Chapter Text
It all started with a fight.
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The bright lights of the warehouse aggravated Rey’s eyes when she walked into the building, and she momentarily lifted her hand up to cover her eyes, allowing them to adjust. She jumped when the crowd roared, not expecting the reaction because she could not see the track. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way through the crowd, trying to get a place to sit. She eventually found a seat, in between two rowdy fans who were screaming their lungs out, but it was better than trying to look over the fans standing on the floor.
A figure flashed by her section of seats and her eyes immediately snapped to them, watching the star-helmeted person skate around, far ahead of the pack of the other skaters. The bright orange and white of the uniform color stood out against the dark red and black of the opposing team. The skater soon made their way back into the group of others, and was almost taken out by a member of the opposing team had not a smaller skater intervened. The shorter person had a lot of strength, as the opposing player was at least a foot taller than them, yet stumbled when the shorter player hit them. The opposing player fell, holding his knee as he cried out, faking an injury. The referee blew the whistle, right before the skater with the star helmet could get through the pack. The short player who had pushed the fallen one threw their arms up, obviously angry that the player faked their injury.
Soon, a tall skater came around, and, while Rey couldn’t hear what they were saying, knew that they were egging the shorter one on. The short player lunged, but was held back by their teammates. The player was taken to the team’s bench, and the captain patted the player on the shoulder. The rest of what happened, Rey understood. The team with orange and white was given a penalty, causing an uproar from both fans and players alike.
“Alright folks, let’s calm down. Remember, this is only our preview match for new players. This doesn’t count for anything.” The announcer tried his best to calm down the crowd to no avail. However, when the captain of the orange and white team held up her hand, the crowd quieted instantly. The woman, noticeably aged, held a certain air about her, and Rey was drawn in. It wasn’t hard for Rey to picture the woman as a princess or high in position of an army.
Thankfully, with the woman’s intervention, the match went back on track, but the air was thick with tension. Eventually, it ended, with the black and red team, or, as the announcer called them, the ‘First Order’, winning. The crowd had cried out, but did not act, and quickly left, not wanting to see the gloating faces of the winning team.
The emptiness of the warehouse allowed Rey to walk up to the edge of the ring, waiting patiently for the other team, the ‘Resistance’, to break from their huddle. When they did, Rey waved her arms, grabbing the attention of multiple people. One happened to be the short player that was fouled earlier, who, upon looking at Rey, quickly ducked her head. However, the player that she did want to get the attention of did notice her and he skated up to the edge. Rey smiled at her friend and he smiled back, taking off his helmet.
“So? How did you like your first game?” Finn asked, using the back of his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Rey grabbed the side of the ring, eyes alight.
“It was incredible! Hard to follow at some points, but I don’t think it would be too hard to pick up, Rey answered, full on grinning at this point. “But that call those refs make? Terrible!”
Finn scrutinized her for a split second before chuckling. “You have no clue about what happened throughout the entire match, do you?”
“Not a clue,” Rey responded with a laugh.
Finn shook his head, grinning. “You’re a nut.”
“You know you love me.” Rey responded in a singsong voice.
“That I do. But, hey, I have to go get changed, but after that, do you want to head out with me and the team to grab some drinks? It’s tradition.” Finn shifted the helmet that was held under his arm, taking the gloves off of his hands. Rey’s smile dropped, her entire demeanor changing.
Rey shook her head slowly, bringing her arms up and shaking them as well. “No, no. I’d rather not intrude on something like that. I’m not part of the team.” Finn frowned, confused, before accepting it. He knew that his friend, after living as an orphan for most of her life, was generally independent, and didn’t typically like group activities that were full of people she didn’t know.
“Okay. I get it. But promise me something. When the tryouts happen, you gotta tryout.” Finn held his hand up, waiting for Rey to grasp it. “You’re gonna love the team Rey. I promise.”
Rey looked at his hand, hesitating, before looking at Finn. “You promise?” Finn nodded, looking her right in the eye. “Okay. I’ll try out.” She grabbed Finn’s hand, squeezing it before letting go. “Let me know when they are, okay? I’ll see you later. Tell Poe I said hi.” She kissed him on the cheek before leaving.
Now, the problem that Rey had was that she had no idea how to roller skate.
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It was finally the day. Rey could feel the nervous sweat on her skin and it was making her flustered. It wasn’t like she wasn’t prepared. After all, she had spent the last two weeks practicing how to skate by herself, and with a little help from Finn, so she felt prepared for that part of the trial. She felt she held a skill that was apt enough to get her through the try outs no problem. The only thing she was worried about was being included. While she knew Finn, and Poe, would help her adjust, it just… was something she always worried about.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles turning white as she did so. She just had to go out there and do her best, and the rest would fall into place, right? With a nervous sigh, Rey got out of her car, grabbing her helmet and skates as she did so.
All around the outside of the warehouse were dozens of people, all with equipment like Rey, all looking nervous. A few seemed confident, too confident, and Rey reckoned that it was a false bravado to hide their fears of being turned down. All around her were people talking, making idle chatter as they waited for the doors to open. Soon, the large doors were opened, and out stepped Poe, grinning from ear to ear, and the older woman whom Rey recognized as the woman who quiet the rambunctious crowd.
“Alright. The way these try outs work are simple. Myself and Poe will be sorting you into two teams, each with different player rotations, and from there, we’ll see how you not only skate, but work well with others, and how you can adapt to strategies in the middle of a jam.” The woman spoke, a soft smile on her face. Although she was only explaining the way the day would go, Rey was captivated by the woman’s words. She wouldn’t be surprised if this woman was some type of royalty or grand leader.
The captivation was broken when a tentative rookie asked what would happen if people didn’t know the rules, and Poe stepped up, his casual stance shifting instantly into one that knew how to lead and explain things to people.
“Glad you asked! Everyone will be taught or, if you already know them, given a refresher course on positions and rules by Jessika Pava. While she’s explaining, the rest of the team will be demonstrating each of the three main positions.” Poe clapped his hands together, giving everyone a cheery smile as he scanned the crowd. “Any other questions? Alright, just follow General here into the warehouse.” He stepped aside, allowing the older woman to go first. As the crowd followed her in, Poe gave each person word of encouragement, but, when Rey passed, he patted her shoulder, giving her a megawatt smile. Rey returned it as best as she could and hoped that her anxiety wasn’t showing.
The inside of the warehouse seemed hollow, almost silent, compared to when Rey had been in it during the demo match. The bleachers that once sat on the edge of the ring were pushed back to the far wall, giving the illusion of free space. The protective fence around the outside of the rink was also gone, allowing people to walk right onto it, and towards the small group of people congregating in the center of it.
Finn saw Rey before she saw him, and the man gave a hoot as Rey walked onto the rink. Immediately, Rey’s cheeks colored slightly, uncomfortable by the attention that she was gathering as people looked back at her. When Rey looked back at Finn, he gave her a supportive thumbs up before following a handful of people onto the rink.
The sound of someone clapping their hands together caused Rey to bring her attention back to the few people who were standing in the center. Among them was the girl that, after a moment of contemplation, Rey remembered as the woman who got fouled out of the demo match. The two locked eyes for a split second before Rey sat down, breaking eye contact. The girl cleared her throat before picking up a small whiteboard. “Right, so. I’m Jessika Pava, and, as I’m sure Poe explained, I’ll be teaching you the basics of roller derby.” Jessika drew a few X’s and O’s on the white board and started to describe the various players of a team.“The main roles of the game are simple, since there are only three. You have the jammers,” She circled two shapes that were noticeably behind the clump of shapes. “The blockers,” She boxed in the pack of shapes, “And the pivot.” She mad a vague motion with the marker towards two random shapes.
“The jammers are the people who score, they’re typically the fastest, but not always. They’re signified by the star cover on their helmet, like Finn.” Rey looked over to her friend who was, sure enough, wearing the starred helmet cover. “Now, they have to circle the pack of blockers, twice. Once to get through them, and a second time to score. Every player they pass by cleanly is a point. There’s more to the jammer role, but, for now, you won’t need to know much.
“The next role, or roles, is the blocker. The blocker is responsible for three things: Protecting and aiding the jammer, hindering the opponent’s jammer, and maintaining the engagement zone. They don’t have any particular cover on their helmets. However, we’re the ones that throw elbows and punches,” Jess said with a mischievous smile. At the sound of the General clearing her throat, Jessika straightened up, looking like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She threw a scowl at the players when somebody started laughing. “Anyway, you’re not really supposed to throw punches. Only pushes and things to the midsection.
“The final part of the team is the pivot. Now, we have a set pivot, and you’ve already met him. Poe’s our designated pivot for the team, and I’ll tell you why. Pivot’s are typically player who have had a lot of experience, and are basically like the leader of the team on the track.” Jess pointed to where Poe was standing in the middle of the group of skaters, the striped helmet cover signifying him as being a different player than the rest. “Pivots need this experience because during a jam they call out certain strategies. And, if something happens to the jammer, like a penalty or something, the pivot can take over the role of the jammer. So, when you’re on the track, always listen to the pivot.”
Jessika smiled at everyone, her eyes scanning the crowd to see if anyone was staring back with blank looks. When she passed over Rey, however, her gaze stopped, for the slightest of seconds, before the player cleared her throat and continued looking around. “Is everybody good? Yes? Awesome. So, now, we’re going to demonstrate how each role plays.” Rey jumped when somebody rang a bell, not expecting it, but, when the players started to move, she was enraptured by the constant movement and focus that each player had.
Far too quickly, the mock match was over, and Rey had to be subjugated to being judged on her novice skating skills in front of everyone.
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The try outs ended up being a… success. If one would deem a success as something in which Rey didn’t fall flat on her face throughout the entire event. Rey thought she did… adequately during her time, getting the fastest time around the track compared to the others, which seemed to gain the interest of the General-whose name she found out later to be Leia Organa- which caused Rey’s stomach to feel full of butterflies by the time the day ended. However, there was something odd that Rey noticed throughout the entire day…
Rey was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the familiar hand land on her shoulder. She smiled up at Poe, the man giving her his signature smile, flashing his white teeth. “You did great out there, Rey! I knew my boyfriend was good for something,” He joked, nudging her side. Rey stuck her tongue out at him, and he gave a laugh, removing his hand from her shoulder. “How do you feel?”
The woman gave an indifferent shrug, not sure about what to make of her trials. “We’ll see, right? But, I have a question for-“
“Hey, Poe!” The two looked over at the woman, Jessika, Rey remembered, that was calling his name, her smile big as she walked over. When Jessika looked at Rey, her smile wavered and her stride faltered for a split second. Rey just barely noticed the faint red that colored Jessika’s cheeks, and raised her eyebrow, momentarily looking at Poe. The man looked back at her, giving her a shit-eating grin before turning to face Jessika.
“Hey, Jess. Have you met Rey yet?” Poe, once again, placed his hand over Rey’s shoulder, leaning against her. Rey furrowed her brows at him, wondering as to what he was up to.
Jessika, for her part, started clearing her throat. When Rey looked back at her, she saw the tail end of a scowl directed at Poe. “No, I don’t believe I have,” Jessika said, her voice barely containing her anger. Her anger at what, Rey didn’t know. When Jessika held her hand out towards Rey, Rey shook it instinctively. “You probably already know my name, but it’s Jessika Pava. I’m the one that takes the hits when this asshole gets too cocky as jammer.” Poe gave an indignant huff, and Jess gave him a sickly sweet smile before looking back at Rey. Her eyes momentarily flickered down, at their now held hands, and Jessika’s cheeks colored. Rey let go as if she had been burned.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I’m Rey. Just Rey.” Rey said, and Jessika nodded, not saying anything in return. Poe snorted, letting go of Rey’s shoulder. Before he could speak, Jessika snapped her head up at him, her heated stare making him falter before she even interrupted.
“Don’t you have your boyfriend to go find?”
Poe huffed, knowing that Finn was probably lost in conversation with Snap. “Yeah. I’ll talk to you later, Pava. And Rey, you better break those skates in.” Rey blinked, not sure as to what that eluded to. But, if she had to take a wild guess…
Jessika shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and Rey remembered what she was going to ask Poe. “So, ah, Jessika. Can I ask why you were looking at me throughout the entire event? Did I do something wrong?” Jessika instantly stood ramrod straight, cheeks completely red.
“You know, I just remembered that I forgot to tell Poe something, so, I’m going to go tell him that. It was nice to meet you, bye Rey!” Jessika practically ran after Poe, leaving Rey alone.
The girl blinked, confused. “Yeah, you too.”