Before I could reply, Fee sat up, punched me in the arm—nailing a deep bruise I’d managed to cause this morning—and yelled, “Hey, check out forty-four. I used to play ball hockey against her!” They pointed down to the oval track the teams were skating around.

Number forty-four looked hard-core. Tattoo sleeves down both arms. Legs like thick tree trunks. She and some other girls were skating together and kind of pushing each other side to side, like they were warming up their arms for all the hits they were about to give and get. The thought sent a spark of anticipation through me.

“Oh yeah? What team did you play on?” the dude behind us asked, his voice barely masking a taunt. “Girls or guys?”

What the…? Who the fuck are you, mother—

But Fee calmly offered, “Aw, this was in another city—you wouldn’t know ’em, kid.”

I stared at him. He didn’t look like a fucking kid to me. Heat rose in my chest—this time from anger instead of pain.

“Try me,” he said.

Dude actually leaned forward and put his chin on his fucking knuckles, like he was asking some kind of intelligent question. My heartbeat pounded. I lifted myself to twist my entire body in my seat and thumped back down to face him. “Hey, asshole, why don’t you just keep your fucking questions to yourself?”

I felt a hand on my arm. “Daya,” Fee said, “I need to pee. Come on.”

I started to protest, but Fee pulled me up with them as they rose from their chair. “Be right back, babe—you cool?” Fee signed and said to Cai, who just nodded knowingly and blew Fee a kiss. I had little doubt she’d have this jackass in his place in seconds if he tried anything else, but I wished I could get a crack at him first.

Fee and I pushed back past the other people in our row. When we hit the aisle, Fee put their arm across my shoulders and guided me back down to the arena concourse. I took a vicious bite of my hot dog because I didn’t know what else to do. Once near the bathrooms, Fee stepped in front of me and put their hands on my shoulders. “Listen, I appreciate you getting pissed on my behalf—I really do—but I can handle myself in those kinds of situations pretty well. Been doing it for a while.”

Their gaze flitted past me and to the outer corridor, where a line of merchandise tables had been set up by the various teams in the league. “Maybe check out the merch tables and find me something cool?”

What? Really? My entire body was vibrating. All I wanted to do was charge back to our seats and pound the shit out of that guy.

If you show them weakness, Daya, they win. You must be better. Stronger.