Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we sure do love giving them fun derby names.

Impact - A foul has an impact on safety or game play when a measurable physical force or effect can be observed.

Chapter 4

"Cherry breaks away from Emma Stoned as they turn the first corner!"

The emcee for their bouts gets really excited. He also drinks a little. So, occasionally, he's inappropriate, as well. But that's the cool thing about derby, no one could give two shits about being inappropriate or fitting some sort of standard. This is derby. Everything goes and everyone is accepted, even geeks like me.

I jump to my feet and let out the loudest whistle I can.

"Make some damned room for her! You guys have gotta block! Come on, Cherry!" I yell, setting my cup down so I can use my hands for dramatic flair.

One might say that I take this game a little too seriously, but I don't feel that way. It's a sport. These women work hard at what they do and they deserve to be supported.

"Cherry finds a hole and is coming up the middle of the pack! Looks like Barbie is getting ready to give her a hand...here comes the hip whip, folks! Annnnd, Cherry whips past her opponents, gaining four points for the Sex Packets! She's making her way back around the track! How many points is she gonna get in this jam?"

I've been watching their bouts for the past couple of years and, if my memory serves me correctly, the most points Cherry has ever scored in a bout is 24, which is the league record.

Everyone in the rink is on their feet. Some are chanting Cherry's name, others are yelling their two cents worth on what the skaters should do next. The place is electric. Cherry makes her way back around the track and laps the other players one more time, gaining another four points. She doesn't touch her hips, so the jam is still going.

Even from here, I can see the determination written all over her face. Her black eyeliner, makes her eyes look so fierce. Her braided pigtails fly behind her, as she lowers her body to the track to gain speed.

Coming up the backside of the pack, it looks like she's going to be able to work her way through. Barbie,Tits McGee, and Punky are all blocking for her. Just as they're coming around the corner closest to me, I see it before it happens. Diva Destruction, one of the blockers on the other team, sees Cherry coming up behind her and she throws an arm out, catching Cherry right in the face.

Emmett blows the whistle, signaling the foul, and yells for Diva to go to the Sin Bin.

Cherry is laid out on the track, and it doesn't look as if she's moving. I've seen a few skaters get KO'd before. This is a very contact sport. I've seen everything from broken bones to bloodied fingers to busted noses. None of it usually surprises me. Actually, the crowd usually goes wild when two of the girls start fighting or someone takes a nice hit, but not now. Everyone is quiet waiting on Cherry to get up.

Come on! Get up! I feel anxiety creep in, my stomach turning into one huge knot. My heart is about to beat out of my chest and my feet want to move, to get closer, to go to her; but I know I can't. I mean, we've only talked one time. I have no claim on her...no reason to show any more concern than the average fan.

She has a boyfriend, after all.

That thought makes me wonder if he's here. If that was my girl, if Cherry was my girl, my ass would be over the fence that separates the spectators from the skaters. I'd be out there checking on her.

I look around me and across from me, searching for the black hair and biceps I saw last Friday night. I finally spot him across the rink from me. He's standing there, arms crossed, with a smug look on his face. That feeling of complete rage I felt last Friday comes rushing back. I've never been a violent sort of person, but this asshole brings out the best in me, or the worst, depending on how you look at it.

I stare at him and then back at Cherry, laying there on the rink with her team huddled around her. I can't believe he's just standing there. His expression isn't one of concern or worry, it's like he's happy or something. I don't know what to make of it.

Finally, I see Barbie helping Cherry up and she appears to be shaking it off. I can see her gesturing to her teammates that she's fine and she shakes her head at her coach when he motions for her to hit the bench. Despite her efforts to stay in, he makes her come out and she looks pissed...and it's hot. When she makes it to the center of the rink where the rest of her team and coach are, her hand gestures are very animated. I can almost tell what she's saying, just by watching her. She wants back in. She wants to make Diva pay. She wants revenge. But she's not getting it this jam.

Her coach starts checking out her injuries. She has some nasty rink rash on her right thigh, and I'm sure if I got a closer look, it would be some fancy rink rash, with the pattern of her fishnets marked on her skin. I see him attending to her elbow, too, cleaning her up before he sends her back in.

Punky BruiseHer is usually their pivot, so she's playing jammer while Cherry is sitting out. She manages to score six points before the jammer for the other team, Tonya HardHit, calls the jam, doubling Punky's score. The Sex Packets are down and they need to act fast or this bout is going to be a loss.

Their coach calls a timeout and when the bout continues, Cherry is back in.

As she takes her mark on the jammer line, her muscles are taut and her focus is straight ahead. I'm sure she has every intention of making Diva Destruction pay, but if I know Cherry as I think I do, she'll make sure she hits her where it hurts, on the scoreboard...and then she'll get personal.

I'm right. Cherry blazes around the track, picking up four points with ease.

The emcee's voice goes up an octave, as he gives play-by-play detail of the jam.

"Cherry makes her way back around again, lapping everyone on the track, scoring a grand slam! She's on a roll! See what I did there?"

He pauses for comedic effect.

No one is really paying attention to him or his lame-ass jokes at this point. Their eyes are on Cherry, watching her skate with purpose and determination. She pulls out every trick in the book. She uses whips and assists from Barbie and Punky. She skates low to the ground to keep her speed up. I almost lose track of how many points she's actually scoring, until the emcee's voice cuts into my thoughts.

"Cherry is gonna do it! She's breaking her record...the record! Don't go anywhere, folks! You do not wanna miss this! This is history in the making!"

The poor dude can hardly hold it together. If people think I'm fanatical about this game, they should listen to him. He makes me sound completely normal.

Just as Cherry takes the lead, scoring 26 points, and breaking her record, she does a 180 on her skates, skating backwards down the track. Diva Destruction was gaining on her right before she turned around. It all happens so fast, Cherry's fist makes perfect contact with Diva's face, sending her soaring.

Emmett blows his whistle again and sends Cherry to the Sin Bin. No one can mistake the unapologetic smile she has plastered on her face as she smoothly skates her way across the rink to the penalty box.

Right before sitting down, she curtsies and the entire crowd erupts into applause.

Fifteen seconds later, the bout is over, and the Sex Packets win!

I walk toward the rink, looking for Jasper. I spot him sitting at the scorekeeper's table. He looks as if he's in a deep conversation with some other guy who does stats for the local derby teams. Emmett is nowhere to be found. I'm sure he's in the locker room changing clothes.

I guess his relentless advancements on Barbie paid off. She told him he could buy her some beers tonight at Willie's after the bout. I swear he was happier than the time he went to visit his parents for the weekend and found his old box of Playboys while helping his mom clean out the garage.

I'm a little lost in my thoughts, walking across the rink to where Jasper is sitting, when my shoulder makes impact with what feels like a wall of steel. I look over to see dark eyes staring back at me with a deathly glare.

"Watch where the fuck you're going, dickwad!" he barks, checking me again with his shoulder, this time intentionally.

"Calm your shit, man! It was an accident," I say, putting my hands up, trying to deflate the situation. He may look like a badass, but I have no plans of bowing down. If I can't defend myself, I know Emmett always has my back. I just wish I knew where he was, because the menacing look from Cherry's boyfriend tells me that he's not ready to kiss and make up.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" He bows his arms, jerking himself toward me, trying to make me flinch. The more of a show he puts on, the more I want to laugh, but I'm sure that would be the wrong thing to do at the moment.

"It was merely a suggestion," I say, pushing my glasses back up to their proper spot on my nose. It's definitely one of my worst habits. I notice that I do it when I'm nervous or uncomfortable and, sometimes, when I'm frustrated or angry.

"Well, aren't you a smartass! I should kick your ass for just looking at me, Four Eyes!" he spits, almost literally, his face just inches from mine.

This prick is just an overgrown bully who deserves to be put in his place. My mind wanders to Cherry. If he's this aggressive and rude to a complete stranger, how does he treat her? My blood begins to boil just thinking about it and his lack of concern for her earlier on the track.

I toe up to him, puffing my chest out, trying to make myself appear bigger...stronger. I wish I would have gone to the gym all those times Emmett invited me. I'm not one to use violence to solve problems, but this guy is definitely bringing out my inner Neanderthal. Just as I'm getting ready to push back, a strong arm shoots in between us.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell is going on here?" Emmett asks, looking first at me and then at the asshole.

"Why don't you ask The Hulk," I tell him. "It seems as if he's having some anger management issues."

"You're asking for it!" he sneers, reaching under Emmett's arm, trying to get to me.

Emmett strong-arms him, forcing him to take a step back. "Look, I think you need to just chill and walk away, before..."

"Before what? What are you gonna do?" he interrupts, smirking in Emmett's face, provoking him. "You gonna blow your whistle at me, Zebra?"

That was the wrong thing to say.

Em's face turns into a bright shade of red and I notice that he is clenching his fists, trying to keep himself under control.

"Dude, I don't think you know who you're dealing with. See, my friend, Edward here, is a nice guy, but me, on the other hand, I'm not so nice, and I don't take people pushing my friends around lightly. If you ask me, you're just a douchebag on a power trip. So, I suggest you cool your jets before I rearrange your face!" Emmett emphasizes the last few words, while inching closer. "Capisce?"

Oh, God. Not the whole Godfather act! I close my eyes, willing Emmett to just let this go.

"Em," I warn.

He looks back at me, "Just a second, E," he pauses. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." Emmett is laying on his best Italian mobster accent. Bringing his hand up, he brushes his nose with his thumb, and starts shifting his weight back and forth, from one foot to the other, like he's gearing up for his own bout. "What's your name?"

The guy looks at Emmett with a mixture of anger and possibly a hint of fear. "None of your damned business."

Emmett grasps the guy's shirt with both fists forcefully, pushing him back a few steps.

"Name!"

"Paul!" he snarls, pushing back against Emmett's shoulders. "Take your fucking hands off of me!"

"Listen here, Paulie. How about you walk away and we'll pretend like none of this ever happened?"

Paul stares at Emmett for a few seconds and I guess his self-preservation kicks in because he plasters a nonchalant smile on his face. "I've got better things to do with my time than this little song and dance we've got going on here anyway." He adjusts his leather jacket, brushing off his shoulders. I swear I hear him mumble something about this not being over as he walks away.

I ignore it, not wanting to start any more shit tonight; and if Emmett heard it, he pretends as if he didn't.

"You okay?"

I nod, still feeling a little caught off guard by the whole interaction. What an asshole! He's nothing like Cherry. It's hard for me to imagine her liking someone like that. Is that what they mean by 'opposites attract'?

"That's Cherry's boyfriend."

"No shit?"

"No shit," I say, feeling my body tense at the thought.

"I should have beaten his ass," Emmett says, looking back at the doors where Paul had just left the building. "Just on principle."

"What was that all about?" Jasper asks, walking up to us.

"Just someone wanting to get their ass kicked," Emmett says.

"Who was that guy? I've seen him around here quite a bit."

"That guy would be Cherry's boyfriend."

"Oh, shit!"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think that calls for some beers," he says, slapping both Emmett and me on the back. "Shall we?"

I think about calling it a night. I'm not really in the mood for running into that asshat again tonight, but I need to talk to Cherry. If I'm still giving her guitar lessons tomorrow, we need to discuss when and where.

"Sounds good," I agree, as well all walk through the nearly-empty warehouse. There are a couple of people still hanging around after the bout, mostly people associated with the teams. I see two of Cherry's teammates walking out of the locker room, but I haven't seen her since the bout was over. I'm sure she'll be at Willie's, though. She wouldn't miss an after-party, especially after a win like tonight.

She was fucking amazing and I can't wait to tell her.

A/Ns:

Jenny Kate: Sooooooo, what do you guys think?

Jiff: Shut the front door! Jacob isn't her boyfriend?! I'm flouncing! - We'd better not get any of this shizz in the reviews! LOL

Jenny Kate: Some of you should be happy. *looking at all of you upstanding members of the She-Women Jacob Haters Club* So, now that we know Bella's boyfriend is Paul...what do we think about all of that?

Jiff: I'm still giggling at Emmett's Marlon Brando/Godfather impression, myself.

Jenny Kate: LOL. Well, sticking with the Godfather theme, I'd like to take Edward to the mattresses. *winks* But not in the Godfather kind of way...in the I'd just like to be on a mattress with him...or the table...or the floor...up against a wall. I'm not picky. After all, my rapper name is "Easy J"! *throws up peace signs*

Jiff: My rapper name is Jiff Foxx but I took the liberty of changing it to Foxy Jiff. It has a better ring to it, I think. Let's share our derby names, JK!

Jenny Kate: Yay! This will be fun. OK, mine is Jamie AnnihilateHer! *flexes muscles*

Jiff: Mine is Janie Von Affliction! *flashes ruffled panties*

Jenny Kate: We'd love to hear what yours is! Here's the derby name generator that we used for ours - rumandmonkey widgets / toys / namegen / 10568 / (Remember to take out all of the spaces... FFN won't let you post website links)...or you can just come up with one of your own. We might even use it in the story!

Jiff: Thanks, as always, to Mauigirl60 for her beta-ing skills!