Jamie left the bout feeling good. She walked through the parking lot with Sabrina and the rest of the departing attendees, buoyed up by her joy. Her favorite team, the superhero-themed Excessive Force, had won.

On top of that, Marcus had won the drawing for the sofa and invited Jamie and Sabrina to sit with him and Rachel. He sat perched on the arm of Sofa King Awesome while Jamie and Sabrina sat with Rachel on the actual cushions. The sofa was placed close enough to the track that a few derby girls wiped out and slid into their feet.

Sabrina slowly loosened up over the course of the bout as much as Jamie ever saw her loosen up. She clapped occasionally and even laughed a little. It was easy to forget that Sabrina had other moods besides "cold disdain."

Which is why Jamie was unp...

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