Demon Derby by Carrie Harris Read Free Book Online Page B

system is going to handle all this crap?”
    “If Casey doesn’t want the dessert, we’ll make her a sandwich,” Dad said mildly, but Rachel didn’t back down. She grunted and shoved her plate away. “So what are you really upset about?” he continued. “I don’t think this is about the cake.”
    “I’m just sick of it. You guys do this stuff all the time. Like the derby thing.” She turned to me. Her face was all splotchy, the way it always got when she was upset. “I love you, Casey, but you haven’t been out of the hospital for long, and you just got hurt yesterday. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you sneaking painkillers. Derby tryouts aren’t a good idea for you right now, but our parents aren’t going to say that because they’re nuts. You know I love derby. I think it’s totally awesome. But it’s too dangerous for you, and the whole idea makes me sick to my stomach. We almost lost you once. I don’t want to go through that again.”
    “Rachel,” Dad said, glowering, “sit down right now. You’re making Casey feel bad.”
    “I’m making her feel bad by telling her I care about herwell-being? I’m making a mistake by being concerned because she got mugged, and now she’s having hallucinations—”
    “Rachel!” I yelled. She wasn’t supposed to tell our parents about that. It had been bad enough having to tell them about the attack in the first place.
    “Hallucinations?” Mom blinked, looking at me.
    “It’s nothing, Mom.” I forced a smile. “Rachel’s
not thinking clearly right now
because she’s upset.”
    “No, Casey. I’m thinking just fine. You’re the one who’s a little confused,” Rachel said. “I don’t mean to nag, but you really need to tell—”
    “Shut up!” I snapped. Sometimes it felt like I’d suffocate under the weight of all the protection. I appreciated that they cared; really I did. But I’d survived. Plenty of kids from the cancer ward hadn’t. And now it felt like everyone wanted me to just be satisfied with survival—they wouldn’t allow me to
live
. My frustration over it all came out in a long, uncontrollable burst. “Can’t you chill out and be happy that I’ve found something I want to do instead of sitting around on the couch by myself all the time? This is supposed to be my big celebration, don’t you remember? It’s like you don’t give a crap what I want; you’re too busy trying to smother out all the life I’ve got left!”
    I threw my fork down; it skittered across the table and landed on the rug. Mom went pale and dashed into the kitchen, and after shooting a disapproving look in my direction, Dad followed.
    Rachel and I stared at each other across the table. The silence got uncomfortable fast.
    “That’s not fair,” she said quietly, standing up from the table and turning her back on me.
    “Yeah, well, it wasn’t very fair of you to decide what I ought to be doing without even asking me. I’m not stupid, Rachel.”
    “Could have fooled me.”
    She shoved the door open and stalked away down the hall. I knew I should run after her and apologize, but I was still pissed. She of all people should have known how much I hated being railroaded. So I got up, picked the fork up off the floor, and waited in lonely silence for my parents to bring in the next dessert.

I threw myself into skating practice for the next couple of weeks, partly because I needed the training but also because it gave me a handy excuse to avoid my family. After Rachel went back to school, my parents started speaking to me again, but it was that strained kind of talk full of things we weren’t saying. Derby was the ideal distraction, and it made me feel more like my old self than I had in ages. Words were cheap; my family would understand once they saw me in action.
    With that motivation in mind, I skated even harder, working out every day. Kyle wasn’t fully on board with the derby thing either, but he didn’t protest too much as long as I didn’t