On Friday, I followed up with a general practitioner who was accepting new patients in an office near my apartment. She asked a million questions about the headaches, my memory, and any symptoms after exercise. When she was satisfied, she finally cleared me for skating.
After skating the park with Medusa, I skated every day that week, and by Saturday I felt ready—or as ready as possible, anyway.
When we were all geared up in the practice room, Grace pulled our little group into a huddle. We linked our arms around each other's shoulders and put our helmets together.
"Girls," she began, "we've worked hard to get here. Zoey has literally fought her way back from death. Monica has balanced back to school and our grueling schedule. Lucy didn't die. And Olivia, well…screw you, Olivia." We all burst out laughing. "No matter what happens today, I'm so glad we did this together. I love you, guys."
"We love you too, Grace!" Monica said, kissing Grace's cheek.
"Ready to do this?" Olivia asked, putting her hand inside the circle.
We piled our hands on top of hers.
"On the count of three, we yell Fresh Meat," Zoey said. "One! Two! Three!"
"Fresh Meat!"
Shamrocker skated over. "Huddle up, Fresh Meat Bitches! Let's get this party started!"
Everyone gathered around her. The group had whittled down to just thirteen remaining newbies. Across the room, the judges were seated in folding chairs. The Duchess was there. So was Full Metal Jackie, Kraken, Doc Carnage, Medusa…she caught my eye and pointed to Stone Cold Kelly. Medusa mouthed the words, "She's got you."
I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.
They were all holding clipboards and pens and chatting among themselves.
"This is how it's going to go down. Your skills test is divided into three parts. Basic skating skills and contact skating skills. The first test will begin with the dreaded 27 in 5s. Might as well get it over with, right?"
There was collective grumbling from our group.
"Part one will also include falling, stopping, and maneuvering. If you pass part one, then you move on to part two. Contact and game play. You'll be judged on play-specific skills like whips, blocking, and hits.
"If you pass part two, you can take the written rules test. You need eighty percent or better to pass. After that, you'll officially be a Music City Roller. Any questions?"
No one responded.
"OK. Then let's get started. We'll begin with pace line drills to get warmed up. Line up on the track!"
I was pretty sure I passed the line drills with fives across the board. I didn't fall once or trip anyone, even when weaving in and out of the line. Next was the dreaded 27 in 5. My heart was pounding like a sledgehammer in my chest as I skated up to the starting line. Olivia, Grace, Monica, and Zoey all lined up alongside me.
Olivia squeezed my shoulder. "You've got this."
I nodded, but my palms were sweating inside my wrist guards.
Medusa was standing next to Kelly on the sidelines. She waved to get my attention. "Remember what I told you. Breathe and focus on pacing yourself. Five-and-a-half laps per minute. That's all you need."
"Thanks." I forced a terrified smile.
Shamrocker blew the starting whistle.
Olivia immediately took the lead, of course. Grace fell in behind her. Then me, Monica, and Zoey. I kept my eyes fixed on Grace's back. Medusa had also said to try and keep pace with whoever was in front of me. We entered the first turn. Push, stretch, step. Push, stretch, step.
We skated out of it to the outside center line, then back into the other turn. Push, stretch, step. Push, stretch, step.
"One!" Kelly shouted.
By the fifth lap, Grace was pulling away from me. I pushed harder.
"Six!"
"Seven!"
"Eight!"
"Nine!"
"Ten!"
Medusa held up two fingers when I came back around again. That was two minutes. I pushed harder and extended my strides.
"Eleven!"
"Twelve!"
"Thirteen!"
"Fourteen!"
"Fifteen!"
"Sixteen!"
Medusa was holding up three fingers.
My cheeks puffed out and sweat slid down my face. As I passed Zoey, she cheered, "Good job, Lucy!"
I kept my head down, my eyes fixed on Grace.
"Seventeen!"
"Eighteen!"
"Nineteen!"
"Twenty!"
"Twenty-one!"
"Final minute warning!" Shamrocker shouted.
I did the math in my head. There wouldn't be enough time.
"Twenty-two!"
"Twenty-three!"
"Twenty-four!"
"Thirty seconds!"
Olivia who'd already finished twenty-seven laps skated alongside me. "We'll finish together. Push!"
"Twenty-five!"
"Twenty-six!"
The whistle blasted…but not before my skates crossed over the starting line again.
I was panting.
I almost threw up.
But I passed.
Olivia grabbed my hand and raised it into the air. Zoey caught up with us first and wrapped her bony arms around both of us. Medusa came next. Then Grace and Monica.
We all passed except for Zoey, but that was expected. We knew she'd get it the next time.
Olivia grabbed my helmet. "I'm so proud of you."
I laughed. "I'm kinda proud of me too!"
She laughed and pulled me into a hug.
Medusa slapped me on the back. "I hate to be a ball buster here, but you've still got a full day's worth of testing to do."
She was right, but the endurance test was the one I was most worried about. Once it was behind me, I had the confidence to pass the other skills with relative ease. By the end of the final test on skates, we were all red faced, heaving, and dripping with sweat, but the four of us made it.
Shamrocker passed out the written tests and pencils to all who were still standing, figuratively. I was laying on the floor, flat on my aching back, by the track. "Fill out the top with your actual name, your derby name, and your derby number. When you finish, take off your gear and go wait on the bleachers."
I rolled to my side and looked at Olivia. "We have to have decided on our derby name?"
She was reading over the test. "Looks like it. Good luck."
The test was harder than I expected with questions about penalties, scoring, and official reviews. Was the lead jammer whistle one long blast or two? I wasn't even sure what a "Game Structure Penalty" was. We had studied throughout our training, but staring at those questions, I wished we'd studied more. The paper was trembling in my hand when I turned it in.
Olivia was already taking off her skates when I got to where our bags were shoved against the wall. She looked up. "That was freaking hard."
My eyes doubled. "I know. I'm not sure I got eighty percent."
She pulled off a knee pad and made a sour face. "Me either."
I nibbled a fingernail while we waited in the bleachers. Zoey was sitting beside me, as anxious as the rest of us to see our results.
Finally, Shamrocker walked up in front of us with her clipboard. "If I call your name, come up and get your test along with your new skater packet. If I don't call your name, we all sincerely hope we'll see you at the next round of Fresh Meat in the spring."
Olivia reached over and gripped my hand.
Shamrocker held up the first test. "With a written test score of ninety-eight percent, Dr. Hooker, number $100."
We all erupted in cheers and stomping against the bleachers as Monica walked down to get her test. All the judges and coaches shook her hand.
"With a score of ninety-four, number 5, 5 Scar Jeneral!"
"With a score of ninety-two, number 6-ft-2, Britches Get Stitches!"
Olivia cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed. Grace did a pageant wave as she descended the benches.
"With a score of eighty-eight, number 212, Rocksee Rolls!"
"With a score of eighty-six, number 220v, Electra Cal!"
I'd chewed a bloody hole inside my cheek.
"Also with a score of eighty-six, number 34DD, Goldie Knocks!" Goldie Knocks’s aptly chosen derby number was nearly bouncing out of her tank top as she walked to get her test. I was jealous.
"With a score of eighty-four, number 12Gauge, Slugs Bunny!"
"With a score of eighty-two, number L0L, Lights Out Lucy!"
I slowly rose from my seat, my cheeks hot as the sun, as the room erupted in thunderous applause. Olivia jumped up and hugged me.
"I knew you could do it!" she cheered with tears in her eyes.
I kissed her cheek. "Couldn't have done it without you."
My thighs burned as I walked down the bleachers, and when I stepped off the bottom one, I tripped and stumbled forward. Shamrocker caught me, laughing hysterically.
"Oh my god. That was perfect," she said, steadying me.
The red in my face deepened.
She handed me my test. "Congratulations, Lucy."
"Thank you."
Medusa jogged over and grabbed me around the middle, hoisting me off my feet in a huge hug. The crowd cheered louder. When she returned my feet to the floor, her arm stayed slung around my neck. "I'm proud of you, Trip Hazard."
I glared at her. "That's not my name."
She laughed and nodded her head. "Lights Out Lucy, is it?"
I smiled.
She winked. "I like it. It's perfect, really."
"And finally, with a passing score of eighty, number…" Shamrocker paused for dramatic effect. "Bloody 4, Union Jackhammer!"
The room cheered, but my heart fell through the floor. Olivia didn't pass. Most jaws were dropped, including Grace and Monica's. Styx was staring up at the ceiling. Medusa crossed her arms.
Olivia was staring straight ahead.
I wanted to scream.
"Remember, if you didn't make it this time around, the next Fresh Meat session starts in March! If you passed, you're officially a member of the Rollers' training team, the Rising Rollers, and you're invited to skate in The Monster's Brawl next Saturday. Check the message board for more information!" Shamrocker shouted.
I looked up at Medusa. "Olivia's the best skater we have. If she doesn't deserve to be here, none of us do."
"Not my call, kid," she said.
Olivia walked down the bleachers and stopped in front of Shamrocker. The coach handed her her test and gave her a hug. I stomped over and ripped the papers out of Olivia's hand. "It can't be that bad. Surely, only a question or two short!"
"Lucy, stop," Olivia said.
But it was too late.
The test was blank.
I blinked. "You didn't even take it?"
Shamrocker rocked awkwardly from her heels to her toes. "I'm going to leave you two alone to discuss this. Congratulations again, Lucy."
When she was gone, I held up the papers in the air. "What the hell, Olivia?"
She smiled and pulled me in for another hug. "I told you. I'm just here for moral support."
I smacked her across the head with the test.
She laughed. "My place is at the restaurant. I love my job, and this sport takes a lot of time away from it."
"I'm going to do my best to convince her otherwise," Styx said, stopping at my side.
I looked at her. "Did you know about this?"
Styx nodded. "She told me a few days ago. Swore me to secrecy."
I pointed at Olivia. "You suck."
"I know." She slung her arm around my neck. "You can berate me over a round of beers. It's time to celebrate."