Note: So, it's probably an absolutely terrible idea to start a second story while I'm not even halfway done with the other one I'm working on, but the idea for this story popped into my head this afternoon and I knew that if I didn't just go ahead and start it, then I would rush to get through From West Texas and that it wouldn't be nearly as good (don't worry, I still have plenty of ideas for that story and so much more that I want to take that Julie and Tim through).

Now, onto this one. This chapter is pretty much Julie and Matt, but I promise this is a Tulie fic. Basically, this is my wishful thinking of how I hope Season 3 will play out. If only... Anywho, I'm counting on you ladies to review and let me know if you even like where this story might be heading. If not, I'll scratch this one and stick to From West Texas only.

As always, I own nothing, though I wish I owned Tim Riggins (who doesn't?).

I hope y'all enjoy this one!

Prologue

Julie Taylor hated goodbyes.

There was just something about them, probably the fact that she had said them too many times in her young life as her family moved from town to town, from one high school team to another. She knew what goodbye usually meant—that you would pretend to still be best friends or significant others but that time would pass and inevitably new friends would be made and old bonds would be slowly torn apart. So, as she stood in the airport in Midland, saying yet another goodbye, this time to her high school sweetheart who was heading to Chicago to follow his dreams, she was reminded just how much she loathed them.

She had unsuccessfully avoiding thinking about this day all summer. As she carefully planned days with Matt that she hoped would extend their time together—dates that lasted from sunrise to sunset, days spent by the lake or in the middle of an open field with only each other for entertainment—the day that seemed to hold in it an air of finality, August 14th, still loomed in the back of her mind. Of course, time wasn't her friend either; as hard as she tried, it seemed that the carefree days of what she hoped wouldn't be her last summer with Matt flew by.

As she walked through the airport, Matt on her left with a backpack thrown over his shoulder and the security checkpoint that was the metaphorical line in the sand between the present and the future only a few feet away, she tried to suppress any thoughts from her mind other than that moment.

She noticed that the closer they got to the lines that were forming to have your bags checked for contraband items and your self checked for weapons, that both her and Matt's pace slowed significantly. When they were less than two feet away, they both stopped and turned to each other.

Declarations of love and promises of loyalty had already been made; all that was left now was the dreaded goodbye. Attempting to smile, Julie lifted her teary gaze from her feet to meet Matt's eyes.

Wordlessly, Matt wrapped her in his arms, crushing her against his chest in a strong hug. After at least a minute, he pulled back and placed his index finger under his chin to lift her face. "I love you," he said, almost like a reminder.

Julie nodded. "I know," she assured him, another tear escaping her eyes. "I love you, too."

Frowning, Matt used his thumb to brush away the tear before drawing her in for a final kiss, knowing that he better hurry or he would miss his flight.

"I'll call you when I land," he said before reluctantly putting space between them.

Again, Julie nodded, unable to come up with words to explain her feelings at the moment. Accepting her silent agreement, Matt nodded and stepped away, only releasing her hand when he had to. With a final wave, he turned and stepped into line.

Julie watched as he went through security, her gaze never leaving his figure as he went through the motions—placing his bag on the conveyer belt, removing his shoes, and finally stepping through the metal detector. When he was out of sight, she turned and slowly began to weave back to the airport's exit, where her mother would be waiting in one of the parking decks to drive her back to Dillon (Tami had, of course, known that Julie would be in no condition to drive back from Midland).

When she spotted her car in the distance, Tami sitting behind the wheel and reading a novel, she mustered up the strength to stop her tears and put on a brave face, but as soon as she opened the door and Tami asked her how it went, she broke down again. This time, her tears were messy, all over her face, not like the gentle ones that had tumbled down her cheeks in the airport.

As her mother wrapped her in her arms, assuring her that if they are meant to be, then the distance will only make their hearts grow fonder, Julie couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, they aren't and it won't.

Because, Julie Taylor knew what goodbye really meant.

--

After a month of separation from Matt, Julie was slowly starting to discover that she had been right about goodbye and what it really meant. As her days grew busier with school and homework and being the dutiful daughter to the coach of the East Dillon Lions, her time for maintaining a long distance relationship with Matt dwindled. That, and she couldn't help but feel like whenever she made Matt stay in on a Thursday night to talk to her on the phone for an hour, she felt like she was keeping him from the experiences he had escaped Dillon for.

Matt, of course, insisted that he would rather be on the phone with her than at a party of visiting a new art gallery, but she could sense that in his voice he was having to convince not only her, but himself as well. He would casually mention that his roommate was at a concert or at a movie with friends, and she could tell he wanted to be there as well, to be making new friends and new memories other than what the inside of his dorm room looked like.

So, on September 14th, exactly a month after she stood in the middle of the Midland airport and made promises and said goodbye to Matt, she tearfully suggested that she thought it would be best if they broke up for a little while to give them each a chance to rediscover who they were, to spread their wings. After all, she didn't want to be the girl that he looked back to and resented for keeping him back. As a final note, she added that if they were meant to be then they would find a way.

When the call ended, she sighed loudly and threw her phone violently down on her bed, causing it to bounce off of her mattress and across the room. Unable to gather the energy to get up and retrieve it, she rolled over in bed, curled into a fetal position, and fell asleep with tears running down her face and the light still on. Because, even though she had initiated the break up, it still hurt.

--

The next morning, the Saturday after the East Dillon Lion's first victory of the season, Julie woke up to cheerful noises coming from the kitchen in her family's home. Glancing at the clock and noticing that it was close to noon, she assumed that lunch was being prepared and forced herself to roll out of bed and face the day.

After throwing on a robe and sliding her feet into her slippers, she trudged down the hallway and to where the commotion was coming from. With smug satisfaction of being able to predict her family, she found her mother in the kitchen putting together sandwiches, Gracie sitting in her high chair chewing on cut up pieces of a hot dog, and her dad sitting at the table putting on his golf shoes.

"Hey hon," Tami said when she noticed Julie's arrival.

"Hey," Julie mumbled, still groggy from sleep, as she flopped down in the chair across from her father.

"Jules, remember you need to take your car in to get an oil change this afternoon," Eric reminded her, his voice muffled by the fact that he was bending over to tie his shoes.

Julie rolled her eyes. "I know," she said. "Every three thousand miles."

"Just makin' sure you didn't forget," Eric said, standing and walking to the breakfast bar to grab half of a turkey sandwich that Tami had just prepared.

Julie watched as her parents made small talk, she had yet to inform them of her break-up with Matt, kind of like how she had conveniently avoided it during her junior year, and found herself envying their comfortable relationship. Soon, she was lost in her thoughts.

"Oh, and Jules," Eric called on his way out the door, "take your car out to that new place that Riggins boy opened up, Riggin's Riggs, instead of where we normally go. I figure we should probably give them our business."

I know this was a short chapter, but it's definitely just setting the stage for what's to come. Thoughts? REVIEW!