Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Another quick update for you ladies! Work's been slow this week, so I've had some time on my hands to write - which rarely happens! So, hope you ladies enjoy this chapter. I've got the next one almost finished as well. So, let me know your thoughts on this one and I'll post the next one soon. Yes, I have resorted to bribery, lol :D Oh, and of course, thanks for all the great feedback on the last chapter! Enjoy :D

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"Vote for Tyra! Vote for Tyra!" Julie called loudly, walking down the halls of Dillon High, passing out flyers to students as she passed by them.

It was her second day back at school since the accident, and she was getting just a little tired of all the long glances and the rumors flying around.

People were curious about her and Tim, wondering why they had been together when the accident happened.

Were they dating? Were they sneaking around behind Coach Taylor's back?

No and no, Julie thought to herself. She and Tim were just friends, regardless of how bad she had begun to hope for something more.

"Hey, Jules." Tyra said, appearing beside her unexpectedly, a scowl on her face.

"Hey! I thought you were going to pass out flyers in the cafeteria." Julie said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes as she looked at her friend.

"I sent Landry instead." Tyra shrugged. "Come on, let's go sit outside. We've got a few more minutes before the lunch bell rings."

Julie nodded, falling in step beside Tyra as the two headed outside to the courtyard, plopping down on a bench in a semi-shady area.

"God, I'm already sick of this campaigning crap." Tyra grumbled. "Jenny Warwick was passing out free cookies in the lunchroom. Cookies, Julie." She said with disgust.

Julie smirked. "Well, we can bake some cookies if you want. Or brownies or something."

"Hell no." Tyra said quickly. "I don't need any damn cookies to win this race. I'll think of something else."

"You're gonna do fine, Tyra. There's a lot of people in this school that would rather vote for you than a goody-two shoes like Jenny Warwick." Julie said encouragingly.

"I hope so." Tyra said slowly, stretching her long legs out in front of her, looking over at Julie closely. "You alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know. You look a little tired." Tyra drawled. "You think you came back to school too soon after the accident?"

"That's definitely not the case." Julie said, shaking her head. "I mean, I missed a whole week of school. And I'm fine, maybe a little tired, but I'm okay."

Tyra nodded slowly. "Hopefully not too tired to come over later and help me make more posters?" She asked playfully.

"Well, um, I've kind of got plans later." Julie stated, picking at a fake piece of lint on her jeans, not meeting Tyra's gaze.

"Plans." Tyra said slowly. "With who?"

"Um, just Tim."

Tyra sighed heavily. "Julie, I really don't think that's a good idea."

"He's coming over to the house so I can help him with an English paper, Tyra. I mean, it's not like we're goin' out for a wild night of debauchery or anything." Julie said sarcastically.

"Yeah, but it's Tim, Julie. If anyone can turn an innocent study session into a 'night of debauchery', it would be Tim."

Julie grinned slightly, rolling her eyes at Tyra's words.

"I'm serious, Julie. He has a way of making girls fall for him, and then he always ends up breaking their hearts. I don't want to see that happen to you." Tyra stated.

Too late, Julie thought to herself silently in response to Tyra's statement about falling for Tim.

Julie felt pretty sure that had already happened.

Since their little reunion out at the cliffs, he had stayed in her thoughts almost constantly, and the flutter in her stomach was in full force any time he was near her.

She had always been aware of how good looking he was, but now she seemed to notice every little thing.

Like his full lips and how one side of his mouth lifted just slightly higher than the other when he smiled.

Or the roughness of his hands, and his long fingers, especially when they were touching her in some way – his hand on her shoulder or brushing her hair behind her ear.

She finally really understood why the females of Dillon wanted a piece of Tim Riggins.

But understanding why they wanted him didn't stop her feelings about it.

She swore that she could poke the rally girls' eyeballs out when she saw them hanging all over him in the hallways.

Jealous didn't even come close to explaining what she felt at the sight.

Something in her eyes must have given her thoughts about Tim away, as Tyra let out a short, humorless laugh.

"Oh, shit." Tyra drawled, looking at Julie closely. "Seriously, Julie? Tim Riggins?"

Julie shrugged, kicking her feet back and forth slowly. "I can't help it. It just happened, Tyra."

"Damn it, I was leery of you and Tim bein' friends, but I sure as hell can't sit by and watch you fall for him. You've gotta stop."

Julie snorted. "Tyra, you don't exactly get to choose who you like. I can't just cut off these feelings like it's a light switch or something."

"Julie, Tim Riggins doesn't do relationships, okay." Tyra said, taking a deep breath. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Julie sighed. She understood that Tyra was just looking out for her, and she even realized that most of what Tyra was saying was true.

But she couldn't help but think that maybe things could be different between her and Tim. Maybe he wouldn't break her heart.

"Are you listenin' to me, Julie?"

"Yes, Tyra." Julie said with a small smile. "I hear you, and I'll keep what you said in mind. But I'm gonna make my own decisions. I don't know how to explain it, but it's different between me and Tim."

Tyra sighed. "That's what all the girls think, Julie."

"Well, unlike the rest of the girls, I actually mean it." Julie responded quickly. "I appreciate the advice, but I'll be fine. And if I'm not, then I'll deal with it."

"I just don't want to have to say I told you so." Tyra said, shaking her head as the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.

Julie stood, gathering her books in her arms. "Well, hopefully you won't have to."

Hopefully whatever was going on between her and Tim would work out.

But regardless, she knew she would rather have him as just a friend, than as nothing at all.

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It was a sad, sad day when the sight of an almost-naked woman gyrating on a stripper pole right in front of you couldn't lift your spirits, Tim thought to himself as he sat on a barstool at the Landing Strip.

Tim was way too busy thinking about the events of the past few days to really focus on the entertainment, his mind a jumble of Julie and Lyla.

Lyla.

Lyla hadn't been in his thoughts in weeks, but after speaking with her yesterday, she had taken up residence in his mind once again.

She had approached him yesterday at school, informing him that she had split up with her boyfriend. She had looked at him with her big brown eyes, giving him that sugary sweet smile as she told him that she wanted to spend some time with him, going on and on about how much she had missed having him in her life.

Tim should have been ecstatic. Lyla wanted him. After all the months spent trying to win her over, she finally wanted him.

But Tim didn't feel much of anything. Except maybe confused.

And then there was Julie.

After the drama out at the cliffs, things were back to the way they were before. Well, maybe not exactly the same as before.

There was something different between them that Tim couldn't really put his finger on. Almost like a spark in the air that hadn't been there before, or at least not as apparent.

And when he had walked down the hall earlier in the day, and seen her standing with Saracen, laughing up at him with a smile on her beautiful face – Tim had finally admitted it to himself.

He didn't want to just be Julie's friend anymore.

He wanted more.

He wanted Julie to be standing beside him, laughing with him, looking at him with that look in her eye.

Only him – no one else.

"Tim, what the hell's wrong with you today?" Billy asked, nudging Tim in the shoulder as he gave him a funny look.

"Huh?" Tim asked, shaking his head slightly.

"Candy was just shakin' her ass in your face, and you looked like you were a million miles away."

"Got a lot on my mind." Tim muttered, taking a drink of his beer.

"Girl problems?" Billy asked with a grin.

Tim shrugged. "Lyla broke up with her boyfriend. She wants to be with me now."

"Don't tell me you're actually considerin' it." Billy said quickly, giving Tim a stern look. "Tim, I told you from day one that Lyla Garrity was never gonna take you seriously. One of these days you're gonna stop with all this screwin' around and find you the love of a good woman. Like I got with Mindy."

"Yeah Billy, you got a real fairytale goin' on right now." Tim replied, glancing over at Mindy as she shook her ass in some old guy's face.

"That's a job. You think that I care that my girl's givin' some fifty year old fat-ass trucker a lap dance?" Billy asked. "Hey Mindy! I love you baby!" Billy yelled across the room.

"Uh-huh monkey, I love you." Mindy replied, never stopping her movements on the guy's lap.

Tim chuckled, watching the exchange between the pair.

"See Tim, that's public. That's love." Billy said seriously. "You need to forget Lyla Garrity, little brother. That's nothing but trouble."

"Yeah." Tim drawled, agreeing with his brother.

Tim knew he didn't want anything to do with Lyla. He was way past over her.

"Now, little Julie Taylor on the other hand…" Billy said with a smirk. "That's a different story."

Tim scoffed lightly. "That's not trouble?"

"Now normally I would say hell yes, messing around with Coach's daughter is nothing but trouble." Billy said. "But I saw how upset you were at that hospital, and the whole week after. And I saw the look in her eye when she came by the house lookin' for you."

Tim turned, meeting Billy's gaze head on. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Billy said with a grin. "There's something there little brother. I don't know what, but you'd be a coward if you didn't try and find out."

Tim nodded slowly, taking a long sip from his bottle, thinking about his brother's words.

Tim knew that Billy was speaking the truth. As much as he enjoyed Julie's friendship, he knew that he had to at least let her know that he felt more for her.

Though he wasn't sure exactly how to do that. He wasn't exactly a man of many words. He was more of an action-type of guy.

Usually a kissing-type of guy to be more specific. When he was feeling a lot of emotions and didn't know what to say – he'd just kiss the girl.

Sometimes it worked.

Sometimes it didn't.

Sometimes it would lead to gettin' laid.

Sometimes he'd just get slapped in the face.

But he wasn't so sure how that approach would work with Julie. He sure as hell didn't want to lose her friendship.

Besides Street, she was easily the best friend he had.

"You know, Tim…" Billy drawled, interrupting his thoughts of Julie. "You're always talkin' about 'No Regrets' and all that. Well, this is one thing that I guarantee you'll regret if you let Julie slip through your fingers."

Tim nodded slowly, thinking of his brother's words.

Tim wasn't sure where all this advice was coming from. Billy usually wasn't one to know what the hell he was talkin' about, but he had to admit that Billy was right.

And hell, Julie had said that he was the only person that she had wanted to see after the accident. That surely had to count for something.

"No regrets." Tim stated, clinking his bottle of beer against Billy's before taking a long drink.

He didn't want any regrets where Julie was concerned.