Chapter 2

“Wow, this place could use some work,” Tracey said as she walked up to Neal and Rose who were standing near the front door. A faded sign painted in 80s neon declared this to be, “Swankies Fun Center.”

There were 7 cars in the parking lot including the three that Rose, Neal and Tracey arrived in. Rose smiled and pointed towards the door, “Don’t worry guys, this is perfect, it’s the exact vibe we need, and it’s going to be cheap.”

They walked into the small tight lobby full of air brushed paintings of skates and big goofy smiling faces. There were two narrow doors and a window. A relaxed young guy was sitting back in the office looked up from his phone.

“Hey, umm, you guys want to skate?” the guy said, walking over to the counter.

Rose used her best professional voice, “I’m Rose from Derby City Angels, we have an appointment with Mr. Swankie.”

“Oh yeah, the roller chicks,” the guy said and then saw Neal, “Or um, people.”

Neal rolled his eyes, long past trying to explain that Derby was more or less a co-ed sport now. The door buzzed and the guy told them to wait.

Loud pop music, black light, and a slightly musty odor greeted them inside. A handful of mostly young kids rolled around the polished wood floor. Beeps and flashing lights came from a small arcade area and past that black carpet with with neon shapes as far as the eye could see.

“Yeah, this place rules,” Neal said sarcastically.

“Hey, welcome to Swankies,” they turned to see an older grey haired man in an Adidas track suit coming their way. “So you’re the roller derby people,” he said as he jutted out a hand.

“Yes sir Mr. Swankie, we talked on the phone,” Rose said as he shook his hand.

“Well, let's go over here to the concession area and get comfortable.”

They followed him past the counter to a row of plastic tables bolted to the floor. The snack bar lights hummed overhead. An excited Mom filmed her daughter as she stomped her way across the floor in plastic Barbie skates.

Rick Swanky dropped into a chair like it was his throne. He spread his arms wide, palms up.
“So. Derby.” He said it like it tasted funny. “I get calls all the time from groups wanting special deals. Hockey guys. Speed skaters. Some church group wanted to do, I don’t know, praise skating.” He snorted. “Everybody wants cheap floor time.”

Rose stayed standing. Neal noticed that. Rick noticed it too.

“We’re looking for a regular practice space,” Rose said. “One night a week. Off hours. We don’t need staff, music, concessions. Just the floor.”

Rick smiled without warmth. “Yeah, well, tell you what I can do. Private party rate. Two hundred fifty a night. That’s the number.”

Tracey let out a short laugh before she could stop herself. Rick’s eyes flicked to her.

“Two fifty?” Rose said calmly. “Rick, you’ve got seven cars in the lot tonight and three of them are ours.”

Rick leaned back. “Yeah? And this floor costs money. Insurance costs money. Kids break things.” He tapped the table with one thick finger. “You want exclusive use, you pay exclusive prices.”

Neal crossed his arms. “We’re not throwing a party. We’re practicing quietly. Boring. Half the time we’ll look like we’re doing drills for gym class.”

Rick waved that off. “Still a liability. Someone falls, sues me, next thing you know I’m selling funnel cakes at the county fair.”

Rose tilted her head, studying the room. The flickering light. The empty tables. The echo of wheels on wood. “Rick,” she said, “what do you make on a Tuesday night between eight and ten?”

Rick laughed, “I close at 7 on Tuesday night. Look I know this looks slow, but on most Tuesdays I’ve booked a party and have 20 rugrats rolling around in here. I do OK.”

“Because we’ll be here every week,” Rose continued. “All year. We’ll bring people in. Adults. They buy snacks. They bring kids. They book parties.”

Rick squinted at her then laughed, “Yeah I’ve heard it before, you’re going to try to sell me on free advertising?”

“Yeah, not only free, we’re advertising and we pay you. Plus there are no people more loyal than derby people” Rose said. “And we don’t have two hundred fifty dollars.”

Rick laughed again, but this time it was thinner. He leaned forward.
“Alright. What do you got?”

Rose didn’t miss a beat. “Fifty bucks a night.”

Rick barked a laugh. “No way.”

“And,” Rose added, “we help with birthday parties when you’re short staffed.”

Tracey raised an eyebrow. Neal looked at Rose like she’d just volunteered his soul.

Rick stared at her. Long enough that the pop music seemed too loud. Finally he rubbed his chin.
“Fifty,” he said slowly. “You all sign waivers, no liability, and someone can come early when we have a party?”

Rose smiled. “Yeap.”

Rick stood and stuck out his hand again. “You break my floor, you buy it.”

“Fair,” Rose said, shaking.

Rick grinned, all teeth now. “Welcome to Swankies, The new home of the Derby City Angels.”

As they walked back toward the door, Neal leaned close to Rose.
“You just signed us up to be rodeo clowns. You know that.”

Rose shrugged. “Cheap rent has a price.”

Tracey glanced back at the rink, kids wobbling under black lights.
“Honestly,” she said, “I used to love skating parties.

Chapter 3

“What have I got myself into,” Rose thought as Swanky handed her a black and white referee’s shirt. It was the week of their first practice and Swanky asked her to come in early for a birthday party.

“Do you have a bigger one?” Rose asked.

“Nope,” Swanky said with a shit eating grin on his face. The young man with Rick behind the counter rolled his eyes.

“Grandpa, you know we’ve got one in every size,” he said.

Rick glared at him, “Mikey, you’re ruining it.”

Rose smiled, “If its a show you want,” she said and pulled a referee jersey out of her duffle bag. It was small and stretchy, the back was emblazoned with her derby name, “Queen Black Heart,” and the number 21.

“Allright, allright, allright,” Rick said.

A few minutes later Rose was skating slow laps with big lazy cross overs on the floor with 20 kids all shuffling around. The kids eyes widened as she casually transitioned from forward to back and continued her forward momentum with backward crossovers.

A girl fell to the floor in front of her and Rose leaned forward on her toe and slid to a stop, gracefully spinning forward and reaching down to help the girl up.

“How long have you been skating,” the girl asked as she got back on wobbly feet.

“A long time kid,” Rose smiled. A 13 year old boy came flying around chasing another kid and nearly ran over them.

Rose rolled her eyes and yelled, ‘Hey hot shot calm it down.”

***

“Oh my God, she’s reffing,” Neal said as he followed Tracey in. They both carried big duffle backs of gear.

“You guys are early,” Rose glided to the wall and hugged Tracey.

“Having fun?” Neal asked.

“This is actually great roller derby training, dodging all the kids on the floor,” Rose chuckled.

Tracey smiled, “We’re going to warm up, how many recruits do we have tonight?”

Rose shrugged, “You know how these things are, it takes time to build up again.”

“So no one,” Neal deadpanned.

Tracey placed a hand on his shoulder, “If you build it they will come,” she said.

***

“Trisha are you even listening?”

Sitting in the concession Trisha tore her eyes away from the red head referee and looked at her Mom, Sister, and Brother In-Law with her in the booth.

“Um, sorry, what?” Trisha said.

Her Mom rolled her eyes, “I was just telling Nick that you used to be quite the ice skater back in the day.”

Trisha frowned, ‘Yeah, that was a long time ago,” she said.

Nick smiled, “Why’d you quit Trish?” he asked.

“That’s a sore spot,” Trisha’s sister said.

Trisha smiled, “I really don’t want to talk about it,” she said.

Trisha’s Mom studied Rose and her friends from across the floor and curled her lip, “Different strokes I suppose,” she said to herself.

Nick followed her gaze to Rose and her friends and laughed, then looked back at Trish, “Did you ever roller skate?”

“Sure, most kids do,” Trish replied.

Kate grinned, “She was Queen of the ice rink by day, the roller rink by night in sixth grade,” she said.

Trish huffed, “Kate…”

“So what happened?” Nick asked.

Trish smiled and threw up her hands, “I got fat, OK. That’s what you want to hear?”

Her Mom shook her head, “You were just bigged boned dear.”

“Mom, the other girls said I was going to break the ice when I jumped,” Trish said.

Trisha’s Mom frowned, “Well, you were really quite graceful, and besides, everyone has to grow up. You had to stop skating sometime.”

The happy facade that Trish had been projecting fell away. She turned and looked out on the floor watching giggling kids skate by. She was 24, a registered nurse, a responsible adult, miserable and alone. Six months ago she and her fiance called it off. He needed to go to Montana and find himself.

She watched the red head referee effortlessly glide across the floor and felt a deep longing in her chest. “I had to stop skating?” Trish said turning back to her Mom.

Her Mom frowned. “Well honey, I mean look out there, it’s for kids,” she said.

To emphasize her point, Kate’s daughter rolled up and nearly crashed into their booth. “Mommy, aunty Trish, did you see me skate.”

Kate’s eyes lit up and she leaned down to her daughter, “We sure did honey, you were so good!”

“Are you going to skate with me?” she asked.

“No I’m afraid not dear, Kate said.

“I will,” Trish said.

Her Mom sat up, “Trish, um are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Trish squeezed her way out from the concession stand booth. She’d been big-boned as a teenager, now she was now a bit past that.

“Relax Mom, it’s like riding a bike, you don’t forget.”

Trish made her way over to the skate rental counter and got a pair of skates. She almost changed her mind as sat down on the black and neon carpeted bench and started slipping them on. She stood and took a few wobbly steps and felt muscle memory, long neglected slowly asserting itself.

“You can do this, Trish,” she said as she shuffled out on the floor.

The noise hit her first. Wheels, loud pop music, shouting, the low hum of the floor vibrating up through the skates. Trish stayed near the wall at first, one hand brushing it as she pushed off. Her niece shot past her, laughing, and Trish smiled despite herself.

Okay. Edges, she thought. Just edges.

She took a longer glide, then another. Her feet stopped fighting her and started listening. “Just bend your knees,” she said to herself. Soon she was away from the wall and gliding. It felt amazing. Her quick and sloppy strides were smoothing out. This was easy, something she was good at.

That was when a kid cut directly in front of her.

Trish reacted on instinct, tried to check her speed with a t-stop, and her right foot caught just wrong. Her balance went, sudden and undeniable. She wind milled once, twice, then went down hard on her hip with a sharp thwack that turned a few heads.

She lay there for a second, staring up at the ceiling lights, heat flooding her face.

Of course. Of course this is how it goes.

“Trish!” her mom called from the booth.

“I’m okay,” Trish said quickly, waving one hand. She rolled onto her knees before anyone could come help her. Getting up was slower than she remembered, but she didn’t rush it. She planted her skates, breathed, and stood.

Rose skated up behind her and spun to a stop. “You OK?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably feel that tomorrow,” Trish said. Rose smiled and skated away.

Trish pushed off again. She let herself glide into open space, feeling out the floor. One long stroke, then another. She shifted her weight and carved a shallow curve, clean and controlled. The skates responded immediately.

Her confidence came back in pieces.

She crossed her feet once, tentative but precise. Then again, smoother. She leaned into a wider arc, knees bent, shoulders relaxed, tracing a clean oval through the chaos of wobbling kids. It wasn’t flashy, but it was unmistakably intentional.

Then after several laps she felt her balance returning, she felt stable on one foot.

“You’re pretty good Aunt Trish!” her niece said, rolling up behind her.

Trish smiled and then without thinking she craned her arms out to her sides and pushed off with her right leg allowing it to gracefully lift up behind her. She bent her left knee and tilted her waist forward then glided across the floor.

On the far side of the rink, Rose slowed to a stop.

She watched the woman who had just fallen skate past again, this time looking like a figure skater, a large and powerful figure skater. Rose smiled.

“That’s interesting,” she murmured.

Trish felt eyes on her and almost looked back, then decided not to. She lowered her foot and heard her niece go wild. Another little girl proclaimed her amazing.

Her chest felt tight, but in a good way. Like something waking up.

When the song ended and the rink cleared briefly for the next group of kids, Trish coasted toward the exit, breathing hard and grinning despite herself.

As she stepped off the floor, Rose was there, leaning on the wall.

“You can skate,” Rose said simply.

Trish laughed, a little breathless. “I used to. A long time ago.”

Rose nodded. “Yeah. I can tell.”

She held out a hand. “I’m Rose. Have you ever thought about roller derby?”

Trish blinked at her, caught completely off guard. “Me?”

Rose glanced back at the rink, then back at Trish. “Yeah, I run a team and this is where we practice. We’re the Derby City Angels, and we’re looking for recruits.

Trish felt that deep ache in her chest again.

“You want me?” she asked.

“Yeah, you. What’s your name?” Rose said with a chuckle.

Trish frowned, “I’m Trish. But you notice, I’m not exactly athletic. Sorry, but I don’t think it’s for me.”

Rose smiled, “You looked like an athlete to me. Look Trish, roller derby is a unique sport. Having size in derby is an asset. You’d be awesome. Think about it. Here’s a flyer.” Rose handed her a folded up sheet of paper.

Rose looked at the flyer. Isn’t Roller derby is for like… oddballs? “OK, sure, I’ll think about it.”

“Next week practice starts here at 7:30,” Rose said and skated back onto the floor.

***

The last of the kids was gone, the skates were scattered all over the counter, and Swankies Grandson Mike was locked in at a Star Wars pinball machine. Neal, Trish and Rose were sitting on the neon carpeted benches putting on their gear. Old man swankie came out of his office and slithered over to Mike.

“Allright Kid, make sure they are out of here by 10. Don’t forget to check the doors,s and for Chist sakes get that skate counter organized,” old man Swankie said.

“Sure Uncle, will do.” Mike said without looking up from the game.

Swankie puffed out his chest and walked over to the three skaters, “So this is it? Just the three of yous?” he asked.

Rose smiled, “We’re just starting back up after a long break, we’re going to grow. I’ve got several new recruits coming next week.

Swankie turned around and walked you, yelling over his shoulder, “Sure ladies, and um, gentleman. Have fun and don’t break my floor.”

Neal got up and rolled to the pinball machine to watch Mike play. He was incredibly skilled at the game, manipulating the machine with supple pressure and hitting lit targets at will. The digital screen showed that he had 38 credits racked up.

“Dang, you’re a pinball wizard,” Neal said.

Mike chuckled. “I grew up in this rink, I got plenty of practice time here,” he said.

Rose and Tracey were gathered around watching now. Rose looked to Tracey and smiled. “Do you skate?” she asked.

Mike carried on the conversation without looking up from the glass, “I used to, but got kind of bored of it.”

“Well Mike since you’re stuck with us here anyway, if you want to practice with us, you’d be welcome,” Rose said.

Mike allowed his ball to drop and turned around to look at the small group. They were all wearing helmets, elbow pads, wrist guards and huge knee pads. Rose and Tracey were both wearing tank tops, sports bras and short lycra shorts. They had various colorful tattoos up and down their legs. Neal on the other hand looked to be dressed for PE class with long baggy gym shorts and a baggy T-shirt.

“Umm, are you guys going to skate or go jump off a cliff or something?” he asked.

Rose continued to smile, “It’s a contact sport and we take safety seriously.”

Mike nodded, “Makes sense, but I think you guys might be a bit more hardcore than me.”

Rose nodded, “Well if you change your mind we need skaters.”

Mike nodded and went back to his game. Rose, Neal and Tracey went through some warm ups and some core work. Eventually Mike rolled out onto the floor in skates and did some slow lazy laps before skating up

“Mind if I do some laps?” he asked.

Rose laughed, “It’s your skating rink, but hey, umm. At some point in the future we’re going to need to tape a track onto the floor. Is that going to be a problem?

Mike shrugged, “Will it damage the floor?”

“No it’s just tape, but we can’t tape down a new track every week so we’ll need it to stay,” Rose answered.

Mike smiled, “Allright I’ll try to smooth it over with the old man.”

Mike watched the three of them go through drills, they were all very good skaters, better than him and by the end they were soaked in sweat. Sure he had good basics, he did grow up in a skating rink, but it never really clicked with him. The style of skating that is popular in roller rinks, involves lots of flair, it was a little to much like dancing for him. But what they were doing was interesting, more like a sport as opposed to just rolling around showing off.

At 9:30 the skaters began a cool down routine and Mike rolled in with them. “You guys got extra gear, like those knee pads and a helmet?”

“Yeah I have a huge bin of extra stuff, why do you ask?” Neal said.

Mike put his hands in his pockets, “I don’t know about this derby stuff, but it looks like you guys were getting a good workout. I wouldn’t mind giving it a try next week.”

Neal looked at Rose, who looked back at Tracey, “Mike, welcome to the team,” Rose said.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Mike said while the others laughed.

Chapter 4

Sophie Brooks pushed her cart up to the line and checked her watch. She was in her shapeless kitchen uniform and still had her ID lanyard around her neck. There were a couple people in line in front of her. The red head in the punk jacket directly in front of her turned, made eye contact and smiled.

Oh God, I know her. Sophie smiled, nodded and quickly looked down.

Oh my God, that’s Rose.

The redhead turned back and then quickly spun around. “Andr…” Rose froze and got a guilty look on her face. “I’m sorry, you look like somebody that I used to know.”

Sophie blinked, then looked up and smiled, “I really like that song.”

Rose smiled back, “Yeah it was really catchy.”

“Hi Rose, it’s been a long time,” Sophie said.

Rose turned around to see that the customer in front of her was still unloading groceries. “Yeah, remind me of your name again,” Rose said with a sly grin

Sophie smiled, Rose always had a way with people, “I go by Sophie now. You haven’t changed a bit,” she said.

“Clean living, Rose said as she pointed to a 12 pack of PBR in her cart. Sophie, that’s a really beautiful name, you look amazing.”

Rose glanced back to see that it was time for her to unload her cart. After the case of beer, she pulled out a few bags of chips, some coffee, a few frozen meals, ice cream and lots of soda.

“Still a health nut I see,” Sophie chuckled.

Rose grinned. “Yeah… Hey, you got time for coffee? I want to catch up.”

***

Sophie sipped her purple and orange bubble tea. Rose slid into the booth across from her with a latte. “So?”

Sophie looked up from her drink, “So?”

Rose sat her drink down, “I’m really happy for you. That you get to be yourself.”

Sophie nodded, “I’m a work in progress, but thanks.”

Rose bent forward with excitement “OK girl, tell me everything.”

Sophie took a long sly look at her ex and nodded, “Well when we split up it wasn’t long and I got with Janet.”

Rose blurted out a laugh, “Janet?”

Sophie shook her head, “You barely knew her.”

Rose laughed, “I knew everything I needed to know, she was so square. Mrs. Hollier than thou, direct line with Jesus. Wait. You got married!”

Sophie quickly turned away, and wiped her face, “2008, we dated for 3 years, and we have a son, but I don’t see him often.”

Rose’s smile melted, “You’re not together? I’m sorry.”

Sophie turned away for a second. “Divorced, but not because of this. I mean not directly, I didn’t transition when I was married. We were having issues.” Sophie buried the pain and smiled, “That’s enough of my shit, let's hear about your shit. What happened to you?”

“Not much to tell. The band fizzled out and I sold my bass, never really learned to play it right anyway. I dropped out of college, and started working.” Rose picked up her cup and held it out in front of her for a toast. “You’re having coffee with the head of shipping and receiving at Zan Metric Medical.”

Sophie tapped her cup. “That’s awesome, congratulations.”

Rose smiled, “It’s seriously the most boring job in the world, but the pay’s decent. Did you finish college?”

Sophie nodded, “Yeah, business management and I worked my way up to General Manager at Silo.”

Rose blinked and shook her head.

Sophie frowned “It’s a swanky restaurant for rich people downtown.”

Rose gave her a thumbs up, “That’s awesome.”

Sophie shook her head, “Nope, they suck. The owner determined they were too swanky for a transgender manager.”

Rose giggled then covered her mouth.

“That wasn’t supposed to be funny,” Sophie said.

“No, no, sorry. There’s this guy… Swanky, he’s a trip. Sorry no.” Rose wiped the smile off her face, “I’m sorry that’s bullshit, is that why you’re here and not in Louisville?”

Sophie took a sip from her drink, “Yeah, This is embarrassing but I’m living in my Mom’s basement apartment. I got a job at the hospital, I’m assistant manager of the kitchen, which just means I fill in for whoever didn’t show up.”

Rose laughed, “Your Mom hated me so much.”

Sophie smiled inwardly.

Rose grabbed her hand, “You look really good by the way, like I mean, you’re a doll.”

Sophie felt her cheeks blush, “Thanks, you’re looking fit yourself.”

Rose sat up straighter. “I got to stay fit for roller derby. Hey, you still got those rollerblades?”

Sophie found herself squeezing Rose's hand, then self consciously pulled away. “Roller derby? That’s awesome. Yeah I actually skate the greenway on weekends sometimes. You do roller derby, like from Whip It?”

Rose leaned forward in excitement, “Babe, I was one of the founding members of the Derby City Roller Angels in 2010. We had to shut down for Covid but I’m bringing the team back. You gotta come skate with us.”

Rose pulled out a folded up flyer from her button covered messenger bag and handed it over. “Hey, remember that joke I told you when you first showed me your cool Rollerblades?” Rose asked.

Sophie smiled and said, “You know what the hardest part of rollerblading is?”

“Telling your parents you’re gay,” they both said together and giggled.

“Kind of ironic, it turned out I was gay,” Rose said.

Sophie’s eyes opened wide, “That’s why you dumped me!.” she said.

Rose smiled coyly, “Guess you should have just stuck it out a bit longer?”

Sophie looked over the flyer “Tuesday nights, huh. Yeah, I guess I’ll think about it.”

Rose didn’t respond, she was studying the face across from her. It was so different, softer, rounder, her skin, her eyes, her hair. But still, unmistakably the person she used to like. Rose was working a puzzle in her mind, shifting pieces of memory around and reframing them in a new light. Trying to make sense of her feelings.

“Rose?” Sophie asked.

“Oh shoot, I was just thinking about my ice cream. I better get going. Sophie, meeting you has been a pleasure. Come check out the team Tuesday. You won’t regret it.”

Sophie stood up and they hugged, then Rose bolted for the door.

***

“There’s my girl,” Sophie's Mom said as she entered the kitchen carrying grocery bags.

“Hey Mom.”

Sophie’s Mom shook her head, “You didn’t need to go buy groceries,” she said and rushed over to take a bag from Sophie.

Sophie laughed, “You sure do move quick for 64 years old.” Her mom laughed and they started sorting through the bags.

Sophie stopped for a second, “You’ll never guess who I just had coffee with.”

Her Mom stopped and smiled, “You had coffee with someone?”

“Yeah, do you remember Rose?” Sophie asked.

Her Mom frowned, “That punk red head you used to hang out with?”

Sophie laughed, “We dated for like 2 years, Mom.”

“So what’d you talk about?”

Sophie smiled, “This is crazy but she invited me to join her Roller Derby team.”

Her Mom threw her hands up, “Seriously Sophia, what are you trying to do to me? Have you seen what those girls do to each other?"

Sophie laughed, “No Mom, I guess I haven’t?”

Her Mom raised her hands, “It’s awful, just awful I’ve seen it on TV. They go after each other like animals, hitting and punching,”

Sophie laughed, “Animals you say, tell me more.” Her Mom threw her hands.

“Well it’s not very lady-like, I can tell you that.”

Later that night Sophie watched several videos about roller derby from across history. She giggled that her Mom thought all that fighting in the 80s was real.

She saw that the current version of derby was very different. It was played on a flat track, instead of a banked one. The rules were strictly enforced and there was no fake fighting. Just a lot of women pushing each other around on skates and a lot of very real looking hip and shoulder checks.

She also read an article about how Roller Derby was the most gender inclusive sports in the world, along with tennis, badminton, something called korfball she’d never heard of, and the less than magical version of Quidditch.

***

Nick shouldered his backpack and walked out of the classroom. He was the shortest guy in the class, and the only one with a backwards ball cap. He stalked down the hall like he his next stop was the OK Corral and not the Derby City Community Workout room.

He walked in and did a double take. There was a new flyer on the bulletin board and the words printed in bold on it caught his attention “Do you want to Reach out and HIT new people?”

Nick walked to the poster. It was purple and yellow with lighting bolts, skulls with wings and hearts. “Derby City Angels Roller Derby League is hosting Open Recruitment.”

No experience necessary.
Can’t Skate? No problem.
No gear? No problem.
All genders are welcome.
Nick heard some chuckling and looked over to see a group of “bros” with shredded muscle T-shirts lifting dumbbells. They weren’t laughing at Nick, they didn’t even notice him. Nick felt his chest binder under his Louisville Cardinals T-shirt.

He reached over and tore one of the tabs off the poster.

A few minutes later, sitting on a bench press he sent an email message to someone named Rose.

I saw your flyer. Can you tell me more about hitting people?

Chapter 5

Drew Fairchild stepped out of his Tesla model 3 and pulled out a mint condition Zuca Roller Derby bag emblazoned with flames. He sat it on the gravel parking lot and examined his surroundings.

The expansive gravel parking lot of Swanky’s Fun Center was mostly empty; a handful of cars were parked near the front door. He studied the once colorful, but now dull paint chipping off the metal walls and took a deep breath. “This place is so real,” he said and checked the time on his Apple watch.

Drew snaps out the handle of his wheeled bag and begins to walk. He’s wearing a brand new Lululemon hoodie in charcoal grey, and the matching sweats. He wonders if the gravel is going to damage his new Hokas then realizes it’s already scratching up the wheels on his bag so he picks it up and carries it the rest of the way.

In the small entryway he sees Mike in the office on his phone, “Hello, I’m here for Roller Derby.”

Mike lazily looks up from his phone, “Oh hey man. Um it’s like 6:45, and practice starts at 7:30.”

“Oh yeah, I know, I just wanted to get here early and do some reccee, catch the vibes, you know,” Drew says.

Mike grinned, the guy looked like he was 35 and talked like he was 20, “Oh, well OK, the session ends at 7, but if you just want to come in and hang out you’re welcome to,” Mike said as he buzzed the door.

“Thanks Bru,” Drew held out his hand, “Drew Fairchild, I’m joining the team.”

Mike’s grin grew from ear to ear. He took his hand, “Oh cool, I’m Mike.”

Drew came on with the energy of a car salesman on a tight quota, “So tell me Mike, what's the story on the team, how they shaping up?”

Mike played along, “Well sir, I don’t know much about it. They practiced last week, looked like things are off to a good start.”

Drew nodded and stepped through the door and into the rink. Mike turned around and faced him from the office window that faced into the interior and gave him a thumbs up.

Drew scanned the interior and turned to the window, “MIke, you want to direct me to the locker room, or wherever the team meets for practice.”

Mike could barely contain himself, he pointed towards the row of tables in the concession area, “Well Drew, right there is the warmup room, if you’d have a seat at one of our benches I’m sure the others will be here soon.”

“Sweet,” Drew said. The warmup room currently had 4 bored parents on their phones. Pop music played at a low volume as 8 kids skated on the wood floor. Drew saw the brand new purple lines of tape that created a regulation roller derby track in the middle of the floor. His eyes followed the faded neon airbrush artwork around the rink. He took a deep breath, “This place is real,” he quietly said as he checked his watch again. He saw a mirror hung near the bathrooms and paused, straightened his hoodie, and adjusted his meticulously sculpted bedhead.

At 7:15 Rose, Tracey and Neal walked in together as the last parent was pulling out of the parking lot from the evening session.

“Hey guys, you already got a new recruit in there,” Mike said with a big grin.

“Awesome, see guys, this is going to blow up,” Rose replied.

Rose turned back to Mike, “I’m expecting a few others so can you keep the door open?

Mike smiled and wedged a doorstop in. “Yeah and wait until you meet this dude.”

Tracey smiled at Mike and followed the others inside, “So we’ve got a track now? How much did you have to pay Swanky for that?" she asked?

“Easy, Swanky gets his logo on our new gear and 10% of Merch sales. Oh and guys, you can rest easy with the budget because we’re not paying a dime for practices now.”

Tracey and Neal’s faces rose, ‘That’s incredible, how’d you swing that?” Tracey asked.

“Just a deal maker, you know that,” Rose said.

“She works here now, she’s reff’n Birthday parties on the weekends.” Mike deadpanned.

Rose smiled, “Swanky’s got a thing for redheads apparently.”

Neal took a sip from his coffee and walked in first with his beat up backpack. His eyes landed on Drew Fairchild fiddling with his gear.

The skates were the first thing he noticed.

They were immaculate. Riedell Solaris Pro 2.0 with custom flame leather panels. Reactor Pro plates, and big oversized Derby toe stops. All completely mint.

Then the helmet, an S1 Lifer, with visor. Letters were airbrushed across the back of the helmet that Neal couldn’t read.

Then the guy, dressed like a tech bro CEO heading to the gym.

Neal turned behind him to Tracey and whispered, “That guy’s got some good gear.”

Tracey took less than a second to clock Drew, “That guy is a poser,” she whispered.

Drew got on his feet. Neal and Tracey dumped their beat up backpacks on the ground.

“Welcome,” Rose said, stepping past Neal and Tracey and planting herself in front of the concession tables like she owned the space. She took Drew in in one smooth glance, skates to helmet to posture, then met his eyes. “You must be one of our fresh meat.”

Drew straightened immediately, a little too fast, he’d practiced for this.
“Yeah! Hi. Drew Fairchild, he/him” he said, then added, with practiced confidence, “but my derby name is Maximus Slamamus.”

There was a half-second of silence.

Rose nodded once, neutral. “Cool. I’m Rose. Queen Blackthorn. This is Tracey Dropkick Murphy and that’s Neal Blue Screen of Death” She gestured without looking back. “We’ve got some others coming soon.

Trachey reached out her hand, “You can just call me Kick or Drop, or whatever.”

Drew smiled, and took her hand. “Awesome. I got here a little early just to, you know, get a feel for the space. I’ve been doing a lot of research.”

Neal shifted his coffee to his other hand. “Yeah? On skates?”

“Derby,” Drew corrected, friendly but firm. “The whole system. Strategy, rotations, jammer endurance, pack dynamics.” He motioned vaguely toward the track. “It’s actually really fascinating when you break it down.”

Tracey snorted and didn’t bother hiding it.

Rose ignored that and looked down at Drew’s skates. “Rad skates. Did you just buy them?”

Drew beamed. “Thanks. I figured if I was going to commit, I should commit all the way. Didn’t want equipment holding me back, you know?”

“Sure,” Rose said. Her tone was unreadable. “How long have you been skating?”

Drew hesitated just a beat. “Uh. Not long. But I’ve done a lot of cross-training. And I’ve watched a ton of footage. Like, a ton.”

Neal glanced at Tracey. Tracey raised an eyebrow.

Rose nodded again. “Alright. We’ll get you on wheels soon enough.”

Tracey sat down at her own table, “So who else is coming?”

“Three. I hope.” Rose replied as she sat down and took out her phone.

Nick was the next to arrive, 5 minutes early. He stormed in with quick steps, inquired if he was in the right place and dropped into a seat.

Trisha wandered in a minute later, looking anxious and made a joke that she hoped she didn’t die.

Rose checked her watch, 7:31. No Sophie. She was about to speak when she saw Sophie enter the rink, tentatively, scanning the room the way people do when they’re not sure where they belong yet. Her eyes landed on the tables, on the gear laid out like a showroom display, on Drew standing just a little too straight.

Something in her chest tightened.

Mike shut the door and had a seat, Rose waited until everyone had settled, then leaned back against the table and crossed her arms. “Alright. Welcome to your first practice with the Derby City Angels. I’m Rose, but here I’m Queen Blackthorn, but usually on the track it gets shortened to thorn.

“She took a notebook from her messenger bag and gave everyone a handout. “We all need to sign this, just a standard waiver. You know that skating and derby can be dangerous, skate at your own risk, most importantly you can’t sue the venue, the team, or a team member. If that's OK with your sign it.”

Everyone signed, then Drew took out his phone and photographed the document.

“I’ll just run this by my lawyer,” he said.

Rose collected the forms then took a central spot in the room.

“OK, everyone, let's do introductions. In derby we usually go by nicknames, but you don’t have to. Tell us what you want to go by, your pronouns, and why you are here. I’m Queen Blackthorn, but usually just Thorn for short. She/her. And I’m the team president. Derby is what I live for.”

Tracey stood up and did a little curtsey in her floral skirt. “I’m Dropkick Murphy, I usually go by Kick. She/her. Derby is my center.”

Neal stood next. “Neal or Blue Screen of Death, just Blue or Blue screen is fine. He/him I’m a computer programer. I like playing derby.

There was a short pause that was quickly filled by Drew, who stood and pivoted as he addressed the crowd like he was performing on stage. “I’m Maximus Slamamux. Maximus is fine. He/him. I’ve been looking for something that’s physically demanding, strategically complex, and community-oriented. Derby just checked all the boxes.”

Since Trisha was closest she went next, she stood slowly and looked down, “I’m just Trisha. She/her. I used to figure skate as a kid and thought this looked like a fun way to get back into skating.”

Nick was across from her and didn’t stand up before quickly speaking, “Hey ya’ll. I’m Nick, I’m in college, I’m He/him. I’m looking to get into a team sport.”

Mike was standing out behind the tables and chuckled, “OK I’m Mike and as you can plainly see I’m a guy. People used to call me Tilt back in the day so that’s cool. I’m skating with you guys to try to get back in shape.”

Sophia went last, she stood up, “I’m Sophie, sorry no cool nickname. She/her. I like to rollerblade, and Rose, or um Thorn, invited me to join. So I’m here.”

“Me and Sophie go way back,” Rose almost showed her embarrassment before catching herself. “Before anyone gets hurt, confused, or overly confident” she glanced briefly at Drew “we’re gonna go over the basics.”

She looked at Neal. “You wanna do the honors?”

Neal set his coffee down and nodded. “Sure.”

“Forget the roller derby you saw on TV, obviously if we were out here throwing punches and stomping each other with skates on, people would be leaving in ambulances.”

“That’s a relief to hear.” Trisha said.

Neal paused a moment and nodded, “But, that doesn’t mean it’s not a physical game. A 2 minute jam will be the longest 2 minutes of your life, and people do get hurt. I’ve seen plenty of broken fingers, sprains, concussions, shoulder injuries, ankle injuries, tailbone injuries…” he saw Trisha’s mouth hanging open.

“OK you get the point. But if you train and play smart your chance of getting hurt is much lower. Safety is our top priority at all times. Proper safety gear is an important part of that so before anyone is on wheels in practice they will be geared up.”

Neal paused and pointed to the track. “Derby is half race, half football game. Ten players will take the track. Five per team. One of those players will be the Jammer. Who's kind of like the quarterback. That player has a star on their helmet. Only the player with the star can score points.”

“What about the Pivot?” Drew asked.

Neal paused and smiled. “Well get to that. Points are scored after the jammer initially passes and laps the pack. One point is scored for every opposing team member the Jammer passes.”

“Keeping the Jammer from just going around and scoring points is the job of the blockers, but besides blocking the opposing jammer they can also block opposing blockers to make holes for their jammer.”

“There is one other position. Maximumus, want to tell us that position?”

Drew cleared his throat and spoke, “That would be the pivot, designated by a stripe on their helmet cover. The jammer can pass them the star and then the pivot can score points like a jammer.”

Neal nodded, “That’s correct. Now that the basics, any questions?”

Drew raised his hand.

“ “At what point do we start thinking about jammer rotation? Because from what I understand..”

Rose didn’t raise her voice. She just interrupted, calmly, “We don’t have jammers yet. We have people who have never played Derby.”

Drew blinked. Then nodded, a little flushed. “Right. Of course. Totally. Basics first.”

“OK everyone if you have your own gear, go ahead and start warming up, everyone else lets go over to the skate counter,” Rose said.

Drew began putting on his gear, and the other new skaters all were issued loaner knee pads, elbow pads, and helmets from a huge plastic tub of extra stuff Rose had dropped off earlier in the week. All of the gear was mismatched and worse for wear, but fully functional. It took some time to train everyone on how it all velcroed on.

Rose watched the group skating casual warm up laps. Once everyone was out on the diversity of skill level became very apparent. Mike, was easily the best skater of the 4 noobs. Trisha, while rusty, wasn’t far behind. They both could do crossovers, balance on one leg, control their speed, and skate backwards. They just needed derby specific skills.

Sophie had benefited from her inline trail skating. She could go forward fine and T-stop. Drew and Nick both had the farthest to go. They could both stay on their feet but their strides were short and choppy and they couldn’t figure out how to stop. They both fell down a couple times in 5 minutes of warm up.

“This floor is so different from where I have been practicing,” Drew said as he got off the floor.

“Where have you been practicing?” Tracey asked.

Drew smiled, “I have a small indoor gym at my house,” he said.

Tracey nodded, “Well that tracks.”

Rose called everyone to the center of the floor. Neal came in quickly and slid to a sudden stop. Tracey rolled in with controlled plow stops.

Nick came in behind Drew, “Hey, um, shit,” he yelled as he crashed into the man and they both tumbled to the ground.

“It’s all good, I’m fine,” Drew said.

Rose smiled, “OK. We've all got alot to learn but I see so much potential. Before we can start learning actual contact you all have to pass the minimum skills assessment. so training for that will be our first priority. We’re going to divide into groups so that we make the most of our time.”

She scanned across the group, “Blue Screen you’ll take Mike and Trisha. See if there is anything they need to work on. Kick, you take Drew and Nick. Mike and Sophie, you’ll be with me.”

“Remember there is no I in team, but there is a u in suck, and if you don’t want to suck then you’ve got to practice.”

Sophie laughed, “Feeling inspired now coach,” she said.

“Great, let's get inspired on some planks. On your bellies!”