“Excuse me,” said Dad, as Annie lugged yet another duffle bag down the front path, “but I was under the impression you were only going to be away for a few days.”
“I am,” said Annie, hoisting the heavy bag of skates and equipment into the trunk.
“Then why did you pack as if you’ll be gone for a few years?”
“Dad, have you seen me after a skate practice?”
“Of course.”
“Then you may have noticed that I tend to get a little sweaty.”
Dad grinned. “True. It’s actually pretty disgusting.”
Annie didn’t take offence. “And since I won’t have time to do laundry at camp, I’m going to need fresh workout clothes for every day of the week.” She scanned the three nylon duffle bags in the back of the truck. “I just hope I didn’t forget anything.”
“Did you remember your ankle brace?” asked Dad.
“Ankle brace, check,” said Annie.
“Helmet?”
“Check.”
“Mouthguard?”
“Check.”
“Good, because you wouldn’t want to borrow someone else’s mouthguard.”
“Gross.”
“Very. Hmm, what else? Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss?”
“Check, check, check.”
“Socks, pyjamas, and other unmentionable girly type undergarments?”
“Check, check, and awkward but yeah ... check.”
Dad laughed, climbing into the driver’s seat. “Sounds like you’ve got everything,” he said. “I think we’re good to go.”
“Wait!” cried Annie. “I did forget something.” She turned and dashed back into the house, where she’d left a pile of CDs on her desk, and scooped up a handful.
“I thought we’d need tunes,” she explained.
“Always thinking ahead, that’s my Beanie!” Dad chuckled.“Do we need to pick Lexie up?”
“No,” replied Annie. “She’s meeting us at Rosie Lee’s.” The plan was to meet Lexie at the café and show her the ropes, so she could hold down the fort while Dad drove Annie to the university.
As Annie climbed into the passenger’s seat, she was filled with a jumble of feelings. Mostly she was excited – pumped up about derby camp and ready to work as hard as she could. But she was also a little intimidated; she’d be skating with girls who were far more advanced than she was. She knew the whole point of camp was to improve, she just hoped she wouldn’t make too poor a showing.
And there was something else, she realized, as she looked across the front garden at the colonial-style house that had once belonged to her grandparents. Annie was already feeling pangs of homesickness. It was silly, she knew, since she would only be gone for seven days. But she’d never been away from her father for that long before. For all his goofiness, he was truly the steadying force in Annie’s world. She was going to miss him, even if it was only for a week. She knew Dad was feeling sad about it too, because he’d spent the whole morning being extra cheery to cover it up.
Annie would miss Lexie a lot as well. And as Holly was the only Belle who’d be attending camp with her, she’d also be missing her teammates.
And Jesse.
Just the thought of not being able to talk to him about, well, anything, really – from the artistic significance of the Ramones’ Road to Ruin album to whether her skates would get better grip by switching her fifty-nine-millimetre wheels to sixty-two millimetres – actually sent a stab of panic to her heart.
That feeling took her by surprise. Seriously? she thought. I don’t like the Ramones that much.
“All right, then,” Dad said, slipping the key into the ignition. “Let’s get this show on the road!”
“Let’s do it!” chimed Annie.
Unfortunately, the truck had other plans.
* * *
Maybe it was due to the fact that she’d just that minute been thinking of him, or maybe it was because she knew he was a genius about anything with wheels.
Or perhaps it was simply that she wanted to say goodbye before she left town for a week. Whatever the reason, Annie’s immediate thought was to call Jesse.
He was there in five minutes, surprising Annie by pulling up in his mother’s car. She’d only seen him on his skateboard before.
“It sounded like an emergency,” he said, by way of explanation. “I figured you wouldn’t want to wait for me to roll here.”
“Thanks for coming,” said Annie. “I really appreciate it.”
“No prob,” said Jesse; then he got down to business, opening the bonnet and examining the truck’s inner workings.
“So what do you think?” Dad asked.
“Definitely the fan belt,” Jesse replied. “I think I could patch it up enough to get you started, but it would only be a temporary fix. I really wouldn’t go much farther than the nearest service station with it.”
Annie’s heart sank. “How am I going to get to camp?”
“Maybe you can catch a ride with Holly’s folks?” Dad suggested.
But Annie shook her head, feeling the tears stinging behind her eyes. “They drove up yesterday to spend the night with family in the area.” She frowned, thinking hard. “Could I take a taxi?”
“You could,” said Dad. “Except the fare would cost more than I earn in a month at Rosie Lee’s.” He shrugged and shook his head, looking on the verge of tears himself. “I’m so sorry, Beanie.”
“Um...” Jesse cleared his throat. “Maybe I can drive you.”
Annie’s eyes shot from Dad, to Jesse, then back to Dad. She felt a swell of hope. “Dad? Can he? Please?”
“Gosh, Annie, I don’t know. It’s a long way...”
“I’m actually a really cautious driver, sir,” Jesse assured him. “I’ve only had my licence for six months, but I swear I’ll be really careful.”
Annie looked at her father with pleading eyes. Say yes, she implored. Please, Dad. Say yes.
Dad sighed, weighing up the options, but it was clear they had none. “OK,” he said at last. “Jesse can drive you to camp.”
“Oh!” Annie leaped into his arms and hugged him tight. “Thank you, Dad! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”
It was a moment before Annie realized that although most of her joy stemmed from the fact that she wouldn’t have to miss boot camp, she was also pretty pleased at the thought of spending the two-hour drive with Jesse. They’d have plenty of time to talk and catch up and just ... well, hang out.
“Jesse,” Dad was asking, “would you mind trying to do that temporary fix you were talking about so I can get this old heap to a garage?”
“Sure thing, Mr Turner.”
“Thanks. I’ll go inside and call around to see where I might get the best deal on a fan belt.”
“You should try Hank’s Garage on West Avenue,” Jesse suggested. “He’s the only mechanic my mom trusts.” He grinned. “Just tell him Jesse Mathieu sent you.”
“Will do,” said Dad, then turned to Annie. “You’ll have to stop at Rosie Lee’s on your way to let Lexie in and give her a quick tutorial on the opening routine. I’ll be there later to teach her the rest of it.”
When Dad disappeared into the house after giving Jesse some petrol money, Jesse walked around to the back of the pickup truck. He smiled when he saw the amount of luggage Annie was bringing.
“Guess you’re not a fan of packing light,” he joked.
Annie just smiled. She was not about to tell him she expected to spend the next seven days sweating like a pig!
He shifted her bags around, searching for something in the flat bed.
“What are you looking for?” she asked. “Tools? Owner’s manual? Spare tire?”
“Why would I need the spare tire to fix a fan belt?”
Annie gave him an innocent look. “How should I know? That’s why I called you.”
“Actually, do you have an extra pair of tights in your suitcase?”
“You want a pair of my tights?” Annie echoed, confused.
“Not to wear,” he said, smiling. “They’re for the truck.”
“Oh.” Still confused, Annie dug into one of the duffles and pulled out her least favourite derby tights – a pair of black-and-red striped ones that had so many runs and tears in them they were practically fishnets. “Will these do?”
“Yep.”
Ten minutes later, Jesse had fashioned a makeshift fan belt out of the tattered tights.
“Wow,” said Annie, duly impressed. “You’re amazing.”
“Thanks.”
“Who’d have ever thought my derby gear would also have automotive applications.”
“Right?” Jesse laughed. “Just goes to show you how being a roller girl can serve you in all aspects of life.”
Jesse transferred Annie’s luggage into the Volvo’s boot while she ran into the house to say goodbye to Dad, and then they were finally on their way.
As he guided the car cautiously towards Rosie Lee’s, Annie couldn’t help sneaking glances at him from her place in the passenger’s seat.
He’d come to her rescue. Proud as she was to be a tough roller girl, she had to admit that getting in touch with her inner damsel was kind of fun. As she watched the muscles in Jesse’s forearm flex when he shifted the gears, an interesting thought occurred to her.
Maybe a hero doesn’t necessarily have to be a knight in shining armour riding a white stallion. Maybe sometimes, all you really need is a great guy in jeans and a Green Day T-shirt, driving his mother’s Volvo.
Because Jesse had saved the day. He’d been there for her when she needed him. And Annie knew that even the most independent roller girl in the world couldn’t argue with that.
* * *
Lexie looked confused when the blue estate car pulled up in front of Rosie Lee’s with Jesse behind the wheel and Annie in the passenger’s seat.
“Well, this is unexpected,” she said, as they climbed out of the car.
“Look who’s talking about unexpected,” said Annie, taking in Lexie’s attire.
Lexie did a little spin to show off her outfit. “You like?”
“I like!” said Annie, bobbing her head in approval.
True to form, Lexie had taken her temporary waitressing gig to the next level by going all out in the wardrobe department. She was wearing a snug-fitting, pink polyester dress, with an oversized collar and a scalloped white apron. There was even a little name tag pinned to the lapel that read “Dolores”. She was also sporting a pair of cat’s-eye glasses and a little paper crown on her head. She’d tucked a pencil behind her ear and had done her eyes up with old-school, powder-blue eyeshadow.
“I feel like we’ve just stepped back in time to 1957,” laughed Jesse. “Who’s Dolores?”
“Dunno,” said Lexie. “I guess she was the waitress who donated this vintage diner uniform to the thrift shop. Isn’t it great?”
“It’s brilliant!” said Annie. “My dad’s gonna love it.”
Lexie beamed. “Well, it was between this kitschy look, and a Victorian dress with a bustle, a pinafore, and a little lace mob cap. Technically, that would have been more in keeping with the whole British theme, but nowhere near as much fun.”
“I think you made the right choice, Dolores,” Annie giggled.
“Thanks, girlie,” said Lexie, affecting a twang. Then she popped a piece of gum into her mouth and snapped it a few times. “So are yous two gonna show me around this dump, or what? I ain’t got all day, and my feet are already killin’ me. Jeesh, what’s a gal gotta do to get a cuppa caw-fee in this joint, heh? And don’t try to gimme any a’ that new-fangled flavoured crap neither. A good old-fashioned cuppa joe, that’s what I like.”
Annie was cracking up as she unlocked the front door. She had a feeling that with a little help from “Dolores”, Lexie would earn enough tip money to buy her new graphics tablet in no time!