AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No. Practicemore,” Nita said, then grabbed her hand and gave it a loud, exaggerated kiss. “It’s quantity over quality.”
“Gross,” Casey pronounced, wiping her hand off but smiling. “Mom won’t let me practice at home.”
“Come earlier to the next practice, wherever that will be,” Nita said, tugging her hand and skating off the floor to the benches where Casey’s shoes waited.
“I have to do my homework.”
“Get it done earlier,” Nita suggested. “Like at lunchtime.”
“But lunch is when I hang out with friends,” Casey complained.
“Oh no,” Nita groaned, putting her hands to her cheeks in mock horror. “Somebody might have to make a choice between easy and hard. I think you’re the first one in the entire world to face a decision like this.”
“Very funny,” Casey moaned. “You can say that cuz you’re a grownup. You can just do fun stuff whenever you want.”
“Nuh-uh. When I first saw your mom at a bout, I spent every minute I could on skates,” Nita explained. “I didn’t hang out with my friends and rearranged my schedule just so I could practice.”
“But you were probably good right away,” Casey replied, looking for a gap in the skaters joining the floor to go take her skates off.
A purple-haired woman zeroed in on Nita, and she braced herself for the punch on the arm the woman gave her.
“Old Bombshell was the worst skater I’d ever seen,” Blood ’n’ Bones cackled as she skated by. She hopped to skate away backwards while she pulled on her eye patch. “And I’ve seen a lot of shit skaters.”
“Yeah, she had to pay Diesel to make the team,” laughed Duchess of Death as she skated by, also punching Nita on her shoulder. “And missing two practices? She’s lucky your mom lets her break rules like that.”
“She had a good reason,” Casey yelled after the woman whose long braids circled her helmet.
Nita smiled. Casey’s affection for her was like a shot of adrenaline to her heart. She knew the girl had overheard her conversations with her mom after she’d broken up with Luke. She probably heard some of the horrible messages Luke had left on her voicemail that she’d played for Diesel.
“Thanks, kiddo,” she said, skating behind Casey until the girl plunked down on the bench. “Stay on top of your school work and I promise to find some more time to skate with you.”
Casey frowned before bending to untie her laces.
“Mom says you guys won’t have a place to skate after tonight,” the girl said.
Nita opened her mouth to reply, but froze when Ryder stepped into view beside her. Even in her skates, he was taller by a lot.
“Can’t be too hard to find a warehouse to use,” he said, looking down at Casey. When the girl got the laces tangled, he sat beside her.
“Fuck!” Casey yelled, unable to separate the laces.
“Hey!” Diesel called, skating across the concrete as she fastened her helmet. “What did I say about saying fuck?”
“That I shouldn’t swear in public,” Casey groused, leaning on her hands in frustration. “But I didn’t think the warehouse counted.”
“It’s still a public place,” Diesel admonished, her hands on her hips. She was almost six feet tall and built like a brick shit house, but her curly blonde hair and pretty features made her look angelic.
Casey scowled but didn’t argue.
“Want a hand with your laces?” Ryder asked, and Casey immediately sat up straight.
“Yes, please,” she said, and flung a leg over Ryder’s knee, making him laugh.
“C’mon,” Diesel murmured, grabbing Nita’s elbow and dragging her into a practice lap. “So that’s your new friend, huh? The temporary boss?”
“Yeah,” Nita replied.
“You didn’t tell me he was a straight-up fuck boy biker dude,” Diesel said, as she adjusted her elbow pads.
