Ethan when Grace and Monica finally ascended the stairs toting a cooler.
“Just in time,” I said, looking up as they walked over.
Grace sat down and flipped open the lid of the cooler. “Derby’s always better with beer,” she said handing me a can. She handed one to Ethan. “Hi. Who are you?”
“This is my brother, Ethan. Ethan, these are my friends, Grace and Monica.”
Monica waved, smiling at him.
“Nice to meet you,” Grace said.
Suddenly, the loud smack of the heavy front door slamming shut caused everyone to look across the room. All the skaters on the track plowed to a stop.
Medusa.
I excitedly slapped Olivia’s thigh. “She’s here!” I squealed quietly under my breath.
Medusa’s head was down as she lugged in a gym back twice the size of mine. “Am I too late to play?” she called out, dropping her bag onto the floor with a thud.
Everyone cheered.
The team captain’s face broke into tears before anyone reached her. Maven was first, barely stopping before skating into Medusa’s open arms. Medusa buried her face in her friend’s shoulder before the rest of the players gathered around them for the largest group hug I’d ever seen.
In that moment, the word “team” took on a new meaning. This was more than a bunch of girls who liked to skate and knock each other around. This was a family, and even though I was still on the outside looking in, I was slowly becoming part of it.
“Who is that?” Ethan asked, leaning against my shoulder.
“Medusa. She’s the team captain,” I said.
Olivia l
owered her voice. “Her mom died a few weeks ago. I think this is her first practice back with the team.”
“That’s so sad,” Grace said with a sigh.
“We should do something for her.” I looked at Olivia. “Maybe put together a gift basket of stuff to make her feel better or something.”
“That’s a great idea. Wanna go shopping on our way home?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said.
“I’ll talk to Styx and see if there’s anything in particular she likes.”
I cracked a smile. “I’m sure you will.”
She elbowed me in the ribs. “Shut up, Lucy.”
My eyes, and most likely everyone else’s as well, were fixed on Medusa the rest of the night. She was spectacular. Fluid. Smooth. Fierce. She eructed guttural screams whenever she knocked a teammate off the track. Each time, everyone flinched.
It was clear, every skater in the room respected the team captain. Not because of her rank, but because with each powerful blow, she freaking earned it.
Ethan pointed at the track with his beer can. “You actually do this?”
The referee’s whistle blasted when Shamrocker called off a jam.
I put my feet up on the railing in front of us. “Yeah. Believe it or not.”
He laughed and shook his head. “I definitely don’t believe it.”
I shoved his shoulder. “Then I guess you’ll have to come back and watch me play next season.” If I make the team, I silently added.
He reclined against the bench and smiled at me. “I won’t miss a single game, I swear.”
Medusa’s team beat Shamrocker’s team by over forty points, and when the final jam whistle blew, I finally uncurled the death grip I had on the bleachers beneath me. “That was amazing,” I said, looking over at Olivia.
“Amazing,” she agreed. “Wanna go downstairs and say hello?”
My eyes doubled. “To Medusa?”
She shrugged as she stood. “Sure. Why not.”
“Because she’s…” I couldn’t even think of a word.
Olivia grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “She puts her skates on one at a time just like we do. Ethan, you coming?”
He jumped up. “Hell yeah, I’m coming.”
“Wait for us!” Grace said, laughing, and maybe a little drunk.
We walked down the steps to where the team was stretching out on the floor and taking off their gear. Grace and Monica went over to help Zoey pack up the scoreboard.
Styx got up and skated over. “Hey, girls.” Her face was red and splotchy. Sweat glistened in her short dark hair.
“Good practice,” I said.
She was still panting. “It was fun. We haven’t worked that hard in weeks. It’s good to have Medusa back. She keeps us on our toes.”
“Lucy wants to meet her,” Olivia said.
My stomach did a backflip.
“Got a little crush, do we?” Styx asked with a teasing wink.
“She’s such a badass,” I said.
Styx shook her head. “No argument here.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Medusa! You’ve got some newbies to meet!”
Behind her, Medusa looked over from where she was talking with Maven. She pulled off her helmet, then stood up on her skates. Don’t say anything dumb. Don’t say anything dumb. Don’t say anything dumb, I chanted to myself as she skated over.
Medusa plowed to a stop next to Styx. Up close, she was shorter than I expected, only taller than me because of her wheels. Still, I felt small. And weak. And a little stupid for being so nervous. Blood rushed to my cheeks so fast it made me dizzy.
“Hey” was all she said, but I nearly fell over.
Styx jerked her thumb toward Olivia. “This is the newbie I was telling you about.”
Medusa nodded, impressed. She stuck out her hand to my roommate. “You’re the one they’re calling The Prodigy?”
Olivia blinked with confusion. “The Prodigy?”
“Yes,” Styx answered for her.
“They say you’re really good,” Medusa said.
Olivia tried to suppress an embarrassed smile and failed. “Thank you. I’m having a good time.”
“I look forward to seeing what you’ve got,” Medusa said.
Then she turned to look at me.
I swallowed.
“This is my roommate, Lucy,” Olivia said.
My hand jutted out. “Hi! I’m Lucy.”
Cocking an eyebrow, Medusa pointed at Olivia. “She just said that.”
I grinned harder, my hand still suspended awkwardly in the air. She hesitated a moment longer before finally shaking it. “You’re new to Fresh Meat?” she asked.
“Brand new,” I said.
“I’ve seen you around. Do you come to a lot of bouts?”
“Almost zero.” I giggled nervously.
The corner of her mouth twitched up like she was about to laugh at me.
Oh god, kill me now. My heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest.
I waved and took a few steps back, still smiling like a madwoman. “Well…it was really great to meet you, Medusa! Good luck on Saturday!” My foot came down hard on something that moved. A skate. It zipped sideways, taking my leg with it. I fell, nearly doing a split before smacking my ass hard on the concrete.
Several people applauded. Medusa was one of them.
Ethan offered me a hand up. “What’s the matter with you?”
Olivia was snickering behind her hand. I wanted to give her the finger.
“Oh god,” I whispered as my brother pulled me to my feet.
Medusa’s face was caught between amused and mocking. “It was nice to meet you, newbie. Good luck out there.”
She turned, and I read the back of her black shirt: Damsel NOT in Distress. I was very much the opposite. Medusa skated back to her friends. Maven was rolling her eyes with her hands on her hips.
Styx squeezed my shoulder. “You’re not the first person to lose their shit over Medusa. Shake it off.”
“That was humiliating,” I said.
Styx laughed. “It was pretty bad, but it could’ve been worse.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “How?”
Ethan put his arm around my shoulders. “You could have shat yourself when you fell.”
I elbowed him, and everyone laughed.
“So what’d you think?” Styx asked him.
His smile was really, really wide. “It was a lot of fun. And you’re great at it.”
“Thank you. You know, we’re always looking for guys to help out. We could even train you to be a referee.” She pointed to the refs who were taking off their skates.
He brightened. “Really?”
I nudged his arm. “But you don’t want to move here, remember?”
“I can move.” He grinned. “What I said was, I don’t want to live with you.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Check out our website. All the info is on there,” Styx told him.
“Thanks, I will.”
“It was nice to meet you, Ethan. Lucy, I’ll see you in Indiana, right?”
“I’ll be there.”
Styx turned to Olivia. “Can you help me for a second?”
“Sure!” My best friend followed after her.
“Are they…?” Ethan’s question trailed off as he pointed to Olivia and Styx.
I crossed my arms. “I have no idea.”
Ethan and I followed Olivia to Target after practice. On the drive, my phone rang. Dad. I answered the call on the car’s speaker. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hi, honey.” His voice didn’t sound as mournful as it should have.
“You’re on speaker. Ethan’s here,” I said.
“All right. Are you kids having fun?” Dad asked.
We had been smiling before the phone rang. To be honest, I’d completely forgotten about the woes of the day a few times during the scrimmage. I was pretty sure Ethan had too. “We’re staying busy. How has your day been?”
He sigh
ed. “I took the day off. Katherine and I painted the living room this morning, then we went out to dinner tonight.”
I put a little too much pressure on the brake pedal as we neared the left turn into Target. The SUV stopped so suddenly, Ethan and I lurched forward. “You painted the living room?”
“Yep. It matches the kitchen now. A nice taupe color.”
My hands twisted around the steering wheel. The kitchen had been lime green. The living room, lemon yellow. Mom had chosen colors that made her feel the most cheerful. Now taupe? The folding of his underwear bothered Ethan, yet he failed to mention Katherine redecorating Mom’s house. He was staring out the passenger side window, unfazed.
“Um…I’m sure it’s great. Hey, Dad, we’ve got to run. We’re just pulling into the store.” My fingers were twitching in the direction of the “End Call” button on the screen.
“All right. Do you have any plans to come home soon?” he asked.
To the taupe living room and kitchen? No thanks.
Ethan’s face whipped toward me. “What about this weekend?”
“This weekend’s no good,” Dad said. “We’re going up to see Bryan and Lindsley.”
Bryan with a y was my new, super-successful stepbrother. Geez, stepbrother. I would never get used to that. He was an investment broker in St. Louis, and his wife, Lindsley (dubbed by my brother as “Little Miss Botox”) was a stay-at-home mommy who held her neighborhood’s record of getting back in her prebaby skinny jeans. She told me all about it at the wedding reception as I ate a second piece of cake.
They were the parents of the floral baby who’d been exploited all over her grandma’s dating profile. What’s that kid’s name? Begonia? Whoever she was, Dad liked to send me pictures of her. I was beginning to wonder if he was dropping hints for grandchildren of his own.
“OK. Well, I hope you guys have a nice trip,” I said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.
“I’m sure we will. Dahlia is sitting up now and talking a little bit.”
Dahlia! How could I forget a name so morbidly beautiful?
“That’s great,” I said, even though I couldn’t possibly care less.
“How about the week after?” he asked.
The week after was the roller derby playoffs, and I’d be in Indianapolis with the girls. “I’ve got plans that weekend. We’ll figure something out though. I’ll let you know when I have a chance to look at my calendar.”