Summary

In “Rose Mueller vs. Tanya Maw,” Rose Mueller and Tanya Maw face off next. The gym lights shine over the ring and accentuate the girls’ features. Rose has cropped hair while Tanya has long woven hair. The girls shake hands, reminding Tanya of childhood “clapping rhymes” and games (118). She tells herself she is an actor and a winner (118).

As the match starts, Tanya thinks of the clapping games, remembering her favorite ones and imagining Rose shouting out the rhymes. Meanwhile, Rose thinks about her life in Dallas and the places her father has taken her over the years. Tanya lives in Albuquerque but has some similar similarities with Rose. She and Rose have both played the same girlhood games.

In the future, Tanya will become an actor. She “will never be famous enough” to support herself with...