Sky's Still Blue • Friday Night Lights

Chapter 10

Anne and Lyla had agreed to meet up early at the school's library to discuss 'The Waves'. Fortunately, Lyla had expressed nothing but love for the book, and the girls agreed to each write a page for the essay. The assignment wasn't due for two weeks, but they wanted to get it done as soon as possible so they could focus on their other classes.

"So, do you read a lot of books?" Lyla asked Anne. The school library was empty except for them and the librarian, Ms. Benson, so there weren't any gossipy students that could disturb their privacy.

"Yeah, I love reading. My favorite authors are Virginia Woolf, as you already know, Sylvia Plath, and Jane Austen."

Lyla raised an eyebrow. "So all women, then?"

Anne blushed, looking down. "Well, I read Shakespeare sometimes, too. But I do consider myself a feminist, so I tend to favor female authors, yeah."

"That's cool." Lyla said. "Don't be embarrassed. You've surprised me, that's all. I've never met anyone who liked books so much."

"Julie likes books." Anne pointed out. "And she's told me that Tyra has been reading some cool novels, too."

"Fair enough. I honestly didn't know that about them."

I better go ahead and ask. What's the worst thing that could happen? "Yeah, what's up with that? You should sit with us at lunch. We can all be friends and hang out together. Or is it awkward between you and Tyra because of Tim?"

Lyla sighed. "Tyra and I are cool... we were never friends, but when she found out I slept with Tim, she was very angry and hurt, so we ended up arguing a lot. Now everything's fine, but I guess you could say I'm not sure how to be friends with her. And it's hard to try and be friends with Julie because she spends a lot of time with Tyra."

"Well..." Anne started. "I spend a lot of time with Tyra too, and you and I are doing just fine. I just think it'd be better if we all stick together, you know? It's senior year, after all."

The Garrity girl took her words in and smiled. "You have a point. I'll sit with all of you at lunch. Thank you for inviting me."

"No need to thank me." Anne giggled. "I know it's silly, but I'm actually hoping this puts an end to some of the rumors about us. Some people are saying we're going to fight over Tim."

"Some people are idiots." Lyla said. "I've been dealing with Dillon's gossip for three years now. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. We haven't done anything wrong."

She's probably remembering the whole thing with her, Tim, and Jason. I've heard a lot about that, and there's even stuff about it written in the bathroom stalls. But that isn't relevant now. "You're right. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Lyla shook her head. "No, no, don't worry about it. It's nice to have someone to talk to."

"Yeah, same."

The girls grinned at each other, grabbed their things, and exited the library. They walked Dillon High's hallways side by side, getting most of the students' attention. The cheerleaders and the rally girls would glare at them, while the jocks would look at them up and down, but Anne was too entranced by her conversation with Lyla to notice. What she did end up noticing, however, was Tim making out with the same blonde girl she'd seen him before against his locker.

Anne didn't stop walking, but her smile disappeared. "Who was that girl with Tim?"

"Her name is Sierra." Lyla said. "She's a rally girl. She's... well, she's kind of cruel. Used to make fun of me when everyone found out I cheated on Jason with Tim. She and Tyra got in a fight once during sophomore year, too."