Hey all! The last two months have been far more hectic than I had thought they were going to be. So far I have the next few days free. I am hoping that I can get a bit more written for this story before the hectic and craziness of life takes over again.

In this chapter, we see more of Lynn. Moving forward we're going to switch from seeing things in Lynn's perspective and Jack's perspective.

Enjoy!


"Hey Lynn, earth to Lynn," Greer chuckled, snapping his fingers in front of his best friend. He followed the line of her gaze to see she was staring at Tommy Charles-Watt. He's the son of Crickett and Jayseane. "You know he's only flirting with Chloe to make you jealous," Greer singsonged, finally getting his friend's attention.

"Well it's not working," she huffed out, stabbing a piece of her orange chicken she brought from home for lunch today. "All it's doing is showing me what kind of person he is and it's not one that I want to be going on a second date with," she stated, moving her gaze from the boy she likes to that of her best friend.

"Lynn, we both know that he's not that type of person. And you can't be mad at him, you went out with him months ago and started avoiding the poor guy like the plague. If anyone is in the wrong here it's you," Greer pointed out, hating to make his best friend upset.

"Greer?" She snapped in warning, closing her eyes, getting her anger over her best friend, who should be on her side, out of her system.

"You're the one that left him hanging. You never once gave him a straight answer. You can't play with a person's heart like that. You can't expect him to sit around waiting for you to decide if you're going to give him a second date or not," Greer explained, taking a bite out of his turkey sandwich.

"He didn't," Lynn sighed, playing with her fried rice.

"He didn't what, Lynn?" Greer asked, swallowing his bite of food. "Fight for you? Keep asking you out?" He questioned. "Why would he fight for you, Lynn? You're not his girlfriend," he stated, reaching out to squeeze her arm. "And he's not going to keep asking you out, to be rejected, repeatedly, no one wants that humiliation," he told her softly. "If you want him, you need to make the first move," he informed her.

"I know," she sighed, wiping at her eyes. "I messed up, and I didn't want him to fight for me, that would be stupid," she pointed out. "I told him I needed a few days, and he never approached me to see what I decided on," she told her friend.

"Don't you think he was maybe waiting on you to come to him?" Greer asked. "He wanted to give you the space you asked to have. That's not on him, Lynn," Greer pointed out.

"Why do you always have to be right?" Lynn sighed. Greer smirked, shrugging. "How do I do that?" She asked softly, her food becoming more interesting than her best friend.

"Maybe you should start with apologizing," Greer told her, nudging her.

"Now?" She asked, wide eyes, looking in the direction Greer subtly motioned to see Tommy heading back inside the school.

"Give me one reason on why not?" Greer asked, raising an eyebrow, knowing that she couldn't give him one good reason as to why she shouldn't follow him and tell him a quick apology. "There's no time like the present," he smirked, collecting his stuff, and getting up. "You've got this Lynn," he smiled, waiting for her to get her leftover lunch packed away.

"I've got this," she nodded, standing up. She headed inside the school with Greer.

Lynn paused mid-step on her walk to her locker, seeing Tommy leaning against said locker. She looked over at Greer, whose locker was a few down from her own. Greer nodded his head, letting her know that she has this. Taking a deep breath she walked up to her locker, giving Tommy a nervous smile.

His deep brown eyes could easily melt her into a puddle of chocolate pudding. His full lips pulled into a smile to show off the cute little dimples on either side of his cheeks. She's always been jealous of his thick long lashes. He's got a few inches on her, but it's not like she needs to crane her neck to look up at him. With a pair of heels, she would be the same height as him. His jaw isn't quite chiseled as it's more rounded.

"I'm sorry," she quickly blurted out, getting Tommy to raise a bushy eyebrow, half his lips ticking up into a smirk, showcasing a dimple. "I didn't mean to leave you waiting so long for an answer on a second date," she told him exhaling her breath. "If you're free after school today, maybe, we can, um, we can meet up at the," she paused, trying to think of a place they could meet up where no one in her family would be there to spy on her. The Jammer is out of the question because of her dad. The Butter Stick is out of the question as well, it's hard to know who is going to be there. Fancie's is a no-go because this isn't a romantic date.

"What don't you meet me at the football field, after practice," he told her, pushing off the lockers.

"I'll be there," she nodded, turning to put the combo in to pull her locker open. "I want to explain things if it's not too late," she shared, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"I guess we'll see," he said, sending a wink her way, the bell ringing to inform them lunch is over with.

With a giddy smile on her face, she shoved her lunch box, into her locker, and pulled out her notebook, her math book, a pen, and a pencil, shutting her locker. Greer slipped his arm through hers, as they walked to math class together.

"This is the opening you wanted," Greer smiled.

"It is, but I don't know if it's going to be good enough," Lynn sighed, untwining her arm from his, heading inside the math classroom, heading to her seat in the middle, Greer to her right.

"It will be," Greer smiled at her.

"You think?" Lynn asked, chewing on the corner of her bottom lip.

"Yes," Greer nodded. "Don't doubt yourself," he advised her, as the classroom started to fill up, making them drop their conversation. She doesn't need the school to be gossiping about what she's going to be up to after school, where Tommy is concerned.


Lynn kept an eye on the clock in her remaining classes. Each second that ticked took longer and longer to pass by. With each second to tick away in her last class of the day, had her stomach-turning. The one class she needs her best friend is the one class they don't have together. She's stuck in Women's Literature, which is a class she normally loves, but today feels like it's dragging on. Whereas Greer is in gym class.

The very thought of ditching her meet-up with Tommy sounded better and better. She likes Tommy, like a lot. She wants to go on that date with him. But a huge part of her believes that she's missed her chance, all because she was too afraid. She hasn't had a boyfriend. She's gone on a few dates, but it didn't lead to her having a boyfriend. She's had her first kiss with Greer. All because neither one of them wanted to be labeled a bad kisser.

"I really don't need you to hold my hand," Lynn teased, dropping her bag on the bleachers overlooking the football field, where the team was starting warmups. In reality, she was grateful for Greer inviting himself along.

"Who says, I'm here to hold your hand?" He smirked, nudging her with his shoulder as she sat down next to him.

"No, just your decoy, huh?" She asked, sending him a smirk.

"Only until I'm ready to fully come out," he shared with her the same sentiment he's been telling her for the past year now. He's already come out to his parents about being gay. Lemon and Lavon fully support him. Other than his parents and Lynn no one else knows that he is gay, and he's not ready for the rest of Bluebell to find out.

"I don't mind, Greer," she assured him, pulling out what homework she has. She might as well try and get it done while waiting for practice to be over with. "Once you do formally come out to the town, I'm going to be right there next to you," she told him. "Always."

"I don't know when that will be," he sighed. It's not like anyone he does have a crush on, is into guys. He's pretty sure it's not going to be until he goes off to college before he finds his first boyfriend. And in the meantime, he's going to use the excuse of focusing on school and his grades.

"You're my best friend, and that won't ever change, Greer. I will always support you and stand in your corner whenever you do make your grand reveal," she assured him, opening her math book.

Turns out they were hardly paying attention to the math problems in the book. Their focus was on the field as they ran drills, and plays. The hits echoed to them making each hit sound worse than they were. Practice flew by. Before she knew it they were running off the field. Greer took his leave, only after making her promise she'd tell him exactly what went on with Tommy.

"You were late coming off the line after the ball was snapped," she told him, as he took a seat next to her. "Sorry," she winced, turning to look at him.

"It's good," he laughed. "Coach said the same thing," he informed her. "Thought you were doing work, not watching us practice," he teased.

"You need someone to catch your mistakes, so you can fix them before the game Friday night," she smirked at him. "You should put a bit more shoulder into your tackles, and get lower. Maximize the tackle," she shrugged.

"Do you want to critique my wrestling ability as well?" He asked with a laugh shaking his head.

"It depends," she frowned, picking at her fingernails.

"Why did you wait so long?" Tommy asked, catching her gaze.

"I don't have a reason," she told him, wiping her hands on her jeans. "I was afraid," she shared. "Afraid of you," she told him honestly.

"Afraid of being hurt?" He questioned, licking his lips. Lynn nodded. "I get that because I was scared to ask you out. You have the power to hurt me as I hold that same power of hurting you," he shared, holding his hand out for her to take. Ever so hesitantly Lynn placed her hands in his.

"You line up in front of guys that can physically hurt you, and you're afraid that I'm going to hurt you?" Lynn asked in a small voice.

"I can handle physical pain, that's nothing, Lynn," he told her.

"It's the mental pain," she sighed. "I don't want to cause you pain, Tommy," she told him.

"Then take a leap with me and stop being afraid and missing out on things," he told her. "Go on a second date with me, cheer for me Friday night. What do you say?" He asked, hopefully.

"I say our date can't take place here," she told him a smile on her face. "The last thing I need is my dad or my mom, getting a run down from everyone in town, or having my dad watch us at the Jammer on a first date," she told him.

"I couldn't agree more," he winced. "I'll pick you up tomorrow night," he told her, getting up, keeping her hand in his. "I'll walk you home and you can give me some more of that insight on how I can improve my stance on the field," he chuckled.

"I don't think we'll have enough time for that," she teased him, tossing her bag over her shoulder.

"Then give me the short version," he told her, walking down the bleachers, making sure Lynn didn't trip.


School the following day went by super fast. Far too fast for Lynn's liking. It didn't help that Greer wasn't at school. Later she found out that Greer was out sick. She had collected his work, dropping it off with Lemon at Fanice's on her way home.

"Mom," she yelled, dropping to her bed, clothes scattered around her room. She has no clue on what to wear on her date. She would ask her friends, but they're busy with afterschool activities and she can't wait for them to be done. She's got a little over an hour before Tommy is going to be here. "I don't know what to wear," she sighed, seeing her mom enter her room.

"Do you know what he has planned?" She asked, sorting through the clothes scattered around her daughter's room.

"Picnic," she told her mom.

Zoe nodded, looking through the clothes in her hands. She tossed a pair of black jean shorts on the bed and a white flowy skirt on the bed. "You can't go wrong with either one," she informed her daughter turning to the closet, pulling out a yellow buttoned top on the top half with puffy sleeves. "You love the color yellow," she told her daughter. "Whatever you feel comfortable in, is what you wear. Make it simple sweetie," she shared, taking her leave.

Using the mirror in her room, Lynn looked to see what outfit she liked best. She ended up going with the skirt and the yellow top, her mom handed to her. After a quick dusting of blush, a swipe of mascara, and a dap of lip gloss, she headed downstairs to slip on a pair of sandals.

"What do you think?" She asked her mom, entering the kitchen.

"You look beautiful, sweetie," Zoe smiled, wiping her hands dry. "Tommy is going to be left speechless," she smiled.

"Don't kid yourself, mom," Lynn sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Your mom is right, kiddo," Wade said, dropping his glasses on the table, looking at his daughter. "You look beautiful, and Tommy isn't going to know what hit him."

"Please don't be over dramatic," Lynn sighed, looking between her parents. "And maybe be nice to him, since you both know him," she pleaded with them. "Can you do that?" She asked. She'd pout if she thought that would get her what she wants.

"As your father, I can't make any promises, I have to make sure he's good enough for you," Wade stated.

"Seriously, dad?" Lynn asked, rolling her eyes. "According to you, no guy is ever going to be good enough for me," she said.

"That is true," Wade nodded. "For your sake, I won't make a big deal of this date, I will, however, wait until the third date before grilling him on his intentions with my daughter," he promised Lynn.

"I can live with that," Lynn nodded, smiling, hearing the knock on the front door.

"Don't keep him waiting," Zoe told her daughter, giving her the mental push to get the door.

"Hey Tommy," Lynn smiled, opening the door. "Look at you," she teased. He was wearing a pair of tan shorts, chucks, and a collared white shirt.

"Me?" He sputtered out. "Look at you, Lynn. You look stunning," he smiled, holding the small bundle of sunflowers out for her. She took the flowers with a faint blush on her cheeks, and a confused look on her face. Very few people know about sunflowers being her favorite flower. "Greer gave me the heads up," he told her sheepishly.

"That makes sense," she laughed.

"I'll take them and have fun, sweetie," Zoe said, taking the flowers from her daughter, to get them in a vase of water.

"Don't keep her out past 10, it's a school night, and I know where you live," Wade said, standing behind his daughter.

"I won't sir," Tommy nodded.

"Bye, Dad," Lynn said, stepping outside.

Wade watched from the window, a smile on his face, watching Tommy open the car door for Lynn and helping her into his car. He's known Tommy since he was little and first came to live with Crickett and Jayseane. He's got a good head on his shoulder. He's not worried about Tommy making Lynn do anything she doesn't want to do, as he's more worried Lynn is going to be pressuring Tommy into getting into trouble. She does take after him.

The car ride was filled with music. Lynn and Tommy are not sure what to say, as they sit in their own little world. The drive is only a few minutes, on the outskirts of town to where there's a little field that overlooks Bluebell. No one around to spy on them and it gives them a chance to get to know each other a bit better.

"You do know that I'm not worried about Greer," he said, getting the blanket set up for them to sit on. "I know everyone else thinks something else is going on with you guys," he said, hearing a scoff from Lynn. "But it's not hard to see you're only friends," he shared, a light blush on his cheeks, having admitted to watching her and Greer, when they are together, which is a lot of the time. It's not very often you see Lynn without Greer or vice versa.

"I appreciate that I do," Lynn nodded, helping him straighten the blanket out. "No one would be worried if Greer was a girl," she shared. "He's my best friend and very much like a brother to me," she informed him.

"An eye wouldn't be bashed if that were the case," Tommy said. "I wanted you to know that I'm not worried about your friendship with Greer. I didn't know if that was part of the reason on why you avoided a second date or not," he confessed.

"It wasn't," she shook her head. "There was no mention of Greer on our first date, and I had fun with you," she quickly told him. "It showed me just how much you could hurt me if I let you, and it scared me," she confessed. "I do appreciate that you won't make me choose between you or Greer because you're insecure about my friendship with him," she shared.

"I'm not a prick, and I would never make you choose, no guy should make you choose between them and your best friend," he told her. "Hungry?" He asked, placing the basket in the middle of the blanket.

"Starving," she told him. "Thank you for not making a big deal about my friendship with Greer," she told him, helping him take out the food.

"It's not a big deal, and you're welcome," he told her with a smile. Lynn smiled back, ready to dig into the food.

They made small talk while they ate. It wasn't just football they talked about, as the night wore on. They talked about an array of things. They easily moved from one topic to another as night quickly fell over them. They bonded over a love of astronomy. Racing to find a certain constellation first, cheating ensued. At the end of the night, Tommy had Lynn home with plenty of time to spare, the porch light on for her.

"I'm happy you gave me a second chance," Lynn said, turning to look at him at her front door. "I had a fun time tonight," she smiled.

"I had fun tonight too," he told her, reaching up to play with a loose strand of her hair. "We gave each other a second chance, and I want to take you out again," he told her.

"Someone needs to help you improve your football skills," she smirked. "I'm free every night except for Friday," she informed him.

"Don't forget the notebook Friday night," he laughed. "Sunday afternoon, okay with you?" He asked.

"It's perfect," she nodded with a smile on her face, a giddy feeling in her stomach intensified, when his slightly chapped lips, pressed against her cheek. "Night Tommy," she told him, pushing her house door open.

"Night Lynn," Tommy told her, heading back to his car when Lynn vanished inside her house.

Her smile grew seeing the vase of sunflowers sitting on her nightstand. She got ready for bed in a daze, calling Greer hoping he was still up so they can talk about her date. And she owes her friend a few thank yous for helping her. She'll even take his told you so's.