Chapter 21

“Let’s go,” Grandma said, tucking her spiky pink hair into a nun’s habit. “We’re running late. Don’t want to miss your big championship game!”

Halloween had arrived sunny but cold. The Night of the Rolling Dead was tonight, and Dorothy was in her uniform: her Slugs ’n’ Hisses T-shirt and a skirt. She’d used eye shadow to apply a dark circle around one eye and a dark line under the other for dramatic effect. For a final touch, she’d used Grandma’s red lipstick to paint blood dripping from the corners of her mouth. It had made her queasy to look at herself in the mirror, but she definitely looked like an Undead Redhead now.

Grandma was dressed as the Shotgun Nun. Her outfit was mostly a nun costume, except Grandma had shortened the dress so it just barely covered her behind. “All the better to show off my new fishnets and thigh-high boots,” she had said.

“Let’s do this,” Dorothy said, feeling a sudden rush of excitement about the big game. She headed to the door, picked up her skates by the laces, and yanked the door open.

There stood her mother, one hand raised, ready to knock.

“Trick or treat!” she said, wrapping her arms around her startled daughter.

Dorothy swallowed hard. Was this a dream? Mom? Here at Grandma’s house? Remembering the forbidden skates in her hand, she carefully shifted them so they were concealed behind her back.

Sam ran up and hugged Mom. Sam was wearing the Slugs ’n’ Hisses Official Cheerleader T-shirt Jade had made for her.

“Are you surprised to see me?” Mom asked, holding Sam out at arm’s length. Mom’s hair was now platinum blond instead of red. Her smile was bleach white.

“Uh, very surprised,” Dorothy said. She bit her bottom lip. “So, why didn’t you call?”

Mom grinned. “And ruin all the fun?”

“Are you here to take us to Nashville?” Sam said, bouncing up and down.

Mom laughed and tucked a loose strand of curly hair behind Sam’s ear. “No, Samantha. Just visiting. I thought I’d stop in on my way to California. Nashville really isn’t working out for Mommy, so I’m going to L.A. to become an actress. Isn’t that cool? Your mom, a Hollywood star!”

“But you’re gonna take us with you, right?” Sam said, clutching Mom’s jacket sleeve.

“Come on, Sammy. Don’t be like that,” Mom said, peeling Sam’s fingers off her arm and smoothing out the wrinkled suede. “L.A. isn’t any good for kids. Smoggy, lots of traffic. Besides, I’m going to be really busy with auditions and movie shoots and things. You understand, don’t you, honey?”

Tears pooled in the little girl’s eyes.

Dorothy wrapped a protective arm around her little sister’s shoulder. “Why did you even come here?”

Mom furrowed her brow. “Dorothy Anne Moore. What’s gotten into you? I thought you’d be happy to see me.” Her eyes assessed her daughter critically. “So,” she said, suspiciously, “what’s with the makeup and clothes? Don’t tell me you’ve gone all goth on us.”

Dorothy shook her head. “Uh…just a Halloween costume.”

Mom’s look turned angry. “And this?” she said, pushing a fake fingernail into the Slugs ’n’ Hisses logo on Dorothy’s T-shirt. “Is this for Halloween, too?”

“Mom!” Dorothy said, shifting away, but her skate wheels clacked together behind her back.

“Ah-ha!” Mom said, reaching behind Dorothy’s back to pull the skates out of Dorothy’s hand. She held them up in the air like a detective who had just found the murder weapon.

Mom’s eyes shifted to Grandma, who was now standing at the foot of the stairs. “You did this,” she growled. “You got my girls into roller derby, didn’t you?”

“But, Mom,” Sam said. “Roller derby is awesome. And Dorothy is really good. She’s in the championship bout tonight. You should come!”

“A derby bout?” Mom said, furious. She paced in front of the door like a caged panther. “Did it ever occur to you why I forbade you to roller-skate?”

Because you’re a control freak? Dorothy thought angrily.

“Because roller derby ruined my childhood,” Mom said, still pacing. “Other girls had normal moms. Moms who baked cookies, tucked them in at night, showed up to parent-teacher conferences and dentist appointments. And what did I have?” She planted her feet and shook the skates at Grandma. “Shotgun Sally! A woman too busy gallivanting around the country with her team to bother being there for me.” Mom lowered her head and her shoulders trembled.

“Oh, Dolly,” Grandma said, her high-heel boots clacking on the tile floor as she walked to her daughter, arms open.

Mom’s head shot up, and she held her hand out like a crossing guard. “Don’t call me that!” she snarled. “I’m not your Dolly anymore. I’m Holly now.” Mom wiped tears from her eyes and looked at Dorothy and Sam. Her voice was sweet again. “Don’t you like it, girls? I haven’t decided on a last name yet. I’m thinking about Wood, or Jolly, or Mackerel. You know, something with star power.”

Dorothy stared at her mom, dumbstruck. Holly Mackerel? Really? Dorothy was beginning to think Mom was crazier than Grandma. At least Grandma was fun crazy. Supportive and encouraging crazy. Sure, Grandma drove too fast and broke just about every parking law in existence, but she had their back, too. Mom only seemed to be worried about one person. Herself.

“We really have to go now,” Dorothy said, reaching for the skates. She didn’t want to talk anymore. She was too angry. “My team is waiting.”

Mom planted her feet in front of the door and held the skates out of reach. “No! Roller derby took my mom away from me. I will not let it take my children, too!”

“Take us away?” Dorothy spat. It was all she could do to keep herself from body slamming her mom. “It’s you who went away. Not us.”

“What did you say?” Mom’s voice was thin, like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Dorothy’s heart thudded in her chest. She had never talked back to Mom before. She gritted her teeth and strained to keep her voice calm and even. “I haven’t noticed you tucking us in at night. Or baking us cookies or coming to parent-teacher conferences.”

Mom’s eyes widened with shock and hurt. “But that’s different.” She hesitated. “I’m different. It’s not like I’m playing stupid roller derby. I’m building a serious career, following my dreams. Didn’t you hear, Dorothy? I’m going to be a star!”

Right. Totally different, Dorothy thought.

“Okay,” Dorothy said flatly. “You go be a star. Send us a postcard or something.” She reached her hands out for the skates. “Now if you don’t mind, I have a stupid roller derby championship to win.”

“Fine,” Mom said, defeated, dropping the skates at Dorothy’s feet.

Dorothy barely managed to hop out of the way before the skates hit her toes.

Mom shook her head at Dorothy. “I always did think you took after your grandmother. Feisty. Rebellious. I did my best to tame you, but I see now that it was a lost cause.”

She turned on her heel. “I wish I had never come here,” she mumbled, then slammed the door so hard that the furniture jumped.

“That makes two of us,” Dorothy said to the door.

Sam burst into tears and flung her arms around Dorothy’s waist.

Dorothy sighed and held her sister tightly. She immediately regretted arguing with Mom. She should have bit her tongue, at least for Sam’s sake.

Grandma tutted softly and wrapped both girls in her strong arms. “She’ll come around, you’ll see. She may have changed her name, her hair color, and her address, but she’s still your mom and she loves you. She just needs some time to find herself. She’ll be back.”

“Really?” Sam snuffled.

“Sure,” Grandma said. “I promise.”

Just then there was a loud knock at the door.

“Mom?” Sam said, rushing to open it.

But it wasn’t Mom. It was two police officers in dark uniforms, displaying shiny silver badges.