by Steph Nuss
“Except you.” The second whistle sounded, and we both took off, arms pumping as our legs carried us forward, chasing after the pack.
I wanted lead jammer now more than ever. Crossing my feet over one another, I blew around the first curve and heard Carter yell out a play to the girls. In front of me, I noticed them each matching up to an opposing Lolita blocker, skating right next to them as if they were Siamese twins. With Beth hot on my tail and catching up, I entered the pack.
My girls hip-checked all the Lolitas into the guardrail, taking a play right out of the Lolitas’ own playbook and executing it with ease, which enabled me to breeze through quickly and take the lead.
“Ladies and gents, we have our lead jammer! All-The-Way Bay!” Cash announced.
Now, it was time to score.
With my blood boiling, I felt like an airplane taking off from the runway as I rounded the second curve, pumping my arms harder and faster to pick up my speed. Heart racing, I concentrated on my team and my footwork. When I found the pack in front of me again, I listened for Carter.
“FAST FIVE!” he shouted, holding up his right hand. “FAST FIVE!”
Play number five was all about speed and defense. My blockers took off quickly, skating ahead of the Lolitas’ blockers and leaving me to fend for myself among the four of them. It was called ‘fast five’ because the four blockers had to be fast, and the jammer had to be even faster. The girls had to get ahead of the pack and form a barrier for Beth, but they couldn’t get more than ten feet ahead of the blockers or we’d be penalized. As long as Beth couldn’t get through my girls and they stayed within ten feet ahead of the other blockers, we were golden.
Once the girls took off, the Lolitas knowingly slowed down so our blockers couldn’t get too far and Beth could catch up to me. They hooked their arms together to form their own barrier for me as Beth’s elbow connected into my side.
“Hey, watch it!” I shouted, shoving her back.
“Bye-bye, Rosie!” Beth said, waving her fingers at me. She skated through her blockers fast, sending me into an instant rage.
I hauled ass to the Lolitas’ blockers, rapidly moving back and forth over the track. They kept looking over their shoulders to find me, and my speed had them guessing which way I’d attempt to go through. Pretty soon, I had the smallest blocker so turned around that she tilted to the side, creating a domino effect against her team and collapsing their barrier before me.
Jumping over their fallen bodies, I landed back on the track and saw that the girls had held off Beth. I tapped my hips to call off the jam and scored the first four points for my team, coasting by a furious Beth with a smile on my face.
***
We were down to the last jam of the night. Minutes remained on the scoreboard, and the score was tied, 54 to 54. All I needed to do was get through the pack and get by one Lolita blocker to win. By now, both teams were exhausted, fighting tooth and nail to take the championship, completely drenched in sweat from head to toe. Imani had a cut across her arm. Tessa had taken out more girls than ever before. Elly had a fat lip, and Paige had gotten a penalty for throwing a hit. So, with Kat standing in for Paige, we lined up on the track for the last jam of the summer.
Beth took her spot beside me on the jammer line and sneered, “You girls look tired.”
Maverick blew the first whistle, signaling the pack.
“Yeah, well, God had to give you a pretty face because he knew how ugly your personality would be.”
The whistle sounded a second time for the jammers, and I hip-checked Beth into the railing and took off toward the pack. My body ached something fierce, my arms hurt from pumping them so much, and my legs felt like they were on fire, but that only made me skate faster. The sooner we finished this, the better.
Crossing over, I crouched low and rounded the first curve with ease, and then booked it to the pack. Beth was right on my heels. Peeking over my shoulder, I saw the anger radiating from her.
Bring it, bitch, I thought, focusing my eyes ahead.
When we came upon the pack, the blockers weren’t setting up a play, they were hip-checking and shoving and doing everything in their power to make way for us jammers. Obscenities were thrown left and right, mostly from the Lolitas’ blockers. Flitting through a sea of blue and black, I quickly wrestled my way in, using my exceptional skating skills to get me through unharmed.
Out of the pack, Beth and I skated neck and neck, furiously pumping our arms and legs in an attempt to gain an ounce of speed on one another. Pretty soon, the pack was ahead of us again, and we were getting down to the wire. Who was going to score that victory point?
Me, I thought, gritting my teeth.
Another curve was approaching, and as the pack entered it, I started crossing my feet over one another quickly—left, right, left, right. With one of the Lolitas’ blockers on my left, I could nearly taste victory on my tongue at the thought of passing her. Then I felt Beth’s skate connect with my ankle and we went airborne, somersaulting us onto the banked track in a mess of arms and legs as a harsh pain pierced through my left ankle.
Opening my eyes, I found myself lying face down on the track, a few feet away from Beth and the rest of the players, wondering whether or not I scored that last point. The crowd was no longer roaring in the stands. A hushed silence filled the arena as everyone held their breaths and waited. Rolling onto my back, I winced at the twinge coming from my ankle.
“Bayler!” Fletcher said in a worried voice from somewhere above me. Blinking my eyes, his body finally came into focus, hovering above me as his hands held my face. “Bayler, sweetheart, where’s it hurt?”
“My ankle,” I croaked, reaching to it with my left hand. “Get my skate off. I need my skate off.”
“Okay,” he said, moving down to my foot. The skate felt like a boa constrictor around my ankle and foot: the weight of it escalating my pain. I could practically feel my ankle swelling bigger and bigger the longer the skate was on my foot.
“Don’t take her skate off,” Maverick barked.
“She wants it off,” Fletcher said.
“Her ankle could be broken. We need to get her to the locker room.”
“Fuck.” Fletcher hovered back over me and caressed my cheeks with his thumbs. “Do you hurt anywhere else?”
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “Just my ankle.”
“I’m going to take you to the locker room, okay?” He leaned over me and slid his hands under my body. “Wrap your arms around my shoulders.”
I held onto him as he lifted me off the track, a whimper escaping my body as my ankle dangled in the air and the crowd started clapping. Burying my head into Fletcher’s neck, I peeked over his shoulder and saw Beth standing up with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at me. She wasn’t injured. In fact, she looked perfectly fine, just sore about the fact that her coach was comforting me right now instead of her.
“I’m fine, by the way!” she shouted, thinking he’d stop for her, but he didn’t. He kept on walking with me in his arms.
“I know it hurts, Bay,” Fletcher said, walking briskly. “Maverick’s called the gym’s on-call doctor, and he’s on his way.”
“Okay,” I said softly.
We entered the locker room, and Fletcher sat me on the training table and scooted me far enough back so that my ankle wasn’t hanging off the table. Unhooking my helmet, he slid it off my head and placed it on the table next to mine. He cupped my face in his hands and laid a soft kiss on my forehead. “I’m so sorry.”
“Ahem,” Maverick coughed, causing Fletcher to flinch. Mav’s eyes flitted back and forth between Fletcher and me. “The doctor will be here in five minutes.”
“Thanks,” I said, looking down at my swollen ankle. Dear God, please just let it be sprained.
“But while we wait, why don’t you two fill me in on what you’ve been up to,” Maverick stated curiously, standing at the end of the training table, smiling.
“Mav,” Fletcher
cursed, shaking his head. “Not right now, man.”
“Whatever happened to Jane Doe?” Maverick asked.
My stomach clenched hearing the name I’d drunkenly made up on New Year’s, so I smacked Fletcher on the arm. “You told him?!”
“Told me what?” Maverick asked, furrowing his brows.
Fletcher’s expression grew serious as he shook his head. “No, I didn’t tell him. Does it look like he knows?”
Again, Maverick’s eyes jumped from Fletcher to me and then back to Fletcher. When he finally connected the dots, he covered his mouth and started laughing. “Holy shit, is she . . . Bayler’s the woman you . . . She’s Jane Doe!”
“How does he know about that?” I asked.
“A few months before Carter and Elly’s wedding, I told him about New Year’s.”
Pressing my hand to my forehead, I grimaced. “Why? Why would you tell him about that?”
Fletcher threw his arms out in frustration and said, “Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you!”
“What the hell was that?!” Carter shouted, walking into the room. His eyes found Fletcher and he stalked toward him. “I don’t know if I should be pissed about your player injuring mine or . . .” He waved his hand between Fletcher and me. “About whatever the hell this is! Seriously, what is going on?”
“Yeah, what he said,” Elly quipped, standing in the doorway. She moved into the room, smiling, followed by Harper, Tessa, Paige, Cash and Justin.
She came over to me and placed a hand on my arm. “Your ankle, huh?”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling weakly, still slightly jarred from Fletcher’s confession. “Did we at least win?”
She laughed. “Yeah, we won.”
“League champs, baby!” Tessa cheered, skipping up to the table. “Sorry about your ankle though.”
“It was totally worth it,” I replied.
“Okay, back to more important things,” Paige said, crossing her arms. “What’s going on with you two?”
Cash laughed. “Yeah, man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you move that fast for a woman.”
Everyone laughed as Harper waddled—yes, she waddled now—up to the table with her hands resting on her belly. She was beaming. I could actually see streams of bliss radiating from her perfect, sun-kissed face as she moved toward me, and it made me want to puke. “Please tell me this is happening; you’re perfect for one another! I mean, I didn’t really see it until now, but when I saw him run over to you, I nearly burst into tears of joy. And I think I might’ve peed a little, but that’s because this girl keeps punching my bladder.”
I wish I could punch you right now, I thought, begging her to shut up.
“Look, guys, this isn’t happening,” Fletcher said in a solemn voice, eying me carefully. He probably thought this was the last thing I wanted, an interrogation from our friends. But at this point, with my ankle throbbing, I didn’t really care if they knew about us. Harper already had her Bayler-needs-a-happily-ever-after epiphany thanks to Beth tripping me and Fletcher coming to my rescue.
“We’ve just been having some fun,” I finished, inspecting the gangs’ faces.
“So, you’ve been sleeping together,” Carter concluded, staring back at me.
I nodded, avoiding his eyes. No sister should have to talk about her sex life in front of her brother.
“For how long?” Elly asked, completely amused now.
Maverick’s mouth opened, but Fletcher stopped him with a piercing stare and answered. “Since she started working at Batter Up. Now, the doctor is going to be here any minute, so we’re gonna need you all to leave.”
Waving his arms, Fletcher huddled them out of the room unwillingly. The girls wanted to stay with me, and the guys, with the exception of Carter, wanted to hear more details of our fun. When they were all out, Cash turned around abruptly and peeked back in. “I thought you didn’t sleep with girls who worked for you?”
“I made an exception.” Fletcher grabbed the door and slammed it in Cash’s face, and then leaned his forehead against it.
For the longest time, he stood like that, his arms holding his body up against the wooden door. He appeared tired, mentally and physically worn out from either our friends’ interrogation or from coaching women’s roller derby. I couldn’t really tell, and I didn’t want to ask.
Finally, he turned back toward me, exasperation masking his face. “I know you didn’t want them to find out about us.”
“It’s okay,” I sighed, smiling weakly. “They were probably going to find out eventually.”
He came back over to the table, staring down at the distended flesh around my ankle. “I hope it’s not broken.”
“Me too.”
***
I knew she was pissed the moment we got back to her apartment. She’d been tight-lipped at the hospital where she had X-rays done. Her ankle wasn’t broken, just sprained, but she’d still be on crutches for a couple of days and the doctor encouraged her to take it easy. I thought she would be pleased to hear that it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, but by the sound of her slamming the door behind us, I knew a storm was brewing inside that head of hers.
Oh, and did I mention the wrinkle above her nose was clearly visible? She was mad all right.
Hobbling over to her couch on her crutches, she sat down slowly and threw the sticks down on the floor. She situated herself until she was comfortable, and I felt fucking helpless. I knew if I went to her and tried to help, she’d bite my head off. She wasn’t the type of woman who wanted help, especially when she was injured. She didn’t want to appear weak, and I respected that, but at the same time, I just wanted to be here for her.
“You can go,” she said curtly, propping a pillow under her ankle.
I’m not going anywhere. Stalking into the living room, I sat down on the coffee table in front of her. “Why don’t you just say what it is you’re pissed about?”
She pointed to her ankle and snapped, “This is exactly why I don’t sleep with guys more than once!”
Taken aback, I smiled, looking down her ankle. “Because they’ll give you a sprained ankle?”
“No!” She threw a pillow at me, scowling. “Because tonight I got dragged into your drama! I don’t know what kind of vendetta Beth has against you, but I don’t want to be involved with it!”
“You don’t think I know this is on me?!” I snapped, standing from the table. Pacing the living room, I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. “I know, okay. I’ve been replaying what happened over and over in my head, and I know she tripped you on purpose. I saw it. Mav and the other refs saw it. Everyone in the stands saw it. You were beating her, so she took you out.” I turned to face her, and the anger that had yielded in her eyes before was gone. Taking a seat on the edge of the couch, I brushed away a fallen strand from her ponytail. “I’m sorry about your ankle, but I’m glad you’re not hurt worse. When I saw you go down, all I could think about was making sure you were okay.” I placed my hand on the back of the couch and leaned over her. “If I didn’t have a team, if they weren’t so dead set on beating you guys, none of this would’ve happened. They don’t play clean, and I can promise you that I’ll be having a talk with Beth.”
“What’s her deal? She badmouthed you to me all night, but then she looked pissed when you comforted me after the fall instead of her.”
I sighed. “She doesn’t think the rules apply to her. The only reason she’s even on my payroll is because her aunt is the manager at one of my clubs. Beth needed a job, and Gina begged me to give her one. So, I did, and she’s been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since. I’ve had good employees quit because of Beth and her cattiness. And even though she signed and dated the employee handbook, claiming she’d read it, specifically the part about not engaging in any intimate activity with the boss, she hates that I won’t give her the time of day.”
“If she’s such a nuisance, why’d you let her be on your team?” Bayler asked.
“I di
dn’t choose who was on the team. When Mav started the roller derby league at his gym, I thought it would be a great way to promote my clubs by putting together a team of employees and having the clubs sponsor the league. I brought it up at a staff meeting, and the girls took care of everything else.”
Bayler nodded understandingly, and then took my hand in hers, linking our fingers together. “You weren’t the one who tripped me. I’m sorry for taking my anger out on you. I just hate that I’m going to be laid up for a couple of days because of some catty sore loser. I was supposed to spend the day at Vail’s tomorrow, and I hate the idea of missing a few days of work.”
“I’m sure Grams will understand,” I said, smiling. “And Vail can come over here and hang out.”
“I know,” she sighed, resting her head against the cushion. “I just don’t do injured well.”
“I can tell,” I said, laughing.
“I should take a shower and then get situated in bed.”
“How about I get a bath going instead,” I offered, cocking an eyebrow at her. “I don’t want you to slip in the shower and rip me a new one because the tiles don’t agree with your ass.”
“Ha ha,” she mocked, rolling her eyes. “Fine, I’ll take a bath, but you don’t have to stay and help me. I’ll be okay. This isn’t my first sprained ankle.”
I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Okay,” she taunted, giving me another kiss. “But I’m giving you a get-out-of-Bayler’s-way free card.”
“No, thanks,” I said, smiling. “I don’t want to go, but you can bet your sweet ass I’ll collect my two hundred blowjobs when you’re feeling better.”
Laughter rolled out of her as she shoved me off the couch and grabbed her crutches. “Just go get my bath ready!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter Seventeen
The next day, when I heard my apartment door open, I turned to find Vail and Fletcher carrying in bags of groceries. Last night, he promised me that he’d pick up Vail and some goodies for our girls day before dropping her off at my place. I was seated on the couch, exactly where I’d been when he left this morning.