Chapter 21
Despite the look on her father's face and the audience that were silent witnesses to this scene, Julie felt safe. Tim 's hand firmly grasped hers. He kept looking at her and squeezing her hand ensuring that she knew he was there. The Coach was pacing back and forth in front of them. The remaining players and supporters clustered at the bleachers not trying to hide their interest in the events unfolding. The shock at seeing Julie Taylor and Tim Riggins entwined and then standing strong in front of the Coach was paramount. Julie ignored them and focused her attention back on her father.
"How long have you been disregarding my wishes?" The Coach's attention was fixed on Tim's face. Tim's face expressed his confusion at the question. "How long have you been..." he swallowed his anger down "...carrying on with my daughter?"
Tim took a deep breath "Sir, we've seen each other once since I have moved out." Tim stood there waiting for the Coach's wrath to wash over him. Her father looked at her for confirmation. He had calmed down a measure.
She stuttered "Daddddd, we've been apart since you said no. T-tttim made it clear that if you didn't give him permission, it was off." She looked at her father. He nodded acceptance at her then his head jerked.
"What about under my roof?" she sucked in a breath. Danger, her heart rapidly pitter pattered. "What were you doing beneath my roof?" with every word his anger built back up again.
"Sir, we kissed once. That's the honest truth. I'm not here to take advantage of Julie. I want to be with her, Sir." Tim was clear and strong. She looked at him and her heart shone. Julie's attention returned to her father and she realised he was watching her carefully. He looked contemplative. He had appeared to calm again.
"How am I supposed to trust either one of you?" Coach walked up to them and moved his inquiring gaze from one to the other. "You've lied to me, disregarded my wishes and flaunted yourselves on my field. I don't think I can even look at you without wondering if you're lying to me." They had seemingly reached a cease fire.
The entire time, their hands had been entwined. They presented an united front and the Coach couldn't mistake that. In fact the Coach had never seen Riggins look so determined about anything.
"Sir, I understand your issues with trusting us but please know that we've kept a wide berth of one another these past few weeks. You caught us at a weak moment. We're real sorry you saw us like that and we get that this isn't a perfect way to be confronted. We really like one another, we really want to be with one another and we've done our best to stick to your wishes." Tim swallowed, the Coach was amazed so much had come from his mouth and that he sounded so lucid. Julie looked at Tim and realised something the instant he began talking. He had been rehearsing this speech. Had he been intending on speaking to the Coach again? Tim turned to her and she nodded her support. She wiggled her pointer finger over the back of his hand where they were entwined. She was proud of him.
"I understand that Tim but you spoke to me weeks ago and I voiced my concerns. I wasn't even all that convinced that Julie even liked you. The amount of blood shed in my house would suggest differently." The Coach's hands moved to his hips and his stance widened. His lips twitched a little.
"Dad, we understand that. We just started talking. We haven't been together other than the times we said but I have feelings for him. We want you to give us a chance to prove that we can be good together. Give us that chance, please," she didn't want to be manipulative but she turned her most sincere expression on him.
"I can see that you have feelings for him Julie, that's what concerns me. Tim, you have a horrible reputation and that doesn't matter as your Coach but as a father, I just can't. She's my little girl. I cannot put her in that position no matter how much she wants it," Coach turned a saddened face to Tim. He was apologetic, he liked the kid, and enjoyed having him in his house but this was his daughter. Tim read all that on his face and nodded understandingly.
"I had hoped that living under your roof and being part of your family would have proved otherwise Sir," Tim looked her father in the eye and her father blinked. "I haven't acted with consideration much in my life but in my defence I haven't had the best role models." He swallowed down that bitter truth, she squeezed his hand and he looked at her, gratitude in his eyes. "Jules makes me want to be better and I am a better person because of her. You haven't received one notification of grade concerns in the last two months, I have been to every training on time and I have not been sneaking around with your daughter. I respect you and your daughter too much to do that Sir." Tim glanced at the Coach, the honesty of his words shining through. Surely her dad could see all this.
Her father humphed and changed his stance. He found it easier to be angry. He was fighting a losng battle but he had an idea.
"Okay this is how it is going to roll. You can see one another ..." Julie looked at Tim with utter happiness, she started rocking on her balls of her feet, then she realised he hadn't finished, she stilled. "...There will be absolutely no drinking, no inappropriate behaviour, both your grades will be maintained or higher, Julie is not to go to your house ever, and if you are at ours there will be a parent home. No hanky panky." He shot a very clear look at Tim, even Julie knew what he meant. "I have eyes everywhere so do not think that I don't know what is going on." Julie wanted to argue this one, he hadn't known before tonight but saying something would be monumentally stupid. That and now people knew they were together, or they would by the end of the evening there had been too many witnesses. The town would be examining them closely and her father was one call away. She sighed. Tim looked at her, his mouth gently smiling, his eyes happy.
"One more," the Coach added "on dates you will have your mother or myself as a chaperone," it hanged there in the air, Julie's gasp summarising both of their feelings.
Author's Note – That Coach is one devious devil. You like? Four to go.
