“Let go,” Dorothy squeaked as the threesome flew by. But the tall girl was already racing Sam and Jade into an S curve that ended in a powerful snap. Jade lost her hold and whirled away like a tiny bird caught in a tornado.
“Please help!” Sam cried as she was dragged past Dorothy again.
But Dorothy was powerless, not even able to stand on her own two skates.
With a jolt, Dorothy felt her skates being yanked backward, and she found herself flat on her belly.
“You can’t embarrass me like that and get away with it,” the short skater sneered. Her wheels were free. Dorothy was dragged like a rag doll.
Dorothy tried to dig her nails into the wood, but she was trapped. Her eyes blurred with tears and her body went completely limp.
All of a sudden, Dorothy’s legs were released as a streak of sparkly pink leotard and curly brown hair rocketed over her head. With a terrified scream, the girl smashed into the wall and nearly tumbled over the top.
Pink and black leopard-print roller skates zoomed by Dorothy’s head. Dorothy blinked the tears out of her eyes and raised her head to see who had saved her. This skater was wearing a glossy black jumpsuit, just like Grandma’s. And she had pink, spiky hair, just like Grandma’s.
“Nobody messes with my girls!” the woman roared, pumping a fist into the air.
Dorothy shook her head. It can’t be! But it was—Grandma Sally racing toward Sam and the tall skater, her body curved forward, arms bent at her elbows, even faster on roller skates than she was behind the wheel of Dead Betty.
“What the?” Jade said, still looking dizzy and disoriented.
“Go, Granny, go!” Gigi cheered.
“Back off, old lady,” the bully yelled, releasing Sam.
“You stay put, cupcake,” Grandma said, tousling Sam’s hair as she flew by.
The tall girl raced around the rink, looking nervously over her shoulder as Grandma gained on her. In no time, Grandma caught up with the skater and wrapped both arms around her waist in a bear hug. The girl twisted out of the hold and shoved Grandma away.
“You’ll regret this, old woman,” she barked.
“And you’ll regret callin’ me an old woman,” Grandma yelled, catching the girl’s wrists in her hands. Grandma whipped the girl into a spin, twirling around faster and faster until the girl’s feet nearly left the floor. Grandma let go and the skater spun through the air like a detached helicopter propeller, landing hard on the wood floor with a loud “woomph!”
Just then, the fat, balding man who had sold them their entrance passes stormed onto the rink floor. “What’s going on here?” he boomed.
“It’s okay, Uncle Enzo,” Max said, rolling up beside him. “I’ll handle this.”
“You better,” the heavy man grumbled, marching away in a huff.
Sam was still shaking, tears rolling down her face as Jade and Gigi delivered her into Dorothy’s arms. Dorothy held her little sister tightly. “I’m sorry, Sam,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”
Grandma skated over to the group of girls. “We creamed them!” she said, holding out her hand for a high five.
“Actually, only you creamed them,” Gigi said, giving Grandma’s hand a halfhearted smack. “We were getting slaughtered before you showed up.”
“Sorry ’bout that, girls. Max was helping me with my hot new skates. I didn’t know you all were in trouble.”
“But…how did you do that?” Sam asked.
“Didn’t you know?” Max said, joining them. His eyes twinkled in the disco ball’s reflected light. “Your grandma is roller derby legend Shotgun Sally. She led her team to more championship wins than any other derby team in history.”
“And don’t forget my record for most times in the penalty box,” Grandma bragged.
“Roller derby?” Dorothy said, still stunned. “Why have I never heard this before?”
“Could you teach us?” Jade pleaded.
“Seriously, G-ma,” Gigi said. “Your moves are wicked.”
“Not tonight, guys,” Max said. “I’m afraid I have to kick you out for fighting. Uncle’s rules. You can come back tomorrow and practice if you like.” Max gave Dorothy a crooked smile and Dorothy blushed.
“You’re letting them come back?” the taller skater said, limping out of the rink. “You’ll never see me in this dump again.”
“Me, either,” the shorter bully whimpered, pulling herself up the wall.
Max shrugged. “Fine by me.”
As Dorothy’s group exited the rink and headed for the car, Sam pointed up to the fist-pumping red-haired woman in the mural. “That’s you, isn’t it Grandma?”
Grandma winked. “Well, you didn’t hear that from me. But if you girls are interested in learning roller derby, I might know a little old lady who can teach you the ropes.”
Gigi was walking ahead toward the car and stopped so quickly Jade ran into her back. “Hey!” Jade said.
“Did you just say you would teach us to play roller derby? Be our coach? Help us start a team?” Gigi asked, shocked.
“Uh, well, I didn’t exactly say all that, but, yes, I do believe I would,” said Grandma. “Dorth? What do you think?”
Dorothy’s cell phone was burning a hole in her chest. Her mom would disown her if she knew, but right then it felt like she’d practically already done that. “Yes!” Dorothy yelled.
Chapter 7
The next morning, Dorothy strapped on her roller skates and waved good-bye to Sam and Grandma. She was not riding to school in that hearse ever again.
“Did Mom call yet?” Sam called from the doorstep.
“Uh, not yet!” Dorothy called back. And thank goodness. Dorothy wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. Not now that she had roller skates.
“Okay,” Sam said, sounding hurt. “Have a good day.”
“You, too!” Dorothy called, trying her best to sound cheerful. Sam must really be missing Mom. “I’m sure she’ll call soon!” Dorothy added, trying to sound hopeful.
Dorothy pushed the sadness from her mind and took in a deep breath. It was a beautiful, crisp autumn morning and Dorothy was feeling brave. She had a cute new outfit, new friends, and awesome skates, and Grandma had agreed to be their roller derby coach—on the condition that they recruit some more girls for the team. Now if she could just get the hang of this roller-skating thing, everything would be perfect.
But when Dorothy finally rolled onto the school grounds, exhausted and covered in bloody scratches from a nasty tangle with a rosebush, she wasn’t feeling quite as perky. And her mood went from bad to desperate as she read the hand-lettered banner that hung above the school entrance.
“Frappit, frappit, frappit,” Dorothy repeated to herself as she dashed behind the hedge that surrounded the school grounds. So much had happened since yesterday morning that the whole dodgeball incident had completely slipped her mind. And now it seemed that she was at the center of one of the Pompoms’ stupid awareness projects.
Dorothy’s skates snagged over roots and rocks as she tramped behind the hedge. She worked her way around to the back of the building, looking for a rear entrance. As she rounded the corner of the soccer field, she heard a choir singing a heartbreaking a cappella version of “If I Die Young.” She peeked over her hedge. A large group of students stood in front of the performing choir, swaying to the melancholy music, and a group of giggling Pompoms stood behind them. With horror, Dorothy realized that all the Pompoms were wearing outfits that looked suspiciously similar to her old school uniform.
Someone tapped Dorothy on the shoulder.
“Yikes!” Dorothy screamed.
“Just me,” Jade whispered.
“And me,” Gigi added. “Nice memorial service they’re having for you.”
“Nice? It’s the worst thing ever,” Dorothy squeaked. “I’ll
never live this down.”
“You don’t have to,” Jade said with a smirk. “You’re dead, remember?”
“I think I’m going to pass out,” Dorothy moaned.
“Sit down, dead girl,” Gigi said, brushing away some leaves to make a smooth spot on the ground. “Take some deep breaths.”
Jade made a peephole in the hedge’s branches. “Shhh. They’re starting the service.”
The Pompoms were out front now, and one of them stepped up and cleared her throat. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to remember our close and personal friend, Darby.” There was a pause as one of the other Pompoms whispered into the speaker’s ear. The speaker coughed. “I mean Dorothy. She was an inspiration to all of us. She didn’t care how lame her clothes were, she wore them anyway. She didn’t care how frizzy her hair was; she refused to condition it anyway. And when she threw a dodgeball at the most popular girl in school—sweet, beautiful Alexandra (who is too devastated to be with us this morning), well, that was just plain stupid, but you have to admit, kind of brave, too. We will all miss you, Dorky.” Another pause and cough. “Dorothy. So next time, think twice about playing dodgeball, people, because you, too, could kill yourself, especially if you’re a clumsy dork like…What’s-Her-Face. The end.”
“Who you callin’ dork?” Gigi yelled, standing up behind the hedge.
“Dorothy’s not a dork,” Jade added, popping up next to Gigi.
“And I’m not clumsy!” Or at least that’s what Dorothy had planned to say. But instead she tripped over a stick, crashed through the bushes, and screamed like a banshee as she charged toward the gaping group of mourners.
“She’s alive!” the speaker bellowed into the microphone.
“Back from the dead!” another Pompom screamed.
“ZOMBIE! She’s going to eat our brains!” another girl shrieked.
The audience scattered and the Pompoms ran away screaming. Dorothy rocketed out of control for several more feet, until one of her wheels caught on a sprinkler head. She flipped once and landed flat on her back, skates in the air.
“Good luck finding any brains with that bunch,” Jade said flatly, offering Dorothy a hand. “You’ll starve.”
Gigi broke out into loud, snort-filled laughter. “Nice entrance, Dorothy. Or should I call you the Undead Redhead?”
After the craziness from the memorial service had worn off, Dorothy’s day actually went pretty smoothly. Ms. Nailer made the whole class run laps as punishment for “disgracing the name of dodgeball,” but since the Pompoms ignored Dorothy the whole class period, Dorothy didn’t mind too much.
Besides, she thought, running is good training for roller derby, right?
Between classes, Dorothy received smiles and high fives, and heard things like, “nice prank, Undead Redhead,” and “Way to embarrass the Pompoms!”
When the final bell rang, Dorothy went to retrieve her roller skates from her locker.
“Hi, Twinkle Toes,” she said cheerily to the centipede sticker as she entered her locker combo. The door opened easily. “Hugs ’n’ Kisses to you, too!” she said to the big lips that greeted her on the inside of the locker.
“No. No! NO!” someone started to yell. “That locker is OFF limits!”
“What?” Dorothy said, turning around to see Alex glaring at her.
“What part of ‘off limits’ don’t you understand?” Alex said, slamming Dorothy’s locker shut with a loud WANG. “It’s supposed to be…broken. You can’t just…open it and use it. It’s…it’s…”
“Not yours,” Gigi said, placing a firm hand on Alex’s shoulder.
Alex knocked Gigi’s hand away. “Locker number thirteen is NOT available for ANYONE. And especially not for her!” she said, pointing at Dorothy.
“But Mr. Pretty Penguin and I are getting along so well,” Dorothy said.
Alex’s face twisted into something so furious and miserable, Dorothy almost felt sorry for her.
With an exasperated huff, Alex turned her back on Gigi and Dorothy and stormed away. Over her shoulder she yelled, “I’ll get you, Dorothy.”
Dorothy didn’t miss a beat. “And my little dog, too?”
“Nice one,” Gigi said, giving Dorothy a high five.
“Thanks,” Dorothy said. “But I thought the Wicked Witch of the Pompoms was supposed to be absent today.”
“And you were supposed to be dead, remember?” Gigi wrapped an arm around Dorothy’s shoulder. “You’re just a big ol’ trouble magnet, you know that?”
Dorothy giggled. “I know. Speaking of trouble, are you ready for our first derby practice tonight?”
“Girl!” Gigi said, bumping Dorothy with her hip. “I was born ready. And just wait until you see who I recruited for our team.”
Chapter 8
“Giddy-up!” Grandma howled as she raced Dead Betty through Galactic Skate’s nearly vacant parking lot. The car bounded in and out of the minefield of potholes. “Just like ridin’ a buckin’ bronco!” Grandma crooned in a cowboy drawl.
“Yee-haw!” Sam said, unlatching her seat belt to enjoy the full effect of bouncing around inside the hearse.
I can’t believe Sam is starting to enjoy Grandma’s driving! Dorothy thought, giving her sister a dirty look. Dorothy’s seat belt bit at her waist, and her insides jumped up and down like a sewing machine needle. “J-j-j-ust park all r-r-ready!”
“Whoa, girl,” Grandma said, slamming on the brakes. Sam tumbled forward and giggled as they came to a stop directly in front of the main entrance. They were parked in a loading-only space.
Grandma grabbed a hot pink cowboy hat off the passenger seat and climbed out of the car.
“Do you have to wear that thing inside?” Dorothy asked.
Grandma waved the cowboy hat at Dorothy. “This little ol’ thing? I wouldn’t look much like a cowgirl without it, now would I?” she said, popping the hat onto her head.
Dorothy shrugged. Grandma was wearing black-and-white cow-print chaps, hot pink cowboy boots, and a bolo tie with a black widow spider frozen inside clear resin. The hat really wasn’t worth fighting over.
“I think Grandma looks…rootin’ tootin’!” Sam said enthusiastically as she followed Dorothy out the car door.
“Don’t encourage her,” Dorothy grumbled.
A green Subaru station wagon rolled up next to the hearse. The front passenger door opened, and Gigi climbed out carrying a pair of roller skates. “Thanks, Mom,” she said, bumping the door closed.
The back door opened and Jade appeared, hooked her messenger bag over her shoulder, and strolled toward Dorothy. Dorothy was already headed to the entrance when she heard happy squeals. Dorothy spun around and saw Dinah exit the Subaru and bound after them. “This place is supercool,” Dinah said, hopping up and down. “I want a derby outfit just like that,” she added, pointing at the painting of Grandma in her tiny shorts. “I’ve never roller-skated, but I’m probably going to be awesome.”
“Settle down there, darlin’,” Grandma said, looking nervously up at the wall as she pulled two large leopard- print duffel bags out of the back of the hearse.
Dorothy leaned into Gigi. “This is your derby recruit?” she whispered. Dorothy was starting to wonder if Dinah was a few nuggets short of a Happy Meal.
“Sure. She’s really excited, see?” Gigi whispered back. Dinah was shuffling around the sidewalk, pretending she was roller-skating.
Dinah sang, “I’m a roller derby girl! Derby, derby, roller, yeah!”
Dorothy shrugged. She had to admit that Dinah’s enthusiasm was pretty contagious. Soon everyone except Grandma joined Dinah in a round of “I’m a roller derby girl! Derby, derby, roller, yeah!”
Suddenly from high above, a chunk of wall broke away from the mural, smashing into a million pieces just inches away from where the singing girls stood. Everyone scattered,
screaming, while Grandma glared angrily up at the painting. Where there had once been a beautiful mouth on the Asian woman’s face, a gaping hole remained, frozen in a silent scream.
“Shame on you, Eva,” Grandma growled, her cowboy accent gone.
“Eva?” Dorothy bleated. “Who’s Eva?”
“Eva Disaster, dear. She’s probably just sensitive about us doing roller derby here.”
Max appeared from behind the double doors. “Come on, Sally. Don’t scare those girls with ghost stories.”
“Eva’s…a ghost?” Dorothy asked, staring up at the hole in the wall as the other girls rushed into Galactic Skate through the open doors.
“Died in my arms, hon,” Grandma said, shaking her head as she steered Dorothy into the building.
“How sad,” Jade said as the group headed toward the skate rentals. The wrinkled old man was snoozing behind the rocket-shaped desk. He didn’t look like he had moved since yesterday.
“Still,” Gigi said, “Eva shouldn’t be throwing bricks at us. That Enzo guy should hire an exorcist or something.”
“Or a brick mason,” Max grumbled. “This old building is falling apart. Ghosts are the least of our problems.”
“I saw a ghost once,” Dinah chirped. “He was all like ‘Help me, Dinah!,’ and I was all like ‘Ahh! Scary ghost!’—but it just turned out to be my dad covered in pancake batter.”
Everyone just stared at Dinah.
“So,” Max said, changing the subject. “I’ve got good news. I talked to my uncle and he said you could practice here for free in exchange for doing a few odd jobs around the place. And he said you could use the old equipment in the basement.”
Dorothy’s Derby Chronicles: Rise of the Undead Redhead Page 4
