by Megan Sparks
The others nodded their agreement. None of them were looking forward to a derby hiatus.
“Hey, I have an idea,” said Liz, the team captain, as the girls made their way out of the locker room. “Let’s have an anti-Valentine’s Day bout! We can hold it on the fourteenth and take out all our romantic frustrations on the track!”
“I love that idea!” cried Lauren.
“Me too,” said Annie, thrilled at the prospect of more derby time. “Let’s do it.”
“Um...” Sharmila looked worried. “What if we don’t have any romantic frustrations? In other words, what if we already have a date for Valentine’s Day?”
Annie felt that familiar twinge of envy for the stunning Sharmila. Of course she’d have a date for the most romantic night of the year. For all Annie knew, Sharmila had had to choose between ten different guys, all begging to take her out.
Liz laughed. “That’s OK. It’ll just be an exhibition. No one will be penalized for missing it. It’s short notice, so we can’t expect everyone to be available.”
Annie groaned. She was available. She was so available it hurt. But the thought of being with the Liberty Belles on Valentine’s Day was actually extremely comforting.
“No dates, just skates!” Annie quipped and everyone cracked up.
“I bet we can get the High Rollers to jump on board,” said Carmen. “They’re always up for a scrimmage.”
“I’ll set it up,” said Coach. “Now, in keeping with our anti-Valentine’s Day theme, let’s do a drill called Breaking Up is Hard to Do.”
Don’t I know it, thought Annie with a sigh, but she had to admit, she did feel much better than she had before Liz suggested the exhibition bout.
“Isn’t that the title of an old song?” asked Lauren.
Coach smiled, then snapped her fingers and as if by magic, the rink was filled with the sounds of Neil Sedaka’s classic “Breaking Up is Hard to Do”.
The magic, of course, was Jesse. Clearly, Coach had arranged in advance for him to have this song cued up on the sound system. Since Annie and Jesse shared a love of punk and alternative music, she wondered if it was killing him to play such a cheesy old song. But then again, he was always willing to play music that was in keeping with the theme of the bout or the season.
The drill called for the Liberty Belles to be divided into groups of three. Two of them would become a wall while the third attempted to break through. Annie found herself paired with Sharmila and Lauren.
“Let’s go, wife!” cried Annie, referring to their status as “derby wives”, a term meaning they were best derby friends, who always had each other’s back. She linked arms with Lauren and put on a mock scowl. “Let’s see if Sharmila has what it takes to be a homewrecker!”
“I’ll take that as a challenge!” Sharmila said, and set about trying to get through their barrier.
Annie was tall and thin – one of the fastest skaters on the team. Lauren, on the other hand, was short and solidly built, making her a natural blocker. Their opposite strengths made them a great team. But eventually Sharmila managed to break through.
“Now you be the heartbreaker,” Annie told Lauren, holding out her arm for Sharmila to take.
“Somebody call a divorce lawyer!” Lauren laughed. “I’m gonna break you two up so bad you’ll wish you had a pre-nup!”
Lauren’s joke sent a twinge of pain to Annie’s heart. Her parents’ separation was in the process of becoming a divorce. But she knew Lauren hadn’t meant to be insensitive.
Annie and Sharmila sped around the track, sticking together like glue, while Lauren chased after them. They were much faster skaters than their pursuer, but Lauren refused to give up. After a few laps she managed to catch up and burst through the “happy couple”.
Then it was Annie’s turn to be “the other woman”, as Sharmila laughingly put it.
Lauren’s strength and determination made the two-person wall incredibly strong and Annie’s first two attempts were unsuccessful. On her third try, she slammed through.
“Yessss!” cried Annie, pumping the air with her fist. Feeling triumphant, she caught Jesse’s eye. He gave her the thumbs up.
A spiral of warmth began in her chest and spread outward, giving her a cosy feeling. She felt so welcome here, so appreciated and, well ... loved. Not that Jesse was in love with her or anything remotely like that. But he was a good friend – like her teammates, he was always looking out for her.
Any residual gloom she’d been feeling about Valentine’s Day was gone. Heading back to the lockers, Annie understood now more than ever that there was nothing better than roller derby to take your mind off being single on the fourteenth of February.
* * *
“Coach wants to have a quick meeting before we leave,” said Liz, hoisting her skate bag onto her shoulder.
“Are we in trouble?” asked Holly, nervously twisting a lock of her crimson-dyed hair.
“I don’t think so. She said she has an announcement.”
“Maybe she’s come up with more ideas for the Valentine’s Day bout,” said Annie. Costumes, maybe, like they wore on Halloween? Or maybe Coach was going to suggest that they make boy-shaped effigies to burn, like on Guy Fawkes Night back in England. Annie had to giggle at that image, even if it was a little violent.
Coach was waiting for them near the exit.
“I know you guys are bummed that the league season is over,” she said. “But the good news is that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t play roller derby until next season. I’ve just had funding approved to put together a Liberty Heights All-Star team!”
A murmur of excitement rippled through the group.
“I like the sound of that,” said Holly, who was one of the most talented of all the roller girls.
“I thought you might,” said Coach with a grin. “Here’s how it works. I’ll hold a formal try-out right after February vacation. It will be open to all four teams in the league: the High Rollers, the Derby Dolls, the Prairie Girls, and of course you Liberty Belles. I’ll select a team of the twenty best roller girls in the league to make up the All-Star roster.”
“Who will we play against?” asked Lauren.
“All-Star teams from all over the region,” Coach explained. “Sometimes we’ll have actual bouts, others will be exhibitions. Maybe we’ll even lead workshops for younger girls.”
“We’ll get to travel!” cried Sharmila. “That sounds amazing!”
“If you’re interested in trying out, we’ll keep having practices between now and try-outs. I’ll be watching you very carefully. Every time you take to the track, you’ll be under consideration. Everything matters: skills, sportsmanship, willingness to take criticism. I’ll add these observations to your performance at the try-out. If we’re going to represent our region as All-Stars, I want only the best, most devoted girls on the team.”
“I am so totally trying out for the All-Star team,” Holly announced.
“Me too,” said Annie, and Lauren nodded her agreement.
“I wish I could,” said Liz. “But I’m already so strapped with school and college prep stuff. I was going to use the spring to catch up on everything.”
“Same here,” sighed Carmen. “I mean, I’d love to be on the All-Star team, but I was thinking I’d pull some extra shifts at my folks’ dry-cleaning shop. I really want to save up to buy a car.”
“That’s fine, girls,” Coach Ritter said. “You’re welcome to come to practices anyway, if you just want to work out.”
Annie understood that the older girls had other commitments besides roller derby, but couldn’t help feeling disappointed that if she made the All-Star team, some of her Liberty Belles teammates wouldn’t be a part of it. Of course the likelihood of her even making the elite team was pretty slim; she was only a rookie after all. Still, Annie was determined to work extra hard between now and the try-out. She’d come such a long way in a short time, there was no reason not to have hope.
As she f
ollowed Lauren out to her mum’s car, Annie felt a rush of excitement. The anti-Valentine’s Day bout (even without a flaming effigy of Tyler!) would have been great on its own, but now, with the news about the All-Star team, she felt even better.
She’d been wondering what she would do all spring and summer without derby to keep her busy.
Now she had a goal: to make the All-Star team and keep on skating!
Chapter Three
Lexie came bounding down the hallway and skidded to a halt at Annie’s locker. Today, she was rocking a 1960s Motown girl-group look, with her frizzy brown hair smoothed into a “groovy” flip and huge hoop earrings.
“Nice go-go boots,” said Annie, grinning.
“Thanks. They were my grandma’s during the Summer of Love, if you can believe it.” Lexie opened her backpack and pulled out a pile of photos. “But these boots are nothing compared to the pictures I took yesterday! Check ’em out!”
Annie took the photos. There she was, the Queen of Hearts, looking regal and ridiculous at the same time. In one of the shots, Dad’s cheeks were puffed out with a mouthful of stolen tarts. But she had to admit, the photographs were brilliant. And if this humorous advert – with a headline that read “EAT YOUR HEART OUT AT ROSIE LEE’S” – didn’t bring customers into the shop, nothing would.
“You never cease to amaze me,” said Annie, handing Lexie back the photos. “These look professional. You’re the most talented person I know.”
“Thanks,” Lexie said modestly. “Do you think your dad will like them?”
“He’ll love them,” said Annie. “The sillier I look, the happier he is.”
“I think you look awesome,” said Lexie, pointing to one of the photos. “I mean, sure, it’s supposed to be funny. But you look really good.”
The warning bell rang and Annie felt her heart sink. When Lexie noticed the look on her friend’s face she gave her a sympathetic smile.
“English this period?”
Annie nodded. Ms Schwarz’s literature class used to be her favourite. Now, though, she positively dreaded it.
“Maybe Tyler will ditch class today,” Lexie offered.
“Not likely. Athletes can get kicked off the team if they get caught skiving. Tyler may not care about Jane Austen, but soccer is his life.”
“So ignore him,” Lexie advised, as they walked down the hall together. “That shouldn’t be hard to do. The boy’s got the personality of a dirty sock.”
Annie laughed. “True. Unfortunately, Kelsey is also in the class and she loves rubbing it in my face that she and Tyler are together now.”
“Well, maybe you should remind her that you had him first and didn’t want him.”
Annie wished she had the guts to be able to do that. She’d stood up to Kelsey before. But seeing Tyler and Kelsey all over each other had a way of draining Annie’s confidence.
“Besides,” Lexie said, giving Annie a playful elbow to the ribs as they reached Ms Schwarz’s classroom. “Kelsey’s just the head cheerleader. You’re the Queen of Hearts. There’s no contest!”
Annie laughed, then took a deep breath and entered her English classroom.
Annie slipped into a desk in the back corner of the room. Before their break-up, Tyler had sat in the seat directly in front of her, but now he’d got into the habit of sitting next to Kelsey.
She took her paperback copy of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility out of her backpack and began to flip through it. This was Annie’s third time reading the book – she’d loved it since reading it in Year Eight, even though it had been a little difficult to get through back then. She’d watched the film to help her understand the more complicated plot points.
Having just gone through a break-up herself, Annie could thoroughly relate to the story. The Dashwood sisters had both been unlucky in love, and their heartache resonated with Annie now in a way it never had before. She opened her notebook and looked at some of the things she’d jotted down as she was re-reading the novel. Her first not-so-academic observation was written in big, bold bubble letters:
GUYS SUCK!!!
IN EVERY CENTURY!!!
Annie wondered if Ms Schwarz would give her an A if she wrote that on their next test. Probably not.
The class bell rang, and for a moment, Annie thought she might be spared the presence of Liberty Heights High’s golden couple. But two seconds after the bell Tyler and Kelsey sauntered in, arm in arm. From her desk, Ms Schwarz gave them a sharp look.
But they were both so besotted with each other they didn’t even notice the teacher’s glare. They remained entwined as they made their way to their desks. When Kelsey finally had to let go of Tyler’s hand to take her seat, she looked so devastated you’d think she’d just been taken off life support!
Annie let out a little snort of disgust.
“Now that we’re all present and accounted for,” Ms Schwarz said, “I’d like to try something a little different today. I’m going to assign you each a partner, which will give us a dozen co-ed pairs.”
“I pick Tyler,” Kelsey cooed, giving her boyfriend a flirtatious wink.
“Nice try,” said the teacher. “But I can’t imagine you and Mr Erickson would accomplish much. I don’t give extra credit for cuddling.”
The whole class (except Annie) cracked up at that. Kelsey didn’t even have the decency to blush. If anything, she looked pleased with Ms Schwarz’s remark.
When the laughter calmed down, the teacher went about breaking up the class into boy–girl pairs. Kelsey got matched with the boy Annie had been hoping to be paired with – a softly spoken but cute guy named Michael O’Connor, who was the star of the swimming team. This didn’t seem to bother Tyler; he was so cocky it probably didn’t even occur to him to feel jealous. Annie’s derby friend, Tessa, got paired with a boy from the marching band named Charles, who had twinkling blue eyes and seemed to have a great sense of humour. As the teacher went down the class list randomly pairing up girls and boys, Annie began to feel a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. There were only so many possible partners, after all.
Annie felt her chest tightening. Could Annie be unlucky enough to be paired with the one boy in class she couldn’t bear to look at, let alone work with?
Ben DeMarco with Emma-Kate McNeely...
Process of elimination was definitely not working in Annie’s favour. She held her breath.
“Annie Turner,” said Ms Schwarz, “you’ll be working with Demetri Vangelis.”
A flood of relief washed over Annie.
Demetri raised his hand. “I’ve got an early dismissal pass,” he said. “My mom’s picking me up in five minutes for a dentist appointment.”
Ms Schwarz sighed. “I sincerely wish you children could see to your dental hygiene on your own time.” She ran her pencil over the list again. “Very well. Annie, you can work with Tyler Erickson.”
It was all Annie could do to keep from leaping to her feet and screaming, ‘Nooooo!’ at the top of her lungs. She hazarded a glance at Kelsey who looked ready to explode.
Tyler merely looked amused.
Oh! So cocky!
Annie refused to be the one to get up and move to his desk. He could collect his books and come to her!
She waited as the rest of the students gathered up their belongings and shuffled around the classroom to join their partners. Swimmer Mike wasted no time getting himself over to Kelsey’s desk. Even shy Charles had enough gentlemanly courtesy to approach Tessa. But Tyler remained right where he was, looking smug. Annie’s foot tapped nervously under the desk, her fingers gripping the novel so tightly her knuckles were white.
“Mr Erickson,” Ms Schwarz prompted at last, “your partner is waiting.”
With an arrogant look, Tyler picked up his books and strolled across the room towards Annie. He took the seat in front of hers – the one he used to sit in back when they were a couple – and turned his back to the class to face her.
Annie was gritting her teeth so furiously she
was afraid she might find herself joining Demetri at the dentist.
But now that Tyler was in front of her, she could see that he was looking a lot less sure of himself. Was it her imagination or did he look as uncomfortable as she did?
“Hi,” she mumbled, not fully meeting his eyes.
“Hi.”
OK, now what? Annie wondered if congratulating him on his new relationship would seem mature, or snarky. Should she tell him straight out she was over him? Maybe she should just comment on the weather. It wasn’t helping that he had on the same shirt he was wearing the first time he’d ever kissed her.
Thankfully, Ms Schwarz picked that moment to explain the assignment.
“The purpose of this exercise is to discuss the relationship, such as it was, between Marianne Dashwood and John Willoughby. The question at the centre or your discourse should be this: did Willoughby really love Marianne, or was he just using her?”
“Let me guess,” joked Charles. “The boys are supposed to argue in favour of Willoughby.”
“Actually,” said Ms Schwarz with a sly grin, “I want to mix things up a bit and have the girls take Willoughby’s side.”
“You’re kidding!” cried Nicole.
“That’s impossible,” Allison agreed. “Willoughby was a complete jerk!”
“And how can a guy argue for Marianne?” David asked. “She was so blinded by romance she was delusional!”
“The chick was practically a stalker!” Alex added.
“I’m glad I’m leaving early,” Demetri remarked, scooping up his books and heading for the door. “My filling is going to be a cakewalk compared to this.”
When he was gone, Ms Schwarz continued with her instructions. “The point is for you to think beyond commonly held gender prejudices and try to imagine how a character of the opposite sex might defend his or her actions. You should take notes on your conversation, and for tonight’s homework, I want two paragraphs on what you learned from the discussion.”
Everyone grumbled, but after a moment or two, the class got to work.
Annie opened her book and went directly to the scene where Marianne and Willoughby first meet after she twists her ankle and is unable to walk home. The passage reminded her of the sprained ankle she’d suffered last autumn, although the circumstances were far less romantic. She’d been knocked down by her derby nemesis, Dee Stroyer, and, unfortunately, no one had ridden up on a stallion to rescue her.