Title: Unnecessary Roughness (3/11)
Author: Romantique
Email:
Classification: Eric/Tami Pairing.
Rating: M for suggestive, non-explicit adult themes.
Summary: After accepting the District's offer of Head Coach of the East Dillon Lions, the new contract continues to test Coach Taylor's patience and his pride.
Disclaimer: Friday Night Lights fan fiction occurs at the end of Season 3 and is a Prequel to Season 4 which has yet to air.
Legal: These characters do not belong to me. I'm just a fan and have not made a dime. Please email me to obtain permission to post.
East Dillon High
Wednesday, June 3rd
7 a.m.
Eric's 7:00 a.m. driving class contained a pretty good group of kids. These three would definitely remain in class. They were prepared and took instruction very well. His 8:00 a.m. group was a different story.
One of the young ladies and the gentlemen came to their lesson for the 2nd time with nothing signed on the parental check lists.
Deshawna Ashton was first up; she was prepared with all paperwork in order. Not only that, she drove remarkably well. It was clear she had been practicing.
Now, it was time to deal with the other two. "Look Zach, Mia," Eric began after discovering they were once again both unprepared for class. "You can't continue with this summer session of Driver's Ed without your parents' participation. It is impossible for you to make up the at-home drivin' assignments you're missin' in the short 15 minutes you get to drive with me, twice a week. We can't have you usin' the District's limited resources if there's no reasonable possibility of passin' the class."
Eric cleared his throat and continued. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut you two from the class roster. You're already so far behind in the syllabus; you'll never be able to keep up."
"But Coach," Zach objected. He was clearly unhappy with Eric's proposal. "I need this class. I have to learn to drive as soon as possible. I have to drive myself to work at the mall every day, and to football practice."
"You're on the team?" Eric asked. He'd not seen Zach at yesterday's.
"Yeah," Zach answered. "I'm Zach Baskov, QB2."
"Son, you can't be a QB2 if you're not at practice," Eric flatly stated. "Didn't anyone get in touch with you after yesterday's practice? We laid down the rules the first day: No practice; no spot on the team."
"But I have to work, Coach," Zach explained. "My family relies on the money I bring home."
Eric sighed. "I can't make an exception for you. We need you to attend the afternoon practices, period"
"That's not fair to do this to me because my family is poor," Zach stated. "Maybe you can't understand that coming from Dillon. You're in a whole different world than in East Dillon."
"Look, son," Erin said. "I can appreciate your position, but can you appreciate mine? We had players at Dillon High who had to work. But they worked their shifts around football. The team came first."
Zach begged for a chance to make the coach understand. "That's why I need my license. I've saved enough money to buy a used car. As soon as I can drive myself to work, I can begin to work evenings instead of afternoons. The reason I have to work afternoons is because the busses don't run late enough for me to work the night shifts. I'm trapped until I get my driver's license."
"I haven't even seen you play," Eric reminded him. "When do you think you can grace me with your presence and show me what you can do?" Now, he was being sarcastic. "We can't have a QB who doesn't practice with his team every chance he gets."
The young man begged his new coach, "I already have my work schedule for the week. I'm off Friday afternoon. Please let me come by Friday. Please, just bear with me for a few more weeks, and I swear to you I'll change my shift."
Against his better judgment, Eric agreed to meet with him on the field on Friday afternoon.
East Dillon Football Field
Wednesday, June 3rd
2:30 p.m.
Miguel Rodriguez showed up promptly dressed in his P.E. clothes. He was paired with Assistant Coach Bryant White to warm up before Coach Taylor was brought in for the try-out.
Eric surveyed the group on the field today. It looked to be about a 20 percent increase from the day before. One by one, he asked each play to stand before his team mates and make the two commitments that were spelled out as a requirement to be an East Dillon Lion. The discipline would begin today.
Eric announced that anyone who was not there today was off the team. The only exception may be Zach Bachov who had come to him with a special circumstance that may be able to be worked out in the short term. Any former players would have to deal with Eric, directly.
When asked how they were going to replace those who could not attend practice, Eric revealed his plan to tryout players from the J.V. squad.
Then, Eric revealed the most painful sale of all. "For the next 5 Saturday mornings, we are going to work like dogs to get our field back in shape. And that includes me."
He heard a lot of grumbling.
"Now, stop with the complaints, gentlemen," he chastised. "This is part of the East Dillon High Stimulus Package. The District will supply all the tools and the materials, and we'll supply the manpower. This field is for you. It's not going to be refurbished by itself. So, you will take care of it. You will not be alone, as the staff and I will be out there workin' with you. It will be transformed and literally become your field."
"You may have heard I have experience in buildin' a football field from scratch. I do. And when the District tells me that they don't have a budget for the manpower to give us a proper field to play on, I do not accept that. You should not accept that. What we do accept is that we have the power to change that situation in order to meet our needs."
He could only hope that this group of young men would buy what he had to sell. For at this school, in this town, in this nation, in this world, in this time with little hope … that is all he had to sell.
Taylor Home
Friday, June 5th
9:30 p.m.
Eric survived his first week of summer school and football practice. Other than a full Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. at the football field, he was glad to have some time to himself and to his wife. After dinner, they gave Gracie her bath and put her down for the night. Then, they talked about things as they always did.
Tami tried to review. "Let me get this straight. You're going to make yourself available for your backup quarterback for 30 hours a week in driving lessons to help him get his license?"
Eric defended his proposal. "I saw him throw the ball at practice. He's gonna end up being our QB1, I can tell you that right now. But we have a problem. He needs to get his driver's license in order to attend practices. His family relies on him to work, so he's no different than Smash or Saracen in that regard."
"What about the female student, Mia?" Tami asked in all sincerity. "Doesn't she have exactly the same problem except she's not a football player and doesn't warrant the extra effort? Isn't she one of the ones you also cut from your driving program?"
Eric's face grimaced. "Why are you bringin' Mia into this? Do you think she could become an issue?"
Tami had her principal's hat on. "Yes, I do because she's not receiving equal treatment from her teacher."
"Then, what do I do?" Eric was discouraged with all the political correctness. "I'm not tryin' to discriminate against anyone. I'm tryin' to help Zach get his license."
"I understand your intent is good, but you still have to be careful." Trying to give her best advice, Tami began, "For it not to be an issue, you need to make exactly the same offer to Mia."
"Honey, how am I gonna do that?" Eric was beginning to get wound up. "I don't have another 30 hours a week to eek out to tutor another drivin' student anywhere in my schedule. I barely have time to sleep as it is."
Tami looked her husband over. He was trying so hard to make this whole mess work. "Well … how about I teach one, and you teach the other?"
Very surprised to hear her proposed solution, Eric looked up at her. "Could you do that?"
Without missing a beat, she said, "Sure, but to be safe of any accusations of favorable treatment of one student over the other, I think I should teach the football player, and you should teach the student. That way, no one could call discrimination because of gender or football status."
Eric gave his wife a big hug. "Babe, if you would do that to help me out; I don't care who teaches who."
Tami told Eric to stay put in the living room with his glass of wine while she loaded the dishwasher. Normally, he would have offered to help, but she thought he deserved some downtime. She turned the appliance on, and it started its low hum on the wash cycle.
Eric caught Tami's glance from across the room, and he gazed into his wife's beautiful blue eyes. He was in love with his wife. Helping him through this rough time made him love her even more. They maintained their gaze which brought with it a rising desire to be near one another. After all their years together, Eric never ceased to be amazed at the immediate physical stirrings his wife could kindle in him, solely by her sultry gaze. He had the same affect upon her. Without breaking their gaze, they moved towards one another until they were standing so close. They embraced, holding the other strong. And then, they kissed. Their kissing grew in intensity as their bodies moved even closer together. At that moment, there was no one else in the world … but then suddenly, there was.
"Ahem," Julie loudly cleared her throat as he entered the room, coming in from work. "Hello," she said, as they clearly didn't hear her come in. "Get a room."
Julie used to be embarrassed to find her parents in their early stages of passion. But as she was getting older, she liked the fact that her parents not only loved one another, but they were still passionately in love with one another.
Their daughter went straight to her bedroom.
Without a word and without breaking eye contact, Eric took Tami's hand and led her to their bedroom, closing the door behind them. They resumed exactly where they left off. He pushed her long fragrant hair off her neck and began kissing her from her ear, down her neck. His hands explored the fullness of her breasts.
Breathless, he began removing her clothing, as she removed his. "Mmmmmm. I need you," he growled in his throat, "now." He was passed the point of no return.
Tami loved the way he desired her, his spark igniting hers. She responded by leading him to the bed, showing him that her need matched his. The passion between them was as intense as an oncoming electrical storm. His thunder culminated as bolts of lightening dissipated from their core and into their extremities. As more electricity surged from their core, they held on tight to one another for quite some time until suddenly, the lightening strike built into untold intensity. Then, just as suddenly, the storm moved on.
"As long as I've known you, you still surprise me," he whispered in laboring breaths, holding her face in his hands and slowly kissed her lips, then her closed eyelids.
She opened her eyes filled with love and devotion, and she kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you," he kept his voice low and kissed her again in great fervor. After a short time, the storm returned.