Sky's Still Blue • Friday Night Lights

Chapter 1

"Mom! Have you seen my red headband?" Annette Bradshaw yelled from her new room. Her hands were going through a box, trying to find her favorite accessory. There were clothes all over her bed, and books all over the floor. They had just moved in two days ago, and she was already sick of not being able to find anything.

"It's right here on the kitchen countertop, Annie!" Her mom yelled back from the kitchen.

"What? What the hell is it doing in there?" Anne frowned, running towards the kitchen. Her mom was washing the dishes, humming a song. Anne spotted the headband and grabbed it, making sure that it wasn't wet.

"This place is a mess. I feel like we're never gonna stop unpacking."

Her mother gave her a sympathetic look. "Oh, darling, stop worrying about that. You gotta focus on school tomorrow."

School? Or my possible new personal hell? She was going to spend her senior year at the Dillon High School, and just thinking about starting over at an unknown place was terrifying. Back in L.A., she had a few friends, but she didn't know anyone in Dillon. What if no one talks to me?

"Right. I'm sure I'll be making friends in no time." Anne looked down at the floor, drawing invisible lines in the headband with her fingers.

"I'm sure you will." Her mother reassured her, gently patting Anne's right cheek. "You're a lovely girl."

Anne bit her lip, smiling, and lifted her gaze up. "Thanks, mom."

After finishing cleaning up the room, she prepared her backpack for tomorrow, making sure she didn't forget anything for her first day. Once she got to bed, she fell asleep almost immediately.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find Mr. Johnson's class?" Anne asked a petite blonde in the hallway. Her mother had given her a ride to school that morning, on her way to her new job at one of the local gift shops. Anne had managed to get her schedule, but couldn't figure out where the classroom was.

"Yeah, it's on the first room right around the corner. I'm in that class too; we could walk together if you want. I'm Julie Taylor." The girl offered Anne her hand, and she firmly shook it.

"Sure, thanks! I'm Anne Bradshaw, nice to meet you." She smiled, relieved that she had found someone nice enough to walk her to class. Maybe this will be easy after all...

"So you're new, uh?" Julie asked, once they were in the room. They sat next to each other in the back, murmuring while the teacher wrote some things on the board.

"Yeah, I moved in last Friday."

"Where are you from?"

"Los Angeles." Anne replied, resting her chin on her palm.

Julie's eyes widened. "Wow, you're a long way from home."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I feel like I'm going to have a hard time adjusting here. Everything is so..."

"Boring?" Julie grinned.

"I was going to say simple, but boring is also an accurate word for it." Anne chuckled, glancing towards Mr. Johnson, making sure he couldn't hear them talking. The last thing she needed was to get detention on her first day. "Unless there's some hidden entertainment that I'm missing."

"Well, there are the football games on Friday night."

"Oh, Panthers, right? I saw some signs. I know nothing about football, though. At my old high school there was a basketball team, but I never paid attention to it."

"You can come with me to the game this Friday if you feel like it." Julie gave her a bright smile. Damn, she's friendly. "My dad is the coach, so I can't miss it, unless I'm laying in a hospital bed." She giggled. "And my boyfriend is the quarterback, so..."