Rae is walking down the hall, thinking about her history test, when a foot appears out of nowhere and trips her. She stumbles, catching herself before falling completely. She looks around. A couple of rally girls snicker, leaning against their lockers. Rae shakes her head, trying to keep walking. One of them jogs to catch up with her and a couple more follow.
"So Rae, what's Tim Riggins like?" One taunts.
"Yeah, your expiration date is almost up, better start picking your stuff up." Another says, laughing. Rae tries to ignore them.
"Well, I mean you know Tim and how his dad is. One charity case with no daddy finds another." The last one gossips and Rae can't take it anymore. She rounds on them, fuming.
"As far as I'm concerned, not one of you has ever had Tim Riggins for more than an hour or two. And it's none of your business to be poking your nose in mine, so the next time you do, I'll punch you so hard maybe you'll actually be able to pass your remedial math classes." She spits then turns to walk away, but a boom shakes the school. All of the rally girls scream and she rolls her eyes at their insistent shrieking. Outside, the flow of students pushes her into Tim.
"Rae, are you ok?" He asks worriedly, grabbing her shoulders then pulling her with him towards the parking lot.
"A couple of rally girls decided to finally welcome me to Dillon, but I'm sensing you're more concerned about why we're being shuttled out of school." She comments, listening to teachers with bullhorns. They hear the announcement to go home and Rae bites her nails worriedly.
"I can grab Carden." He reassures her. "You go home and make sure your dad is home." She nods, then reaches up and swiftly kisses his cheek. When he finally pulls in, late in the afternoon, Carden is with him.
"Where have you two been all day?" She asks.
"Tim took me out to lunch then let me sit and watch practice." Carden informs her, throwing his book bag on the couch.
"It was on a dirt field. Felt like I was six again." Tim grumbles and Carden grins, shaking his head.
"I thought it was pretty funny, all of them running around on a field meant for kids my size." He reveals, amused.
"Well maybe you'll talk him into playing football yet." Rae teases, handing them both a serving of roast. Carden snickers, but starts grilling Tim about which position he would be best at.
"Come on, I got something to show you." Tim insists, pulling on her hand. She protests, gesturing to her homework. He steadfastly ignores her and continues to drag her out the door and to his truck.
He drives her to the outskirts of town and leads her to the middle of a dusty space. She raises an eyebrow, hands on hips, looking around in mild confusion. She looks at him and he's smiling proudly.
"What's this, Tim?"
"Our field!" He insists.
"This is where you're playing?" Rae asks, amused, looking at the makeshift field. "It reminds me of my old middle school."
"I wanted to show you all of our hard work!" He protests defensively, gesturing to the freshly painted lines and hardly seeded field.
"And it is hard work well done, Tim Riggins." She compliments sweetly, holding his face, grinning.
"You'll be here, right?" He asks, putting his hands over her own.
"If I can see anything." She says skeptically, looking at the sidelines. "Are there even going to be bleachers? Where are we gonna sit?"
"Rae." He says seriously. She looks up at him, eyes wide in innocence. "I know what those… Those rally girls say to you. And I just want you to know that…" He hesitates then it all spills out in a rush. "You're the only girl I want to see on the sidelines and the only girl I'm looking for and the only girl wearing my number and when we kick ass, I want you to be looking at me." Rae grins and kisses him, in the middle of the homemade field.
"Always, Tim Riggins." She whispers, looking up at him and smiling. He grins and tucks her under his chin.
The game is chaos from the second it starts. People are whining about seats, the other team is shocked at the field, and everyone in town seems to be mystified as to why they're playing out here. When it starts raining, she and Julie look at each other, unsure of what to do now. Mrs. Taylor looks up at both of them, her mouth a perfect little 'o'.
"Your daddy's gonna be pissed." She whispers and they all burst into laughter. The game is muddy and Rae flinches each time Tim is hit or stumbles, sliding in the wet and unstable ground. Julie looks just as concerned for Matt. At the end of the game she is miserably cold, soaked to the bones, and has ruined her pair of jeans, but she and Julie are side by side, watching Tim's block and Matt's run.
"GO GO GO!" Julie yells, jumping up and down. When they see he's in the end zone, the rain doesn't matter anymore. Tim leaves the jumping huddle to rush towards her. She runs for him, meeting him halfway.
"You're going to state!" She cheers, kissing him. He shakes his head, hugging her tightly.
"We're going to state." He corrects her then pulls her in for a long kiss. When he breaks away, she reaches down and scoops up some mud, throwing it at his face. He gapes at her, surprised. Then he gets a glob of mud of his own and lobs it at her, with far more accuracy. It hits her squarely in the chest. She looks up at him in disbelief. He stares back at her, unsure of her reaction.
"TIM!" She protests, laughing. He grins and spots Carden running for them and throws mud at him too. Soon, an all out war is being fought, kids joining in from both sides. As mud flies all around them, Tim grins down at Rae, wiping the mud off her face. She tosses her head back and laughs freely. He just shakes his head, grinning.
"What did I do to deserve you?" He asks softly. She laughs.
"As I recall, you and Smash Williams came up to my locker and tried to lay down the moves on the new girl." She reminds him playfully.
"Hey Smash!" He hollers. Smash looks at him quizzically, surrounded by adoring girls. "Thanks!" He yells, pointing down towards Rae. Smash gives him the thumbs up, somewhat confused. She laughs, putting her head in his chest, uncaring of the downpour.
The phone rings and Rae squirms out of Tim's arms, grabbing it. He groans and pauses the movie.
"What now? It's late." He grumbles, annoyed. She frowns and smacks his arm, answering it with a confused look.
"Hello?" She asks. Julie is on the other line, crying. She sits straight up. "Jules? Jules, what's wrong?" She demands.
"He took it." Julie says thickly. "He took the job in Austin and now I have to move again. I'm leaving Dillon." Rae sinks back into the couch, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Jules…" She says softly.
"I'm sorry Rae. I'm going to go tell Matt. I'll see you at school tomorrow." She says, hanging up. Rae gently puts down the phone.
"Coach Taylor accepted a job at TMU." She tells Tim, stunned. He looks at her, not comprehending what she's saying.
"What?" He demands finally, catching up. "He's just leaving us?" Rae nods, mind too busy to calm him down. He punches a pillow then pulls her into a crushing hug. She runs a hand through his hair, both of them fuming.
"How was practice?" Rae calls, from the backyard, hanging up laundry. When she gets no reply, she leans back, trying to see him in the house. "Tim?" She hears her closet door bang open and she hurries into the house. He's in her room, holding one of her old dresses.
"Wear this. To the Panther Roast. With me." He says haltingly, looking terrified. She leans against the doorframe, smiling.
"Is that a date, Tim Riggins?" She teases.
"Wear the dress and it is." He attempts to tease back, but he still looks slightly queasy. She purses her lips thoughtfully then beams.
"Of course." She agrees, kissing him. He gives a sigh of relief and drops the dress to pick her up and kiss her.
AN: Thank you to everyone for the follows, favorites, reviews, and all else. It's a very bright spot in my otherwise hectic and stressful days. I've tried to be consistent with updating this story, but I likely will not get back till Monday, as this weekend is Homecoming, which means it'll pass in a orange and black blur of stress. Leave reviews for me to come back to? Love you all!