Chapter 4 – Saracen Speaks...Some

Matt had been talking to Landry and had heard that Riggins had turned up to Julie's book club having read the book and made some valid points. He sensed these were signs of the apocalypse. Surely hail and brimstone would fall from the sky and the rivers would be awash with blood. But that didn't happen. In fact Hell froze over and Julie's interest was peaked, he could tell. She'd follow Riggins with casual intermittent glances around the room. He knew because he was a Julie expert. She started twirling her torso ever so much as she stood and talked to #33 and her smiles could restore the sight of a blind man. He sighed, he was going to have to say something, Riggins' attempt at the intellectual route seemed to be taking a hold. Smash on the other hand had been swanning around like one of those tools from Gladiators. Matt ignored the stab of jealousy that took hold and decided to act in Julie's best interests...and perhaps his own.

Matt waited until after class, approaching her with taunt nerves and a stutter in his back pocket.

"Juuuu-julie could I have a minute?" he touched her arm lightly and drew her away from the hubbub of the crowded hall. He faced her and went completely blank. She was oh so pretty and she was dancing in a field of landmines. How could he say this so that he wasn't actually ratting out the team?

Julie looked at him blankly waiting for him to speak. After a humungous pause she tilted her head forward and looked up at him, waving a hand in front of his eyes. He made a face and she sighed.

"Um Julie, about this Riggins thing..." she crossed her arms across her chest as soon as the word Riggins was mentioned. Defensive much? He had to continue

"...you know how sometimes, someone could perhaps want someone else for other reasons because other people think they should?" He finished feeling pleased with himself, there were no details there at all.

"What the hell did that mean Matt?" his confidence was dented by her question, time to try again. He took a deep breath.

"Julie?"

"Yep, that's me." No this wouldn't hurt at all.

"Julie...I think you should be careful about what might be going on with people that you don't know too well. Some things may be decided and then you know someone else could be affected by that."

"Now I know when the expression 'as useless as tits on a bull' can be used Matt. I don't speak Saracen code, I have no idea what you are trying to say. So you don't like Riggins, nobody does much. You don't like most of the guys you play with and I am your ex-, let's move on hey?" She stalked off, tossing her bag strap angrily across her body and he knew sight unseen that her nostrils would be flaring in the most attractive of ways. He sighed again, he'd have to try harder. Maybe let Landry in? He was officially part of the team still, wasn't he? He wouldn't be breaking the 'locker room' agreement. He needed the opinions of someone with a lot of opinions to give.

/-/-/

Eric Taylor found himself to be a reasonable man. But he was wondering why the hell Riggins had joined book club. He could barely stay sober long enough to attend football practice, let alone read a book (if he even could read). And now Riggins was hanging out with his daughter? Granted, they weren't alone. The Lois girl and Landry were there. His wife, on the other hand, had been delighted by Tim's presence. He complimented on her brownies, her spinach dip, and her outfit. The Coach didn't like it at all.

But then there was a knock on the door, and he went to get it. His jaw dropped when he saw Smash only in a very tiny pair of shorts, his muscles glistening in the light. Smash smelled like a mixture of cheap drug-store cologne and sweat. Which didn't make up a very nice combination. Through gritted teeth the coach said, "What are you doing?" Is this how Smash went out about town, this was embarrassing to the team. Even Riggins alcohol problem wasn't this embarrassing.

"I'd actually like to see you're daughter." Smash said, bluntly. The look on Eric's face went from shocked and pissed off to a look of pure hate. Surely Smash wasn't joining the book club too?

When Julie saw Smash enter the room she bit her lip to refrain from laughing. Sometimes she was glad she was the coach's daughter. She got to see players at their weakest. But Smash didn't look embarrassed. She and Lois and Landry had been highlighting the selections to give to the members the next week, thinking up topics and taking notes. Organizing the snacks and such (because every good club has snacks). To her surprise, Tim had tagged along with Landry. Landry had said his car had broken down and Tim came to rescue him.

Who would've thought Tim could do something so nice? She'd told him he could stay. Lois had liked that idea a lot. And so, though she would never admit it, did she. She'd judged Riggins and... he didn't seem all that bad.

When Smash sat down, however, that's when Julie was truly shocked. She heard Tim say, "What is he doing here?" and saw her dad flash a look that read what the fuck, Julie? And she had no idea what was going on.

/-/-/

What the fuck was Smash doing here? He knew he wasn't the only one who was thinking it, he could see it on the Coach's face as well. And Julie's. And Landry's. But Julie's giggly friend seemed to be enjoying it immensely.

Smash responded to his previous question, "Oh, just seeing if Juu-lee was busy?" Smash raised an eyebrow, Julie raised both.

To Tim's amusement Julie said, "Smash, where are your clothes?" It was obviously what was going unspoken. Was Smash really that stupid? Showing up half naked to the coach's house to impress his daughter? It wouldn't impress Julie anyway. Julie was smart, she wasn't just hot or whatever Smash thought, she was beautiful. On the inside and out. Fuck, Tim, what the fuck are you thinking? This is the girl you need nothing more from then sex.

He'd known it wouldn't be that simple. But he was just realizing this now.

AN – Okay sorry for the delay but Lilly had an accident and morphine was involved so you can imagine! She's okay though, thank goodness. Enjoy.