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left. Mariah was on the heels of the leader the whole way to the door.
    That was fun, she thought, watching them exit through the door. Should she have done that? Probably not, but, fortunately, Joshua’s place provided some of the best food in Austin.
    This place, owned by her brother, was a good fit for her. Her attitude would never get her fired. She didn’t pull it out too much, because most people here were nice, but sometimes a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. She hated bullies in any shape or form, and mean girls were bullies hiding behind prettier-than-usual faces and forms. She walked back over, grabbed her apron, tied it behind her back and smiled at Amber. Back to work it was.
    * * *

CHAPTER THREE
    Last Saturday in February
    Brass Knuckles vs. Thunderstorm
    A couple more streets and he would be there. He was now stopped at the light at Hanover and Seventh. Crap. There were a lot of people heading to the roller derby and he was running late, squeezing into the line that was snaking its way into the parking lot. Michael had agreed to meet him here. He said he’d been here before.
    Adam waved his thanks to the driver of the minivan for letting him in. That would teach him to be late. He’d thought derby and thought a hundred people max; he’d been wrong.
    He had no idea the Rail Yard existed, as he’d been absent during the time of its construction. This part of town used to be more than a little run down. It still was, except for this structure standing tall, two blocks away: the new home to Austin’s Flat Track Roller Derby.
    He checked his watch. He still had ten minutes before it was due to start. He entered the main gate and was ushered to a parking spot by the attendants with their flashlights.
    He locked up his car and made his way to the front of the building, taking in the sheer size of this place, followed the signs. Not the best design for a sign—someone had hand-painted the arrow on it in bright red, with a very large brush.
    The roof was the same blood red. It looked as if it was made of some kind of crackled metal with large, matching metal pillars holding it up. He walked from the newly paved parking lot, following the crowd as they made their way to the front of the building. He checked out the railroad tracks, which weren’t even thirty yards away. Some of the buildings surrounding the railroad were dilapidated. Whose idea was it to build this here, he wondered? Although, truth be told, the new building fit in with the railroad tracks surrounding it.
    Interesting crowd, lots of multi-colored hair, tattoos, and punk rock attire. He’d seen enough dog collars, spiky belts, and combat boots to last him a lifetime. He felt out of place, dressed in jeans and a polo-style shirt. He should have gone more for a grunge look, although for some of those around him the grunge look was real.
    He made his way to the front door. The line was really long now, and he was glad for his pop’s tickets and for his dad’s call before he’d left home, making sure he was going. He told him there was a special line and seating for ticket holders, and not to be stupid and stand in the wrong line.
    He looked around for signs of Michael—not here yet. He found his ticket line and headed toward it.
    “You didn’t realize the roller derby was this popular,” Michael said over his shoulder a few minutes later. Adam turned to face him. He hadn’t heard him approach.
    “Had no idea,” he said, taking in the two females accompanying Michael.
    “This is Allison,” Michael said, introducing Adam to a brunette.“Allison is here with me, and she brought along her cousin, Tiffany. We call her Tiff for short,” he said.
    “Hi,” Adam said.
    “You said you had four tickets. No use wasting them, not when there are two beautiful women who wanted to join us,” Michael said, smiling at the two women.
    “Yep. Guess not,” Adam said, giving Tiff the once-over. She had turned away, her back to him now.