But I had done some good things out on the track today—I think I’d made Joe and Alma proud, at least, and I was proud of the other rookies and how well we’d worked together when we were on the same line. All that extra practice had paid off. Though I’d definitely messed up a few plays and maybe let my elbows fly out a little too far once in a while, even Kat seemed to be relatively satisfied with my performance, judging by the fist bump she gave me afterward.

Shanti snapped a towel against my ass. “Hey, superstar. Lookin’ almost, maybe, possibly not too bad out there.”

“Shucks. Thanks a lot.”

She stood in front of me and glanced over at Kat, then back at me. Uncertain.

“So, does ‘not too bad’ get a kiss, or just a towel snap?” I asked, hinting with the tilt of my head.

She smiled, wiped my face with the towel, and let me press my lips to hers, sweaty mess and all.

“Oooooooooh!” Fee and Cai appeared next to us, shaking their pom-poms violently. Dotty stood giggling beside them.

“Okay, okay,” I said, and made sure to give them the sweatiest hugs possible. “Shanti, you remember Fee. And this is their girlfriend, Caihong. Dotty, this is Shanti. Shanti, Dotty.” Shanti and I hadn’t discussed our status yet, but in my head, I knew what she was to me.

“Where are Priam and Vicki, dare I ask?” I prayed they weren’t doing a cheerleading routine somewhere in the building.

“They’re performing cheers for the Hell Beasts and Skintastics,” Fee said, pointing behind me and Shanti.

I refused to look.

After we’d chatted for a bit, I finally went to gather Priam and Vicki, and we all went to the Crash Zone. I wanted to see Alma and Joe before the next bout started. Unsurprisingly, Priam and Vicki and Alma and Joe fell in love with each other instantly. Not so secretly, I hoped this meant I’d see a lot more of Alma and Joe.

Dotty found me and wrapped me in a hug. “We’re off, Daya sweetie. I have to get these two”—she pointed over her shoulder at Fee and Cai—“home before they turn into pumpkins!”

Her giggle killed me.

I heard a thump-step-thump approach me from behind. I instinctively braced for an assault to my calves.

“There she is!”

“How ya doin’, shuga?”

After more introductions, I left this astounding collection of humans—Bee, Yolanda, Priam, Vicki, Alma, and Joe—to discover each other’s magic. I could picture them all playing charades in our living room, and the thought didn’t make me completely ill like I thought it would.

I looked around for Shanti and saw her talking to Kat. It seemed like the kind of conversation that needed to be left alone, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t watch from afar.