"Didn't this use to be illegal?" Tangela Smith asked her teammate nervously.

"It used to be, yes, but it's not anymore since the league left it up to the franchises to pay the referees. Do you want the calls in the paint or not? Give me money," Yolanda Griffith said, holding out the plate impatiently. Tangela went through her pockets and groaned.

"Shit, I'm broke. I'm fucking broke. Yo-Yo, could you put in ten bucks for me?" she begged her teammate.

Yolanda sighed. "T, I already chipped in for half the rookies and Kara. I'm not going to ante up for the entire team. If you have no money, ask Ruthie or Ticha, or don't put anything in. Just don't expect the calls to go your way."

Tangela looked over at Ruthie Bolton. "I already put in a hundred, so don't go asking me," Ruthie informed her.

"How did you get a hundred dollars?" Kara Wolters asked with a skeptical look.

"I went down to the gym in a long-sleeved shirt and bet a few boys I could lift more than they could. Men can be so stupid."

"Which is why you're just plain ole Ruthie Bolton these days," Lady Grooms quipped, eliciting laughter from most of her teammates, except for Ruthie herself, who merely contented herself with a long hard glare.

"Don't worry, Tangela, I think I have enough for the two of us," Ticha Penicheiro said, opening her handbag and taking out her wallet. Yolanda sensed the money immediately and buzzed to Ticha's side. Uproarious laughter distracted them both from the transaction, though, as Edna Campbell said, "Damn, Lady, she got you there!"

"Hmmm?" Ticha asked.

"Ruthie said that if Lady thinks men are so stupid, why is she still married to one?" Edna told her with what sounded almost like a giggle.

"Priorities, ladies. Are we going to pay the refs or not?" Yolanda reminded them. Grumbling, several Monarchs reached for wherever they kept their money.