Friday Night Lights - "If This One Could Be With You", Tim/Julie, R
Title: If This One Could Be With You - Chapter 7/10
Author: lindentree
Rating: R
Character(s): Tim/Julie
Word Count: 4,126
Summary: After 2x11, "Jumping the Gun", Julie's parents come up with an appropriate punishment for her - tutoring Tim Riggins.
Thanks to the_wanlorn for being practically perfect in every way!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
“Hey, Julie?”
Julie was standing at her locker, searching for her trigonometry notebook, when the sound of an unfamiliar voice very close to her broke through her thoughts. She looked up to see a boy she recognized from her history class last year standing next to her, fingering the strap on his backpack.
“Can I help you?” she asked uncertainly, glancing around once to see if he was talking to someone else. He smiled, looking down and colouring a little.
“Sorry, I don’t think we’ve actually met. I’m Brett. Brett Stevens. We had American History together last semester?”
“Yeah, I know you,” Julie replied, embarrassed. “Sorry, that was kinda rude.”
“No, it’s okay! It’s not like we’ve talked before.”
“Right,” Julie nodded. An awkward silence fell, and Brett just stared at her for a beat, opening and closing his mouth like he was struggling to say something. Brett was around Matt’s height, and had dark brown, slightly curly hair, and warm brown eyes. More importantly, he was not a football player, and he was not already her friend. Julie smiled.
“So, what’s up?” she asked.
“Listen,” he said, clearing his throat. “I know this is kinda out of nowhere, but do you want to go out with me sometime?”
“Uh,” Julie replied, her eyes wide. She’d been so focused lately on getting over Matt and dealing with her unexpected feelings for Tim that she hadn’t given any consideration whatsoever to dating other guys. She observed Brett’s hopeful face; he was cute, and seemed nice. She had to move on, and she figured there was no time like the present.
“Sure,” she said finally, smiling at the look of relief that crossed Brett’s face. “That would be really great.”
“Okay,” he replied. “Are you free this Friday? Since it’s a by-week, I was thinking we could just hit Fran's and a movie, or whatever you want, really.”
“A movie would be great. Um, I just have to check with my parents and make sure I’m not grounded anymore. Can I give you my number?”
“Uh oh,” he smiled, pulling out his cell phone and handing it to her. “Trouble in the Taylor household?”
“Yeah,” Julie said, rolling her eyes as she punched in her number. “I’m a real wild child.”
“Guess I’d better watch myself then,” he replied.
“Guess so.”
“So, I’ll call you later this week?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay,” he said, shouldering his bag and smiling once more at her. “See you, Julie.”
“See you,” she replied, turning to watch him walk down the hallway. Smiling triumphantly, Julie grabbed her trig notebook and shoved it in her bag.
Maybe there was hope for her love life yet.
***
Julie spent the rest of the day in a great mood. She wondered if Tim had perhaps been right about her the night they went out to the quarry - maybe she was a girl who guys liked, but were just too shy to talk to. After all, it had taken Matt ages to summon up the courage to speak to her, never mind look her in the eye or carry on an actual conversation.
Standing by Tim’s truck in the student parking lot, Julie smiled and remembered the number of times Tyra had rolled her eyes and gone, “You’re a fox, girl! Own it!” while Julie stammered and shook her head. Maybe both of her friends were onto something she wasn’t, until now.
“Hey, Taylor,” Tim called as he walked up, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, as usual.
“Hey, Tim,” she replied. “I hope you’ve got an outline for that Great Gatsby paper, because we’re going to need to start thinking about prepping for finals.”
“You’re all business today,” Tim observed as he got into the truck, leaning across the seat to pop the lock on Julie’s door. She climbed in after him.
“Well, it’s never too early to start reviewing,” Julie said, rankling a little despite herself at how like her mother she sounded. “You’re going to have a lot on your plate, with playoffs and everything.”
“That’s true,” Tim conceded, as he pulled out of the lot and turned the truck towards the Taylors’. “Guess I’ll have to prioritize. What’s more important - state, or The Great Gatsby?”
“Tim,” Julie warned, although her tone stayed light. “You can do both, you’ll see. I’ll help.”
“I know,” Tim smiled, glancing across the truck at her. He cleared his throat. “So, this Friday’s a by-week...”
“Hey!” Julie exclaimed, excited. “That reminds me, guess what happened to me this morning?”
“What?”
“I, Julie Taylor, Miss No One Wants to Date Me Because I’m The Coach’s Frigid Daughter, got asked out on a date.”
Tim was quiet for a moment, looking ahead of them at the road. “Yeah?”
“Yeah! Hard to believe, I know. But I think maybe you were right about guys being too shy to ask me out or whatever, because he looked kind of terrified. It was cute.”
“Who’s this guy?” Tim asked.
“His name’s Brett Stevens, and we had American History together last semester. He just kind of came up out of nowhere while I was standing at my locker and asked me out.”
“Hm,” Tim frowned. “Brett Stevens... I don’t know him.”
“Of course you don’t know him,” Julie replied, rolling her eyes. “He doesn’t play football.”
“He doesn’t play football?” Tim asked, his dubious tone indicating to Julie that this meant Brett was ever so slightly less than human.
“No,” Julie said, laughing. “Tim - I’m not really one of those girls who’s into football players or whatever. I’m not a rally girl. Matt was kind of a one-time deal. He was different.”
“Oh,” Tim replied.
“No offence or anything,” Julie said softly, watching his face. She frowned. Was it possible that he was jealous, or was he just being protective like he had been with Riley? “You don’t need to worry about me, if that’s what you’re thinking. I can take care of myself, and anyway, he’s nice. We’re just going to go for a burger or something.”
“Sounds like a good time,” Tim said. Julie couldn’t tell whether he was being sarcastic or not. “If he gives you any trouble, you just send him my way.”
“My own personal bodyguard,” Julie smiled. “Lucky me.”
Tim didn’t reply, and Julie fell silent as they drove through the streets of Dillon towards her house. Julie was confused; she had anticipated teasing or a little brotherly protectiveness from Tim at her news. She hadn’t expected the tense silence which now fell between them in the truck. She stole a glance over at Tim to find that he was frowning out at the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
Was it remotely possible that Tim liked her?
The rest of the ride and in fact the rest of the afternoon passed in much the same way, with Tim taciturn and unusually humourless, and Julie making a lot of failed attempts to lighten his mood. He politely declined her mother’s invitation to stay for dinner and took his leave as soon as they had finished putting together an outline for his Great Gatsby paper.
“Is he doing okay?” Tami asked, after he left. “He seemed out of sorts.”
“Yeah, he was like that all afternoon,” Julie replied, staring down the hallway at the closed front door. She felt her mother watching her, and turned and met her concerned eyes.
“Anything that I should know about?” She gave Julie a searching look.
“I don’t think so,” Julie replied. “I think maybe he’s just stressed about finals and the playoffs and all that.”
“Maybe,” Tami replied.
Uncomfortable under her mother’s intense scrutiny, Julie turned away.
***
As Friday and her date with Brett approached, Julie’s excitement dimmed considerably and turned to apprehension. She figured this was mostly due to Tim being terse to the point of rudeness all week. She was relieved when she had a long shift at Applebee’s and didn’t have to deal with the yawning silence across the table between them.
Friday arrived all the same, however, and Julie found that a full day without Tim’s mulishness had her looking forward to her date once again. It helped that every time she saw Brett in the hallways that week, he’d smiled at her.
Brett picked her up at home in his dad’s Bronco, and, after the third degree from both her parents, drove to Fran’s for burgers. It wasn’t Julie’s favourite place in town, although it was very popular. Its popularity was actually the problem for Julie - it was always too noisy and crowded to have a real conversation, and Julie wasn’t interested enough in rubbernecking at Panthers and rally girls to appreciate its other attractions.
Julie could have rolled her eyes at herself. Here she was, 16-years-old and on a date with a cute boy who liked her, and all she could think about was that she’d rather be somewhere quiet? She was turning into an old lady.
They sat in a booth and made small talk about the weather, and school, and music, and things they liked to do in their spare time. Brett told Julie about how he and his brother liked to go off-roading, and Julie told him about her dance classes.
They had a perfectly nice time, despite the fact that their conversation was regularly interrupted by people from school stopping by to say hello to one or both of them. Julie was pretty sure Brett was having a good time, too; he smiled a lot and blushed when she smiled back.
“So, have you started studying for finals yet?” Brett asked, after polishing off his burger.
“Ugh, no,” Julie replied, swirling her straw around in her milkshake. “Between dance and playoffs and tutoring and studying, finals are going to be a total deathwalk.”
“You’re a peer tutor?” Brett asked. “That must be pretty time consuming.”
“Oh,” Julie replied, shaking her head. “I’m not a real peer tutor. I’ve sort of been drafted into service by my mom for a special assignment.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m tutoring Tim Riggins so he can remain eligible to play, basically.”
“Really?” Brett asked, his eyebrows shooting nearly up to his hairline. “Wow, that’s...”
“It’s what?”
“That’s not what I heard.”
Julie blinked. “What did you hear?”
“Oh,” Brett stammered, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “It’s just that the guys, my friends, well...”
“Your friends what?”
“Well, they kinda said not to bother asking you out, since you’re always hanging around Tim Riggins.”
Julie frowned. “I’m not always hanging around Tim Riggins. Anyway, we’re just friends. I’m his English tutor.”
“Sure, of course,” Brett replied, backpedaling. “I didn’t mean to imply that it was like, anything other than that, or whatever.”
“Right,” Julie said, looking down at the worn Formica table. Her good mood deflated at the subject of Tim. It was her own fault - she shouldn’t have mentioned tutoring at all if she didn’t want to talk about it.
“Listen,” Julie began, “I’m feeling kind of tired. Do you mind if we maybe call it a night?”
Brett watched her for a moment before shrugging and standing up. “Sure. Drive you home?”
“You don’t have to-“
“No, it’s okay,” he said, smiling. “Come on.”
And just like that, Julie’s big date was over.
***
“Well, what are you gonna do about it?” Billy asked, not looking away from the game or Mario Kart he was engrossed in.
“Ain’t much to do about it,” Tim replied from the armchair, pensively picking at the label on his beer.
“What are you talking about? Of course there is,” Billy scoffed. “She’s out with him at Fran’s right now - go over there and punch him in the face.”
“I don’t think that would go over so well.”
“What are you talking about? Girls love that kind of thing.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Tim shrugged, “I want to break that kid’s face. But Julie’d just get mad.”
“So you’re just going to sit there like a tool while some other guy steals her right out from under you?”
“Right out from under - Billy,” Tim scowled, getting up and walking to the fridge for another beer.
“I mean, like, metaphysically.”
“Metaphorically?”
“Yeah, that. Look how much she’s done for you already. You know what metaphorical means.”
Tim settled back in his chair, beer in hand. “Whole helluva lotta good it does me,” he replied, cracking it open. “I’m here, and she’s out with someone else.”
***
On Saturday morning, Julie enjoyed the luxury of both her parents and Gracie being out for the morning, and slept in. She finally dragged herself out of bed at noon, prompted by the incessant ringing of her cell phone. She was annoyed until she saw it was Tyra calling.
“Hello?”
“Hey, girl.”
“Hey, Tyra.”
“Did you sleep in? I called a couple of times.”
“Yeah, my parents are out, so I thought I’d take advantage and just be lazy.”
“Oh, sorry hon. Did I wake you up?”
“It was time for me to get up, anyway.”
“Were you out late? How’d the date go?”
“It was, um...” Julie trailed off, trying to find the right words.
“Oh. Gotcha.”
“It wasn’t terrible or anything, I mean, he seems nice, it just wasn’t...”
“Anything to write home about?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to be my date to this party tonight, but maybe it’s more of a Ben and Jerry’s and Thelma and Louise kind of night again.”
“Ugh, no. Nothing that dire. You’re going to a party?”
“I know. It’s regression. But I figured, hey, what the hell, you know?”
“Hm,” Julie said, tapping her toe against the table leg as she mulled this over. “I think I could go for a party tonight, yeah.”
“Pick you up around 9?”
“Sounds good,” Julie replied. “Wait, we’re not going to show up at the party that early, are we?”
“Of course not. 10:30 at the earliest. Only losers with nothing better to do show up that early. We’ll circle the block a few times.”
Julie smiled. Perhaps a party with Tyra was just the thing she needed.
***
Another party, another night spent awkwardly scanning the room while her companion enjoyed the company of someone else.
Julie sighed. They hadn’t been at the party more than fifteen minutes before Tyra had spotted Landry and lit up like a Christmas tree before muttering, “Back in five,” and disappearing into the crowd. Since then, they’d been off to one side, talking as though they weren’t at a house party with a hundred other people.
At the sound of a throat being cleared, Julie turned to find Tim standing next to her, beer cup in hand.
“Hey!” she grinned, impulsively throwing her arms around his neck. She felt like she hadn’t seen him in ages. He weaved drunkenly and hugged her back, hard.
“Oof,” she mumbled into his chest, smiling. “My ribs, Tim.”
He let her go with a muttered apology, taking a swig of his beer.
“Don’t know your own strength, huh, Mr. Star Fullback?” she teased.
Tim didn’t respond, scanning the room anxiously for a moment before his gaze landed once more on her.
“You here with that Brett guy?” he asked.
“What? Oh, no,” Julie replied. “He’s nice, but it didn’t really amount to anything.”
Tim blinked softly and swayed on his feet. “You look pretty.”
Julie frowned. “How much have you had to drink tonight?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he shrugged, lifting the red plastic cup to his lips as though Julie had reminded him of its presence.
Julie glanced around, once again spotting Tyra over talking to Landry. Their heads were bent close, and they were laughing about something.
“Stay here,” she said, giving Tim’s chest a gentle shove as though she was sticking him in place. “I’ll be right back.”
“’Kay,” he replied.
Julie wound her way through the party towards Tyra. She had to reach out and grab her friend’s arm to get her attention, so involved was she in her conversation with Landry. Tyra looked up, her eyes wide.
“Jules! What’s up?”
“Nothing, I just - do you mind flying solo? I need to take Tim home.”
Tyra raised her eyebrows. “Tim’s a big boy, Julie.”
“I know, but he’s too drunk to drive. He’s either going to do something stupid and someone will call the cops, or he’ll get in his truck and kill himself. Or someone else. I’m going to drive him home.”
“Okay, fine. Do you want me to follow you in my truck?”
“No, it’s okay. I can get home from there.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, Tyra. Thanks.”
Ignoring the dubious, concerned look on her friend’s face, Julie turned around to find Tim. She was manoeuvring her way back through the crowd of partiers when she heard a crash and a couple of shouts from outside.
By the time she found Tim in the backyard, he was being held up by a couple of the Panthers, and a guy Julie didn’t recognize was standing nearby, clutching his bleeding nose and glaring at Tim.
“What happened?” Julie asked Smash, who was one of the players holding Tim while the others diffused the situation.
“Rig’s got a short fuse,” he replied, shrugging. “Dumbass fell back and took a couple of chairs down with him.”
“Hey,” Tim slurred, looking at Smash. “This is Jules.”
“Yeah, we’ve met,” Smash grumbled. “Let’s get you out of here before that guy decides he’s up for round two.”
Smash and Bradley half-carried, half-dragged Tim out the front of the house and down the street to where his Silverado was parked. They helped Julie shove him into the passenger seat before returning to the party.
Staring up at the clear, cold November sky, Julie sighed and prayed to whatever deities were present to grant her patience.
Climbing in the driver’s side, Julie began searching for the keys, hoping Tim had left them somewhere in the cab. A loud snort from Tim prompted her to look up at him. He had passed out, and his head was lolling heavily against the window. Julie glanced down his body, noticing the bulge in the pocket of his worn jeans. Blushing, she reached out to sneak her hand in and remove his keys.
She had her finger hooked in the key ring when Tim’s hand closed around her wrist.
“What’re you doin’?” he mumbled.
Julie looked up, right into Tim’s face. He was watching her closely, his hair falling forward and shadowing his eyes.
“Getting your keys,” she replied, tugging them out of his pocket and sitting up slightly. He didn’t let go of her wrist.
“Jules,” he said, his voice a sigh. He leaned in, and suddenly his lips were pressed against hers.
Julie went completely still. He felt just like how she’d imagined, only better, tasting like whiskey and beer and the sharp metallic tang of the cut on his bottom lip. Shivering, she tilted her head and ran her tongue tentatively along his bottom lip, and suddenly they weren’t just accidentally kissing, they were making out.
Tim leaned closer, pushing her until she was sprawled across the cab of the truck, her head against the driver’s side window. When he slid a hand down her body and hooked her leg over his hip, Julie understood what all the Tim Riggins fuss was about. She also remembered that Tim was her friend, and he was drunk, and she was stupid to let any of this happen.
“Tim,” she said, placing her hands against his chest and shoving him purposefully away from her. He went easily, flopping back into his seat and glowering at her. Julie stared at him, confused at the strange expression on his face. He didn’t seem to know what he was doing in the slightest.
“Let’s just get you home,” she said, shakily reaching over and buckling his seatbelt. He didn’t protest, his head lolling back against the seat.
Buckling her own seatbelt, Julie started the truck and pulled out, holding her breath until she saw the PANTHERS #33 sign in the headlights. Tim had passed out, and spent the ride snoring.
Julie ran up to the house and hammered on the door, relieved when Billy opened the door, shirtless and perturbed.
“I’ve got Tim,” she explained, gesturing at the truck. “He’s really, really drunk. I can’t get him into the house on my own. Could you...?”
“Yeah,” Billy sighed, ducking back into the house to grab a shirt and yank it over his head. “What the hell is he thinking?”
“I really don’t know,” Julie replied, when they got to the truck. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Billy scoffed as he unbuckled his unconscious brother and hauled him out of the truck.
“I have,” he said, groaning as he hefted Tim’s weight. Julie jumped in and grabbed Tim’s loose arm, letting it flop over her shoulder. He felt like he weighed about a ton. “It’s been a while, though. He hasn't gotten drunk like this in ages."
Without another word, they got Tim into the house and into his bed, where he collapsed on his face and didn’t move.
“Will he be okay like that?” Julie asked.
“He’ll live,” Billy replied, turning and leaving the room.
“Okay,” Julie said, glancing back at Tim's prone form before following Billy. “Um, I’d better go. It’s late. Thanks for your help.”
“Thank you for bringing him home,” Billy replied. “Idiot probably would have tried to drive if you hadn’t stopped him.”
“I don’t know,” Julie said. “The Panthers were there, they would have stopped him.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Half the time they do more to egg him on than to look out for him. Not that I’m much better.” He looked down.
“Well, he’s home safe,” Julie said. “’Night, Billy.”
“Wait,” Billy said, following her to the door. “How are you getting home?”
“I was just going to walk. It’s not that far.”
“It’s far enough,” Billy said, shaking his head. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride. It’s the least I can do.”
The ride home was awkward, Billy trying to make conversation to fill the silence. Julie looked out her window at the dark houses passing by, thinking about the kiss she and Tim had shared.
“So,” Billy said, clearing his throat. “Tim told me you were out on a date last night. How’d it go?”
Julie frowned. “That’s... Why would Tim tell you that I had a date?”
There was a long pause. “Uh, I dunno,” Billy replied.
Julie turned and looked across the truck at him. “Do you two talk about me often?”
“Nah,” Billy replied, glancing furtively at her. Julie was certain he was the worst liar ever.
"What do you talk about, exactly?"
"Oh, er," he stammered, shifting in the driver's seat and accelerating slightly. "Just, you know. We talk about tutoring and whatever."
"Just tutoring?"
"Yep, just tutoring!"
"Right," Julie nodded, looking forward again. "Makes sense that my date would come up, when you’re talking about tutoring."
There was another long pause, and Billy turned the Silverado onto Julie's street. He pulled up and parked in front of the Taylors' house.
"Here you go," he said, a little too loud. "Home safe and sound!"
"Billy - what does Tim say about me? Seriously."
Billy sighed. "I can't tell you, it's not my place."
"So he says stuff, then?"
"Yes!" Billy replied, frustrated. "Yes, we talk about you. Happy now?"
"Talk about me how?" Julie asked.
"Look, I can't say anything. If you want to know how he feels or what he thinks or whatever, you're gonna have to talk to him. End of story."
"I know, I'm sorry," Julie sighed. "It's just - he doesn’t talk much, you know?"
"Oh, I know, trust me."
"Okay," Julie said, opening the passenger seat and sliding out. "Thanks for the ride, Billy."
"No problem," he replied. "Hey, Julie?"
"Yeah?" she said, turning back to look at him.
"I know Tim can be kinda hard to talk to, but you can ask him. How he feels, I mean," he said, giving her a significant look. "He might kinda want you to ask him."
"Oh," she said, raising her eyebrows. Was Billy trying to say that Tim liked her?
"'Night, Julie," he called, putting the truck into gear and pulling away with a wave.
Julie stood on the lawn and watched him drive away, thinking about what he'd said, or at least what she thought he had been trying to say. Did Tim Riggins think of her as more than a friend?
Given the way he'd been behaving all week, she wasn’t sure why she was so surprised.
Chapter 8
Author: lindentree
Rating: R
Character(s): Tim/Julie
Word Count: 4,126
Summary: After 2x11, "Jumping the Gun", Julie's parents come up with an appropriate punishment for her - tutoring Tim Riggins.
Thanks to the_wanlorn for being practically perfect in every way!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
“Hey, Julie?”
Julie was standing at her locker, searching for her trigonometry notebook, when the sound of an unfamiliar voice very close to her broke through her thoughts. She looked up to see a boy she recognized from her history class last year standing next to her, fingering the strap on his backpack.
“Can I help you?” she asked uncertainly, glancing around once to see if he was talking to someone else. He smiled, looking down and colouring a little.
“Sorry, I don’t think we’ve actually met. I’m Brett. Brett Stevens. We had American History together last semester?”
“Yeah, I know you,” Julie replied, embarrassed. “Sorry, that was kinda rude.”
“No, it’s okay! It’s not like we’ve talked before.”
“Right,” Julie nodded. An awkward silence fell, and Brett just stared at her for a beat, opening and closing his mouth like he was struggling to say something. Brett was around Matt’s height, and had dark brown, slightly curly hair, and warm brown eyes. More importantly, he was not a football player, and he was not already her friend. Julie smiled.
“So, what’s up?” she asked.
“Listen,” he said, clearing his throat. “I know this is kinda out of nowhere, but do you want to go out with me sometime?”
“Uh,” Julie replied, her eyes wide. She’d been so focused lately on getting over Matt and dealing with her unexpected feelings for Tim that she hadn’t given any consideration whatsoever to dating other guys. She observed Brett’s hopeful face; he was cute, and seemed nice. She had to move on, and she figured there was no time like the present.
“Sure,” she said finally, smiling at the look of relief that crossed Brett’s face. “That would be really great.”
“Okay,” he replied. “Are you free this Friday? Since it’s a by-week, I was thinking we could just hit Fran's and a movie, or whatever you want, really.”
“A movie would be great. Um, I just have to check with my parents and make sure I’m not grounded anymore. Can I give you my number?”
“Uh oh,” he smiled, pulling out his cell phone and handing it to her. “Trouble in the Taylor household?”
“Yeah,” Julie said, rolling her eyes as she punched in her number. “I’m a real wild child.”
“Guess I’d better watch myself then,” he replied.
“Guess so.”
“So, I’ll call you later this week?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay,” he said, shouldering his bag and smiling once more at her. “See you, Julie.”
“See you,” she replied, turning to watch him walk down the hallway. Smiling triumphantly, Julie grabbed her trig notebook and shoved it in her bag.
Maybe there was hope for her love life yet.
***
Julie spent the rest of the day in a great mood. She wondered if Tim had perhaps been right about her the night they went out to the quarry - maybe she was a girl who guys liked, but were just too shy to talk to. After all, it had taken Matt ages to summon up the courage to speak to her, never mind look her in the eye or carry on an actual conversation.
Standing by Tim’s truck in the student parking lot, Julie smiled and remembered the number of times Tyra had rolled her eyes and gone, “You’re a fox, girl! Own it!” while Julie stammered and shook her head. Maybe both of her friends were onto something she wasn’t, until now.
“Hey, Taylor,” Tim called as he walked up, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, as usual.
“Hey, Tim,” she replied. “I hope you’ve got an outline for that Great Gatsby paper, because we’re going to need to start thinking about prepping for finals.”
“You’re all business today,” Tim observed as he got into the truck, leaning across the seat to pop the lock on Julie’s door. She climbed in after him.
“Well, it’s never too early to start reviewing,” Julie said, rankling a little despite herself at how like her mother she sounded. “You’re going to have a lot on your plate, with playoffs and everything.”
“That’s true,” Tim conceded, as he pulled out of the lot and turned the truck towards the Taylors’. “Guess I’ll have to prioritize. What’s more important - state, or The Great Gatsby?”
“Tim,” Julie warned, although her tone stayed light. “You can do both, you’ll see. I’ll help.”
“I know,” Tim smiled, glancing across the truck at her. He cleared his throat. “So, this Friday’s a by-week...”
“Hey!” Julie exclaimed, excited. “That reminds me, guess what happened to me this morning?”
“What?”
“I, Julie Taylor, Miss No One Wants to Date Me Because I’m The Coach’s Frigid Daughter, got asked out on a date.”
Tim was quiet for a moment, looking ahead of them at the road. “Yeah?”
“Yeah! Hard to believe, I know. But I think maybe you were right about guys being too shy to ask me out or whatever, because he looked kind of terrified. It was cute.”
“Who’s this guy?” Tim asked.
“His name’s Brett Stevens, and we had American History together last semester. He just kind of came up out of nowhere while I was standing at my locker and asked me out.”
“Hm,” Tim frowned. “Brett Stevens... I don’t know him.”
“Of course you don’t know him,” Julie replied, rolling her eyes. “He doesn’t play football.”
“He doesn’t play football?” Tim asked, his dubious tone indicating to Julie that this meant Brett was ever so slightly less than human.
“No,” Julie said, laughing. “Tim - I’m not really one of those girls who’s into football players or whatever. I’m not a rally girl. Matt was kind of a one-time deal. He was different.”
“Oh,” Tim replied.
“No offence or anything,” Julie said softly, watching his face. She frowned. Was it possible that he was jealous, or was he just being protective like he had been with Riley? “You don’t need to worry about me, if that’s what you’re thinking. I can take care of myself, and anyway, he’s nice. We’re just going to go for a burger or something.”
“Sounds like a good time,” Tim said. Julie couldn’t tell whether he was being sarcastic or not. “If he gives you any trouble, you just send him my way.”
“My own personal bodyguard,” Julie smiled. “Lucky me.”
Tim didn’t reply, and Julie fell silent as they drove through the streets of Dillon towards her house. Julie was confused; she had anticipated teasing or a little brotherly protectiveness from Tim at her news. She hadn’t expected the tense silence which now fell between them in the truck. She stole a glance over at Tim to find that he was frowning out at the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
Was it remotely possible that Tim liked her?
The rest of the ride and in fact the rest of the afternoon passed in much the same way, with Tim taciturn and unusually humourless, and Julie making a lot of failed attempts to lighten his mood. He politely declined her mother’s invitation to stay for dinner and took his leave as soon as they had finished putting together an outline for his Great Gatsby paper.
“Is he doing okay?” Tami asked, after he left. “He seemed out of sorts.”
“Yeah, he was like that all afternoon,” Julie replied, staring down the hallway at the closed front door. She felt her mother watching her, and turned and met her concerned eyes.
“Anything that I should know about?” She gave Julie a searching look.
“I don’t think so,” Julie replied. “I think maybe he’s just stressed about finals and the playoffs and all that.”
“Maybe,” Tami replied.
Uncomfortable under her mother’s intense scrutiny, Julie turned away.
***
As Friday and her date with Brett approached, Julie’s excitement dimmed considerably and turned to apprehension. She figured this was mostly due to Tim being terse to the point of rudeness all week. She was relieved when she had a long shift at Applebee’s and didn’t have to deal with the yawning silence across the table between them.
Friday arrived all the same, however, and Julie found that a full day without Tim’s mulishness had her looking forward to her date once again. It helped that every time she saw Brett in the hallways that week, he’d smiled at her.
Brett picked her up at home in his dad’s Bronco, and, after the third degree from both her parents, drove to Fran’s for burgers. It wasn’t Julie’s favourite place in town, although it was very popular. Its popularity was actually the problem for Julie - it was always too noisy and crowded to have a real conversation, and Julie wasn’t interested enough in rubbernecking at Panthers and rally girls to appreciate its other attractions.
Julie could have rolled her eyes at herself. Here she was, 16-years-old and on a date with a cute boy who liked her, and all she could think about was that she’d rather be somewhere quiet? She was turning into an old lady.
They sat in a booth and made small talk about the weather, and school, and music, and things they liked to do in their spare time. Brett told Julie about how he and his brother liked to go off-roading, and Julie told him about her dance classes.
They had a perfectly nice time, despite the fact that their conversation was regularly interrupted by people from school stopping by to say hello to one or both of them. Julie was pretty sure Brett was having a good time, too; he smiled a lot and blushed when she smiled back.
“So, have you started studying for finals yet?” Brett asked, after polishing off his burger.
“Ugh, no,” Julie replied, swirling her straw around in her milkshake. “Between dance and playoffs and tutoring and studying, finals are going to be a total deathwalk.”
“You’re a peer tutor?” Brett asked. “That must be pretty time consuming.”
“Oh,” Julie replied, shaking her head. “I’m not a real peer tutor. I’ve sort of been drafted into service by my mom for a special assignment.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m tutoring Tim Riggins so he can remain eligible to play, basically.”
“Really?” Brett asked, his eyebrows shooting nearly up to his hairline. “Wow, that’s...”
“It’s what?”
“That’s not what I heard.”
Julie blinked. “What did you hear?”
“Oh,” Brett stammered, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “It’s just that the guys, my friends, well...”
“Your friends what?”
“Well, they kinda said not to bother asking you out, since you’re always hanging around Tim Riggins.”
Julie frowned. “I’m not always hanging around Tim Riggins. Anyway, we’re just friends. I’m his English tutor.”
“Sure, of course,” Brett replied, backpedaling. “I didn’t mean to imply that it was like, anything other than that, or whatever.”
“Right,” Julie said, looking down at the worn Formica table. Her good mood deflated at the subject of Tim. It was her own fault - she shouldn’t have mentioned tutoring at all if she didn’t want to talk about it.
“Listen,” Julie began, “I’m feeling kind of tired. Do you mind if we maybe call it a night?”
Brett watched her for a moment before shrugging and standing up. “Sure. Drive you home?”
“You don’t have to-“
“No, it’s okay,” he said, smiling. “Come on.”
And just like that, Julie’s big date was over.
***
“Well, what are you gonna do about it?” Billy asked, not looking away from the game or Mario Kart he was engrossed in.
“Ain’t much to do about it,” Tim replied from the armchair, pensively picking at the label on his beer.
“What are you talking about? Of course there is,” Billy scoffed. “She’s out with him at Fran’s right now - go over there and punch him in the face.”
“I don’t think that would go over so well.”
“What are you talking about? Girls love that kind of thing.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Tim shrugged, “I want to break that kid’s face. But Julie’d just get mad.”
“So you’re just going to sit there like a tool while some other guy steals her right out from under you?”
“Right out from under - Billy,” Tim scowled, getting up and walking to the fridge for another beer.
“I mean, like, metaphysically.”
“Metaphorically?”
“Yeah, that. Look how much she’s done for you already. You know what metaphorical means.”
Tim settled back in his chair, beer in hand. “Whole helluva lotta good it does me,” he replied, cracking it open. “I’m here, and she’s out with someone else.”
***
On Saturday morning, Julie enjoyed the luxury of both her parents and Gracie being out for the morning, and slept in. She finally dragged herself out of bed at noon, prompted by the incessant ringing of her cell phone. She was annoyed until she saw it was Tyra calling.
“Hello?”
“Hey, girl.”
“Hey, Tyra.”
“Did you sleep in? I called a couple of times.”
“Yeah, my parents are out, so I thought I’d take advantage and just be lazy.”
“Oh, sorry hon. Did I wake you up?”
“It was time for me to get up, anyway.”
“Were you out late? How’d the date go?”
“It was, um...” Julie trailed off, trying to find the right words.
“Oh. Gotcha.”
“It wasn’t terrible or anything, I mean, he seems nice, it just wasn’t...”
“Anything to write home about?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to be my date to this party tonight, but maybe it’s more of a Ben and Jerry’s and Thelma and Louise kind of night again.”
“Ugh, no. Nothing that dire. You’re going to a party?”
“I know. It’s regression. But I figured, hey, what the hell, you know?”
“Hm,” Julie said, tapping her toe against the table leg as she mulled this over. “I think I could go for a party tonight, yeah.”
“Pick you up around 9?”
“Sounds good,” Julie replied. “Wait, we’re not going to show up at the party that early, are we?”
“Of course not. 10:30 at the earliest. Only losers with nothing better to do show up that early. We’ll circle the block a few times.”
Julie smiled. Perhaps a party with Tyra was just the thing she needed.
***
Another party, another night spent awkwardly scanning the room while her companion enjoyed the company of someone else.
Julie sighed. They hadn’t been at the party more than fifteen minutes before Tyra had spotted Landry and lit up like a Christmas tree before muttering, “Back in five,” and disappearing into the crowd. Since then, they’d been off to one side, talking as though they weren’t at a house party with a hundred other people.
At the sound of a throat being cleared, Julie turned to find Tim standing next to her, beer cup in hand.
“Hey!” she grinned, impulsively throwing her arms around his neck. She felt like she hadn’t seen him in ages. He weaved drunkenly and hugged her back, hard.
“Oof,” she mumbled into his chest, smiling. “My ribs, Tim.”
He let her go with a muttered apology, taking a swig of his beer.
“Don’t know your own strength, huh, Mr. Star Fullback?” she teased.
Tim didn’t respond, scanning the room anxiously for a moment before his gaze landed once more on her.
“You here with that Brett guy?” he asked.
“What? Oh, no,” Julie replied. “He’s nice, but it didn’t really amount to anything.”
Tim blinked softly and swayed on his feet. “You look pretty.”
Julie frowned. “How much have you had to drink tonight?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he shrugged, lifting the red plastic cup to his lips as though Julie had reminded him of its presence.
Julie glanced around, once again spotting Tyra over talking to Landry. Their heads were bent close, and they were laughing about something.
“Stay here,” she said, giving Tim’s chest a gentle shove as though she was sticking him in place. “I’ll be right back.”
“’Kay,” he replied.
Julie wound her way through the party towards Tyra. She had to reach out and grab her friend’s arm to get her attention, so involved was she in her conversation with Landry. Tyra looked up, her eyes wide.
“Jules! What’s up?”
“Nothing, I just - do you mind flying solo? I need to take Tim home.”
Tyra raised her eyebrows. “Tim’s a big boy, Julie.”
“I know, but he’s too drunk to drive. He’s either going to do something stupid and someone will call the cops, or he’ll get in his truck and kill himself. Or someone else. I’m going to drive him home.”
“Okay, fine. Do you want me to follow you in my truck?”
“No, it’s okay. I can get home from there.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, Tyra. Thanks.”
Ignoring the dubious, concerned look on her friend’s face, Julie turned around to find Tim. She was manoeuvring her way back through the crowd of partiers when she heard a crash and a couple of shouts from outside.
By the time she found Tim in the backyard, he was being held up by a couple of the Panthers, and a guy Julie didn’t recognize was standing nearby, clutching his bleeding nose and glaring at Tim.
“What happened?” Julie asked Smash, who was one of the players holding Tim while the others diffused the situation.
“Rig’s got a short fuse,” he replied, shrugging. “Dumbass fell back and took a couple of chairs down with him.”
“Hey,” Tim slurred, looking at Smash. “This is Jules.”
“Yeah, we’ve met,” Smash grumbled. “Let’s get you out of here before that guy decides he’s up for round two.”
Smash and Bradley half-carried, half-dragged Tim out the front of the house and down the street to where his Silverado was parked. They helped Julie shove him into the passenger seat before returning to the party.
Staring up at the clear, cold November sky, Julie sighed and prayed to whatever deities were present to grant her patience.
Climbing in the driver’s side, Julie began searching for the keys, hoping Tim had left them somewhere in the cab. A loud snort from Tim prompted her to look up at him. He had passed out, and his head was lolling heavily against the window. Julie glanced down his body, noticing the bulge in the pocket of his worn jeans. Blushing, she reached out to sneak her hand in and remove his keys.
She had her finger hooked in the key ring when Tim’s hand closed around her wrist.
“What’re you doin’?” he mumbled.
Julie looked up, right into Tim’s face. He was watching her closely, his hair falling forward and shadowing his eyes.
“Getting your keys,” she replied, tugging them out of his pocket and sitting up slightly. He didn’t let go of her wrist.
“Jules,” he said, his voice a sigh. He leaned in, and suddenly his lips were pressed against hers.
Julie went completely still. He felt just like how she’d imagined, only better, tasting like whiskey and beer and the sharp metallic tang of the cut on his bottom lip. Shivering, she tilted her head and ran her tongue tentatively along his bottom lip, and suddenly they weren’t just accidentally kissing, they were making out.
Tim leaned closer, pushing her until she was sprawled across the cab of the truck, her head against the driver’s side window. When he slid a hand down her body and hooked her leg over his hip, Julie understood what all the Tim Riggins fuss was about. She also remembered that Tim was her friend, and he was drunk, and she was stupid to let any of this happen.
“Tim,” she said, placing her hands against his chest and shoving him purposefully away from her. He went easily, flopping back into his seat and glowering at her. Julie stared at him, confused at the strange expression on his face. He didn’t seem to know what he was doing in the slightest.
“Let’s just get you home,” she said, shakily reaching over and buckling his seatbelt. He didn’t protest, his head lolling back against the seat.
Buckling her own seatbelt, Julie started the truck and pulled out, holding her breath until she saw the PANTHERS #33 sign in the headlights. Tim had passed out, and spent the ride snoring.
Julie ran up to the house and hammered on the door, relieved when Billy opened the door, shirtless and perturbed.
“I’ve got Tim,” she explained, gesturing at the truck. “He’s really, really drunk. I can’t get him into the house on my own. Could you...?”
“Yeah,” Billy sighed, ducking back into the house to grab a shirt and yank it over his head. “What the hell is he thinking?”
“I really don’t know,” Julie replied, when they got to the truck. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Billy scoffed as he unbuckled his unconscious brother and hauled him out of the truck.
“I have,” he said, groaning as he hefted Tim’s weight. Julie jumped in and grabbed Tim’s loose arm, letting it flop over her shoulder. He felt like he weighed about a ton. “It’s been a while, though. He hasn't gotten drunk like this in ages."
Without another word, they got Tim into the house and into his bed, where he collapsed on his face and didn’t move.
“Will he be okay like that?” Julie asked.
“He’ll live,” Billy replied, turning and leaving the room.
“Okay,” Julie said, glancing back at Tim's prone form before following Billy. “Um, I’d better go. It’s late. Thanks for your help.”
“Thank you for bringing him home,” Billy replied. “Idiot probably would have tried to drive if you hadn’t stopped him.”
“I don’t know,” Julie said. “The Panthers were there, they would have stopped him.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Half the time they do more to egg him on than to look out for him. Not that I’m much better.” He looked down.
“Well, he’s home safe,” Julie said. “’Night, Billy.”
“Wait,” Billy said, following her to the door. “How are you getting home?”
“I was just going to walk. It’s not that far.”
“It’s far enough,” Billy said, shaking his head. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride. It’s the least I can do.”
The ride home was awkward, Billy trying to make conversation to fill the silence. Julie looked out her window at the dark houses passing by, thinking about the kiss she and Tim had shared.
“So,” Billy said, clearing his throat. “Tim told me you were out on a date last night. How’d it go?”
Julie frowned. “That’s... Why would Tim tell you that I had a date?”
There was a long pause. “Uh, I dunno,” Billy replied.
Julie turned and looked across the truck at him. “Do you two talk about me often?”
“Nah,” Billy replied, glancing furtively at her. Julie was certain he was the worst liar ever.
"What do you talk about, exactly?"
"Oh, er," he stammered, shifting in the driver's seat and accelerating slightly. "Just, you know. We talk about tutoring and whatever."
"Just tutoring?"
"Yep, just tutoring!"
"Right," Julie nodded, looking forward again. "Makes sense that my date would come up, when you’re talking about tutoring."
There was another long pause, and Billy turned the Silverado onto Julie's street. He pulled up and parked in front of the Taylors' house.
"Here you go," he said, a little too loud. "Home safe and sound!"
"Billy - what does Tim say about me? Seriously."
Billy sighed. "I can't tell you, it's not my place."
"So he says stuff, then?"
"Yes!" Billy replied, frustrated. "Yes, we talk about you. Happy now?"
"Talk about me how?" Julie asked.
"Look, I can't say anything. If you want to know how he feels or what he thinks or whatever, you're gonna have to talk to him. End of story."
"I know, I'm sorry," Julie sighed. "It's just - he doesn’t talk much, you know?"
"Oh, I know, trust me."
"Okay," Julie said, opening the passenger seat and sliding out. "Thanks for the ride, Billy."
"No problem," he replied. "Hey, Julie?"
"Yeah?" she said, turning back to look at him.
"I know Tim can be kinda hard to talk to, but you can ask him. How he feels, I mean," he said, giving her a significant look. "He might kinda want you to ask him."
"Oh," she said, raising her eyebrows. Was Billy trying to say that Tim liked her?
"'Night, Julie," he called, putting the truck into gear and pulling away with a wave.
Julie stood on the lawn and watched him drive away, thinking about what he'd said, or at least what she thought he had been trying to say. Did Tim Riggins think of her as more than a friend?
Given the way he'd been behaving all week, she wasn’t sure why she was so surprised.
Chapter 8