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“How old are you?” he asked, guessing maybe eight.
“Ten,” the girl replied as she knotted her skates together.
“I have a son who’s seven. He would love all this, and probably have a million questions,” he said, following her when she walked over to a post and leaned against it. “Hell, I have a million questions. I don’t know anything about roller derby.”
“Derby is the most amazing sport there is,” Casey enthused, grabbing the post and swinging around it to face him. “Ask me anything and I’ll tell you about it.”
“Tell me everything starting from zero,” he invited, and smiled when Casey looked up at him eagerly.
“There are different roles in roller derby,” Casey began, her eyes shining with excitement. “Nita, or Bombshell as she’s known on the track, is our jammer. She’s the one who scores the points by lapping the other team. She’s super fast!”
Ryder’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to wrap his head around the rules. “So she has to dodge the other skaters while racing around the track?”
Casey nodded, her ponytail bobbing. “Exactly! It’s not easy, but Nita is amazing at it. She can skate up real fast, then scrunch down real low and—boom! Burst through a pack,” Casey said, acting out her words as she spoke.
Ryder laughed.
“And then there’s Slayberry Bitchcake… I’m allowed to say that, because it’s a name. Anyway, Slayberry is kind of Nita’s partner. She helps clear the way for her, blocking the other team’s players. And Duchess of Death is our tough blocker, who blocks people by falling on them. Blood ’n’ Bones is another blocker. She stops people by elbowing them in the head. Out of everybody, she gets into the most fights after bouts.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“I think she trash talks people after she elbows them,” Casey explained matter-of-factly.
“What’s your mom’s role?”
Casey grinned proudly. “My mom’s a pivot blocker. That means she’s like the captain of the team on the track. She wears a striped helmet cover, and she sets the pace for the pack. She helps the jammers get through the opposing blockers, and she’s so tough it’s scary. Once, she threw a huge skater over her head! I love watching her out there, showing everyone how it’s done.”
Ryder smiled at the pride in her voice, making him think of Blaze. His smile faded as he remembered how full of excitement Blaze used to be. He was getting better, but he wasn’t all the way back to his old self yet. But he’d finish this and head back. The stability of having both a mom and dad around all the time should help with that.
“But my favorite is Hermione Danger,” Casey said, grabbing his attention again. “You know, from Harry Potter?”
“Right. Why is she your favorite?” Ryder asked, his gaze drifting to find someone in a school uniform on the track only to be distracted by Nita. She executed a flawless turn on her skates, worthy of all of Casey’s praise.
Casey giggled. “Because she has wild hair, just like me! And she’s skinny like me. Plus, mom says she skates really smart. And I like her outfit. And I love Harry Potter.”
Ryder continued to watch the group as Nita performed a stunning spin, her red chiffon scarf billowing behind her. She moved with grace and confidence, captivating him.
“Those are good reasons. I don’t see anybody wearing a school uniform, though,” he said.
“Mom said she’s sick today,” Casey said, disappointed.
“Oh,” Ryder commented, continuing to watch the skaters.
Ryder looked down at Casey, seeing the girl watch as well, her arms pumping from side to side as she mimicked what the women were doing.
“So why do you like roller derby so much?” he asked.
Casey’s eyes lit up with excitement as she bounced on her toes. “Oh man, it’s just cool! I love the speed, and the way the air whistles through my helmet when I get going really fast. I like how everyone works together like a family. Everyone’s got each other’s back.”
“That sounds pretty cool,” he agreed. “Do you think you’ll get on your mom’s team one day?”
“Maybe. Nita says if I practice enough, I could. Did you know Nita’s gonna be a lawyer? I told her she should wear her derby outfit if she ever goes to court because she would look super badass talking to the judge looking like that. She’s so cool.”
Ryder chuckled, appreciating all the things Casey thought was cool. “Do you want to be a lawyer someday?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I like building computers, too, so maybe I’ll do that,” Casey said, suddenly thoughtful.
“Can’t go wrong working with computers,” he agreed.
