A/N: Thought it'd be fun to go back in time for this one! Hope you enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or these amazing characters!
Bethel, NY, August 16- Despite massive traffic jams, drenching rainstorms and shortages of food, water and medical facilities, about 300,000 young people swarmed over this rural area today for the Woodstock Music and Art Festival. Drawn by such performers as Joan Baez, Ravi Shankar, Jimi Hendrix and the Jefferson Airplane, the prospect of drugs and the excitement of "making the scene," the young people came in droves, camping in the woods, romping in the mud, talking, smoking and listening to the wailing music. Looking out over 20 acres of youths squeezed body to body, the festival's organizers, the state police and officials of the Sullivan County Sheriff's office agreed that the crowd was over 300,000.
-The New York Times
August 15, 1969
She steps off the stuffy bus in the middle of an empty parking lot, in a small town in New York. She immediately feels the relief in her legs as she stretches them. Being stuck in a bus for three days had been less than fun. Her stomach grumbles and it reminds her that she hasn't eaten anything since yesterday evening. She looks around and spots a small gas station across the street. Adjusting the bag on her shoulder, she starts her trek to the station. A bell jingles as she opens the door and heads straight to the coke machine in the corner of the small room. She grabs a package of Ding Dongs and makes her way to the register. The bell jingles again but she pays no mind to it as she digs through her bag for change.
"That'll be 45 cents, miss," the man behind the counter says. She nods her head and hands over the money.
"Sir, can you tell me how to get to the festival grounds from here?" She asks, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"You talking about Woodstock?" a guy standing behind her, waiting to pay for his stuff, asks.
"Um, yeah," she stutters nervously.
"Just let me pay for this and I'll go with you. I'm headed that way, too."
"Okay," she says, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. She's not quite sure if she should trust this guy but he seemed nice enough. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt. If he was a weirdo, she figured she could ditch him once they reached the festival.
She waits for him outside and once he's done paying for his stuff, they start on down the road. He's a quiet guy, a little too quiet for her liking. She chances a glance at him and being this close to him, she sees that he's pretty good looking. Like, it's almost ridiculous how good looking this guy is.
"I'm Julie Taylor," she says, sticking her hand out for him to shake.
"Tim Riggins." He takes her hand in his, shaking it firmly. "Where you from, Julie Taylor?"
"Well, up until last month I called Austin, Texas my home but my father thought it would be a brilliant idea to take a job in the middle of nowhere Texas. The name of the town isn't even worth mentioning," she rants, taking a sip of her coke.
"No shit," Tim says, taking a huge bite from the sandwich he bought at the gas station earlier. "I'm from Texas too."
"Wow, it really is a small world then, I guess."
They continue their walk, most of the time in silence, an occasional word passed between them. She can tell that they're getting closer because the traffic gets worse and worse the farther that they walk. Some people turn their cars off altogether, opting to sit on the hoods of their cars or the side of the road just hanging out; no worries whatsoever. They're content just listening to the music; the festival having started about two hours ago. Sooner or later, they say, the traffic will lighten up and they'll be let in. Tim and Julie squeeze their way through until they finally make it to the entrance gates just at twilight engulfs them. They hand over their tickets and are soon let it. Julie looks around, completely amazed at the crowds of people. They're everywhere, all bopping their heads and swaying their bodies harmoniously to the music.
"Well," she says, turning to Tim, "thanks for heading this way with me. Maybe I'll see you around." She takes a few steps towards the stage when Tim's voice stops her.
"Wait, where are you gonna stay?" She shrugs her shoulders. She hadn't quiet thought about that, getting here had been the only thing on her mind.
"You're staying with me, Julie." He motions his head for her to follow him but she doesn't move.
"That's really nice of you to offer but I couldn't," she says shaking her head.
"You're not gonna make me beg, are you? C'mon." He throws one arm around her shoulders when she reaches him and they make their way to a makeshift campground.
"So, where exactly are we staying?"
"I brought a tent."
"Wait, you have a tent in that backpack?" He nods his head, a smirk stretching over his lips. "How the hell is that even possible?" He just shrugs his shoulder making Julie laugh.
"Aren't women supposed to be experts at packing and stuff?"
"Women don't usually pack tents in backpacks, Tim," she says, rolling her eyes.
"Then don't worry about it."
It's just after 2am as Tim and Julie make their way back to the where they had set up the small tent. She holds on tightly to Tim's arm for fear of losing him in this ridiculous crowd. He was the only person she knew and she did not want to get separated from him.
They had completely missed Richie Havens set but Julie wasn't too upset about it. The rest of the night had completely made up for it. Even the rain that came crashing down in the middle of Ravi Shanker's set didn't ruin it. She had never had so much fun in her entire life.
She sighed contentedly as she crawled her way into the small tent, Tim close behind her. She was so glad he had offered for her to stay with him because otherwise, she'd be out in the rain right now. And even though it hadn't bothered her while she was swaying her hips to the music she doesn't think it'd be quiet as fun to be sleeping in it.
"Goodnight, Tim," she whispers as she makes herself comfortable.
"'Night, Jules," he mumbles back as he puts his arm around her, pulling her in right next to him.
She smiles into the darkness. No one had ever called her 'Jules' before. It sounded nice. Surprisingly she likes it.
There's something special about Tim Riggins and she's glad she gets to share this magical weekend with him, she thinks, as she drifts off to sleep.
Julie wakes up the next morning alone in the tent. She has no idea where Tim could be but she's not too worried, he'll be back soon enough, she thinks. So, she just lays there, listening as the campground slowly comes to life. She hears hushed whispers and speakers buzzing in the distance, probably being prepped for the day's festivities. She smiles when she hears a declaration of love pass between two lovers right outside the tent.
She's pushing a blanket off of her when Tim peeks inside the tent. "Morning." He smiles.
"Good morning," She whispers back, her voice raspy from the events from last night. She crawls out to be greeted by a cup of milk in her face. "Where'd you get this?" she asks, taking the biscuit Tim hands to her.
"The guy that owns this place, he was giving it out to whoever wanted it."
"That was nice of him." She takes a bite of her biscuit, not realizing until that moment how hungry she'd been. They finish their breakfast in relative silence, savoring the stillness before the craziness begins.
They're making their way towards the stage, trying to get as close as they can, considering there's already a huge crowd waiting impatiently for Quill to take the stage. As Tim puts an arm around Julie's waist, the guy standing next to him hands him a joint. He takes a hit and holds it out to her.
"You want?"
"Nope." She shakes her head. "I want to take all of this in sober. I want to remember every last detail because I know once I'm back home, I'm gonna be grounded forever."
"Wait, your parents don't know you're here?" Tim looks down at her, chuckling.
"Of course they don't. You'd honestly think they'd ever let me come here?"
"I don't know your parents, Jules."
"Well, if you did, you'd know they'd never give me permission to be here so, I just left them a note instead."
"If you say so." She feels Tim kiss her hair. She smiles and holds on a little tighter to him.
She spends most of the day in his arms, engulfed in a haze of smoke, bodies moving in sync with the music. It's amazing and it's beautiful and she thinks she's falling in love with Tim. She doesn't know how something like that can happen so quickly but she's never felt like she does now with any other guy. It's not like she's having these feelings because she's high on LSD or pot. That's the very reason she'd decided not to do any of that stuff. She didn't want any substances altering the way she felt; she wanted to be alert and alive during this entire experience. She considers for a moment that it might just be the magic that this place holds, that once the weekend was over she'd completely forget about him but somehow, she knew that would be impossible.
They go swimming in the lake nearby later in the afternoon. The water feels amazing on her dirty skin. She's talking to some of the other girls around her when she feels someone take a hold her waist. At first she thinks its Tim but when she looks up at his face, it's not him and the smile she was wearing quickly disappears.
"Get off of me!" She yells, trying to disentangle herself from his arms. The jerk just laughs and tightens his grip on her.
"Are you gonna play hard to get, sweetheart?"
"I said, let go!" Julie screams again. She can feel the tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes.
"Let go of her asshole," she hears Tim yell and in a second he's right beside her, pushing the guy off. She wraps her arms around him and holds on for dear life. "Are you okay?" He whispers into her hair. She can't find her voice so, she just nods.
"Let's get out of here." Julie follows him out of the water, gathering her clothes. As they make their way back to the campground she loses it. "I thought it was you. I thought it was you, Tim. But then I turned around and it wasn't and I was just….. I was so scared."
I won't leave you again," he says, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. When she's calmed down enough he takes her by the hand, "C'mon, let's go find something to eat."
The sun gives way to clouds and soon the rain descends upon them once again. Julie doesn't mind though because she came for the experience, and the rain's just part of it. She doesn't let the event from earlier ruin her day; instead, she dances, puts flowers in her hair and holds on tight to Tim's hand. She sings along to the songs she knows and closes her eyes and meditates to the ones she doesn't.
It's still pouring and her dress is soaked through and she's covered in mud but she couldn't care less. She turns to look at Tim, the only source of light coming from the stage and he's breath-taking. She's never seen anyone more handsome, she thinks. She reaches up to move his hair out of his eyes but he captures her hand in his before she can do so. He kisses her palm and before she knows it, he leans in and places his lips on hers. They're warm and soft and she kisses him back. They stay like that for awhile, swaying to the music, wrapped up in each other.
Slowly, they make their way to the small tent they share. She makes her way in and lays down, Tim hovering over her.
"Jules, you're so beautiful," he whispers before kissing her. Julie tangles her fingers in his hair as she feels his hands make contact with her warm, damp skin. Her dress is slowly riding up her body and soon it's over her head, tossed to the side. He kisses down her neck, down her stomach and she can't breathe; her entire body tingles. She feels her panties sliding down her legs and watches as he rids himself of his own clothes. She spreads her legs and he settles into her. Her lips part in a silent moan, loving the feeling of their bodies flush against each other.
She doesn't think anymore, now she knows that she's in love with Tim Riggins because if she weren't she wouldn't have given herself to him. And now she's his.
They stay this way, making love all night to the melodies of Creedence Clearwater and Janis Joplin.
"Tim, I really have to pee," Julie whines, tugging on Tim's arm.
They've been walking around the festival grounds, having a good time, getting to know other people. So far, they've met a couple who refuses to wear any clothes, a girl who ran away from home and hasn't seen her family in five years and a woman who gave birth to a baby boy the night before, in a car.
"Then go pee," he says turning his head to look at her as they continue walking.
"Yeah, no problem. Let me just take a squat where everyone can see," she answers, sarcastically.
"Alright, let's go find a spot where no one can see you pee."
Julie smiles and takes his hand. "Thank you."
"Anything for my gal."
They walk to the outskirts of the grounds, to a secluded spot behind some bushes.
"Turn around," she says as she squats down.
Tim raises and eyebrow and smirks. "I know what you look like under that pretty dress of yours."
"We were under a blanket, Tim. This is different. Just turn around and make sure no one else can see."
"Whatever you say, darlin'."
They spend the day at the crafts booths and admiring other peoples' artwork. And when it starts raining again, they run back to their tent, slipping and sliding in the mud.
"I've never been so filthy in my entire life," Julie chuckles, looking down at her mud caked feet and legs.
"A little mud never hurt no one," Tim says, placing a warm hand on the side of her neck.
"Is that so?" He nods his head and smiles. A mischievous glint shines in his eyes as he leans in to kiss her. Before she knows it, Julie's on her back and the events of last night are being repeated. And there's no other place in the world she'd rather be than in this small tent, with the one person who took her by surprise.
She's startled awake the next morning by the strumming of an electrical guitar. She sits up, Tim still snoring soundly right next to her. She takes a peek outside the tent. The sun is out, the muggy, humid air sticking to her skin. Slowly, the words to Message to Love fill the entire place.
She turns back inside and shakes Tim awake. "Tim wake up. I think Jimi Hendrix is on stage." Tim slowly sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"What?"
"Jimi Hendrix is playing," Julie answers, quickly getting dressed. "I thought there were no more performers." Tim just shrugs his shoulders and they're soon making their way to the stage. The crowds are significantly smaller, thousands of people having left the night before.
The multitudes of people become entranced by the music. Julie takes it all in; bodies moving in harmony, voices singing along to the lyrics that have shaped their lives, defining a generation. And she becomes a part of it, lets the magic of this place wash over her. And for as long as she lives, she'll never forget how free and alive she felt in this moment. She would never forget what it was like to be a part of the rain and the mud and falling in love with music and people… and Tim Riggins.
"Here," Julie says, holding out a piece of paper to Tim. She's waiting for the bus that'll take her back home. Tim would be staying in New York for a few more days before heading back down to Texas.
"What's this?"
"It's just my home phone number and address. You can call or write me whenever." He smirks when he sees the address written down.
"You're something else, Jules."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." Tim shakes his head smiling. He leans down and places a gentle kiss to her forehead as the bus rolls into the parking lot.
"I guess this is it," she says, trying not to cry. Tim notices her bottom lip quiver and quickly puts his arms around her.
"Don't be sad," he tells her.
"It's hard not to be." She wipes away the single tear that runs down her cheek.
"I'll see you around, Julie Taylor," he says, kissing her one last time before pulling away. She nods her head and gives him a weak smile. She gets on the bus and doesn't take her eyes off of him, not until the bus drives far enough away that she could no longer see him.
September 2, 1969
Julie's sitting atop the wooden bleachers of the football field. She looks out to see her dad, Eric Taylor, coach of the Dillon Panthers, pacing back and forth, waiting impatiently for his team to make their way out of the locker room and onto the field to get practice started. She chuckles under her breath; she'd never understand why her father got so worked up about football. As far as she was concerned, it was only a game.
She quickly returns to the homework on her lap. The last thing she wanted was for her dad to think she wasn't doing what she was told to do. She was already grounded for the rest of her life; she didn't want to be grounded in death, too.
Julie hears heavy footsteps making their way up the bleachers, she figures it's her dad so she keeps her focus on what she's working on.
"Hello, Jules." She looks up, and standing there, right in front of her is Tim Riggins. The same Tim Riggins who she hasn't heard from since she got back from New York. She's shocked to see him here because a part of her never thought she'd see him again.
What… what are you doing here?" she stutters.
"I told you I was from Texas." A smile spreads over his lips.
She gets it now, that smirk he had on his face when she gave him her number and address and that smile that he wore now. "You mean to tell me you're from Dillon?"
"Julie, I've lived my entire life in Dillon."
"And you couldn't bother to tell me that before I got on the bus back in New York? You saw where I lived." She spits out angrily.
"I just figured it'd be more fun to surprise you."
"You're such a jackass, Tim. You knew how upset I was."
"I got back last week. Football practice started then, I couldn't miss it." He runs a hand through his hair and sits down next to her.
"You could've at least called," she says, sounding a little less upset.
"We've been having two practices a day, all week. There hasn't been much room left in my day to do anything else. If I haven't been here, I've been sleeping." He doesn't look at her, just stares at the ground. "I'm sorry, Jules. Just say you'll forgive me and we can figure out where to go from here because all I know is that I want to be with you."
She doesn't know what to say. And even if she did, she doesn't get a chance to answer. Her dad interrupts them at that moment, and she doesn't know whether to love him or hate him.
"Hey, Riggins get your ass down here. Practice starts in a few minutes and you're not even dressed yet. And what the hell are you doing flirting with my beautiful, sensitive daughter? You better have a good explanation, boy."
She laughs at the look on Tim's face, a mixture of fear and confusion. He looks at her dad then at her, he had no clue whatsoever, that she was the coach's daughter. Tim shakes his head and makes his way down the bleachers.
"This conversation isn't over," he says turning back to look at her.
As she watches him walk away, she knows she'll forgive him, already has but she figures she'll make him work for it a little.
Going to Woodstock, she thinks, is the best thing she ever did. And living in Dillon, well, it might not be so bad after all.