Destiny wore the ring on her finger like a brand, like something that burned hot into her skin and marked her. Like she belonged to Jam. Somehow, she felt that she did.
Jam had a way, though, of making Desi feel insignificant. One look, one good jam was all it took. Jam would race through the pack scoring points, blowing past Desi as pivot like there was no tomorrow. Or Jam would be in the pack, because she thought she could do it all. She'd wait until Desi wasn't looking and then hit her, harder than she hit any of the other blockers, and not for any reason. Just because she wanted to remind Desi which one of them was better.
Destiny was hard pressed to argue with her over it, because when it came down to it, Jam wanted her on the track. When Jam was captain, she'd argue for Destiny to be on the roster, argue for Destiny to play pivot whenever Jam was jamming.
Jam was the husband in their marriage. They might have been called derby wives, but it was clear which one of them had control. Destiny waited for her approval, waited for her acknowledgment of a good block or a smart play.
"Desi's one of our best blockers," Jam said once, and Desi felt herself swell with pride. They were trying to decide who would get more play time when ECRR played Panama City. As always, Jam wanted Desi on the track.
But other times, there were the disapproving, sharp comments. The 'you should have helped me, I got stuck in the back of the pack.' The 'I didn't have a hard time at all predicting what strategy you would use.' Subtle jabs and stabs that eroded Desi's confidence as a skater, things that made her cry on the way home, struggling to see through her tears as she drove back to Port St. Joe.
Those were things she didn't ever tell Jam about. Things that Jam didn't need or care to know.
When Cali showed up, it was worse. Calico Jack Rack 'Em Up, number 18. She didn't want to be anybody's derby wife- /monogamy wasn't her style/ she said, when someone asked. Maybe not in the derby world, anyway.
Somehow, she already knew most of the girls on the team. Desi didn't want to think about how, because it threatened her tenuous link with them. Jam had been the only 'in' she had, but even Jam knew Cali.
When Jam and Cali started dating, it was the talk of the team. Hushed whispers back and forth before the two of them came into the room. When Cali had arrived at Emerald Coast, she'd had a girlfriend already, a mousy but pretty girl named Sheena Dexter. She came to practice to watch sometimes and Cali always talked about how she was trying to convince Sheena to be a referee, even though Sheena never did it.
Jam had a way, though, of making Desi feel insignificant. One look, one good jam was all it took. Jam would race through the pack scoring points, blowing past Desi as pivot like there was no tomorrow. Or Jam would be in the pack, because she thought she could do it all. She'd wait until Desi wasn't looking and then hit her, harder than she hit any of the other blockers, and not for any reason. Just because she wanted to remind Desi which one of them was better.
Destiny was hard pressed to argue with her over it, because when it came down to it, Jam wanted her on the track. When Jam was captain, she'd argue for Destiny to be on the roster, argue for Destiny to play pivot whenever Jam was jamming.
Jam was the husband in their marriage. They might have been called derby wives, but it was clear which one of them had control. Destiny waited for her approval, waited for her acknowledgment of a good block or a smart play.
"Desi's one of our best blockers," Jam said once, and Desi felt herself swell with pride. They were trying to decide who would get more play time when ECRR played Panama City. As always, Jam wanted Desi on the track.
But other times, there were the disapproving, sharp comments. The 'you should have helped me, I got stuck in the back of the pack.' The 'I didn't have a hard time at all predicting what strategy you would use.' Subtle jabs and stabs that eroded Desi's confidence as a skater, things that made her cry on the way home, struggling to see through her tears as she drove back to Port St. Joe.
Those were things she didn't ever tell Jam about. Things that Jam didn't need or care to know.
When Cali showed up, it was worse. Calico Jack Rack 'Em Up, number 18. She didn't want to be anybody's derby wife- /monogamy wasn't her style/ she said, when someone asked. Maybe not in the derby world, anyway.
Somehow, she already knew most of the girls on the team. Desi didn't want to think about how, because it threatened her tenuous link with them. Jam had been the only 'in' she had, but even Jam knew Cali.
When Jam and Cali started dating, it was the talk of the team. Hushed whispers back and forth before the two of them came into the room. When Cali had arrived at Emerald Coast, she'd had a girlfriend already, a mousy but pretty girl named Sheena Dexter. She came to practice to watch sometimes and Cali always talked about how she was trying to convince Sheena to be a referee, even though Sheena never did it.
