luke deals with the fallout of tim's return.
{ I own nothing }
If she thinks he doesn't see the way she's looking at the guy during his welcome home party, she's dead wrong.
He's not stupid. He knows Becky had a crush on Tim Riggins back before he got locked up. He can also see that some of those feelings are probably unresolved. Which is probably normal, he supposes, but it fucking sucks for him, because he's in love with her.
(She doesn't know that yet. He wonders now if he'll ever get the chance to tell her.)
He's always felt like he's at least three steps ahead of her. Even when they hooked up last year, it obviously meant more to him than it did to her. He thought maybe she'd finally caught up to him, but maybe he was wrong.
She basically treats Tim like nothing happened, like he didn't break the law and spend a year in jail and let down everyone who cares about him.
If you're Tim Riggins, you can apparently get away with anything.
... ... ...
Use a condom this time, my friend.
What kind of insensitive jackass says that to somebody? Especially after what he and Becky went through?
(And okay, yeah, he's right, but he's still a jackass, because he made them both feel like shit for no reason.)
... ... ...
He hears about the fight at the Landing Strip from one of the guys instead of from her, and yeah, he's pissed about it.
He supposes most guys would be thrilled if their girlfriend were working at a strip club, but Luke Cafferty is not most guys, and Becky's too sweet to strip for tips, so what the fuck was she thinking?
He gets why she lied to him about that. He's more upset about the fact that Tim Riggins was there to come to her rescue, and he wasn't. Because she apparently didn't want him to be.
He drives by Coach Riggins' house because he knows she's probably upset, and no matter how upset he is with her, he cares about her, wants her to be okay. And once again, she's getting her comfort from Tim Riggins instead of him.
He slows down, and she looks so sad and hurt that he almost pushes his pride aside, but he just can't. So he keeps on driving.
... ... ...
She tells him that Tim's back and she's got some things she needs to figure out. He suspected as much, but it sucks to hear it anyway.
He doesn't have anything to say to her that he won't regret later, so he doesn't say anything at all.
... ... ...
She may not need him, but it doesn't take him long to realize how much he needs her.
This whole thing about the team being eliminated is screwing with his head, even though he won't be around to feel the consequences. Being a Lion, being coached by Coach Taylor, has shaped him more as a player, more as a man than he ever thought it would. He hates that they're being phased out because of money. You can't put a price on what he's learned from being a Lion, and he wishes they would stop trying.
And then there's this whole college thing Coach set up for him, Warren Field State or whatever. Where even is Warren Field State? He always thought if he played college ball he'd play D-I, and that would at least give him a shot to make it to the pros. He knows D-III doesn't give him that same opportunity, so honestly, what's the fucking point?
Through it all, she's the only one he wants to talk to, the only opinion that matters to him at this point, and she's too busy fawning over Tim Riggins to care.
Tim Riggins may be Tim Riggins, but he's Luke Cafferty, okay? He could have any girl he wanted, probably, if he wanted anyone but Becky.
That's the part that sucks. She wants someone else, and all he wants is her.
... ... ...
She comes to his house so she can be honest with him and clear some things up, she says. Somewhere deep in his heart, underneath all the hurt, there's a guy who truly understands what she's saying, knows she's being sincere.
That's not real. You are.
But he still doesn't believe her, because ever since Tim Riggins came back she doesn't even seem to realize he's there. It's like he's been a placeholder all this time. And she might be right, that what she feels for Tim isn't real, but Luke still has this sinking feeling in his gut that if Tim really wanted her, he could have her, and that fucking sucks.
... ... ...
He figures he needs to face Tim Riggins man-to-man at some point, because yeah, Luke's a little bitter about the whole thing, but it's Becky he's upset with, not Tim. He needs to clear this up once and for all, needs to know if there's any chance she could really choose Tim Riggins over him.
Are you in love with her?
Tim almost snorts. No, I'm not in love with her.
And now he feels about two feet tall, because Becky was right, and he was wrong. He's a fucking idiot, and he's in love with her, damn it, and he should have just told her last night, because that, what they have, is real.
... ... ...
He doesn't mean to ask about college, but his parents want him to go and Coach wants him to go and he doesn't really have anyone else to talk to about it, so it just kinda comes out. And coincidentally, everything Tim says mirrors everything Luke's been thinking.
Football is not Luke Cafferty's future.
Coming to terms with that is harder than he thought it might be.
He loves football. He loves it with every fiber of his being. Always has. He always thought it would be his ticket out of the farm, out of this town. Knowing he has to give it up, that it'll be over soon, that he's only got one more game left to play, it just breaks his heart.
So he's gonna take Tim Riggins' advice. He's gonna play the state championship like it's the last game he'll ever play, because it will be.
Let it go, and move on.
... ... ...
He doesn't know what his future holds, but he knows he wants Becky to be in it.
So he swallows his pride, brings her the prettiest flowers he can find at the market, and says all the things he should have said weeks ago.
I was stupid.
I'm so sorry.
I love you.
I wanna be with you forever.
A kiss has never felt so damn good.