Free Hell's Belles by Megan Sparks

our Halloween bout even if the real David Beckham asked me to the dance.”
    They all laughed and started getting into their gear.
    On their way out to the track, Sharmila gave her another hug. “One more thing,” she said so that only Annie could hear. “If you guys are meant to be together, it will happen.”
    â€œI don’t know,” Annie said grimly. “He seemed pretty annoyed.”
    Sharmila gave a dismissive wave. “That’s how boys are. They pout. But trust me, if there’s really something there, it will work out. And if it doesn’t, it wasn’t meant to be.”
    Annie smiled. It sounded like good advice. Of course, coming from Sharmila, it was probably slightly biased. What guy wouldn’t give her a second chance?
    â€œLet’s go, girls,” came Coach Ritter’s voice across the rink.
    Annie didn’t have to be told twice. If there was one thing that was going to shake her out of her miserable mood, it was some high-powered derby action.

    They spent some time warming up and doing drills, and then it was time for another scrimmage against the High Rollers.
    â€œYou’re gonna get a little taste of what you can expect at the Halloween bout,” Liz taunted. “And trust me, it’s not gonna be candy.”
    â€œWhy are you guys dressing as vampires?” the captain of the Rollers, Allison, shot back. “Because you suck?”
    Everyone on both teams laughed at that one.
    The bout began. The High Rollers took an early lead, but the Belles didn’t let it throw them. They continued to skate at full throttle and keep their confidence high.
    Holly made a great effort but didn’t manage to score before the other team’s jammer called off the first jam. Lauren, as pivot, was focused and determined, but the High Rollers had really brought it today. This was going to be a tough one to win.
    It was Annie’s turn to be jammer. By now, she had blown off some steam. She’d pushed the Tyler situation out of her mind. At that moment, the only thing she was thinking about was derby.
    Then she turned to see that the other team’s jammer was none other than Dee Stroyer.
    â€œHeard you turned down Tyler for the Halloween dance,” she scoffed. “Were you suffering from temporary insanity, or are you always that stupid?”
    â€œI’m not stupid.” Annie gritted her teeth, trying not to let Dee’s remark get to her. “I just have priorities,” she said in an icy voice.
    â€œWell, I hope you and your ‘priorities’ will be very happy together. I know Tyler and I will be when we’re making out on the dance floor.”
    Annie’s eyes flew open. “He asked you to the dance?”
    â€œNo, but since you turned him down, I might ask him. I’ve had my eye on him since the seventh grade. Even back then, word on the spin-the-bottle circuit was that he was the best kisser in town.” Dee puckered up her lips and made exaggerated kissing noises.
    Was it possible? Would Dee have the nerve to invite Tyler to the dance? And if she did, would he accept?
    The whistle blew and Annie took off like a shot, skating in a fury. The idea of Tyler dancing with Dee — or anyone other than Annie herself — was infuriating. She tried to get the image out of her mind.
    Unfortunately, she couldn’t shake it.
    She skated faster, determined to catch up with Dee. Dee seemed to sense her approach because she turned around and taunted her with another kissing sound.
    Annie’s anger ignited. She leaned forward and began running on her toe stops around a High Rollers blocker, then glided into some superfast crossovers.
    The speed was exhilarating, and her movements were graceful and swift, but in her anger, she misjudged the turn and lost her balance.
    The world slipped out from under her and she went down hard.
    Her left ankle took the brunt of it, twisting beneath her as she landed