First Chapter of a Fic I'm Starting :)

[matildas_garden]

First Entry of a Friday Night Lights I just started working on :)

The deafening roar of the Dillon community went impossibly silent the moment Jason Street collided with the Westerby fullback. One second the stadium was screaming for their star quarterback; the next, everyone was frozen, watching an ambulance roll onto the grass. On the sidelines, Samantha Taylor tracked her father’s frantic movements as he climbed into the back of the emergency vehicle. Usually, Samantha welcomed any silence she could get, a rare reprieve from the anxiety-triggering noise of a Dillon Friday night. But this silence was heavy. Suffocating.

In for five. Hold for five. Out for five.

Her therapist’s voice replayed in her head, a desperate anchor against the panic attack clawing at her throat. She forced her eyes to roam the field, searching for anything to focus on besides the flashing red lights, until she found him.

Number thirty-three. The boy who used to know her deepest thoughts, who knew exactly how to quiet the locker room bullying in the eighth grade. She’d seen this new version of Tim Riggins in the hallways all week—untouchable, cocky, the star fullback. He looked so different from her old friend. But right now, standing on the chopped-up turf, the douchebag jock armor was gone. He just looked like Tim.

He rose from his knees, his heavy-lidded eyes scanning the sidelines until they locked directly onto hers.

The agonizing tightness in her chest eased. Even after a year of radio silence, he still had that exact same calming effect on her. But the relief was violently pulled away as a hand landed on her coat.

"Come on, girls," Tami’s voice was strained, steering Samantha and Julie toward the exit. "Let's head home."

Samantha risked one look back over her shoulder through the crowd. Tyra Collette was already rushing into the space she had just vacated, wrapping her arms tightly around Tim's broad shoulders. Samantha swallowed hard, turning her back to the field. Why did he still have this effect on her? After a year of him never checking in, never calling, he could still make her whole world pause with a single look.