Thank you
She wasn't the prettiest or the skinniest, the funniest or the loudest. She didn't have the best clothes or a great car, or a boyfriend. She wasn't even a cheerleader. Kelly Parson really only had one thing going for her: she was a first string rally girl. She joined the squad freshman year after a unfortunate muscle sprain in her thigh kept her from making it onto cheer. Her mother had been devastated.
Now, two years later she was well-known as one of the many rally girls of Dillon High and in her junior year, got to have a first string Panther to make her famous sugar cookies for. The day came when they would pick names for their Panther of the season. On second string you could have whoever you wanted, no one cared too much and the presents were small, but on first string, things were more serious and the players more coveted, they picked names from a hat.
"No complaining. No trading." Their sponsor reminded them as she walked by with the hat. Kelly had big dreams, maybe she'd get lucky and have someone like Jason Street, even though it meant she'd have to deal with Lyla nearly constantly, or Smash Williams, the boy with the biggest ego in town. But when she opened the tiny piece of paper and read the name, she couldn't breathe. No way. She couldn't believe it, but it was there, on her piece of paper, her Panther for 2006.
Tim Riggins.
She had heard all the rumors, what he did to his rally girls and most of the female population of their school for that matter, but since she'd never really partied, she'd never crossed paths with the drunken fullback. He made her nervous, like he was famous or something, every time she saw him she felt star struck. She refused to admit to having a crush on him, no. Come on, this is Tim Riggins we're talking about. Not exactly what you call "boyfriend material".
"Remember girls," Mrs. Cope, their sponsor, was saying. "It's your job to make these boys happy on Friday nights. Whatever they want, you provide. Our weekly 'W' rests on their shoulders, so by connection, yours. This isn't second string anymore ladies, it's the real deal."
Kelly hated Dillon and everything it stood for. No win on Friday night and the world will collapse. It was sickening. Despite every part of her screaming how stupid she was, she had to go talk to Tim, ask what he wanted from her. Oh God, that sounded awful. She wasn't going to be like his girl from last year, Tia Shoemaker who, according to the whispers in the girls' room, was willing to do anything for a boy. Tia had graduated and gone on to Dillon Tech, where she would proceed to drop put any day now.
She finally found the hulking boy between classes and had to jump in his path to gain his attention. He stared down at her with a look of boredom. Anxiousness rose in her throat. What was she doing?
"Hi, I'm Kelly, I'm yours." She smiled at him kindly. He rose an amused eyebrow at her. "I mean, I'm your rally girl." She corrected as her face heated and her hands began to shake. He still didn't say anything, "So for Friday?" She prompted, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.
"Uh, how bout just a six pack?" He told her lazily, trying to step around her.
"Beer?" She whispered, her eyes bulging.
"That a problem?" He asked her, his gaze suddenly heavy. She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak. She shook her head. No, it wouldn't be a problem.
Friday around quickly the second time, the week flying by as the rally girls teamed up with the cheerleaders for the first time to make Jason a banner, Lyla Garrity in charge as usual. Before Kelly even had a chance to turn around, she was standing beside his locker after the last class of the day for a second time, brown paper bag in hand.
He took the clinking bag from her shaking hand; she expected a thank you, at least an acknowledgement of some kind. What she didn't see coming was his grabbing her and planting those glorious lips on hers.
She froze in shock as he kissed her, he smelled like beer and sweat, but it wasn't bad somehow, his long hair was touching her face, but it didn't feel slimy or gross like she had expected. Could Tim Riggins do no wrong? He pulled his lips away, not even glancing at her before walking away. She was breathless and wondered how red her face had gone.
She ran her hands through her hair and fixed her lip-gloss before leaving the seen of the crime as quickly as possible.
One thing was for certain; Tim Riggins sure knew how to thank a girl.