In a world that gives you nothing [We need something to believe in]
[Performance]
“Tim…hon, you listenin’ to me?” Tami asked the boy draped across the end of the couch in her office.
“Huh?” Tim asked, jerking awake. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “Yeah, m’listenin’. You’re worried.”
“About your academic performance,” Tami clarified.
Tim nodded and raked a hand back through his hair. “M’pretty sure m’gonna graduate.” He had two Rally girls working on that. He’d given them pretty detailed instructions. He needed to do about average, nothing great but nothing so bad that UT would change their minds.
“Sweetheart, that is the least of my worries,” Tami assured him. There was just a hint of frustration under her words. “You know they don’t have Rally girls in college.” The education of Tim Riggins was one of Tami’s personal, pet projects.
The look Tim gave her was classic deer in headlights. He’d thought about that, worried about it and it had been the chief reason he’d taken so long to actually make college plans. “I got a scholarship though.” It didn’t make much sense in the context of the conversation but in Tim’s mind it made perfect sense.
“Tim, I’m not worried about how you’re going to pay for classes. I’m worried about how you’re going to pass them,” Tami told him. “Texas still has the no pass, no play rule. That applies to college too.”
“Uhm…yeah. I’m-workin’ on that,” Tim answered. He didn’t have any solutions to the problem yet. He was kind of hoping he’d show up and the football team would give him whatever their equivalent of a rally girl was. The idea that they might expect him to actually do the work himself scared the shit out of him.
Tami sighed and gathered her hair up off her neck in both hands before letting it drop back to her shoulders. “Well you’re goin’ to college with Tyra. She’s a smart girl and you might be able to get her to help you.”
They both knew there was no way Tyra would do his work for him though. The cold and very hard truth was that Tim was going to have to figure this out himself. For the first time in…ever…Tim was going to have to do homework, study and read. Showing up to class would also be counted as a bonus.
Tami sat back in her chair, watching him for a moment. Tim sat up straighter because he knew that look. Coach got that look often enough and right now, he was beginning to suspect Coach’d learned it from Mrs. Taylor.
“On a scale from one to ten, how hungover are you right now?” Tami asked him. It wasn’t any secret that Tim spent much of his life either in a drunken stupor or a hangover haze.
“Ten bein’ the worst?” Tim asked, a lazy grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was smart enough to know to keep it under wraps though. Mrs. Taylor was way scarier than Coach. “M’guessin’ a seven.”
Tami sighed and shook her head. “Timothy Riggins, you knew we had this meeting today a week ago. I expect you to have enough respect for me, if not yourself, that you come in here able to concentrate and focus. You may get away with this with my husband but you are not goin’ to get away with it with me.”
And now he was sitting up straight on the couch, posture even decent, hands together in his lap and head bowed in an expression that hinted at contrition. “Yes Ma’am.”
“We’re going to reschedule this meeting for next week. Tuesday ten o’ clock. You’ll come in sober without a hangover. You’re a good kid, Tim. I know that and I expect you to act like it,” Tami dictated. She’d found if she took the same tone with Tim that she did with Eric, it usually had the same effect. Authority didn’t usually work with Tim; it just gave him more reason to rebel. The short time Tim had lived with the Taylors, she’d figured out a lot about him and gotten a little attached.
“Yes Ma’am,” Tim nodded and started to stand up.
“Sit down,” Tami told him. “I want an honest answer.” She leveled a gaze at him then softened as she took a breath and asked her question. “When did you stop doing your own homework? Stop readin’?”
Tim shrugged. “Sixth grade,” he answered. “Started JV and they gave me my first rally girl.”
Tami sighed and looked up to the ceiling, turning that over in her head. “Alright. How’d you do in school before that?”
He shrugged. “Not so great. Didn’t have to. Everyone figured out I could hit hard ‘bout the time I turned nine. Just sorta got pushed ‘long through school after that.”
Tami nodded. “Alright. We’ll see about fixing that. You better get to class.”
Tim nodded and got up from the couch, almost boneless grace as he strolled to the door. He stopped and looked back over his shoulders. “You think I can pass? College I mean.”
Tami smiled, her heart aching for what amounted to a little boy asking someone to believe in him. “Hon, I know you can and I’m going to make sure of it.”
“Tim…hon, you listenin’ to me?” Tami asked the boy draped across the end of the couch in her office.
“Huh?” Tim asked, jerking awake. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “Yeah, m’listenin’. You’re worried.”
“About your academic performance,” Tami clarified.
Tim nodded and raked a hand back through his hair. “M’pretty sure m’gonna graduate.” He had two Rally girls working on that. He’d given them pretty detailed instructions. He needed to do about average, nothing great but nothing so bad that UT would change their minds.
“Sweetheart, that is the least of my worries,” Tami assured him. There was just a hint of frustration under her words. “You know they don’t have Rally girls in college.” The education of Tim Riggins was one of Tami’s personal, pet projects.
The look Tim gave her was classic deer in headlights. He’d thought about that, worried about it and it had been the chief reason he’d taken so long to actually make college plans. “I got a scholarship though.” It didn’t make much sense in the context of the conversation but in Tim’s mind it made perfect sense.
“Tim, I’m not worried about how you’re going to pay for classes. I’m worried about how you’re going to pass them,” Tami told him. “Texas still has the no pass, no play rule. That applies to college too.”
“Uhm…yeah. I’m-workin’ on that,” Tim answered. He didn’t have any solutions to the problem yet. He was kind of hoping he’d show up and the football team would give him whatever their equivalent of a rally girl was. The idea that they might expect him to actually do the work himself scared the shit out of him.
Tami sighed and gathered her hair up off her neck in both hands before letting it drop back to her shoulders. “Well you’re goin’ to college with Tyra. She’s a smart girl and you might be able to get her to help you.”
They both knew there was no way Tyra would do his work for him though. The cold and very hard truth was that Tim was going to have to figure this out himself. For the first time in…ever…Tim was going to have to do homework, study and read. Showing up to class would also be counted as a bonus.
Tami sat back in her chair, watching him for a moment. Tim sat up straighter because he knew that look. Coach got that look often enough and right now, he was beginning to suspect Coach’d learned it from Mrs. Taylor.
“On a scale from one to ten, how hungover are you right now?” Tami asked him. It wasn’t any secret that Tim spent much of his life either in a drunken stupor or a hangover haze.
“Ten bein’ the worst?” Tim asked, a lazy grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was smart enough to know to keep it under wraps though. Mrs. Taylor was way scarier than Coach. “M’guessin’ a seven.”
Tami sighed and shook her head. “Timothy Riggins, you knew we had this meeting today a week ago. I expect you to have enough respect for me, if not yourself, that you come in here able to concentrate and focus. You may get away with this with my husband but you are not goin’ to get away with it with me.”
And now he was sitting up straight on the couch, posture even decent, hands together in his lap and head bowed in an expression that hinted at contrition. “Yes Ma’am.”
“We’re going to reschedule this meeting for next week. Tuesday ten o’ clock. You’ll come in sober without a hangover. You’re a good kid, Tim. I know that and I expect you to act like it,” Tami dictated. She’d found if she took the same tone with Tim that she did with Eric, it usually had the same effect. Authority didn’t usually work with Tim; it just gave him more reason to rebel. The short time Tim had lived with the Taylors, she’d figured out a lot about him and gotten a little attached.
“Yes Ma’am,” Tim nodded and started to stand up.
“Sit down,” Tami told him. “I want an honest answer.” She leveled a gaze at him then softened as she took a breath and asked her question. “When did you stop doing your own homework? Stop readin’?”
Tim shrugged. “Sixth grade,” he answered. “Started JV and they gave me my first rally girl.”
Tami sighed and looked up to the ceiling, turning that over in her head. “Alright. How’d you do in school before that?”
He shrugged. “Not so great. Didn’t have to. Everyone figured out I could hit hard ‘bout the time I turned nine. Just sorta got pushed ‘long through school after that.”
Tami nodded. “Alright. We’ll see about fixing that. You better get to class.”
Tim nodded and got up from the couch, almost boneless grace as he strolled to the door. He stopped and looked back over his shoulders. “You think I can pass? College I mean.”
Tami smiled, her heart aching for what amounted to a little boy asking someone to believe in him. “Hon, I know you can and I’m going to make sure of it.”