Title: Someone Like You
AN: Again, thanks so much for all the great reviews. I'm glad you ladies are reading and reviewing! Here's chapter four of the Tim and Julie flirt-fest. Enjoy!
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"Landry, shut up." Julie says with a laugh.
Julie was having lunch with Landry and Tyra in the campus food court, and was starting to feel like she had been transported back to high school. It was like having lunch back at Dillon High, with Julie having to put up with their antics.
"All I'm saying Julie is that you could probably get a few dates out of this whole injury if you just milked it some. Guys would be coming out of the woodwork to help you out." Landry says.
"Landry, I really don't think Julie needs dating advice from you." Tyra says, as she turns to give Landry a smile.
"Well honey, I'm just trying to help a friend out." Landry says as he stretches his arm out behind Tyra's chair.
Julie grins as she watches the pair. Tim was right – they were an odd pair, but it worked somehow.
Almost as if thinking of him makes him appear, Julie looks up to see Tim walking through the food court with a group of guys, most likely football players judging by their large builds.
Julie hadn't seen him since he had brought her lunch, which had been several days ago. She had to admit that she had really enjoyed spending time with Tim, more than she would have expected. She had been slightly disappointed that he hadn't stopped by to check on her anymore since then.
As the group passes by their table, Tim glances her way and their gazes meet. Julie smiles and gives him a small wave, watching as he tells the group that he'll catch them later and heads toward her.
"Hey Taylor." He says. He smiles as he takes a seat in the chair beside her. "Hey Tyra. Landry. How are yah man?"
"Hey Riggs." Landry says excitedly. "I'm good, I'm good."
Julie can't help but grin. Landry had always been a big fan of Tim's. Matt had told her about Landry's whole WWRD – What Would Riggins Do?- philosophy. Tim obviously still rated pretty high on Landry's popularity list from the looks of Landry's excitement at seeing him.
"Tim." Tyra says simply, smiling at him.
"What are you guys up to?" Tim asks, as he turns to look at Julie.
"Just having lunch. Wasting time between classes. You?" Julie asks.
"Same." Tim answers. "How's the ankle, Grapefruit?" He asks with a smirk.
"Grapefruit?" Tyra asks curiously.
"Don't ask." Julie says quickly, causing Tim to laugh. "The ankle's much better."
"No more crutches?"
"Nope. I even went without the ace bandage today." Julie says. "It's a lot better. I won't be winning any marathons anytime soon because it's still tender, but lots better."
"I'm glad." Tim says.
"Me too." Julie says with a smile.
"I was trying to tell her that she needed to play up the injury so that she could snag some dates, but she won't listen." Landry says, shaking his head.
Tim grins at Landry. "Yeah, she's pretty stubborn."
Tim laughs as Julie punches him in the arm, trying to lean back out of her reach.
"Julie doesn't need any help trying to get dates. There are two different guys in our Speech class that are dying to ask her out but she won't do anything about it." Tyra says giving Julie a pointed look.
"Is that so?" Tim says slowly. He tries to play it off like the thought doesn't bother him, but for some reason the idea leaves a funny taste in his mouth.
"No." Julie says quickly, shaking her head at Tyra. "They're just being nice, but Tyra keeps saying that they're flirting."
"Taylor, guys can't 'just be nice'. They've got to have an ulterior motive. Most likely to get in your pants." Tim says.
Julie shakes her head. Somehow Tim's conversations always led to sex. "Tim, does it always have to be about sex?"
"Ninety-nine percent of the time, yes." He says with a sexy smirk.
Julie rolls her eyes playfully. "Well, this is the one percent of the time that it's not."
"You just can't tell when someone's flirting with you is the problem." Tyra says, leaning forward and putting her elbows on the table.
Julie throws an annoyed look at her friend. "Yes Tyra, I do know when someone's flirting with me."
"Well, it would be okay if you didn't Julie." Landry says quickly. "I can't tell when girls are flirting with me either."
"That's because girls don't flirt with you, honey." Tyra says, patting Landry on the leg.
Tim and Julie laugh at Landry's wounded look, glancing at each other as they do so.
"Besides, what happened to single Julie Taylor coming to UT to live it up and date tons of guys." Tyra says. "That's all I've heard for the past month before classes started."
Julie glances at Tim, not sure that she wants to have this conversation in front of him. Yeah, she had said that she wanted to date around, and enjoy her freshman year without being tied down, but she wasn't sure that she wants Tim to know that. She watches him, waiting for him to start teasing her about it.
She's surprised when he doesn't. Instead he looks over at her with a strange look on his face. "You planning on playing the field Taylor?"
"No. Maybe. I don't know." She says. "I'm just looking to have fun. Nothing serious. Whatever happens, happens."
Tim nods slowly. He understood. It was her freshman year, and she was an attractive, single girl. She deserved to have some fun, but for some reason the thought wasn't sitting real well with him.
"Change of subject." Julie says quickly, not liking the somber mood that had suddenly descended on the group. "Getting ready for this week's game?" She asks Tim, taking a sip of her drink.
Tim smiles as he leans forward, placing his forearms on the table. "Yeah. Can't wait." He says. "You guys coming out to the pep rally on Friday night?"
"Oh yeah. Wouldn't miss it." Landry says quickly. "Tyra even took off work from Applebee's that night."
Tyra grins. "Landry's pretty excited about his first college football pep rally if you can't tell."
Tim smiles. "How 'bout you Taylor? You coming out to support the team?"
"That's the plan." Julie says. "Now that I'm back on two good feet, I plan on actually getting out of the dorm room this weekend."
"I don't know what you guys have planned for after Saturday's game, but there's a big after party at one of the player's homes out on the lake." Tim says, looking at the group.
"I haven't heard anything about an after party." Tyra says with a frown.
Tim smirks. "That's because it's a kind of invitation only party. Just players and friends, so that the whole damn school doesn't show up."
"Count us in." Landry says quickly, not bothering to ask Tyra her thoughts on the subject.
"I guess that's a yes for us then." Tyra says nudging Landry in the shoulder.
"Taylor?" Tim asks, meeting her gaze.
"Sounds like fun. My first college party." Julie says with a grin.
Tim smirks, remembering the last party that he attended with Julie and how it had ended with him saving her drunk ass from some little punk.
"This one will be different from that one." Julie says, reading Tim's thoughts from the smirk on his face.
"I don't know Taylor. You're a lightweight with the alcohol." Tim says with a grin.
"That's true Jules." Tyra says. Nodding as she agrees with Tim.
"What is this? Make fun of Julie day?" Julie says sarcastically, causing the others to laugh. "First I get ragged for the flirting thing, now I'm a lightweight."
"It's only because we love you." Landry says with a grin. "Isn't that what you always tell me when you're making fun of me?"
Julie rolls her eyes playfully as she laughs along with them, turning to find Tim watching her with a smile on his face.
She seemed to be making him smile a lot, which was a little disconcerting. Tim Riggins was hot, but a smiling Tim Riggins was almost too much to handle.
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It was Friday night, and the first pep rally of the season was in full swing. Julie was finding that college pep rallies weren't really all that different from the ones from high school, maybe other than the fact that it was held outside.
The pep rally was being held outside on the quad, and it seemed like hundreds of people were gathered on the grassy lawn. The band was playing loudly, the cheerleaders were in short skirts, and the players stood on the stage looking cocky in their orange and white jerseys.
Yep, the only thing really missing to make it different from Dillon pep rallies was Buddy Garrity yelling about state championships.
She, along with Liza, Tyra, and Landry, were packed in so close together that she could barely move, and the closeness sure wasn't helping her feel any cooler. Julie was grateful for the breeze that was blowing, making the muggy Texas night bearable.
"Hey, isn't that your friend Tim." Liza says, pointing toward the group of players standing on the large stage.
Yeah, that's Tim, she thinks to herself as she nods at Liza. Julie had spotted him a while ago though. Her eyes had searched for him as soon as the players entered the pep rally and took their spots on stage. He looked good, as he usually did, in his old jeans and Longhorns jersey.
Julie was starting to get a little worried. She couldn't seem to get Tim out of her thoughts. She found herself thinking about him at odd times, and looking for him around campus, hoping to run into him.
She tried to tell herself that it was just because they were friends. But she had pretty much come to the conclusion that was a lie.
She wasn't going to go so far as to say that she had a crush on him, but if she didn't get control of herself, she was scared that's where it was headed.
And that idea was just laughable, she thinks to herself. She was so not Tim's type, and he probably saw her as more of a little sister than anything else.
Nope, Julie definitely had to shake these strange feelings and get a grip. She sure couldn't let Tim know how she was feeling.
"Hello…earth to Julie." Liza says, as she waves her hand in Julie's face.
"Huh? Sorry." Julie says.
"You okay?" Tyra asks, giving Julie a worried look.
Julie nods quickly. "I'm good. Just spaced out for a second."
"Well, we're about to head out." Tyra says, taking Landry's hand. "See you at the game tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Julie says. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Julie turns to Liza as the couple turns to walk away. "You ready to go, Liza?"
Julie was kind of surprised that the pep rally was already over. People were scattering, making their way off the quad.
"Sure. If you're ready, I am." Liza says with a smile.
The two start to make their way back toward their dorm, moving slowly through the crowd of people.
"Callin' it a night Taylor?" Julie hears from behind her.
Tim, she thinks with a grin.
She turns to find him standing behind her, his hands in his back pockets as he looks down at her with a smirk.
"Hey Liza." Tim says, turning to grin at the girl.
Julie glances at Liza. She looks like she's about melt, her face practically beaming from Tim's hello.
"Hey. Hey, Tim." Liza says quickly.
Julie smiles. "Nice pep rally."
"You never liked pep rallies." Tim says.
"True." Julie says with a grin. "How'd you manage to get #33?"
"Got lucky." Tim shrugs. "I was damn #27 at San Antonio. So it's nice to be 33 again."
Julie nods. "You look good. I mean, um, you don't look good, but you look good in that number." She says quickly, tripping over her words.
Tim chuckles at her flustering. "Whatever you say Taylor." He says with a grin.
Julie rolls her eyes playfully, glancing at Liza to see her staring at Tim, a goofy grin on her face.
"Well, we've gotta go. And I'm sure you've got a few bars to hit tonight."
"Nah." Tim says. "No drinking tonight. Got a big game tomorrow in case you've forgotten, Taylor."
"Well, if I remember correctly, I think you played the majority of your high school games with a hangover, or still half drunk." Julie says with an arch of her eyebrow.
Tim grins. "True. But not tonight."
Julie watches as he runs his hand through his hair, looking like something out of a magazine as he stands there before her.
"Still plannin' on coming to the party after the game tomorrow?" He asks.
"Uh, yeah." Julie says.
"You should come too." Tim says to Liza. "It's gonna be one big celebration after we win tomorrow."
"Yeah. That sounds great." Liza says excitedly. "I'll definitely be there."
"Sweet." Tim says, grinning at Julie. "Well, you ladies take it easy. See yah tomorrow Taylor."
"Yeah, tomorrow." Julie says with a smile.
"Bye." Liza says excitedly.
Tim gives Julie one last grin before turning and making his way toward a group of players. Julie watches for a few seconds before turning and making her way toward her dorm.
"Ahhhh!" Liza squeals, grabbing onto Julie's arm. "He is sooooo damn sexy!"
Julie laughs at Liza, shaking her head at her.
Even though Julie definitely agreed. Tim was hot. There was no question about that.
The problem was going to be continuing to spend time with him without letting him know that she felt that way.
Easier said than done, she thinks, as she makes her way across campus. Much easier said than done.