disclaimer: i own nothing.

Take Care.

chapter four

lesson number one

Julie woke the next morning and sat right up. It was too early for her to be awake but she needed to talk to Tim. He never came to talk to her again last night after her dad walked in on them. They constantly made eye contact during dinner but never got another chance to be alone. The living room was still dark. Her mom hadn't even been up with Gracie yet, so she should be in the clear. She walked through the kitchen and grabbed the knob of the door to the garage. She pushed it open and a breeze of cold air made her shiver. Tim was lying shirtless on his back in the dim room, with the covers only over his lower half. Julie couldn't keep her eyes from wandering over his body. He was damn near perfect. She became indecisive on weather or not to disturb him from his sleep.

"Hey." He stirred when he felt her presence.

Julie was startled by his deep voice. Did she really just get caught staring at him like that? "Uh, h-hey." She cursed her stutter. "I-I was just coming to see if you were up yet."

"Yeah. I guess." He stretched out his long body and turned over onto his stomach. He rubbed his eyes and continued talking. "I'm freaking starving. You wanna go get some breakfast tacos with me?"

Julie chuckled, he sounded like he was stoned. "Tim, it's still dark outside. No tacos." He wined as he stretched himself out again. Julie looked behind her before closing the door. This was the first time she had been alone in a confined space with Tim Riggins. It was a little nerve-wracking "Thanks for not talking to me last night. I spent half the night freaking out about having that stuff in my room."

Tim threw the sheets off of him as he sat up on the bed and revealed his tight black briefs. "I'm sorry about that. I just didn't know where to stash it while your dad with in here with me, you know." He ran his hands through his messy, long hair. "Oh, yeah... did you count that cash yet?"

"Yeah. How did Billy know this guy again? 'Cause he just gave you a thousand dollars." Tim's eyes widened. He was quiet and seemed lost in thought. Julie stared at him and wondered what was going on in that head of his. "Hello? Earth to Tim?" Julie snapped her fingers at him. She felt her eyes drift down his chest and stomach to his lower regions.

"What?" Tim looked up at her.

Julie shot her eyes to his face and felt herself getting hot. Her cheeks were blushing and she was nervous. What was she doing? Why was she having a hard time keeping her eyes off that part of his body. She couldn't help it, it was just there.

"It's just... that's a lot of money to just hand somebody." Tim never had that much money at one time in his life. Nowhere near that much. Billy took care of everything that involved money and bills.

Julie nodded. "Yeah, that's a lot of money. What are you gonna do with it?"

Tim shrugged. He really didn't know. "Save it for now. I don't know just yet." He watched her stand in the middle of the garage awkwardly and maybe a little nervous. Tim looked at her feet. His eyes slowly trailed up her smooth legs all the way up to her chest. He darted his gaze elsewhere before clearing his throat. "So, uh, are your parents awake?" He spat out the the first thing he could think of to get his mind off of Julie.

"No. Not yet." She watched as Tim stood from the bed and grab a pair of basketball shorts.

Tim threw on his shorts. He felt like he was on display and it was distracting him. Then he grabbed a shirt from his makeshift dresser. It was made out of a couple plastic storage bins with the pull out drawers stacked on top of each other. It was temporary until they went over and picked up the last of the stuff Tim would be bringing over. "Well... you wanna go for a jog with me?" This was the perfect time to go on a run. It was dark still but it would be getting lighter soon. He enjoyed the times he was running by himself and he could watch the sun burn off the night.

"Oh, uh, no." She paused. "I-I should probably be here when my parents do wake up." She definitely should. There was no need to have her parents know that they were together while nobody was awake. She did not want to send her father the wrong signals. If she was going to do this thing with Tim, she needed to act naturally and try not to slip up about anything.

"Right." She was right. The last thing either of them wanted was for her parents to think something was going on between them. That would be Tim's worst nightmare. He grabbed his phone and ear buds and headed out.

Julie rounded the corner. She was headed to her locker when she saw Matt and his perfect little cheerleader girlfriend making out like bandits. It was revolting. Her stomach did a barrel roll inside her and she quickly darted in a different direction. She was glad she never behaved with him like that. Sure, they had their fair share of flirting and kissing but it was never like what she saw him doing now. Julie found a deserted classroom and stepped inside. She needed a minute to collect her thoughts and process them so she wasn't so readable. Her face and actions have given her up before.

She made some mistakes. The Swede was at the top of the list for her biggest screw ups. Matt had totally known that something was going on with her and Anton but was never man enough to say something. Looking back on it now, that was so pathetic of him. To just sit back and watch your girlfriend go for another guy.

At the time, however, she was scared to hurt Matt. He'd always been there for her no matter what and how was she thanking him for that? By chasing after another boy? She just didn't see a future with him. Or worse, she didn't like the future she did see with him. It was confusing. She was over Matt and no longer had feelings for him but seeing him with someone else had a sting of its own.

Julie took one last deep breath before heading back out into the hall. She kept her head down trying not to make eye contact with anybody on the way to her locker. Matt had disappeared so she was in the clear to get her stuff and be on her way. The bell for her next class just rang.

Great. She was late.

"Hey, Riggins!"

Tim was walking toward the cafeteria for lunch when he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Tyra darting through the crowd.

"Hey, Tyra." He smiled, she was so easy on the eyes.

Tyra grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into a less busy hallway. "What's this about you living with Julie Taylor?"

Tim chuckled. Classic jealous Tyra. She was so cute when she used to get jealous of other girls when they were together. "How'd you already find out?"

"She told me. Duh." She said it like he should have already known.

"Tyra-"

She cut him off. "No, listen. That girl has become one of my closest friends."

"So?" Tim asked. He was trying to figure out where she was going with this conversation.

"So, you better not try anything with her. Do you hear me?" She gave him one of her signature looks. The look of pure seriousness. It was a rare look she gave but it meant business when she did.

"That's the last thing on my mind, Tyra. Are you kidding me?" He almost laughed at how stupid she must think he was to have to tell him that. "Yeah, let me just hook up with Coach's daughter, under his roof. Come on, Tyra."

"Okay. I'm sorry, I just had to make sure. Julie's kinda naive sometimes and with you around... that could lead to trouble."

Tim looked into her blue eyes. "Was I trouble for you way back when?"

Tyra could still remember when they first got together. Even back before they started sleeping together. Tim was such a sweet boy back then. He'd had a rough childhood since both of his parents were fucked up all the time. That's no doubt what damaged his sweet soul and turned him into the mysterious, brooding boy he was today.

"I don't regret anything that we shared, Tim." She hesitated, unsure of spilling the truth. "Sometimes I wish things had been different and we could have just stayed together... but without you I was able to grow as a person. On my own." She laid her hand on his arm. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad we had that time apart... but I... I miss you, Tim."

"I miss you, too." He moved a step closer to Tyra and their stomachs were nearly touching. He looked into her eyes to try to tell what she was feeling. They looked sad, he didn't know why. Her lips, on the other hand, looked soft and plump. He really wanted to taste her mouth again. Tim suddenly became aware that they were being watched.

Landry was standing at the end of the hallway looking their direction. Tyra followed Tim's eyes and saw him too. Her stomach curled as she thought about what had almost happened between them the other night.

Landry was over like any other night as of lately. They had dinner with Mindy and her mom before watching a movie on the couch. Tyra wasn't aware of any signals she may or may not have been putting out there before Landry decided to kiss her. At first, of course, she was shocked. It was completely unexpected. She didn't pull away for a few seconds. She kissed him back and tried to feel something for the younger boy. It just wasn't going to happen though. Tyra pulled away from him and told him she thought it was best that he leave. They haven't spoken since.

She turned back to Tim. She wanted to stay and stare into those puppy dog eyes but she had to go deal with Landry. "Come over later?" She let go of him and backed away. "Just call me, okay?"

Tim watched her walk out of sight before heading to the cafeteria himself.

After school, Julie met up with Tim back behind the field house before he had practice. They were having one last check in on tonight's plan with Jordan and Brianna. She didn't like the look on his face as she walked up to him.

"What's up?" Tim looked at the ground then looked back at her. His silence was saying a lot. "What is it?"

He sighed. He knew he promised that they were in this together and going to do everything together but there was a problem with the plan. Jordan was supposed to meet them after Tim's practice in the parking lot. "I think you should take the truck to the house." He paused, again darting his eyes from her stare then back again. "It's just that... your dad could see us. I don't want him to see you around shady people like that. You should go home and let me take all the heat if anything happens."

He had a valid point but she was tired of being left out of things. "Fine. I'll go... but how are you getting home later?"

"I figured I could ask Jordan for a ride." He shifted his weight a little uncomfortably. He'd already recieved cash from Jordan and didn't want to ask for too much right off the bat, but he figured he would try anyway.

"Okay, just come home right after. So we can talk?" She raised her eye brows, waiting for his response.

"Alright. I gotta go." Tim handed her the keys to his truck. "See you later."

They parted ways. Julie took the keys and headed for the truck. She hopped in and closed the door after her. Her hands grabbed the steering wheel. It was hot in the cab so Julie rolled down the window before starting up the truck. The roar of the engine startled her again. She'd heard it for the first time this morning when she came to school with Tim and nearly shrieked.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tyra's blond bob facing away from her. Landry was on the other side and it didn't look like the conversation they were having was going good. Julie backed out of the parking spot and left. She'd hear about it from her friend later.

Tim was tired and covered in sweat when practice finally ended. He sent Jordan a text letting him know he could head over, before stripping off his uniform and walking into the showers. The hot water burned until his skin got used to it. Everything disappeared as he stood in the furthest corner and closed his eyes. Afterward, he dried off and got himself dressed before grabbing his stuff and heading outside. His hair was still dripping a little bit when he reached the parking lot. The last thing he wanted to do was make Jordan wait long. He shook his head back and fourth to get out some of the water.

He saw Jordan's grey car parked at the end of the lot closest to the exit. He walked over and open the passenger side door. No Brianna this time, it was just Jordan inside. Tim climbed in and shut the door behind him.

"Hey, man." Jordan said first.

"Hey. How's it goin'?" Tim asked, trying to make small talk.

"Good. Good. How's that cash treatin' ya?"

"Oh, man, thank you. I can't even tell you how much I appreciate what you did." Tim owed Jordan. "If there's anything I can do for you, man, just let me know."

Jordan nodded. "I figured you could use as much help as possible. I mean, you're just a kid, that cash could keep you out of the foster care system long enough for you to turn eighteen." He paused. "Man, I can't even tell you how much you look like Billy. It's unreal."

Tim's chest stung in pain. He knew it was true though. Since Billy passed, Tim even saw the resemblance between him and his brother more than ever.

"I'm sorry, Tim. That's probably not that kinda shit you need to hear right now." Jordan cleared his throat. "I just miss him, man."

"Me too." There was a moment of silence that they shared in Billy's memory. It wasn't fair. He was so young and still had a lot of life to live. Tim wished so much that he could have forgot his ego for a minuet and not cared that Billy was with Jackie. Anything would be better then the way things went the very last time they saw each other.

Jordan broke the silence. "Well, hey, we better get headed to my place. We got some shit to discuss."

The ride over was less awkward then it should have been. Being in a car with a stranger isn't very comforting, but Tim was starting to warm up to Jordan. They had music playing and for a little while it almost seemed like they were friends. Riding around and hanging out. They pulled up to a nice, gated apartment complex and stopped at the security check. Jordan punched in his code and the gates opened for them.

"Alright." Jordan said, as they pulled into a parking spot.

Tim got out and followed Jordan up the closest staircase. They reached the second floor and walked up to the first door on the left. Once, inside Tim could tell that drug dealing was Jordan's day job. He had some scales, weed and baggies laid out on his coffee table. There was a bong standing on the floor next to the couch. The place also smelled like pot had been recently smoked.

Brianna came bouncing out of the back room and ran up to Jordan. Her eyes were bloodshot. "Hey, babe." She hugged him. "Hey, Tim." She said, parting with Jordan.

"Hey."

Jordan led Tim to the couch and they sat down together. "It's like this, man. I'm a supplier. I get supplied by another supplier and so on and so on. Billy was more of a dealer. He'd sell small quantities usually to the people that were going to smoke what they bought. I deal with large quantities. Larger even then the few pounds Billy would lift off me. I deal to dealers. You feel me?"

"Yeah." Tim was making sense of what Jordan was saying. Billy was a client of Jordan's. "So, what, you want me to continue in Billy's footsteps or something? Buying and selling weed?"

"I'm basically offering you a job on a silver platter, man. That's all I'm doing. Like I said, you're just a kid. You're defineietly gonna need access to a quick cash flow."

"Makes sense." Tim thought hard about it. It was definitely an appealing offer. "Alright, man. I can do that." He paused. "Two small things though. No big deal."

"What?" Jordan was breaking open a cigarillo and dumped the tobbaco into an ashtray.

"I have a partner that's going to be involved. You'll need to meet her at some point."

"That's fine. What's the other thing?"

"I don't really have a customer base? I'm just wondering how to sell what I've already got really quick." Tim watched as he filled the flavored wrap with marijuana and rolled it up. He didn't answer back right away since he was licking the wrap to make it cling to itself.

"I can set you up with some of Billy's old customers. I got a few people you can meet and then you'll be introduced to an entire network of people through them."

"It's all about who you know." Tim smiled.

"Yeah, man. Sometimes it is." Jordan put the blunt in his mouth then lit the other end. "Babe!" He called.

"Yeah?" Brianna called back from one of the bedrooms.

He exhaled smoke before speaking. "Come smoke this with us." He reached out his hand and offered it to Tim.

Brianna joined them on the couch.

"Oh, no. I probably should't." Tim hesitated.

Jordan laughed. "I don't trust anybody that doesn't smoke." His hand was still in midair, waiting for Tim to take it.

He did. He stared at the burning brown wrap. "Shit." He whispered to himself before puffing on the end of it and inhaling the heavy smoke. His lungs were burning with an unnatural feeling. Tim coughed out the smoke. The wrap was harsh and was causing him to gasp for air.

"Damn, dude. Just popped your cherry, for real."

Tim laughed after he caught his breath. His eyes watered. "Shut up." He took another hit off the blunt before passing it to Brianna.

"Thanks." She chirped.

Tim blew out the smoke that his lungs were holding. It was better this time. As he did he got a warm feeling that started in his head and slowly spread down his neck and back. It was intense. The perfect word to describe what he was feeling was 'bliss'. He opened his eyes. Julie was going to kill him.

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