Little Daisy

Gatling

The ride to Gatling is filled with Julie and her mom cheerfully fighting about school, dance, boys, and chores around the house. A couple of times Mrs. Taylor or Julie will throw questions to Rae or Carden, but for the most part the siblings sit in the backseat, watching rural Texas roll by.

In the hotel, as everyone lugs their bags around, Rae briefly spots Tim through the crowd. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the sight of her, then the crowd shifts and he's gone. They get to the stadium and stand, watching as the boys start fighting. The refs instantly start breaking them up.

"Too bad in hockey they just let us fight." Carden mutters lowly and Rae elbows him sharply in the ribs, scouting out Tim's jersey.

The entire game, both she and Julie flinch as hits are handed out left and right. But it isn't till Tim's hit for the safety that Rae's insides twist with worry. She reaches down, taking Julie's hand and squeezing it. They listen to the other girls mock Lyla and as her father rushes to her side.

"I hate this town." Rae mutters, shaking her head in pity. She may not agree with what Lyla did, but no one deserves that.

"What's going on?" Julie asks her.

"I'll explain tonight." Rae promises, watching in disbelief as Tim gets up and jogs back onto the field. "I thought he was hurt. Why's your dad putting him back out there if he's hurt?" She demands of Julie, who's watching open-mouthed, seemingly just as confused.

"I don't know." She says honestly. Rae watches, still hand-in-hand with Julie, nervous. Even Carden is glued to the field. When she sees Tim hit the biggest kid on the field, she's not watching Smash or his miracle run. She's watching and breathing a sigh of relief that Tim gets up.

But in the end, the cheering and excitement win out and she smiles, cheering and clapping. She follows Julie to the field, watching in surprise and amusement as Matt makes a beeline for Julie then kisses her full on the lips. Julie practically sprints back to her, a shocked look on her face.

"We've got a lot to talk about." Rae says, amused. Julie nods, speechless. Rae looks up and sees Tim watching her. She turns around, half expecting Lyla to be behind her. But Tim strides straight to her.

"Why are you here?" He demands gruffly, apparently unaware of the blood and bruises.

"Oh, one of these days you'll sweet talk me into wearing that jersey of yours, Tim Riggins." She says cheekily. He just stares at her, until she squirms. "Alright, Julie wanted me to come with so she could talk to me about Matt. Are you ok? Those hits look like they hurt." She says softly. He shakes his head and walks away, for once leaving her confused.

"-And then he just started singing to her. Singing, to get her to come out! I've never seen any guy do that, let alone a football player." Julie rants. They're sitting outside in the hall, Julie venting about Matt and her parents. Carden is a ways down the hall, shooting a mini puck at the wall.

"It's pretty sweet of a guy to do that. And you said his dad's in Iraq?" Rae asks and Julie nods.

"Yeah, I heard dad telling mom that he's the man of the house. And he was so sweet, Rae. I mean, he had been all tough earlier, doing the whole 'I'm QB 1' trying to get us tickets, but once he got around his grandma, he was totally different. So sweet." She gushes.

"And what about him kissing you tonight?" Rae says, giving Julie a sly look. She instantly goes red.

"He tasted like sweat." She reveals, giggling.

"They usually do, after a football game." Rae says, amused. Julie puts her head in her hands.

"I want him to do it again." She reveals, her voice slightly muffled. Rae grins and shakes her head, laughing.

"You like him, you like him." She sings, pushing Julie over playfully. She doesn't bother to sit back up, just laughs.

"I know!" She says, shaking her head. "My dad is probably gonna kill Matt. He's probably going to kill me. What am I gonna do?" They're laughing when suddenly Carden stands up.

"What do you want?" He asks loudly. Julie and Rae both look at him then swivel their heads. Tim is standing at the end of the hallway, watching them silently. Julie, as if pulled, stands up.

"C'mon Car, let's give your sister a second. Come show me how to work the TV." She coaxes. Warily, Carden follows her back into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Rae asks softly, standing. Tim towers over her. He smells like aftershave and beer. She knows that more than likely the team has been celebrating their win, but she has no idea how Tim has found her.

"I want you to tell me about you. No lies." He orders, not breaking eye contact. Rae can't help but shrink back into the wall.

"Why?" She asks.

"Because I need to stop fucking thinking about Lyla and Tyra and Jason and everything." He says shortly. She notices the tension in his shoulders and gestures for him to sit. He does and she slides behind him, hands massaging his shoulders gently. He doesn't flinch away, so she starts talking.

"I'm 17. Old for my grade. I've danced and ran my entire life. Carden is 12. I grew up in Northern Minnesota." She starts, carefully working out the knots in his back, mindful of bruises.

"Why'd you come here?" He asks. She sighs and briefly rests her head on the back of his, smelling his shampoo unintentionally.

"When I was 14, my mom got breast cancer. And it went away. And it came back. And went away. And the last time it came, she went with it. The doctors did everything they could but she died last spring. The whole summer my dad was crazy. Kept saying that he had to outrun her ghost. I think he found Dillon because it's somewhere that has no memories of her. So he packed us up and tore me away from everything. My friends. My home. My school and teachers. My teams. He tore me away from my mother's grave. And that's how I came to Dillon." She finishes quietly.

"And what about your dad?" He asks, surprised at how nice her touch is. She laughs bitterly, hands briefly tightening on his shoulders.

"Oh, he's a drunk construction worker. Says he'll work in the oil fields. Forgets he's got two kids that need food and running water. The day he rises up and remembers us will be when Hell freezes over." She says angrily.

"My dad was a drunk too." He tells her, feeling like he owes her a part of him now. "He's in Corpus Christi. I haven't seen him in two years." She just rubs his back. They sit in silence for a long time.

"You played a hell of a game." She says quietly. He just nods, standing. She stays seated, looking up at him.

"I'm glad you were there to watch." He says quietly, surprised at his admission. She smiles slightly.

"Maybe one day you'll play so good it'll give me no choice but to like football." She says, teasingly.

"Maybe one day." He says quietly then walks away. She goes back into the room, steps carefully over a sleeping Carden on the floor, and crawls into bed with Julie, who is still wide awake.

"What did Tim Riggins want with you?" Julie whispers, pressing her cold feet on Rae's legs.

"Sure as hell not to kiss me like Matt kissed you." Rae whispers back, effectively turning the conversation back to Julie and her problems. When she finally drifts off to a fitful sleep, her dreams contain Tim Riggins, looking at her, but not saying a word.