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“Nope. I want you to fall in every which direction.”
“Huh?”
We all look at each other as though April has gone off her rocker.
“That’s right,” she says with a nod. “You are the designated comic relief. Can your ego handle it?”
“Me?” I laugh. “What ego?”
April grins. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Okay. Let’s try the routine again. Alli, you know it well enough to know where you should not let yourself fall. Deal?”
“Got it, captain!”
One little artistic tweak, and the whole routine changes entirely. By the end of the first set, we can barely keep it together. We’re laughing so hard at my stunningly melodramatic spills that we have to break.
“That’s it!” April calls. “Back here at six, dressed at six-thirty, and showtime at seven! And Alli?”
“Yes?”
“Do not change a thing. That was perfect.”
* * *
It was easy not to think of Terence when I was flying in every direction on the derby rink. But now that I’m on my own with the wind breezing through my hair during my deliveries, it’s a whole other story.
The flower shop, where I pick up my next delivery, has the news on. They’re showing Terence.
Then I have a few pies to deliver to the house down the street from the one Terence and Ranger saved.
Then I bump into none other than Terence’s mother.
“Did you see my boy?” She beams with her arms full of groceries. “Wasn’t he just perfect? Such a man of the community, such a giver, a hero.”
And my soul mate. GAH!
“Yes, Mrs. Green. He outdid himself this time.”
She sighs and then cocks her head at me.
“Are you okay, Alli dear? You look a little flushed.”
Oh, I just realized that I’m falling in love with my childhood friend, my best friend, also known as your son. Don’t mind me if I have a complete meltdown. It’s temporary.
“I’m fine.”
“And the roller derby?”
I feel my face light up. Thank goodness for distraction. “It’s going great! I have a special role to play, and tonight will be my first show.”
“Good on you,” she says with a nod. “Fearless, as ever. Rushing into every possibility, never giving it a second thought.”
She meant it as a compliment, but as Mrs. Green is walking away, I can’t help wondering why her words leave a funny taste in my mouth.
Rushing into every possibility. True.
Fearless.
That’s where she’s got it wrong.
