At long last we are getting roller-derby shenaniganry.

I decided to combine two episodes in one—we're getting "Any Sport in a Storm" and "Wing It Like Witches" at the same time. This is gonna be interesting and I really hope I can pull it off.

Also, I'm doing a first for this one: we're not splitting up just into three or four parts. I have two plotlines that need attention and that might require bouncing back and forth between them.

*grits teeth*

Wish me luck!

The day of the club fair saw Hunter getting to school fairly early.

Hexside had the strange tradition of holding the club fair two weeks into the school year to give students a chance to find things they'd be interested in. And the reason why it took two weeks was so that new students could adjust to their surroundings.

Currently, he was holding the ladder for Willow so she could hang the banner for roller-derby. They'd been given a booth in order to pass out pamphlets and flyers for their team because finally, they were officially holding tryouts for said team. Hunter had wanted to go through the same process as everyone else, but Willow wouldn't hear a word of it. He'd been the one to train with her all summer, which meant that if there was anybody who was going to be her second-in-command it was going to be him.

Once the banner was straight, she came back down.

"And there. Perfect."

"We might not get a lot of people who wanna join," Hunter sighed. "Rugby's more popular."

"True. But this might be an alternative for the people who wanna be a part of something without Boscha involved."

"Wow, another reason for me to stick around."

She giggled, and then there was a chirp as Flapjack landed on Hunter's shoulder. His pet had ridden on his shoulder to the school and now he was seemingly just as excited for the day as Hunter and Willow were.

"Booth looks great, guys!" Luz complimented, walking up with Vee and Gus.

"Yeah! Roller-derby's gonna rock!" agreed Gus.

"Thanks," Willow chuckled. "And by the looks of things, we might already have a mascot."

Hunter smiled and scratched Flapjack's head. The bird leaned into his touch happily, chirping up a storm.

"So when's the exhibition match?" Vee inquired. "I'd love to go cheer you on!"

"It's not for a couple weeks," Hunter told her. "It gives us time to try people out and train the new recruits."

"Roller-derby is one of those sports that can go really badly if you don't know what you're doing," Willow added. "That's why we need the time to prepare, and why we're here so early."

The loudspeakers crackled to life overhead.

"The Hexside biannual Club Fair is about to commence!" announced Principal Bump. "Students, please take this time to seriously consider your extracurriculars for the year!"

"We're gonna go check out some of the other booths," Luz stated. "But we'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Have fun!" Willow called as they walked away.

"Guess it's just us for now," Hunter sighed.

"What, don't wanna be alone with me?"

"Heh. I don't have a problem with it. I'm just saying."

"I doubt anybody's going to really check us out, anyway. We're pretty new and rugby's more popular, so…"

"We'll make it work. We'll be able to get at least five players. That's the minimum. We're already two-fifths of the way there."

"That's true."

"Hey, can I get a pamphlet?" asked a voice, and they both looked to see Skara smiling at them.

"Uh, sure…" Willow handed it to her and the other girl nodded.

"I've been kinda interested in this for a while. I mean, you two are in charge of it, right?"

"Willow's in charge. I've just been helping out."

"He's been a big help to me all summer."

"Aw. Cute." Skara glanced at the pamphlet, then back at them. "So, quick questions: do we need to bring our own skates or will you provide them? How much padding is needed? When are tryouts?"

"If you don't have any, we'll be providing a few pairs," Willow replied.

"Full padding—knees, elbows, wrists, and helmet," Hunter added.

"And tryouts are Friday afternoon."

"Okay. All noted. I'll be there."

Willow glanced at Hunter, who shrugged in response.

"I thought you'd be busy with rugby."

"I'm kinda over it, actually. I've been trying to figure out something else to do besides band, and this seemed like a fun idea. Plus, there's no way Boscha could ruin this."

"Give her time," muttered Hunter, and Willow elbowed him. Skara picked up the pen on the sign-up sheet and wrote her name down.

"I'll see you guys Friday!" She waved goodbye before dashing off to check out the rest of the club fair.

"That went well," Hunter commented.

"I wasn't expecting one of Boscha's people to respond."

"Neither was I, but it's like Gus said—Skara's the least of the evils, right?"

"Right. We can do this."

"We can do this."

As if to prove his point, a few more students came up, asking questions as Hunter and Willow did their best to answer them.

"Did you get one?"

Skara grimaced as she held up the pamphlet she'd gotten from Hunter and Willow.

"I got it."

"Good." Boscha took it from her and smirked at the illustrations. "Aw, that's cute. They're seriously trying with this little roller-derby thing."

"It sounds like it could be fun," Skara mumbled.

Things had changed lately between her and Boscha, and she was pretty sure Hunter was the catalyst. Boscha had become obsessed with him, an obsession that was wholly unhealthy given that he was completely uninterested in her that way. He'd turned her down repeatedly but that only made Boscha more determined to 'wear him down'. It got a little creepy at times in Skara's opinion.

Plus, you know, Hunter was better than Boscha. He had a kind heart that made him protective over people he cared about and that protective streak was keeping Boscha from having any chance with him. Not that Skara ever wanted them together. He and Willow were much cuter—flirting with each other without even realizing it, setting up this team together, that moment at the beach with the shell holy fuck that was adorable. Skara definitely saw potential for a long-term relationship for those two, but Boscha—yeah, Boscha had a snowball's chance in hell at making it work with Hunter Noceda.

Oh yeah, and there was also the fact that she wanted to join roller-derby.

That was a factor, too.

"What are we gonna do?" Amelia asked with a chuckle.

"Well, simple—we just need to remind Weeping Willow of her place. Below us."

"I don't think this is a good idea," Skara voiced out loud.

"So you think that we should just let her think that she can do things like this?"

"It's not just that. Hunter already hates you—"

"He doesn't. He loves me and doesn't know it yet. Everyone loves me."

"I'm just saying, he's not going to like you just because you tore Willow down. And I'm joining her team."

"What?!" gasped Amelia and Cat.

"You heard me. I'm joining roller-derby."

"You're quitting rugby?"

"I never liked it in the first place. So whatever you're going to do to them, leave me out of it."

"Skara, you can't be serious."

"I am. We can still be friends, but I'm not going to help you make fun of Willow. Not anymore. She doesn't deserve it."

She turned on her heel and began walking away.

"Skara! Don't you dare walk away from me!"

She ignored Boscha's calls for her to come back.

Why should she go back?

Vee stared up at the club banner above her head.

"You're interested in the theater?" questioned Gus, smirking with his hands on his hips.

"A little. I mean, I like reading, and I think I could do well with helping out behind the scenes. I was just looking."

"Just looking?" a voice said with a note of incredulity to it.

She whirled around to see a rather glamorous-looking man wearing a single earring, just like Raine had, only this man had a completely different air about him. It was an air of self-importance, of ego and snobbery. He was also glaring at her with a look of complete annoyance.

"What's your name, little girl?"

"V-Vee."

"Is that your real name or is it a nickname? Because honestly, what parent would name their child something so—"

"It's short for V-Valentina. Valentina Noceda."

"My, now that's a name you could put on a playbill. Just rolls right off the tongue."

"Mr. Graye, she's new here," Gus explained before glancing at Vee.

"Ah, I see. No wonder you didn't recognize me. My name is Adrian Graye. I'm the drama club advisor and lead visionary on our numerous theatrical productions. I have quite the eye for talent and you may very well have the talent I'm looking for."

"I'm only in fifth grade, sir."

"The perfect age for our club. We need younger-looking cast members for many of our shows, I'll have you know, and you have this…" He framed her face with his fingers, closing one eye. "…quality that we've been looking for. A sparkle in your eye, something in your face. It just screams star quality."

She glanced at Gus.

"You're coming to a meeting. Augustus, you're to make sure she makes it to us. We may very well have our next star on our hands."

He hummed for a moment.

"Augustus and Valentina. Both of you have potential, I suppose."

Gus grimaced as the teacher walked away.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I forgot he was lurking around."

"Is he… always like that?"

"Yeah, he is. Sorry you have to deal with him."

"I mean…" She fidgeted. "It might be nice to be part of a club. And at least with drama there's a chance I won't actually be onstage. I can be involved and not be out in front of everyone."

"That's true. Whaddaya say you and I take over the club?"

"What about your D&D group?"

"They all know that I'm way into drama and they love it because I use it in our games."

"Hm. Well, as long as I don't have to go in front of people… like audience size, not club size. I can handle club size."

"Good. Because we're taking over." He put an arm around her shoulders. "Gus and Vee, king and queen of the Hexside Drama Club!"

"Drama king and queen."

"Oh, that's even better." She giggled, nodding.

It was strange to think about, actually.

Four months ago she'd been living in Gravesfield, the quiet and shy youngest daughter of the Noceda family. She'd heard herself referred to as a 'tragic child' by some people there for two reasons: one being her father's death when she was just a toddler, and the other being what had happened to her at the historical society. While she hadn't actually gotten physically hurt (the creep would've been dead if she had), the words of Jacob Hopkins and the way he'd acted in his pursuit of a conspiracy theory had left a mark on her when she was only eight years old. It had made her fearful of people outside her family, fearful of making friends after Mr. Hopkins had taken advantage of her perception to trap her.

Since moving to Bonesborough, she'd made friends with King, with Willow and Gus, and she was finding her own way in this place where nobody knew about her father's death or what the 'historical society menace' had done. In Gravesfield she would have never had the courage to come to a club fair like this, to speak to someone like Mr. Graye, to join the drama club of all places and do this little takeover with someone else. But she wasn't in Gravesfield anymore. She was in Bonesborough, having a new beginning.

"Well, you'd better keep your promise to Mr. Graye to make sure I get to the meeting."

"Oh, of course. We can't do this without that."

She nodded, grabbing a drama club application off the table and tucking it into her bag.

Luz had learned a valuable lesson in her first two weeks at Hexside:

Boscha was a queen-bee bully of a rugby star captain, and Willow was her favorite target.

Hunter had been defending Willow to no end, something that nobody else seemed willing to step up and do other than Luz and Gus. But none of it ever did any good; actually, Hunter getting involved made things so much worse thanks to Boscha somehow thinking Hunter was a god in human form or something stupid like that. Or maybe it was Boscha being a goddess in human form and Hunter was a mortal she was pursuing? Whatever it was, it was really annoying and Luz just wished she'd stop. At the very least, Boscha was less likely to bug Willow when Hunter was around, and it didn't stop her brother from worrying about his crush.

Which was why he'd sent this text.

Hey, can you come stand with Willow for a bit?

I gotta go somewhere really quick

Of course I can

Will you?

Aw, I will.

Luz hummed as she made her way through the club fair and towards the roller-derby booth. Hunter waved goodbye to her as he jogged off to wherever he'd needed to go so urgently, leaving her alone with Willow.

"How's recruitment going?" she asked.

"It's going great, actually. We've had a bunch of people sign up for try-outs already. We might even have to cut some people!" Willow's green eyes were sparkling and Luz wanted to coo over how adorable it was.

"And what about Hunter? He hasn't been a weirdo, has he?"

"No more than usual. Why?"

"No reason." She went and cleaned up some of the pamphlets that had gotten scattered, tapping them so they were even.

"Um… is there still space to try out?"

Luz pulled a Hunter in that moment by falling over, almost hitting her head on the table in the process.

"Amity? You wanna sign up?" Willow questioned.

"N-not really, but… I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"It's…"

Amity was hesitating.

"Did Boscha put you up to this? Skara signed up earlier and—"

"No. She didn't. I just… ugh, why is this so hard?"

"I don't think so, Amity," sneered Boscha, walking up. "Skara going over to Weeping Willow is bad enough. We don't need you destroying your social life, too."

"Hey!" barked Luz, glaring. "I'll have you know that Skara is making a great decision! The roller-derby team is gonna be awesome and Amity can talk to whoever she wants!"

"Luz…" whispered Willow.

"Oh, really? And who are you, exactly?"

"Luz Noceda. You've had a creepy crush on my brother for almost four months now?"

"I'm sorry, I don't do crushes. I crush people. On and off the field."

She snapped her fingers and suddenly, two kids Luz knew from history class dumped a garbage can over Willow's head. Willow let out a yelp and Amity's eyes widened.

"And I believe trash should stay in one place."

"How… that's it!" She stomped her foot. "How about we settle this, Boscha? Us versus you! If we win, you'll leave us alone."

"And if I win, Loser Noceda?"

"Then… then you can pick on me instead of Willow! And Hunter will—"

She felt someone grab her arm and realized it was Hunter.

"Hunter will what?"

"I'll let you set that term."

He let go of her and went over to Willow, helping her brush off some of the garbage with a grimace. Luz turned her attention back to Boscha.

"Whaddaya say?"

"Hm. Interesting deal. I'll take it. And let's make it more interesting: if you win, I'll even back off your brother."

"Good. So, what are we doing?"

"How about a roller-derby match? Just so nobody can say I'm being unfair to you nerds. Because if you lose, you have to give up this whole roller-derby team entirely."

She heard Willow inhale sharply.

"You have yourself a match, then."

Luz and Boscha shook hands, and the match was set.

Five minutes.

Hunter had left Willow and Luz alone for five fucking minutes and this bullshit happened. Out of everything he'd thought he'd see coming back from the bathroom, his crush covered in garbage and his sister challenging the school bully to some kind of competition was not at the top of that list. Once Luz and Boscha had the bullshit terms set (leave him alone, what a fucking joke), he turned his complete attention to Willow.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I promise."

"I am so sorry," Amity blurted. "I didn't know she was going to do this."

"Well, you're her best fucking friend, aren't you? Why wouldn't she tell you?"

Out of the three Noceda kids, it was Hunter who had the biggest temper, especially if someone he cared about was threatened. And Amity—who was friends with Boscha and had ended a friendship with Willow for that reason—had shown up just before all this started? Well, that made her a big threat.

"I swear I didn't know!" Amity held up her hands. "I just came over here to talk to Willow!"

"As a distraction!"

"No! Because I want to try and be her friend again!"

"Real bang-up job at that, Blight."

She let out a frustrated growl and Luz laughed nervously.

"Uh, don't worry! We can unpack all that later! For now let's focus on the match!"

"Luz is right," Willow agreed, putting a hand on Hunter's shoulder. He felt his boiling anger evaporate in an instant at her touch. "We need to get ready. It's at four. I'm gonna ask my dads to set up."

She walked away with her phone in hand and Amity stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"What? You did enough. You can go."

"I'm helping."

"What?"

"I was serious about wanting to be her friend again. Let me help. I can skate and I'm pretty good at it!"

"Yeah. If she wants to help out, let her help!" agreed Luz.

"You shut up. It's your fault we're in this situation. But…"

He sighed. Roller-derby required at least five players—four blockers and a jammer. He, Luz, and Willow weren't quite enough for a full team. And he doubted any of the kids who'd signed up would want to play a match like this so soon. Passing interest didn't equal instant acceptance of going against the rugby star captain. So they needed Amity, as loathe as he was to admit it. And Gus would help them, he bet.

"Fine. But first sign of you screwing this up, you're out."

"I'm not going to screw up. I'm a Blight, and we always uphold our end of the deal."

He nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, then. Guess we just need to get to the rink."

"They're setting up," Willow announced, coming back over. "They're not happy about what Boscha did, and Luz is in for an earful from them, but they said they'll back me standing my ground. Even if I didn't set this up."

"Good. So we're all clear."

"I texted Gus, too. He's ready to help us play."

"Then let's go."

The four of them packed up the booth, preparing for the match.

None of them had any clue what kind of change it would bring to their lives, or that it would be a victory Willow would remember for the rest of her life. Or what would be waiting for Luz and Hunter when they got home from this fateful match.

No. All they cared about was beating a bully.

I swear to God the Gus and Vee thing is platonic. They're just little weirdos I love. And somehow I wrote a conclusion to Vee's arc without actually concluding the arc, huh.

I have bullshit word count limits, and this one was getting close. So I'm splitting it in half. Next chapter should be out by Monday at the absolute latest.

So long and thanks for all the fish!