A/N: Here is my first attempt at a Friday Night Lights fanfic based off of the TV show. Please let me know how it is, this is just basically a premise for what's to come and all feedback is greatly appreciated!! Hopefully will realize that this show is pretty popular and we can get our own section! Thanks in advance. :-)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or anything involved with FNL. They are only being used for my entertainment and will be given back!

Rating: PG-13

Summary: A new town where football is life, a team where losing is not an option…and a coach who has the whole season riding on his shoulders…

Special Thanks: To Cosmic Castaway for supporting me with this idea.

Friction: Chapter One

He was no stranger to Texas football. He knew all about it, how passionate the fans got, how focused the entire town was, how high the stakes were that he seemed to be gambling with, but this time he was the top man in charge. He was the head coach and the athletic director for the Dillon Panthers so now much more was at risk than just making it to the playoffs and going to state. Now his job and how long he could keep it was out in the open and in question, and the only certainty he'd have in keeping it was the simple fact of winning or losing.

A winning season proved at least one more year in Dillon, a losing one meant pack your bags and leave town with your tail tucked between your legs. He knew this when he agreed to the head coaching position; this all was something he knew like the back of his hand. He took the job with the confidence of knowing he could do it, with no doubt in his mind that he could lead these boys to the top honor in a state where football was everything and anything else was merely nothing but off season in the game of life.

One thing he didn't know about was the other stuff that came along with coaching. He'd had been in the physical education line of work for many years now but once you become the boss there's an even much greater deal of stress that comes with the territory, things that are not listed in your job description in your personnel folder placed confidentially in the superintendent's office. He cared so much for the boys on his team but he had forgotten how it was to be around teenagers with their hormones raging out of control with none of them wanting to listen to you because "you are old" or "you have no idea what I'm going through." He even dealt with that at home with his 15 year old daughter.

Out of everything going on in his life, he knew with 100 percent certainty that he loved his job, he loved his family, and he loved Texas high school football, but he had no clue what the stress could do to him and the people around him.


Staring out of the window of his Ford Explorer, Coach Eric Taylor frowned at the gray clouds that cascaded across the sky and watched as the rain puddled around the field making huge mud holes everywhere. He could already tell that today's practice would be an ugly one. He loved the rain but getting the boys to play good in it was another story, for one thing no one seemed to act normal when the weather was different, not to mention the fact that it would obviously be slick on the grass. After a few more minutes of gazing out he finally decided to make his way to the field house to prepare him and his staff for the next couple of hours of practice.

"Coach, you think we oughta practice indoors today? Maybe hit the weights a little harder than normal?"

Coach McGill waited for a response from the younger coach that managed to get the job over him, a man with over 20 years of experience with Panther football.

"Nope, the weather is beautiful out there."

Coach Taylor gave a small smirk, sitting down hard in his chair behind his desk. He glanced over some paperwork as the rest of the coaches made their way in, sitting across from him, waiting.

"It's raining cats and dogs out there," McGill replied, making another observation of the weather.

"Mmmhmm." Eric nodded, not even glancing up from his paperwork. "You do realize that there might be a game night when the weather is like this right? The only time the game is cancelled is if there is lightning. You see any lightning out there?"

"Nope."

"Okay then, tell the boys to be out on the field by 3:45, anyone who's late will be running all afternoon."


"Let's go men! We can't let a little rain stop us now can we?"

Eric kicked through a puddle that formed under their feet, watching as the mud flew in front of them. Every person that was out on the field was drenched to the bone and it was evident that they were all miserable too.

"If I see anyone drop the football we'll be out here an extra thirty minutes running suicides is that clear?"

A few mumbles could be heard here and there which seemed to light a fire with Coach Taylor.

"I said is that CLEAR?"

In unison, the team responded with a "Yes sir."

Coach Taylor continued to pace back and forth as his men ran there warm ups, not really liking what he was seeing. He expected this though, it was raining but it still did not go over well with him. Deep in his mind he was hoping that they'd somehow prove him wrong and have an immaculate practice but they were five minutes in and it already looked like JV had taken the field.

"Move it, you're running like you are stuck in the mud!"

No one seemed to pick up the pace; in fact they all slowed down a little. The rain continued to pour, only getting stronger by the minute.

"Coach, maybe we should go in. We don't need them getting sick on us." Another assistant coach stood beside him, almost hesitant to even say that to him.

"Let's do a couple of carries, then maybe we'll go in."

He nodded at his assistant, making his way to the end zone where his athletes stood and waited. He sloshed through the inch deep water that stood between his shoes and the grass beneath them, the ground was saturated and the rain had nowhere to go.

"Let's do a couple of running plays then maybe we can go in. Gentlemen, this proves that the weather is not always going to be perfect on game night. We need to be ready for whatever comes our way. You think the other teams in this area are taking the day off? They are out on their fields, busting their asses to beat teams like us that want to go in!"

He paused, lifting his hat and running his fingers through his soaked hair. "You runs these plays to perfection we can go practice indoors. You drop the ball we'll stay out here! The choice is yours! First string get on the line!"

The first play wasn't too bad. Smash took a handoff down the middle for about 7 yards. The second play was a little worse; the cause of him falling was of course the slick grass. The third play was not the charm however. Smash received the toss to the left of Saracen, a cacheable ball nonetheless that slipped through his hands and high up in the air where the defense was able to pick it off.

"Smash! SMASH! Get over here!"

Coach Taylor waited patiently as the mud covered running back jogged towards him.

"You wanna tell me what the hell just happened son?"

"Coach, that ball is slick, you happen to notice the rain?"

Eric gave an annoyed smirk, placing his hand on Smash's shoulder. "You notice that you just caused the whole team to run for what you just said?"

"C'mon coach!"

"Get on the line, everybody go on my whistle and you don't stop until I say!" Blowing the whistle, the men began to run as Coach Taylor paced back and forth on the sideline. "Our actions gentlemen, can cost everyone some trouble." He had no idea how much irony was in the statement he delivered to his team. He didn't realize that his stress was causing not only him but also his team problems.

McGill was also noticing this. Maybe Coach Taylor was just having a bad day. Maybe he was just agitated that he had a great practice scheduled and that good old Texas weather said otherwise. He wasn't sure and quite frankly he was happy to leave it alone, he didn't want to put fuel on a fire that was already out of control.


"Where's Julie tonight?" Eric asked his wife Tami, not taking his eyes off of the game film he was watching. Tami was sitting next to him, reading a book and not really paying attention to anything else around her.

"Studying over at a friends house."

He leaned forward in his recliner, pausing the TV.

"She ever plan on spending some time with her parents?" It seemed every time he asked about his daughter or wanted to see her she was either off "studying" or out with Matt, something he never approved of in the first place.

Tami shrugged. She had taken notice to how short fused he was.

"Is there something wrong Eric?"

He leaned back again but kept the videotape on pause. "What makes you say that? I'd just like to see my daughter sometimes, I'm starting to forget what she looks like."

"Do you realize what you are saying?"

He sent her a blank stare. "I'm speaking English aren't I?"

"She's here more than you think but half the time you have your face stuck to game film or stuck in a play book or you are out of the house by six in the morning to get to early meetings. Between you and Julie you are gone more than she is and yes I do realize it's football season but we all have our commitments and also find time for family. Lately you seem to forget what that word means."

He rocked back and forth, not really sure what to say to his now heated wife. He of course would be defensive back to her; he never liked to admit when he was wrong but who did?

"I'm like this every football season. The expectations of winning make it where I do have to put some sort of focus in football."

"Some but not all."

He stood up, turning the TV all the way off. "I can't talk to you when you are like this. I'm going to bed."

She couldn't help but laugh, not because it was funny but the fact that she was annoyed and didn't want to say something she'd regret.

"Eric, you better get over whatever it is that's bothering you because this mood you are in is getting old really fast!"

She was seriously getting worried about her husband. He had been stressed out before during football season but not like this, to the point that he was making himself and everyone around him miserable as well. She'd let him cool down and go talk to him later, there was no point in it at the moment when things would just go in one ear and out the other.

Again, thanks for reading and let me know what you think! ;-)