Hell's Belles (21 page)

“Isn't that who asked you to the dance?”

“No, of course not!” Annie laughed. “In fact, I doubt Jesse Matthieu would ever be caught dead at a school dance! And besides, he doesn't think of me like that.”

Dad looked as though he wasn't entirely convinced, but thankfully, he didn't say so. “Well then, who's the lucky guy?”

“Only the coolest, cutest, most popular boy in the whole school. Tyler Erickson.”

“Ah,” said Dad, nodding. “The soccer star.”

“Yep!” Annie was smiling so broadly she thought her cheeks might pop. “It's still okay if I go, isn't it?”

“It's still okay.”

Annie clapped her hands. “Okay, great! I'll see you at midnight, not one minute later, I promise!”

“Have a good time, Beanie. But Annie . . .”

“I'll be on time, Dad,” Annie said, laughing. “After all, I don't want to turn into a pumpkin.”

Annie was about to sprint off to the locker room when Coach Ritter appeared at Dad's side, smiling. “Ready to go, David?”

David? What happened to Mr. Turner?

“You two are going somewhere?” Annie asked, forcing her voice to remain casual.

“Susan and I are just going out to celebrate the win with a cup of coffee,” said Dad. “And it's also a good chance for me to check out the local coffee shop competition.”

Annie was surprised to realize that the idea of Dad and Coach chatting over a cup of coffee — some place where Dad wouldn't have to be the one to brew it — actually made her happy.

“Well then, you have fun, too,” she said. She gave her coach a big grin. “Just have him home by midnight!”

“Will do,” said Coach. “And, Annie, I'm so proud of you! You really proved yourself to be a true roller girl tonight!”

Annie thanked her, but deep down inside, she felt the slightest pang of guilt.

Would a true roller girl miss a team victory party to go to a dance with a boy?

Maybe. If the boy was Tyler Erickson.

Annie pushed away the guilty feeling and hurried to the locker room to change out of her skates. Minutes later, she was rushing through the rink, dodging the lingering fans who were picking up schedules for future bouts.

As she reached the door, she caught sight of Jesse. He was helping his little sister put on her jacket.

“Hey, Jesse . . .” Annie called.

She thought she saw him lift his head at the sound of her voice, but instead of turning in her direction, he continued to zip up Katie's jacket.

Guess he didn't hear me,
Annie thought.

She briefly considered going over to say goodbye, but then she spotted Tyler through the glass doors. He waved and smiled.

The flutter turned into a full-on shiver as she pushed open the door and went out to meet him on the pavement.

“Ready, roller girl?” Tyler asked in that flirty voice.

“Ready,” Annie said, returning his smile. “I hope you're not disappointed that you weren't able to go to the dance as David Beckham.”

“Well,” said Tyler. “I'm sure you would have made a gorgeous Posh Spice, but this is fine too.”

As they started walking, Tyler took her hand.

As far as she was concerned, this was miles better than fine.

Annie's first American Halloween was officially perfect!

Roller Girls is published in the United States by
Capstone Young Readers
A Capstone Imprint
1710 Roe Crest Drive
North Mankato, Minnesota 56003
www.capstoneyoungreaders.com

First published in 2013 by Curious Fox,
an imprint of Capstone Global Library Limited,
7 Pilgrim Street, London, EC4V 6LB
Registered company number: 6695582
www.curious-fox.com

Text © Hothouse Fiction Ltd 2013 Series created by Hothouse Fiction
www.hothousefiction.com


The author's moral rights are hereby asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on the Library of Congress website.
ISBN: 978-1-62370-024-9 (paper-over-board)
ISBN: 978-1-62370-022-5 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-62370-153-6 (ebook)

Summary: Annie's roller derby team is finally on a winning streak. They plan a special Halloween bout with their arch rivals, the High Rollers. But Annie sprains her ankle. Will it heal in time for the bout?

Cover original design:
www.spikyshooz.com
Photo: Getty Images/Vetta
Designer: Russell Griesmer, Kay Fraser

With special thanks to Lisa Fiedler

For Shannon and Ricky, who skate on blades, not wheels. Thanks for being my team!