In A Jam

by Megan Sparks

  “It’s fine.” Dad took a sip of his beer. “Gives the flavours more time to soak in and me a chance to catch up with the football. Can’t have Thanksgiving without football. Still remember the last time the Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl. 1985 was a great year.”

  Annie glanced at the game. Green Bay Packers versus the New York Giants. She knew the basic rules of American football from the time Lauren had dragged her to watch Keith play. “Who are you rooting for?”

  “Packers. But don’t say that to anyone at Rosie Lee’s or I might go out of business. Rival team, you know. From Wisconsin.”

  “Cool.” Annie watched for a bit before picking up The Taming of the Shrew. Just because she’d seen it performed, didn’t mean she wasn’t going to finish reading it. Every so often she’d glance up to catch the game. Both teams were playing well and it was nice hanging out with Dad even though she could do that any time. If only Mum didn’t have to work so much and would join them. As a family.

  Dad suddenly sat up, moving to the edge of the sofa. “Oh, oh, noooo! Did you see that? What a wuss. That linebacker barely touched him and the quarterback fumbled. I think they should strap those boys to some skates and get them to play roller derby in the off-season. You girls could toughen them up.”

  Annie playfully punched her dad’s shoulder.

  “Ouch!” He pretended to screech in a high-pitched voice and cowered away from Annie. “Stop!”

  Annie hit Dad again before he wrapped an arm around her, pinning her elbows to her side. Annie tried to break free but he held her tight and kissed the top of her head. “Like I said, you can show those boys who’s the boss.”

  “I have to show you who’s boss first.” Annie squirmed just enough to start tickling Dad. Whether he really was ticklish or just liked pretending, Dad screeched higher than before and threw a cushion at Annie.

  As if a cushion could defeat the greatest tickle monster EVER!

  “I’m done. We can eat now.”

  Annie and Dad looked up from attacking each other, both of them halfway between being on the sofa and on the floor. Mum stood with her arms folded, in her stylish work clothes as if she were actually in her office, rather than thousands of miles away. Annie straightened up and looked down at her faded jeans and sweatshirt. Dad wasn’t much better in jogging bottoms and a shirt with holes in the armpits. No wonder Mum wanted to go shopping tomorrow.

  “Wouldn’t want to keep you waiting,” Dad said. If Mum noticed the jibe, she didn’t say anything.

  Dad carved the turkey and loaded up each plate with a mound of food. Mum stared at her plate for a second then began nibbling around the edges. Annie tasted a bit of everything first, then tried to choose what she wanted to save for last. It was a hard choice considering it was all delicious.

  “Everything is fab, Dad.” Annie said between mouthfuls.

  “Well, of course,” Dad said in a mock conceited voice, then returned back to his normal tone. No, not normal. Dad didn’t normally focus so hard to make sure the words came out just right. “Is the food OK for you, Philippa?”

  Mum didn’t look up, just poked at something with her fork. “What is this white stuff in the sweet potatoes?”

  “Marshmallows.” Dad grinned. “Great idea, right?”

  “Not very healthy, is it?” Mum used her fork to pick out the marshmallows and move them to the side of her plate.

  Dad stabbed all the marshmallows from his plate, and Mum’s, and stuffed the huge white and pink glob into his mouth. “Yum!”

  Mum looked disgusted while Dad chewed with his mouth open. Annie wanted to scold both of them. They weren’t even trying to get along. More like they were doing everything not to.

  “Hey, Mum,” Annie said, with too much enthusiasm, “I got a text from Jesse earlier. He just wanted to say again how great it was to meet you and that he hopes you had fun at the bout.”

  “Fun. Of course.” Mum sniffed disapprovingly. “I loved watching my daughter in a tarty outfit get knocked down by other girls in tarty outfits.”

  Annie blinked a few times as she tried to control her temper. Maybe it would have been better to let Mum be critical and Dad be childish. That way she could have stayed out of the argument.

  Too late now.

  “What we wear has nothing to do with anything. It definitely doesn’t mean we’re tarts.” Annie spoke as calmly as she could. “In fact, I reveal less in my derby kit than I did in a leotard.”

  Dad bit back a smile as Annie made her point. But Mum was a top lawyer; she wasn’t going to give up on the case without a fight. “But you can get hurt. I don’t like you getting shoved around like that. I’m surprised you’ve only suffered a sprained ankle. Why don’t you find a safer sport – tennis, perhaps? Or cross country? You’ve always enjoyed running.”

  What? Quit derby? Annie squared her shoulders and sat taller. She had to work hard to keep the fury out of her voice. “I’m NOT giving it up. I got hurt a couple of times in gymnastics and you never talked about me quitting. When Uncle Pete wanted to take up club rugby after uni you encouraged him to give it a go. What’s the difference? They’re both contact sports.”

  Mum wasn’t going to back down. “Except that Peter is my brother and weighs a hundred kilos. You’re my daughter, and a girl. It’s a huge difference.”

  “You always said that girls could do anything that boys could.” Annie set down her fork and crossed her arms.

  “Strike two,” Dad mumbled.

  Mum’s lips pressed together tightly. “Fine. You’re right. I just don’t see where this is going to take you in life. It’s hardly something you can put on your CV.”

  “Sure it is,” Dad interrupted, although Annie didn’t know if it was to help her out, or defeat Mum. “She’s being a team player, making quick decisions, and, as you just witnessed, learning to stand up and defend herself. If you look past the booty shorts and fishnets, you’d see she’s made great friends on the team. All of whom are smart, strong, and independent young ladies.” Dad sat back in the chair looking smug. For good reason: those were exactly the traits Mum valued.

  And yet instead of dropping all charges, Mum smirked. “Of course you’d say that. I’m not an idiot, you know.”

  “What does that mean?” Dad demanded.

  Warning bells went off in Annie’s head. “Dad, how are those desserts doing? Should we check on them?”

  He didn’t even glance at the oven, just kept his eyes on Mum.

  Now it was Mum’s turn to cross her arms. “I know you’re having an affair with that coach. I saw you two flirting while Annie and I were getting her skates. You were practically undressing her with your eyes after the match.”

  “Mum!” Annie choked on her stuffing.

  Dad blushed, something he rarely did. “Not true, but my personal life is none of your business. You wanted to split up. Besides, Annie can use a strong female role model in her life.”

  “Dad!” The insult hit Annie as hard as it hit Mum. Annie had rarely seen Mum so livid as she stood up from the table.

  Mum’s nose flared as she pressed her lips together. “Oh, great role model. A tattooed tart! Annie doesn’t need a woman like that. She has me.”

  Dad stood as well. “Except you’re thousands of miles away. Working.”

  Annie covered her ears. “Stop it! Both of you. You’re ruining everything!”

  “Fine, I’ll go then.” Mum threw her napkin on her half-finished meal and stormed into her room. Dad slumped back in his chair and began shovelling food into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten in years. Annie just stared at her plate, tears rolling down her cheeks. A few minutes later, the guest room door opened.

  Good, Mum had calmed down. Maybe now they could all make an effort to be a family, even if it was just for Thanksgiving.

  Except that Mum had her bags with her. All of them.

  “I’m leaving. Annie, if you wish to see me before I fly back home, I’ll be staying at the Royal Suites on Maple Avenue.”


  And with that, she stormed out of the house, slamming the front door behind her.

  “No, Mum, wait.” Annie got up and rushed outside after her, but the taxi was already driving away.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Mum’s not answering my calls,” Annie told Tyler that evening. She had been desperate to get out of the house and had invited herself over to Tyler’s. His family were back from their dinner at the restaurant, his grandparents and uncle were gone, and both his parents were in their respective studies. Annie had brought a huge container of leftover turkey and all of the lemon meringue pie with her to Tyler’s. Mum had left before the pie came out of the oven and neither Annie nor Dad wanted it in the house. The tension at home was too much without the pie mocking them.

  “She did send me an email, though.” Annie spread mayonnaise on a slice of white bread before adding turkey and a bit of lettuce while Tyler helped himself to a huge piece of pie. “Just to say that she needed some space and she’ll contact me soon.”

  “Well, what’s the problem? She’ll be in touch. Nothing to worry about,” Tyler said before spooning a massive bite into his mouth.

  Annie closed her sandwich, pressing it down a bit to keep the turkey from falling out. “Yeah, but she’s only here for a few days. I don’t want to remember her visit this way.”

  Tyler shrugged. “Then don’t think about it.”

  Annie frowned. Why couldn’t Tyler understand? She couldn’t just forget about something so important. “I can’t help thinking about it. I feel like it’s partially my fault. My parents started it, true, but I mentioned roller derby and then it all went crazy. I shouldn’t have bothered taking Mum to the bout when I knew she wouldn’t like it. Now she wants me to quit.”

  “She has a point,” Tyler said with his mouth full. “It’s dangerous and kind of butch, which you’re not. Without roller derby, we’d have more time to hang out together.”

  Meaning she’d have more time to do the things he wanted. That didn’t seem fair. “You’re not being very supportive. Roller derby is my thing. It’s what I want to do.”

  “Why? What do you like so much about it?” Annie knew he was asking it as a rhetorical question, but she decided to answer his question seriously. It was hard to put her feelings into words but she had to make him see, make him understand.

  “It’s thrilling and unpredictable. One second someone’s blocking you, the next you’re speeding around the rink. From the first day I watched the Illinoisies play the Corn Hustlers, I was hooked. And best of all, most of the girls who play are really great.”

  Annie’s face relaxed as she felt the tension lift from her shoulders. This was what she needed to tell Mum. This was how she could get Mum to understand how important it was to her.

  Tyler scraped the last of his pie off the plate. “They’re great at being freaks.”

  The smile that had crossed Annie’s face as she talked about the sport she loved vanished. “At least they’re not full of themselves like your friends. Roller girls are individuals, not afraid to be different. That’s what’s so great about roller derby. Everyone is welcome.”

  Tyler rolled his eyes. “That’s the only way they’ll get enough people to play. It’s no big deal making a team that anyone can join.”

  That wasn’t quite true. You had to have the basic skills so you wouldn’t get hurt. Annie still remembered the effort she put into making the league, and the sad looks on the faces of the girls who hadn’t made the cut.

  “What is it with you and roller derby?” Annie set down her half-eaten sandwich. “You’re always putting it down. You’ve only been to that one bout on Halloween. I thought you’d be there yesterday. To cheer me on. I could have done with you being there with my parents at each other’s throats.”

  Tyler set his plate in the sink. “Look, I’m sorry your parents are fighting, but I was busy. Besides, roller derby just isn’t my thing.”

  “Why?”

  He didn’t even pretend to be ashamed of what he said next. “Well, for one thing, it’s embarrassing standing next to you in those freakish clothes and you being so much taller than me in skates.”

  Annie stood up straight with her shoulders back. “I am taller than you.”

  “Yeah, and that’s just wrong.”

  “Says who?”

  Tyler folded his arms, not looking at her. “It doesn’t matter. I just don’t like roller derby, OK? There’s no point in it and I shouldn’t have to pretend.”

  Annie put her hands on her hips. “Oh right, but you still expect me to go to your soccer games.”

  “That’s different. The whole world plays soccer. You love soccer too.”

  Love was a very strong word. True she had enjoyed going to a couple of games with Dad in London but it wouldn’t bother her if she never saw a match again. “Not really. It’s fine, but I only go to the school games for you. And you don’t do the same for me. We do everything you want to do. We hang out with your friends, not mine.”

  Tyler sat on one of the kitchen chairs and leaned the chair back onto two legs. His hands wrapped behind his head. “Yeah, because my friends are actually cool.”

  “Right – they’re so cool, they can’t be bothered to make the new girl feel welcome. Even now, I bet half the team don’t know my name,” Annie said.

  Tyler rolled his eyes. “Of course they do. You’re popular. You’re my girlfriend.”

  There it was. The truth. She was just the girlfriend of a popular guy. “Exactly. I’m not ‘Annie’, just ‘Tyler’s girlfriend’. Your lot never even talk to me.”

  “Yeah, right. I had to tell Javier to lay off hitting on you.”

  “Javier is—” Annie stopped. If Tyler didn’t know his teammate was gay, it wasn’t her place to out him. “He’s the only one who’s made any effort to include me, even though I’ve tried to chat with the others. You don’t bother to do that with my friends. You’ve never even tried to be nice to Lexie.”

  The front legs of Tyler’s chair slammed back on the floor. “Oh, please. The other day I swear she was wearing some Amish dress. You should be glad you don’t have to hang out with that freak show any more.”

  Annie could feel her nose flaring as her lips pressed tight. “She’s not a freak show. And neither are my teammates. Lexie is the most talented person I know. She doesn’t have to pretend to be someone she’s not just to fit in. And I never had to hang out with her. I wanted to.”

  “Right. Which is why you guys are always together.” His comment hurt more than she wanted to admit. He was right. She didn’t hang out with Lexie any more. Because of him.

  “You made me feel guilty for not spending time with you. It’s always you, you, you. Not any more. You keep your friends, I’ll keep mine.”

  Tyler stood up with his arms crossed across his chest. “Do you know how lucky you are? Half the girls at school would kill to be seen with me. They don’t get why I’m with a roller girl.”

  “More like why a roller girl is bothering with you.” She grabbed her coat and let her voice echo throughout the whole house. “Form an orderly queue here, girls! He’s all yours.”

  She picked up the remaining three quarters of the lemon meringue pie and was just about to fling it in his face when Tyler’s mother walked into the kitchen. Instead, Annie stuffed the pie in the bin. He hadn’t even thanked her for bringing it. Or complimented it. Ungrateful pig.

  Without looking at either Tyler or Mrs Erickson, Annie pulled her hat down hard around her ears before flinging the front door wide open.

  “Annie, wait. That’s not what I meant. Come back!”

  But Annie ignored him as she stomped home along the cold dark streets. Stupid, chauvinistic, hypocritical, condescending, arrogant idiot! He basically called her a freak. How could he? Oh, how she hated him right now.

  Since she’d first set eyes on him, all Annie wanted was to date Tyler, the boy who made her swoon just at the thought of him. Now she had him but what did that me
an? He was an unsupportive freak-hater. Not cool. So not cool.

  She tried to bundle her coat more tightly around her but the chill went through to her bones. She looked behind her. Nothing. There was no one there. He could have at least come after her. Driven up and offered to take her home in his car. Did this mean they were over? Was she really going to get to school on Monday and find a queue of giggling girls waiting to be his next prize? Oh, crumbs. What had she done? She looked over her shoulder again.

  Maybe I should go back and apologize.

  No. She continued towards home. He needed to apologize to her. For putting down the people and things she loved. For expecting her to share his interests, but not caring about hers. For wanting her to be someone she wasn’t. And most of all for dissing Lexie.

  Annie pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled down to Lexie’s number. But instead of calling her, Annie shoved the phone back in her jeans. Lexie wouldn’t understand. If anything, she’d be happy Annie got what she deserved.

  “I don’t need a boy to make me happy,” Lexie had said that day in the cafeteria. Annie had a boy, the best looking boy she’d ever met. But now she was walking home alone in the cold.

  Some happiness.

  Some Thanksgiving.

  The dry leaves tumbled across the pavement as Annie stopped suddenly. A deep chill ran through her body that had nothing to do with the wind. Oh dear. She could see what she had done now.

  She’d stormed out – just like her mum.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tyler: hey babe sorry about the other day. forgive me?

  Annie: Maybe. Will you come to my next bout? It’s the championship one.

  Tyler: wouldnt miss it

  Annie held the phone against her chest after rereading the texts she and Tyler had sent each other. They’d made up. Good. That’s what she wanted, of course. Except now, when she thought of him, she didn’t have that tingling sensation running through her body. What a shame, she thought as she slipped the phone back in her pocket. She supposed that giddy feeling couldn’t last forever. At least they were still together and would hang out tomorrow. But today it was Mum Day. Annie couldn’t believe her mother’s visit was already almost over and that she was flying back to London tonight.