Sky's Still Blue • Friday Night Lights

Chapter 6

"So I called some of my sister's friends from The Landing Strip to help us out today before the town hall meeting." Tyra told Anne during lunch that Friday. They had spent the last three days promoting their campaign; printing more flyers with both of their faces on them, and spreading them around the entire school. But they knew they had to do something big in order to win people over.

"The what?"

Tyra rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. "I keep forgetting you're new in town. My sister Mindy works at a strip club."

Anne sent her a questioning gaze as she drank her milk. "You're bringing strippers to the school? Won't that get us in trouble?"

Tyra shrugged her shoulders. "I think it's only fair. Ginnie Warwick's mom was allowed to help her hand out cupcakes. I don't think there's anything wrong with having some nice ladies help me."

"I'm not saying it's a bad idea; I just don't want to get in trouble with Mrs. Taylor. I lied to her the other day about tutoring Tim." Anne told her, cringing. She had spent an awful amount of time feeling like a fool because of her lie.

Tyra didn't seem surprised by this revelation. "Yeah, I heard some rally girls say you were with Tim in the library. Oh, and I think half the school saw you yelling at him in the hallway."

"I didn't yell at him!" Anne said defensively. "He came to me while I was studying, looking at me with those wide puppy-dog eyes, asking me to lie for him. And I did it, like an idiot."

"Don't beat yourself up. I know firsthand how charming Tim can be." It was sweet how Tyra was trying to soothe her frustration, but it wasn't working.

"Are people seriously talking about me?" Anne asked, spooning mashed potatoes into her mouth. She had gotten some strange looks when she went to the bathroom earlier, but figured they were because of her naughty campaign shirt rather than Tim. Of course they were about Tim. He's a football player; that's what this place is all about.

"Oh, yeah." Tyra replied, toying with one of her curls. "So... my stripper friends, what do you think?"

We're going to get in trouble, I'm sure of it. But she already called them, so... "If that's what you want." She wiped at the corner of her mouth with a napkin. "I'm in."

"Great!" Tyra squealed with delight. "They'll be here after lunch. It'll be awesome."

Anne's smile was a grimaced baring of teeth. "I'm sure." I need to learn how to say no. Her fake enthusiasm turned into bitterness when she noticed Tim and Lyla sitting together across the cafeteria. "I knew he was lying."

"Huh?" Tyra mumbled, her mouth full. She gulped and turned to see what Anne was looking at. "Oh, those two. Nobody seems to know exactly what's going on with them."

"He told me they weren't dating." Anne huffed. "Ugh, I wish he could go away. But when he's not living next to my house, he's at the school."

"Oh, forget about Tim. You're a nice, pretty girl who is going to become vice president of her school." Tyra said confidently, taking the last bite out of her sandwich. "Let's go."

Anne and Tyra set up a table in the quad where they handed signed flyers and lollipops to the students that approached them. Most of them were boys who were interested in watching Tyra's stripper friends move around the place in revealing clothes. Anne knew it was only a matter of time before a teacher stopped by to reprimand them.

"We're out of flyers." Tyra said over the music, licking a lollipop.

"I have a few more in my locker. I'll go get them." Anne stood up, glad to have an opportunity to get out of there. "Excuse me, coming through." She tried to make her way out of the crowd, her ears picking up the nearest conversation.