“Well, roller derby’s for anyone willing to put their body on the line. If you’re ready to give and get the hits and bust your butt for the team like you seem to be, you’ve got a fair chance. You said you skate—how well?”

“Oh, I can skate.” Okay, skateboard, and I knew how to ice skate. But she didn’t need to know all that. “And I can hit. And I’m not worried about taking hits either. Trust me.”

“After that display, I believe you. We’ve got tryouts next week. Make sure Shanti’s got your number, and she can text you the details.”

I looked over at Shanti again, but she was busying herself with the team’s equipment. “She’s already got my number.”

Kat’s folded her arms and widened her stance. “Oh yeah? You hittin’ on my sister now?”

“What? No, I just—”

Kat laughed again. “Chill, dude. I was kidding. She’s not your type, trust me.”

’Scuse me? How would you know my type? But I tamped down my instant resentment at Kat’s assumption to avoid messing up my chances of getting on the team. “I already asked her to send me the tryout info.”

“Perfect.” She punched me not-so-gently on the arm. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to some of the Honeys.”

Shanti glanced at me and turned to leave with a massive load of equipment swung over her shoulder. I was impressed to see her carrying that much. I also hoped she hadn’t heard any of that—she seemed nice, after all, if a little moody. I caught myself wondering if she’d agree with Kat—if she thought she was my type or not. I made a weird face when I realized what I was thinking and hoped no one saw it.

I followed Kat to the Honeys’ bench, where her teammates were removing their skates and gulping water. The whole space around us was still abuzz with all kinds of folks helping to clean up and take down equipment—officials, refs, teams, even little kids.

“Hey, gang—got some possible fresh meat!” Kat called out.

Good to know these folks could be as crass as some of the guys I skateboarded with.

The Honeys looked over at me and I held up a hand in greeting, my defenses rising. I wanted to believe I could fit in on a team—I had to believe it—but this was far from what I was used to, and my body wanted to retreat. The skateboarding crowd held a certain amount of comfort for me. Most people kept to themselves save for the odd head nod. Besides Fee, I’d been able to skateboard and bruise in a relatively solitary state, which was my preference.