Friday, March 19, 2010

BRINGIN' THE HURT (flash fiction)


Trixi had been with the roller derby roughly two years and felt every bit of it. Bruised and battered at the end of each season proved that these Texas gals took their game seriously and didn't fuck around. Her husband constantly reminded that they weren't in Minnesota anymore.

Many of these Lone Star dolls were ink-stained and pierced. She wasn't. At least nowhere visible. Most derby rollers adopted alter-egos much like rockabilly superheroes in the world of burlesque. And they all had their quirks. For example, Muffin Rolls was a bitch in real life but surprisingly sweet on the wood; The Duchess of Torque had a firm but fair sense of play and never talked during a match; Seka Destroy was once an Olympic gymnast and Thicka-than-a-Snicka was in it soley to crush the shit out of little girls.

The Southwestern teams had especially menacing monikers as the Mile Die Club, Poison Apples and Heavy Metal Hookers. She was on the Trippin Chix but aspired to roll someday with Austin's Puta Del Fuegos where their star Holly Peno kicked holy ass.

Tonight, though, Barrelhouse Bessy was fouling her incessantly and Trixi knew she have to put the bitch down when the referees weren't looking. Toward the end of the second period, she gave the signal as teammates Lady Gag Ya and Velvet Crush swished in front and obstructed the refs.

Trix elbowed Bessy in the gut so there'd be no visible damage. God, how she loved the hard thud of a dropped opponent. It worked, but not for long. Swoop DeVille, Bessy's captain quickly rolled up and pinned Trixi against the rail as they both went down. Stockings were ripped, faces slapped.

As Trix stood awaiting the penalty call, she couldn't help but hope there'd be enough time to grade some papers tonight before bed.

17 comments:

  1. Wow. This rocked. What an interesting peek into a whole new milieu. Strong voice, strong characters and the nicknames were a hoot!

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  2. You had me with the NAMES. Brilliant stuff here. I'd swear you had personal experience. And the reveal at the end was unexpected for sure. Very nice.

    I live in Texas. We are bad asses. Yes. I like this.

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  3. Alter-egos are such fun, especially with names like those. This was a crashing good write.

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  4. Kick ass flash as I now expect from you. Great writing, great imagery and even better names. Top work Anthony.

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  5. very wild and great photo I must say..

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  6. great flash. i recently met a derby girl. her boyfriend tried to explain her by telling me that she plays roller derby, now i get it...

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  7. I love this. Fantastic details throughout. And the last line places such a grounded normalcy to your brilliant, over-the-top melee.

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  8. Loved it. The picture must have been quite the inspiration. Great use of flash fiction.

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  9. Tough stuff. The names alone -- priceless. You opened a whole new world to me.

    What grade does she teach? Kind of like the college girls who play escorts on the weekend. Peace, Linda

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  10. What's in a name? Lots of smiles and at least one good chuckle (Lady Gag Ya)!

    Roller Derby action is a great way for meek little flowers like me to kick ass vicariously. The ending was totally unexpected! You get an A+!

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  11. Great ending line--I teach school. It's nice to see a teacher portrayed as an ass-kicker. Loved all the names in this too. Lots of fun here.

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  12. Anthony, you continue to impress with your work. Like everyone, the names had me laughing, and the last line was brilliant.
    And, like Mr. Sol...love the photo!!

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  13. I like how you used a punk sport like Derby rolling to show good girls need a bad ass outlet. It's almost like mud wrestling, but dirtier (haha). The name Lady Gag Ya cracked me up.

    Awesome work as always.

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  14. I wanna thank everyone who read... I really appreciate the feedback.

    - Ant

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  15. Wow. The secret lives of teachers! Nice work!

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  16. I burst out loud with laughter, at Lady gag ya! Entertaining, Ant.

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  17. Fabulous names! Holly Peno is my favourite, I think, but it's a tough choice

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