by Megan Sparks
Before landing on her back with a loud thump.
Chapter Ten
“Are you crazy?”
Annie blinked. It took a second for her eyes to focus. A few more to understand what she was seeing. She was on the floor of the rink, staring at a ceiling fan going round and round. Holly was at her side. Also on the ground. No, not any more. She got up, rubbing her bum. It was a few more seconds before Annie realized Holly was the one talking.
If you could call it that.
“Never, ever grab another girl and bring her down! Never!” Holly screamed. “Grabbing like that can cause a pile-up and get you kicked out of the bout.”
“I’m so sorry. Are you OK?” Annie eased herself up to sitting, feeling a bit light-headed. Thank goodness for helmets.
“No, but I’ll live.” Holly skated off, not showing any signs of an injury other than a face that matched her fire-engine hair.
Annie stayed sitting on the rink a few seconds longer until Coach Ritter dashed to her side and dropped to her knees. “Annie, honey, look in my eyes. Can you move?”
Annie stared at the coach’s green eyes. She was still a little dazed. One minute she was about to zip by Holly and the next they were both on the ground. “I think so.”
Coach Ritter checked her over, paying special attention to her spine and head. Her back was hurt and her elbows were really sore even though the pads had taken the brunt of the fall. At least everything seemed to still work. When the coach finished the examination, she jerked her head to one of the girls. “Liz, help me get her off the rink.”
The two helped her up and kept their arms around her as they skated off. Annie could feel the spot where Holly had blocked her on the thigh and knew there was going to be a huge bruise. Despite being so small, Holly could certainly hit hard. Still, Annie started feeling self-conscious with all the attention she was getting. Holly had fallen too, and no one was helping her off the rink.
They helped her onto a threadbare bench, double-checked she was all right, and skated back onto the rink. Immediately, Jesse was next to her with a bottle of cold orange juice. Any concern that Annie might suddenly turn into a stuck-up cheerleader was gone from his face.
“That was some wipe-out.” He looked at her up and down, half concerned and half impressed.
“That floor is really, really hard.” Annie drank her juice as she watched the rest of the girls going through their blocking.
A few kept giving her worried looks. Twice Lauren mouthed, “Are you OK?”
“The first major fall is always the worst. But now you’re initiated as a real roller girl. Every fall will just make you better. Build character.” Jesse pointed to the faint scar above his right eye. “Wiped-out on a half-pipe, board tip hit me square in the head.”
“That’s awful.”
Jesse grinned. “Six stitches.”
Annie finished her juice and stood up. She was glad that she and Jesse were cool again but hated all the attention she was getting from everyone. It was like they didn’t think she was tough enough to handle a fall. “I’m going back. Thanks for the juice.”
She threw the bottle into the recycling and skated back onto the rink. Her hip and thigh ached every time she used that leg, her back felt like it had been slapped by a giant hand, and her elbows would have broken if she hadn’t been wearing pads, but none of it was serious. Nothing to keep her from continuing on with the training. No one could call Annie Turner a quitter.
Coach Ritter nodded her approval when she saw Annie back in the group. “Now’s probably a good time to cover falling. If you’ve taken martial arts, you probably learned to tuck and roll. That’s fine as long as you don’t roll into anyone. Think ‘fall small’. Keeps you and the others safe. What I’m going to teach you is to fall forward whenever possible. That’s where your pads are. That’s where you’re most protected.”
She asked Liz and Holly to demonstrate a block and a fall. Holly blocked and Liz faked a fall, landing squarely on her hands and knees. A second later, Liz was back on her skates.
“That’s your four-point fall. You can also aim to land on your elbows or forearms,” Coach Ritter said. “Whenever you fall, get up as soon as you can and keep skating.”
That’s where I went wrong. That’s why they were fussing over me. I just sat there like a weakling instead of getting up. Next time, Annie knew, things were going to be different. Now that she knew what to expect, she wouldn’t be so dazed.
Liz blocked Holly this time and Holly dropped to one knee, got back up, and fell on the other knee. She made the move, which Coach Ritter called taking a knee, look so graceful it reminded Annie of figure skaters.
Two other girls, Sam and Keisha, demonstrated the baseball slide. As you weren’t landing straight on the leg but rather at an angle, it didn’t hurt that much. So they said.
The last fall they showed was a simple double knee drop that Coach Ritter called the “rock star” fall. From her knees, the girl brought her toe stops under her and used them to get herself up and off down the rink.
Once demonstrated, Coach Ritter set up cones in each corner and had the Fresh Meat skate around the rink performing a different fall in each corner.
“Get comfortable with the falls. Don’t be afraid of them. Now is not a time to communicate – don’t announce you’re falling. If someone falls in front of you, it’s your responsibility to avoid her. You need to be prepared to clear any obstacles in your way.”
Annie tried all the falls a few times and wished Coach Ritter had thought to show them how to fall before blocking; Holly made a big show of staying clear of Annie. In terms of falling, Annie found the four-point the most efficient but the one knee was still the prettiest and for nothing other than vanity, Annie wanted to spend more time perfecting it. The baseball slide wasn’t too bad after all, but she didn’t dare try it on her sore side. That could wait for another day. The best part was that now that she knew how to fall, she wouldn’t bring anyone down with her again. She didn’t need any more enemies.
When they had finished the falling drills, most of the girls were panting, but everyone seemed to be pretty pleased with themselves.
“Great job, everyone. I’m really proud.” Coach Ritter looked at them all in turn. “You’ve all come so far. Now tomorrow I’ll be giving you a skills test, to see how much you’ve learned. It’s not a competition and I hate making you do it, but the fact is that if you can’t perform these skills, it’s not safe for you to play. However, if you sign up for more training and keep practising, I’ll welcome anyone, anytime you pass. In my book, roller derby is about accepting, not selecting. Stretch and cool down.”
As soon as Annie took off her skates and pads, she lifted her shorts to check out the bruise on her thigh. About ten centimetres wide and more than a little purple. Just brushing against it as she shifted her shorts was painful.
“Ooh, that’s a beauty.” Lauren peered at Annie’s bruise. “You should ice it once you get home.”
Annie eased her shorts back in place with a moan. “Good idea.”
“Derby isn’t for the prim and proper, Princess Kate,” Holly said as she walked by with her equipment bag.
Annie pressed her lips together. It wasn’t the first time someone had said she looked a bit like Kate Middleton, but this time it sounded like an insult. “Kate is actually a duchess.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how silly and childish she sounded.
Holly scowled. “Like I care. This is a hard-core sport. If you can’t hack it, don’t bother.”
Annie wasn’t complaining about her sore spots, no one here could say they’d heard her complaining. If anything, she was admiring the damage. The last time she had such a big bruise was when she missed her footing after a tuck and landed sideways on the balance beam. Just because she was English didn’t mean she wasn’t tough. The English created rugby after all, that was hard core and tough. Tomorrow during the skills test, she’d prove she was too.
Lauren seemed to know what she was thinking and gave her a friendly punch on the shoulder before leaving. “You did great.”
Lauren high-fived the roller girls as if she were already part of the team and swaggered out of the building. The roller girls talked and laughed with each other as they headed out. Annie’s stomach tightened. They belonged. They were all part of a group. Last time Annie felt like that was at the West London Gymnastics Centre. Oh god, how she missed that lot: Nicola, Georgie, and Mel. It seemed like such a long time ago – such a long time since she fitted in and was part of a group of friends.
* * *
Back at home with an ice pack on her leg, Annie fired up the computer. Maybe one of her mates had emailed her. Maybe there was some news or mention of how much they missed her. No, but there was an email from Mum:
Annie, I’m working all night on this case. If you get a chance, Skype me so we can have a chat. Miss you!
Mum
Annie looked at the Skype icon and sure enough her mum was online even though it was after three in the morning in London.
Before she could do anything, the computer was flashing and ringing with a call from Philippa Bradley.
Annie gulped. Bradley. Mum had gone back to her maiden name. It made the separation seem final.
“Hi, Mum.” Annie pulled on her headphones. Through the wall that separated her room from Dad’s she could hear him snoring already.
“Annie, sweetheart, how are you?” Mum adjusted the screen so the camera had her centred. Her shoulder-length light-brown hair had been re-dyed a darker shade since the last time they’d talked.
“Fine, tired.” Annie shifted the ice pack, glad her mum couldn’t see what she was doing.
Still Mum’s blue eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong? Is your father running you ragged getting that silly café ready?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just...” Annie paused. It was usually Dad with whom she normally talked about these things, not Mum. “I miss you, I miss all my friends. I miss a good cuppa. I miss being in a place I know, and belong.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I miss you too. Did something happen?”
“No, not really,” Annie sighed. “It’s just that I’m trying out to be a cheerleader, but my friends don’t like cheerleaders, just because the captain is a bit of a pain.”
“It’s always difficult when friends don’t get along,” Mum sympathized. “But ultimately, if they don’t like you just for being a cheerleader, then they’re not really your friends.”
Annie knew Mum was right but didn’t want to think about that. She liked Lexie and Jesse a lot already and didn’t want to say goodbye. And anyway, she was probably worrying about it for no reason. Kelsey hated her, so was likely to do everything she could to keep Annie off the cheerleading squad. “Yes, I know.”
“And what about that roller skating thing you were telling me about?”
Annie straightened up, feeling the stiffness from landing on her back. Even so, a huge grin spread across her face. “It’s so much fun, and the girls are brilliant.” Except maybe Holly. “But I still feel like an outsider.”
Mum nodded, pushing her glasses up her nose. “You know, you can come back here. I can make all the arrangements, talk to your headmistress, won’t be any trouble at all. What do you think?”
Annie didn’t know what to think. She was only saying how she felt, she hadn’t meant that she wanted to go back. Did she?
She shifted the ice pack again and stretched out her elbows. Even if she didn’t get into the roller derby team, she’d miss the friends she had already made. She scratched a bit of red paint off her finger left from the mural at the café. She would really miss Lexie. And Rosie Lee’s grand opening. And Dad. She couldn’t leave Dad.
On cue, Dad gave a loud snore through the wall and then was silent.
Maybe she hadn’t given Liberty Heights a fair chance.
“Thanks, Mum, but I’ll stay here for now. I’m not ready to give up on America just yet.” Besides, Annie thought with a pang of sadness, it’s not like I’m still part of my gymnastics group. I’ll feel like an outsider in London too.
Mum sighed and suddenly seemed very tired. “Well, give it a think and let me know if you change your mind. I really miss you and would love to have you back here with me.”
“Thanks, Mum. I miss you too.”
“I better let you go. If I finish this paperwork soon, I might get two hours of sleep.”
“Don’t work too hard. Love you,” Annie said.
Mum blew a kiss at the screen. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
The screen went dark and Annie let out a big breath. What would it be like living with Mum? It wouldn’t be that bad, would it? Look how much Mum wanted her back. It could work. Maybe. Or maybe not.
Annie knew half of the reason they were getting along so well now was because they were living thousands of miles apart.
Chapter Eleven
Annie wrapped the towel around herself the next morning after her shower and headed to her room to get dressed for school.
“Annie Turner, what is that on your leg?” Dad gasped.
Annie twisted around and noticed a giant black and blue bruise on her thigh. She shrugged it off. “I’m fine. It barely hurts any more.”
Dad crossed his arms. “Right, and I married Pinocchio’s mother.”
“Dad, I—”
“Don’t ‘Dad’ me. This is serious. I really don’t think this roller derby thing is a good idea. That is a nasty bruise. Do you have more like that one?”
Annie hugged the towel tighter around her. He couldn’t make her give up derby, he couldn’t. “I’m fine, really. And I know how to fall now so it probably won’t happen again. Jesse says the first fall is always the worst.”
“The first fall? You mean it happens a lot?”
Annie bit her lip. The sport was played on roller skates and a big part involved blocking each other. There were bound to be falls. And many of them. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
Dad paced around in a circle, pulling his hair straight up like an arch over his head, and then sighed. “Don’t you find out about cheerleading today? That does seem like the better choice. Less hazardous.”
He obviously hadn’t met Kelsey. “I honestly don’t know if I’ll make it. The head cheerleader thinks I’m a freak.”
Dad narrowed his eyes then laughed when he realized Annie was serious. “If you’re what they’re calling freaks these days, then I did all right. And so will you. The squad would be crazy not to have you. Now, go get dressed before that puddle gets any bigger.”
Annie put on a black shirt and a denim skirt over black tights, a step up from her usual jeans and T-shirt. Just to look nicer in case she made the cheerleading squad, but the clothes still worked for playing roller derby later that afternoon. It was the final day of the Fresh Meat workshop and Coach Ritter was giving them a test to see if they were ready to play on the team. Annie had no idea what to expect. Even if she didn’t pass, she hoped Dad would let her sign up for more practices. Just like living here, she wasn’t ready to give up on derby.
Annie and Lexie walked to school together. Lexie was anxious about whether she should add Alice in Wonderland to the bus at Rosie Lee’s. “She’s a classic but there’s no more room for her on the bus and it would make Peter Pan less amusing if he has someone riding on top with him.”
“Maybe you can have Alice waiting for the bus?” Annie suggested.
Lexie nodded. “I’ll think about that. ’Cause it’s not just Alice. I should also have put in Frodo or Bilbo Baggins, I don’t know how I forgot a hobbit. And Mom said I have to have Churchill...”
Annie put an arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “It’s perfect the way it is. Honestly.”
“Thanks. That’s the problem with being an artist, you never think it’s done. Look how many times Monet had to paint that bridge.”
They got to their lockers just in time to
hear the principal make the morning announcements over the sound system.
“Good morning, students. First off, I have a very special, confidential envelope that was handed to me by the cheerleading coach. After a gruelling try-out, as some of you know, may I present to you your new Stag cheerleaders...”
Annie took hold of Lexie’s hand. This was it. Time to find out whether talent was worth more than Kelsey’s opinion.
“Dani Quintana!” Annie and Lexie heard a loud scream from the homeroom next to them.
“Tiffany Lu!”
Annie remembered her; she always had a huge smile.
“Maggie Mae McLaughlin!”
Annie let go of Lexie’s hand. She hadn’t made it. Kelsey just had too much power. That cheer part was rubbish. And maybe she just wasn’t as good a gymnast as she thought.
“And Annie Turner!”
What? No way!
Everyone in the corridor turned around and clapped for her. Annie had to blink a few times to convince herself it was real. She couldn’t believe it. She actually got into the squad.
“Congratulations, ladies. Please confirm your acceptance with the captain by Monday. Make us proud,” the principal said and turned off the PA system. The bell rang and they headed to their first class.
“This is a first. Me, friends with a cheerleader. I don’t know if I can handle it,” Lexie said with a grin.
Annie gave her a quick hug. “Remember, first game, you’ve got to be there. You promised.”
Lexie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, all right. Just as long as it doesn’t interfere with manga. Or my pottery classes. Or painting my nails.”
Annie pushed her playfully. “Oh shut it, you.”
“Fine, I’ll be there.”
“And no drawing me with devil antlers.”
“You see how you are? Five minutes as a cheerleader and you already think you’re better than the rest of us.” Lexie left her in English class and this time Annie rolled her eyes. It was all in good fun, but what if being a cheerleader did change her? It wasn’t impossible. Annie already felt different from the Annie she was back in London. Not worse, just different.
