Rose Alliger entered the gymnasium, beaming with a newfound sense of pride. For the first time in her life, she was sexy. Jacopine Mogg had said so.
"Damn, girl. Look at those muscles," Jacopine had said, watching Rose heft the two three-gallon coolers of Gatorade. "Those workouts are paying off. Y'all getting strong and sexy."
Jacopine was the only open lesbian at Oil City Baptist College. She'd had her way with all the prettiest closeted Christian girls, so her pronouncement had an air of authority.
Rose wasn't gay. Nonetheless, she blushed.
All her life, Rose had been the chubby girl, the mousy girl, the "little porker," as Chad Spackler had called her—not to her face, but to a friend. She'd overheard.
That very evening, she'd started tracking calories and working out. She'd kept at it—four months now.
Jacopine was the first to compliment her progress. Being noticed felt good.
Usually, Rose wheeled the Gatorade on a cart. But, tonight, a wheel was broken, so she had to carry the coolers by hand. They were heavy, but she was strong.
It was minutes till tipoff. The bleachers were nearly full. Basketball was big in Oil City. There wasn't much other entertainment in town.
The visiting Slabtown Friars were warming up on the near side of the gym. Rose cut diagonally through them, taking the straightest path to the Big Green bench. Six gallons of inertia rendered her helpless to dodge caroming balls, but she shuffled through unscathed.
At center court, the Big Green cheerleaders were doing backflips, flashing their spankies to the godly crowd.
Autumn Ayr shot Rose a dirty look and backflipped directly into her path.
Rose stopped short. She stumbled and nearly lost her buckets, but she managed to hold on and avoid any spillage. She stiffened with alarm, though, as her pants slipped into a precarious position.