So I've decided to let Tim be a tailback instead of a fullback, since he is a senior in this story, and Smash already graduated.

Thank you Naguabo for the reviews! I have an explanation as to why she prefers to go by Anne rather than Annette, and it'll be addressed at some point in the story. As for Anne and Tami interactions; I can promise you that Anne will stop by the principal's office soon enough.

Chapter 3

"It was so embarrassing, Julie. I don't even know what I was thinking." Anne cringed, remembering the events of the previous night. She and Julie were sitting in the library, being as quiet as possible, so they wouldn't get reprimanded by a teacher or overheard by the other students.

"So Tim Riggins flirted with you?" Julie asked, her eyes wide.

Anne made a face. "What? No! Did you even listen to what I just told you? I went over to his house, he offered me some beer, and I spat it out. I've made a fool of myself in front of guys before, but never like this."

"It probably wasn't that bad." Yes, it was. "So you like him, uh?"

Sure I do, he's so pretty that I can't stand looking at him. "Julie, I just met him yesterday."

"And you just met me two days ago, and we're already confiding in each other. This is high school, you fall hard and fast." The blonde snapped her fingers.

Anne barked a laugh. "Jeez, thanks, Cupid."

"Hey, Julie." Anne turned to see who had spoken; it was a tall girl with short blonde hair.

"Oh, hey Tyra. This is Anne."

"Hi Tyra, nice to meet you." Anne shook the tall girl's hand, and offered her a smile. "I feel like I know you already, Landry won't stop talking about you."

"He's a chatterbox, isn't he?" Tyra chuckled, taking a seat next to Julie. "So you're the Riggins' new neighbor, uh?"

Oh no. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"It's a small town, everyone knows everything."

"Right." Damn it, in L.A. barely anyone at school knew where I lived. "Yeah, I met Tim and Billy yesterday."

"Anne has a crush on Tim." Julie blurted out, patting her in the shoulder.

"Julie!" Anne gasped in astonishment. "Not cool! It's not true, Tyra."

Tyra studied her face, and Anne pursed her lips nervously. "I hope not." The tall girl said. "That's not a road you wanna go down."

"Tyra and Tim dated." Julie informed her.

"Oh." Anne murmured. I guess it makes sense. She's gorgeous and popular, he's gorgeous and popular...

"It's in the past, and we're good friends now." Tyra said dismissively. "But like I said, you don't wanna go there. I'm not sure if there's anything going on with him and Lyla right now, but now that he's a senior, the rally girls are going to surround him more than ever. It's probably their last chance to get a piece of him."

"What's a rally girl?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her question made Tyra titter. "Wow, you really are new."

Later that day, she began working at the Alamo Freeze with Matt. Wearing that tiny white hat made her feel ridiculous at first, but she eventually decided that it was cute.

They had been working quietly, only speaking to each other when it was necessary, until Matt brought up what happened at the Riggins' house. "Hey, listen... I just wanted to apologize for last night. Riggins was being a jerk, and I didn't really do anything about it..."

Anne shook her head. "Matt, you don't have to apologize for him. It was nothing."

"Yeah, I know, it's just..."

"Don't worry about it. And thank you again, for helping me get this job."

"No problem."

They continued attending the costumers, and exchanging things about each other. Matt told her about his dad being in Iraq, taking care of his grandma, and how he became QB1 of the Dillon Panthers. It had all started when the previous quarterback, Jason Street, became paralyzed. Matt also mentioned that Jason was Tim's best friend.

"What's up, 7?" Speak of the devil. Tim Riggins walked right in, looking at Anne up and down. "Neighbor." Anne waved at him, avoiding his gaze.

"Hey, Riggs." Matt greeted. "You're gonna order something?"

"No, I'm just stopping by."

The boys chatted while Anne cleaned a table covered in ice cream. I seriously hope he's not looking at me.

"So listen... party at my place, right after the game on Friday. You in?" She heard Tim ask Matt.

"Yeah, sure."

"You too, neighbor?" Tim asked Anne, and she was forced to lift up her gaze.

Fuck no. "Sounds like fun. Thank you for inviting me." She mentally slapped herself. Well, it's not like I could have avoided the party, anyway. He lives right next to me after all.

"So polite." He smiled at her. "I'll see you around." Anne stared at him until she saw him get into his truck, and then turned to Matt. The boy looked amused, as if he had just won the lottery.

"What?" She asked, blinking a few times.

"Nothing." The quarterback shook his head.

Wednesday turned into Thursday, and Thursday turned into Friday. It was the most important night in Dillon, and Anne had to keep her promise to go to the game with Julie. The perky blonde took a seat next to her mother, Principal Taylor, and Anne ended up sitting between Julie and Matt's grandmother, Lorraine.

"I've never been to a football game before. It's so crowded in here." Anne commented, her eyes wandering all around the field.

"Told you this was the town's entertainment." Julie said, holding her mother's hand. The game had started, and Anne tried her best to keep up with it. Her eyes inevitably followed the boy with the number 33, while also checking for 7 and 85. Come on, guys.

She could feel the intensity of the game, and with the town's expectations, the screaming fans, and the disgruntled coaches, Anne wondered how hard it must be for the players to deal with the pressure of it all. During that moment, all that seemed to matter was whether or not the Panthers were going to win. She didn't need to think about her mother's pain, or her father's betrayal. Anne found herself cheering every time the team scored, and when they were declared winners, she pulled Julie into a hug.

They waited for Matt and Landry in the parking lot, and once they were there, Julie jumped to give her boyfriend a hug, wrapping her legs around his waist. They're so cute together.

"Congratulations, guys." Anne high-fived Landry, and Matt smiled at her; Julie still in his arms. Landry was then greeted by Tyra, who spread her arms wide for him. Anne stood by herself watching the two happy couples, feeling a little envious of them.

"Hey, neighbor." A sudden deep voice said. "Came to see me?"

Tim was now wearing a grey Dillon Panthers shirt, his long hair was wet, and there was a large bruise on his right cheek. "I came to see Matt and Landry, actually. I had no idea you were on the team." Anne said, licking her lips nervously.

"Is that so?" He stepped closer to her, and Anne could smell the alcohol in his breath.

"Dude, are you drunk?" She blurted out, bug-eyed.

Tim grinned, clearly amused by her reaction. "Who, me? No."

"You played drunk?" She asked, bewildered. "You could resurrect the dead with that breath."

The tailback laughed, and Anne bit her lip, rolling her eyes. "Let me give you a ride to the party."

Oh, hell no. I can't be alone with you. Who knows what I'll say? But her body betrayed her, and she nodded. Anne caught sight of Julie, and the blonde gave her a thumbs up. She snorted, and followed Tim to his truck.

"So L.A., uh? What's a big city girl like you doing in Dillon?" Tim asked her, his eyes on the road.

"I have no idea." Anne replied, staring down at her black painted nails. "My mom chose this place. Didn't ask her why."

"What about your dad?"

She felt her blood boil at the mention of her father, and her hands turned into fists. "That lying cheating backstabbing traitor isn't around." She looked up to see Tim staring at her; he clearly wasn't expecting her to use that type of language. "Sorry. I just get pissed off when I think of him."

He shook his head. "It's okay. My dad isn't around either. Neither is my mom."

"So you and your brother are all alone, then?"

"Yeah."

Anne's expression softened at that information. "Well, if you ever feel lonely, I could stop by your place. My mom works all day, so..."

Tim's eyes widened, and he smirked at her. Shit. "Okay, I did not mean it like that." Anne held her arms up in surrender. "I did not mean it like that at all. Please, don't say anything." She briefly covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment.

The boy focused back on the road, but did not let go of the topic. "It's kind of hard not to, when you just propositioned yourself to me."

"Oh, come on!" Anne yelled, as Tim continued to have a smug look on his face. "I was trying to be friendly, not... dirty, or anything like that."

"Whatever you say, neighbor." Ugh, his voice is so sexy. She felt so silly, fawning over a guy she barely knew. She had never been able to speak properly in front of a crush, but Tim made her want to be confident. I need to calm down.

Tim remained silent afterward, and Anne decided to text her mom to remind her that she was going to be at the house next door. She wished her mother had come to the game with her; she deserved some sort of distraction after all, but she had gone to bed immediately after dinner. Anne hoped that it was all just work weariness, and nothing else. Her mom had looked so happy a week ago; it would hurt to find out she was no longer feeling lively now that they were free from her father's shenanigans. Once they were at Tim's, she quickly thanked him for the ride and ran towards Matt and Julie. "Hey, guys."

"How was the ride?" Julie asked her, winking at her.

"You're funny." Anne stuck her tongue out at her.

"That's mature, Anne." Matt snickered.

The three of them laughed together, and Julie handed Anne a beer. Ugh, not this nasty drink again. She took it anyway, and the couple didn't miss the revolting look on her face as the liquid touched her lips.

"You don't have to drink if you don't want to." Julie reassured her.

"I know." Anne nodded, giving her a tiny smile. "I just didn't want to be rude."

"You're fine." The blonde said, and then stepped closer to whisper in her ear. "There's Lyla."

Anne turned around, and noticed the cheerful brunette talking to Tim. "Wow, she's... so pretty." She now remembered seeing her in a few of her classes; Lyla was usually sitting in the front, but it was hard not to notice her, as she tended to raise her hand a lot.

"Um, yeah, if that's what you're into." Matt said nervously, and Julie grimaced.

Anne could hear them talking, but no longer paid attention to what they were saying. She stared at Tim and Lyla for a minute, watching their body language. They do look like a couple. She exhaled deeply, and decided that it was best to forget all about them and focus back on her friends. It's not like he would have liked me, anyway.