Chapter 14

The Thriller Auditorium was located on the edge of town. Dorothy grew increasingly nervous as they passed buildings covered with graffiti. Trash skittered down the sidewalks like tumbleweeds, and tattered curtains wriggled their sharp fingers through broken windowpanes. Was the auditorium going to be as run-down as the rest of the neighborhood? And if so, what kind of people would be there?

Grandma parked the hearse in a five-minute loading zone right in front of the Thriller, and Dorothy, Sam, Gigi, and Jade climbed out of the car. Grandma locked the car doors from inside and joined the girls on the curb.

“Aren’t you worried about parking tickets?” Dorothy asked.

“Nope,” Grandma said, patting the roof of the car. “I worry about my Betty.”

The inside of the auditorium was large and grand, something between an opera house and a sports stadium. Gigantic chandeliers hung like diamond earrings from the soaring, domed ceiling. Rows and rows of bleacher seats descended toward an expansive, oval-shaped wood floor. Pounding rock music echoed off the walls, making Dorothy’s body tingle all the way down to her toes.

While Grandma went to claim their “kick-butt seats,” Dorothy, Gigi, Jade, and Sam took a tour of the building

At the back of the auditorium, they found a table piled high with fliers, playbills, and baked goods. The table was manned by a pretty blond girl a year or two older than Dorothy.

Sam picked up a chocolate chip cookie as big as her head. “I can’t wait to see real roller derby,” she told the blond girl.

“Is this your first time at a bout?” the girl asked, ringing up Sam’s cookie. She was wearing a cheerleader uniform with a handwritten name tag that read, “Callous Alice.”

Gigi perked the collar of her denim jacket and stuck out her chin. “Actually, we’re on a derby team, if you must know.”

“That’s cool,” Alice said. “I play with the Cheerbleeders. What’s your team name?”

“Uh…” Gigi cleared her throat and looked at Dorothy.

“We’re the…” Dorothy started. But the only thing that came to mind was the kissy lip sticker inside her locker. Unfortunately, “Hugs ’n’ Kisses” was a pretty lame team name. Then she remembered her run-in with Alex that morning and she had an idea. “Slugs ’n’ Hisses?”

“Yeah,” Gigi said, giving the table a thump with her fist. “We’re like snakes that can punch you in the face.”

Dorothy and Jade exchanged concerned looks. Why was Gigi acting so tough?

“Slugs ’n’ Hisses, you said?” Alice asked, fishing a clipboard out from under the table. She flipped through a few pages. “Your team isn’t on the schedule. Should I add you?”

“Sure,” Gigi said. “You do that.”

“Great. You’re coming into the season late, but we just had a team drop out, so we can fit you right in.” Alice took several minutes to write “Slugs ’n’ Hisses” on each page of the clipboard.

To pass the time, Dorothy leafed through a pamphlet titled Down and Derby: How the Game Is Played. It had a description of derby rules, an explanation of how points were scored, and a diagram of the track and team positions.

When Alice finished writing, she handed Gigi a copy of the schedule. “We have some really good junior teams this year. I hope you’re ready.”

Gigi crushed the schedule into a ball and tossed it to Jade. “We were born ready.”

After they paid for three cookies, two Rice Krispies treats, and a few cupcakes for Jade to take home to her mom, the girls headed back to the bleachers to find Grandma.

“You want to explain why you were so rude to Alice?” Jade asked as the group descended the stairs.

“Me? Rude?” Gigi said. “It was Alice who was all snotty. ‘Look at me,’” Gigi mimicked in a high, girly voice. “‘I’m blond and pretty and I know everything about roller derby.’”

“I bet we could have learned a lot from her,” Dorothy said.

Gigi snorted. “I don’t take advice from stuck-up cheerleaders.”

“Duh, Gigi,” Jade said. “She wasn’t a cheerleader. She was a Cheerbleeder.”

“Whatever. Same thing,” Gigi said. “It’s over, okay? Let’s just watch some roller derby and forget about it.”

The girls found Grandma at the bottom of the bleachers. After getting settled and opening their treats, Dorothy only had a couple minutes to look at her How the Game Is Played brochure before the music grew louder, announcing the start of the match.

“Jam time!” Grandma hooted. “You girls ready to rock?”