Dude blinked a few times—processing Kat’s size and hotness, no doubt—then laughed and leaned forward, presenting his big shiny forehead to her. She rolled her eyes at me and wrote Buzzkill on his skin. “ ’Kay, BYE,” she said, and gave him a robust push toward the bar. When he was a couple of feet away, she aimed an air kick at his ass, which was extra impressive, given she was in skates.

She turned to me. “Hope you’re not pissed I stepped in. You looked like you had it under control—I just got sick of listening to his dumb ass.”

Normally I would be pissed, but Kat’s actions just reinforced what I already thought—she and I seemed cut from the same cloth. “No, it’s cool—I was sick of him too. Thanks.”

“You don’t back down, huh?”

“Not generally, no.”

“Nice,” she said, nodding.

“So, hon”—Bee’s face poked in between us—“what’s a girl gotta do to get on a team these days?” Then she elbowed me and continued without letting Kat respond, “In my day, we hadda go through all kinds of rigmarole to get on a team.”

Kat smiled at her with admiration and amusement. “Yeah, Nana, those were the days, huh?” She winked at me. “Well, we’re not half as tough as these two ladies,” she said, “but there is a process.” She looked me over like Yolanda had and seemed to appreciate my broad shoulders and wider hips, because she added, “You look like you could fit right in.”

I actually blushed. I was starting to feel like a total fangirl, which I didn’t love. But I also really needed to get in on this roller derby stuff. If I didn’t, I wasn’t sure whether I’d make it through the next few months—whether I could keep the shit in my chest at bay. Kat seemed like both someone who appreciated a good bruising and the right person to help me get what I needed. And I needed this—the contact, the competition, the chance to pull all the pain away from my chest and into my skin.

Chapter Eleven

The horn sounded to signal the second half, and Kat had to go. But before she did, she told me to stick around after the match and she’d give me some info.