Dad dropped Annie at the rink entrance.
“You wanna come in and watch practice for a bit?” Annie offered. “This is going to be the last one for a while.”
This thought sent a stab of sadness right to Annie’s heart. Technically, the season was over – and the Liberty Belles had won the league championships! But on the downside, Annie and the girls would be derby-free until the autumn. Today’s practice was a special one, called by Coach Ritter so the girls could get in one last workout, clear out their lockers, and say goodbye.
“I’d love to,” said Dad, “but I don’t think that would be advisable. I’m afraid if I turn off the motor, I’ll never get it going again.”
“I’ll get a ride home from Lauren’s mum,” Annie said.
“Good thinking.” Dad laughed, then waved and drove off. The truck growled menacingly.
Just as Annie reached the glass entrance door, she heard a familiar whirring sound. She turned to see Jesse, bundled into a thick hoodie and heavy gloves, his black hair hidden under a beanie, rolling up on his skateboard.
He smiled at Annie as Dad pulled out of the car park.
“That noise can only mean one of two things,” he said, hopping off the board and flipping it up into his hand. “Either Godzilla has arrived to devour Liberty Heights or your Dad’s pickup is in serious need of a fan belt. I almost couldn’t hear the Nirvana CD he was blasting.”
Annie giggled. “OK, first of all, the Nirvana CD is mine. And second of all, you’re right. It’s pretty clear that our poor old fan belt might have to be put out of its misery.”
Jesse laughed. “Sad but true.” He opened the door to the rink and held it for Annie. “If you want, I can take a look at it.”
“Really? You know about trucks?”
“I know about anything with wheels. Skates, skateboards, bikes, cars. I’m that guy.”
“Ah, well, if that guy could possibly fix our fan belt, we’d be very grateful. Thanks, Jesse.”
As Annie headed for the locker room, she thought about how thoughtful and sweet Jesse was. If she’d ever told Tyler her dad’s truck needed attention, he wouldn’t have cared.
Stop thinking about Tyler; he’s a big jerk.
In the locker room, Lauren, Sharmila, Holly, Carmen, Liz, and the other Liberty Belles were getting into their gear.
“So, Lauren,” Holly teased, “I saw you talking to a cute sophomore guy outside the chemistry lab this morning. Looked like some major valentine potential.”
Lauren gave an awkward laugh. “We were just talking about homework.”
“Yeah, right,” said Sharmila, waggling her eyebrows. “There was more chemistry happening between you two than there was in the lab!”
Lauren just ducked her head and focused on putting on her skates.
“Guess who I saw at the mall this afternoon,” said Carmen. “Kelsey. She was making a big deal about buying these stupid boxer shorts for her new boyfriend as a Valentine’s Day gift.”
At that, the entire locker room went silent and all eyes shot to Annie, who felt her stomach flip over.
Carmen frowned and looked from one grim face to another. “What? What did I say?”
“Kelsey’s new boyfriend is Annie’s old one,” Liz whispered.
Carmen immediately went pale. “OMG, Annie. I’m so sorry. I had no idea she and Tyler were going out together.”
Annie shrugged. “It’s OK. How could you know? They just started dating, like, five minutes ago.” Of course, Tyler and I only broke up, like, six minutes ago.
Truth be told, the fact that Tyler was suddenly all up in Kelsey’s pom-poms did kind of sting. Annie’s history with the head cheerleader, Kelsey, was not a good one. Ever since Annie had turned down a spot on the cheerleading squad, Kelsey had made it her personal mission to make Annie’s life difficult.
“Besides,” Annie said, forcing a carefree smile, “I’m completely over him. And completely over Valentine’s Day. I’m boycotting it this year.”
Lauren laughed. “Boycotting Valentine’s Day. I love it.”
“Well, I don’t,” said Sharmila, just as Coach Ritter entered the locker room. “I like the idea of some hot guy buying me chocolate and swooning over me, even if it does only happen one day of the year.”
“Guys swoon over you all the time,” Holly reminded her.
Sharmila struck a pose and fluffed her hair. “True.”
Everyone laughed, even Annie. Sharmila had the looks of a Bollywood star, with her long black hair and striking green eyes.
“Well I’m certainly not looking forward to baking two dozen heart-shaped cookies for my daughter’s class Valentine Day’s party and helping Abby make twenty-four cards for her classmates,” Coach said.
“Why don’t you order the cookies from Annie’s dad?” Carmen suggested. “The ones he baked for our Christmas party were awesome.”
“I’m sure he’ll give you a derby discount,” Lauren added, “since you’re Annie’s coach and all.”
Annie smiled. She was sure Dad would be glad to help out Coach Ritter, but it had less to do with her being the coach and more to do with the fact that he had a pretty huge crush on her. They’d been out on a couple of dates, and Annie had even seen them kiss under the mistletoe back in December.
“I’ll place the order for you when I get home tonight,” Annie said.
“Thanks,” said Coach, visibly relieved. “Well, now that I don’t have to worry about cookies, what do you say we get on with practice? Remember, girls, it is really important to stay fit in the off season, so you’re in shape when next season starts.”
“I know,” said Holly, sadly. “But it is more fun to work out as a team.”
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 followed 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!