Changing Seasons, FNL
This little fic came to me as I was thinking about the new season of Friday Night Lights starting up on DirectTV. There are going to be some changes in Dillon, some new faces and a new team. This is a little bridge from the end of last season to the beginning of this one, with a few of our favorite Dillon Panthers.
Title: Changing Seasons
Author: hope27
Rating: PG
Summary: There are signs that summer is almost over in Dillon, TX.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Peter Berg and NBC. No copyright infringement intended.
Summer was almost over in Dillon, Texas. Although you would never know from the temperature outside. Still, you could feel the change in the air - you could hear it too. The clanking of helmets and blowing whistles, the clamor on the radio talk shows and in the town's stores and bars - almost anywhere really. You could smell the fresh paint on the newly mown green grass and the gleaming yellow goal posts. They were all signs. The days of summer were over. Football season was here.
None of the them were sure why they had ended up sitting on that freshly painted Panther 50 yard line. It started when Smash walked into the Alamo Freeze as Matt was beginning to close up for the night. (He was in town for the last few weeks of summer before football practice began and he had to return to college.) Not long after, the two of them were in Matt's car, driving to pick up Landry who happened to be sitting on his front porch, guitar in hand, playing what sounded to be the blues. Next stop was the Riggin's place, where they found Tim and Billy sprawled on the couch watching ESPN as if nothing had changed in the Riggin's household since Billy had gotten married. It didn't take too much convincing to get Tim to come with them, and grabbing a couple six-packs from the fridge he jogged out the front door behind them. They drove around town for awhile until they passed the Dillon Panther field and saw the lights on.
"I'm going to miss this place," Matt said, breaking the silence that had decended on the foursome since they had arrived and started drinking.
Each boy nodded in agreement, looking around.
"Lot of good memories on this field," Smash added, a smile growing on his face as he recalled the year when they won it all.
"Some bad ones too..." Tim replied softly, trailing off, his eyes glued to a specific spot on the field. No one had to ask what event he was remembering, they all remembered the night Jason Street got hurt. It would forever be a part of who they were, of who they had become.
"To Street," Smash said, raising his can of beer in the air. They all followed suit.
"You know it's interesting," Landry began, "It's like the end of an era. You guys are all going to be gone, and Coach Taylor won't be coaching here either."
Smash shook his head, "It just ain't right for Coach Taylor to be in Dillon and not coaching the Panthers."
"Yup," Tim agreed, "This place don't even seem the same anymore."
The four of them glanced around at the gleaming bleachers, the freshly mown grass, the polished goal posts, and even the score board. Panthers 0, Visitors 0. It was all the same, but something was different.
Maybe it was the fact that they all knew this season was going to be different for each of them. They all were going their seperate ways - even though Smash had already spent a year away at college - this time more of them were leaving or, if they weren't leaving Dillon, at least, they were no longer going to be playing on this field as a Panther.
"I'm transferring," Landry blurted out, and three pairs of eyes landed on him.
"Huh?" Matt grunted, eyebrows knotting together.
Landry shrugged, "I filled out the paperwork the other day. If Coach Taylor ain't going to be here, then I'm not either. There's no other coach I want to play for."
"So East Dillon?" Smash shook his head. "Have any of you ever seen that field?"
"Nope," Tim replied, starting in on his third beer.
Smash cast his eyes around the Panther field, "This is the new Dallas Cowboy's Stadium compared to it. I drove by it the other day and saw Coach just standing in the middle of it, staring off into space. He's got his work cut out for him, that's for sure!"
"If anyone can do it, Coach Taylor can," Matt replied, "Just look where he took us even after Street got hurt, I mean..."
Matt was interrupted by a voice yelling at them across the field, "Hey!"
The foursome jumped up and looked towards the endzone closest to the gym. A tall figure clad in jeans and a blue Panther's jacket was walking across the field towards them.
"Coach Taylor?" Smash called out, eyes wide as he watched his former coach approach them.
"Just what the hell do you think you boys are doing out here?" Coach asked when he finally reached them.
His eyes landed on each one of them, staring them down, his lips in a straight line and his hands firmly set on his hips. Catching glimpses of the beer cans lying in a pile on the ground in the middle of the group, he scowled. Each boy had the decency to look down, knowing the look of disappointment from their coach.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low and calm. There was no anger behind his voice, just an underlying tiredness. "I did not see any of this. You understand me?"
"Yes, sir," they all spoke in unison, nodding their heads as they glanced up at him.
"What are you doing here, Coach?" Smash questioned, noticing the gym bag slung over his shoulder.
Coach Taylor sighed and shifted his weight on his feet and crossing his arms over his chest, "Just collecting the last of my things that I left behind."
"How's the team coming?" Landry piped up, curiousity in his voice.
"We're....coming along," Coach replied, obviously searching for the right words. "We just need more practice...a lot more practice."
Coach Taylor took off his ball cap and ran a hand through his hair, a frown on his face. The boys looked on, seeing the familiar signs of frustration and fatigue in their coach.
Suddenly Tim stood up, grabbing the football that had been lying next to Matt in the grass. A grin formed on his face as cocked his head, "How about you run one more play for us, Coach?"
It was Coach Taylor's turn to be suprised, "Huh?" He had obviously been lost in his own thoughts.
"One more play," Riggins repeated, glancing down towards Matt, Landry, and Smash, who were all smiling as they too got to their feet.
"Yeah, come on Coach," Smash chimed in, "One more play, like old times."
"It would really mean a lot," Matt stated quietly, remembering that the last time he had coached them, it hadn't ended the way they wanted.
Coach Taylor looked at all four of them, contemplating the request. The silence stretched until, finally, he swung the bag off his shoulder and reached for the ball that Riggin's had been holding out to him. "Alright, one more play..."
"Yeah, baby," Smash yelled, jumping up and down, as Coach placed the ball in Matt's hands and the boys gathered around in a huddle.
"Okay, let's run a switch reverse slant pattern to the left. Saracen, you're my quarterback, you have to make sure that you get the ball to Smash. Smash, get that ball and hand it to Riggins. Riggins, you got hand the ball back to Matt and quick help Landry block while Matt get's the ball to the endzone to Smash. Got it?"
The boys nodded, adrenaline pumping through them. "Okay, bring it in," he told them, in complete coach mode. "Clear eyes, full hearts on three. 1, 2, 3!"
"Clear eyes, Full hearts!"
Dispersing to their positions on the field, Coach Taylor stepped to the side and watched while Landry snapped the ball to Matt. A fake and then a quick hand off to Smash as Riggins came running from the other way. Taking the ball from Smash, he made a quick hand off back to Saracen, before he and Landry went to the ground tackling the imaginary defenders. Matt dropped back, took one step forward, and launched the ball into the air toward the endzone. Smash was running a slant pattern across the field as Matt's pass spiraled through the air. In two more strides, the ball came down right into his hands as he crossed the line into the endzone.
"Woo!" he shouted as the other three boys ran down the field hollering along with him. "Yeah, baby, that's how we do it!"
Coach Taylor looked on, a proud smile lighting his face as he watched the four boys celebrate as if they had just won state. Observing his players, he was once again reminded of the reason he loved to coach - for these moments - when it's not about winning or championships, but just about playing the game.
"Hey coach," Riggins yelled as they made their way back towards him, "We want to give you something."
He looked down as Smash held out the football, "The game ball goes to the Most Valuable Person on the team. You've always been the most valuable person on our team, Coach. You always had our backs and you never let us give up. Thank you."
Reaching out, he grasped the ball, spinning it in his hands before looking back up at them. "Boys like you guys are the reason I coach."
"Clear eyes, full hearts," Coach stated softly.
"CAN'T LOSE!"
Their voices echoed off the empty bleachers and into the night air. Yes, it was football season again in Dillon.
Title: Changing Seasons
Author: hope27
Rating: PG
Summary: There are signs that summer is almost over in Dillon, TX.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Peter Berg and NBC. No copyright infringement intended.
Summer was almost over in Dillon, Texas. Although you would never know from the temperature outside. Still, you could feel the change in the air - you could hear it too. The clanking of helmets and blowing whistles, the clamor on the radio talk shows and in the town's stores and bars - almost anywhere really. You could smell the fresh paint on the newly mown green grass and the gleaming yellow goal posts. They were all signs. The days of summer were over. Football season was here.
None of the them were sure why they had ended up sitting on that freshly painted Panther 50 yard line. It started when Smash walked into the Alamo Freeze as Matt was beginning to close up for the night. (He was in town for the last few weeks of summer before football practice began and he had to return to college.) Not long after, the two of them were in Matt's car, driving to pick up Landry who happened to be sitting on his front porch, guitar in hand, playing what sounded to be the blues. Next stop was the Riggin's place, where they found Tim and Billy sprawled on the couch watching ESPN as if nothing had changed in the Riggin's household since Billy had gotten married. It didn't take too much convincing to get Tim to come with them, and grabbing a couple six-packs from the fridge he jogged out the front door behind them. They drove around town for awhile until they passed the Dillon Panther field and saw the lights on.
"I'm going to miss this place," Matt said, breaking the silence that had decended on the foursome since they had arrived and started drinking.
Each boy nodded in agreement, looking around.
"Lot of good memories on this field," Smash added, a smile growing on his face as he recalled the year when they won it all.
"Some bad ones too..." Tim replied softly, trailing off, his eyes glued to a specific spot on the field. No one had to ask what event he was remembering, they all remembered the night Jason Street got hurt. It would forever be a part of who they were, of who they had become.
"To Street," Smash said, raising his can of beer in the air. They all followed suit.
"You know it's interesting," Landry began, "It's like the end of an era. You guys are all going to be gone, and Coach Taylor won't be coaching here either."
Smash shook his head, "It just ain't right for Coach Taylor to be in Dillon and not coaching the Panthers."
"Yup," Tim agreed, "This place don't even seem the same anymore."
The four of them glanced around at the gleaming bleachers, the freshly mown grass, the polished goal posts, and even the score board. Panthers 0, Visitors 0. It was all the same, but something was different.
Maybe it was the fact that they all knew this season was going to be different for each of them. They all were going their seperate ways - even though Smash had already spent a year away at college - this time more of them were leaving or, if they weren't leaving Dillon, at least, they were no longer going to be playing on this field as a Panther.
"I'm transferring," Landry blurted out, and three pairs of eyes landed on him.
"Huh?" Matt grunted, eyebrows knotting together.
Landry shrugged, "I filled out the paperwork the other day. If Coach Taylor ain't going to be here, then I'm not either. There's no other coach I want to play for."
"So East Dillon?" Smash shook his head. "Have any of you ever seen that field?"
"Nope," Tim replied, starting in on his third beer.
Smash cast his eyes around the Panther field, "This is the new Dallas Cowboy's Stadium compared to it. I drove by it the other day and saw Coach just standing in the middle of it, staring off into space. He's got his work cut out for him, that's for sure!"
"If anyone can do it, Coach Taylor can," Matt replied, "Just look where he took us even after Street got hurt, I mean..."
Matt was interrupted by a voice yelling at them across the field, "Hey!"
The foursome jumped up and looked towards the endzone closest to the gym. A tall figure clad in jeans and a blue Panther's jacket was walking across the field towards them.
"Coach Taylor?" Smash called out, eyes wide as he watched his former coach approach them.
"Just what the hell do you think you boys are doing out here?" Coach asked when he finally reached them.
His eyes landed on each one of them, staring them down, his lips in a straight line and his hands firmly set on his hips. Catching glimpses of the beer cans lying in a pile on the ground in the middle of the group, he scowled. Each boy had the decency to look down, knowing the look of disappointment from their coach.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low and calm. There was no anger behind his voice, just an underlying tiredness. "I did not see any of this. You understand me?"
"Yes, sir," they all spoke in unison, nodding their heads as they glanced up at him.
"What are you doing here, Coach?" Smash questioned, noticing the gym bag slung over his shoulder.
Coach Taylor sighed and shifted his weight on his feet and crossing his arms over his chest, "Just collecting the last of my things that I left behind."
"How's the team coming?" Landry piped up, curiousity in his voice.
"We're....coming along," Coach replied, obviously searching for the right words. "We just need more practice...a lot more practice."
Coach Taylor took off his ball cap and ran a hand through his hair, a frown on his face. The boys looked on, seeing the familiar signs of frustration and fatigue in their coach.
Suddenly Tim stood up, grabbing the football that had been lying next to Matt in the grass. A grin formed on his face as cocked his head, "How about you run one more play for us, Coach?"
It was Coach Taylor's turn to be suprised, "Huh?" He had obviously been lost in his own thoughts.
"One more play," Riggins repeated, glancing down towards Matt, Landry, and Smash, who were all smiling as they too got to their feet.
"Yeah, come on Coach," Smash chimed in, "One more play, like old times."
"It would really mean a lot," Matt stated quietly, remembering that the last time he had coached them, it hadn't ended the way they wanted.
Coach Taylor looked at all four of them, contemplating the request. The silence stretched until, finally, he swung the bag off his shoulder and reached for the ball that Riggin's had been holding out to him. "Alright, one more play..."
"Yeah, baby," Smash yelled, jumping up and down, as Coach placed the ball in Matt's hands and the boys gathered around in a huddle.
"Okay, let's run a switch reverse slant pattern to the left. Saracen, you're my quarterback, you have to make sure that you get the ball to Smash. Smash, get that ball and hand it to Riggins. Riggins, you got hand the ball back to Matt and quick help Landry block while Matt get's the ball to the endzone to Smash. Got it?"
The boys nodded, adrenaline pumping through them. "Okay, bring it in," he told them, in complete coach mode. "Clear eyes, full hearts on three. 1, 2, 3!"
"Clear eyes, Full hearts!"
Dispersing to their positions on the field, Coach Taylor stepped to the side and watched while Landry snapped the ball to Matt. A fake and then a quick hand off to Smash as Riggins came running from the other way. Taking the ball from Smash, he made a quick hand off back to Saracen, before he and Landry went to the ground tackling the imaginary defenders. Matt dropped back, took one step forward, and launched the ball into the air toward the endzone. Smash was running a slant pattern across the field as Matt's pass spiraled through the air. In two more strides, the ball came down right into his hands as he crossed the line into the endzone.
"Woo!" he shouted as the other three boys ran down the field hollering along with him. "Yeah, baby, that's how we do it!"
Coach Taylor looked on, a proud smile lighting his face as he watched the four boys celebrate as if they had just won state. Observing his players, he was once again reminded of the reason he loved to coach - for these moments - when it's not about winning or championships, but just about playing the game.
"Hey coach," Riggins yelled as they made their way back towards him, "We want to give you something."
He looked down as Smash held out the football, "The game ball goes to the Most Valuable Person on the team. You've always been the most valuable person on our team, Coach. You always had our backs and you never let us give up. Thank you."
Reaching out, he grasped the ball, spinning it in his hands before looking back up at them. "Boys like you guys are the reason I coach."
"Clear eyes, full hearts," Coach stated softly.
"CAN'T LOSE!"
Their voices echoed off the empty bleachers and into the night air. Yes, it was football season again in Dillon.