"Come on boys, breakfast is on the table getting cold so shake a leg now!" Martha called up the stiars and was greeted by the sound of heavy, running feet. "Now you have lunch money James?" Jacob and Conner exchanged lookes.

"Yeah mom, I got it, I'm all set." He smiled taking a bite of his toast as his father made his intrance. Kissing Martha on the cheek he sat down to enjoy his meal.

"We have a lot of work to do at the store today Jacob, I wouldn't make any plans if I were you."

"Today? Daddy you know I have a game tonight so I can't work. Can I...."

"Now look here boy you asked me for more time and I'm giving it to you and all you can do is complane?"

"I'm sorry sir." Jacob reframed from talking. Matthew looked at his son with a look to kill but changed the subject.

"We have new auto body parts coming in for Mr. Marrow's car and we need to have it fixed but tomorrow morning," He stated with a mouth full of eggs, "said he'd pay us doouble if we did and we need that money."

"Yeah to send the colored boy to school." Conner laughed at his brothers joke on James.

"Where do you get off on man?"

"Boys..." Martha warned.

"No it's okay mom, I really want to know. Does it matter that much that I go to a diverse school?"

"I don't see why you had to go and do that James! Coloreds have never had good education, their as dumb as a bunch of rocks." Matthew stated. "I tell you what they need to do, ship all those niggers back across the sea and let America be!"

"America is the land of the free, to everyone dad!"

"Don't you flip your mouth at me boy! Or I'll knock you one good! Your mother is the only reason I even allow you to carry on in that school, if a school is what you should call it. Ya hear me?" James stayed silent for the rest of breakfast till it was time for school and he bid his mother a farwell.

"Don't mind your father dear, you know how he gets on colored people...what you say is right, we all are equal." She whispered into his ear shocking him. Taking a look back at his mother he noticed the same fire he had in his eyes. He smiled knowing that she was getting the war of blacks and whites was unnessary. "You keep dreaming your dream you hear?" James nodded and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks mom." He stated and started towards his car. Martha watched till his car was out of sight and made her way back into the house where in twenty minutes she'd be alone with the boys and Matthew being at the store. James cruised the streets waving to people he passed alone the way and on the far right hand he saw a figure being crowed by young boys. As he got closer he heard a cry for help and stopped. Getting out the car and running to the side of the road he found a young black girl being taunted by white boys.

"Scared arn't ya nigga? You should be..." One called.

"Hey!" James called out, breaking between the group and girl.

"Move James. this has nothing to do with you." Lenny stated.

"It has everything to do with me Lenny, and you being one of my best friends you should be on my side here!" James yelled, turing his attention to the scared girl he smiled as kindly as he could. "Are you alright darlin?" He asked, handing her books over to her. Tears escaped her eyes as she looked at the ground.

"She can't understand you James, you for one should know their eliderate."

"I beg to differ..." A new voice came. The group turned and looked upon another girl, one much older then their victim. "My sister is very smart for her age she just doesn't like to talk."

"Well, well, well, what do we have here boys?" Lenny smirked making his way around her. "You know for all the niggers round these parts I wouldn't mind giving you a nice fuck." He laughed with his buddies grabing himself he got real close to her. "You can have it baby, only if you play nice." He turled a bit of her hair around his fingers.

"I don't think so." She roughly jerked away from him and made her way next to her sister.

"Are you okay Ami?" The small girl nodded and held on to her for dear life.

"Aww ain't that cute." One boy teased. James got up in his face ready to pound him.

"Look, if you guys don't want any problems from me then I really suggest that you back the fuck off." James stated through gritted teeth. Lenny flipped him off and the others began to leave.

"Never thought I'd see the day when a colored means more then our friendship...."

"Theres a first time for everything." James yelled and turned back to the girls. After she calmed down her sister she turnted to thank the young man that has came to her sister's rescue.

"Thank...." She paused. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Lila....apples....store..." He found himself fumbling with his words and she smiled at his cuteness. James looked down at the young girl. "Ami is it?" He asked and she smiled a bit nodding yes. "Well Ami, since you've have such a bad moring how about I take you out for ice cream? That is, after school?" Ami smiled from ear to ear but it soon faded. She motioned him to come closer to hear her.

"Can Lila come to?" James smiled looking into her soft eyes.

"I wouldn't dream without it." Ami smiled and held her sisters hand. Lila smiled and the picked a time after school. "Speaking of school we're going to be late if we don't leave now." James stated offering them a ride and they accepted. After safty dropping Ami off with her teacher the two made their way to Keystone High. "So Lila, which is a beautgul name by the way, what caused you to be my angel of apple picking yesterday?" Flirting, he was flirting with her and no matter how corny it might have been he was reassured by the laughter....musical laughter.

"I love oranges, their smell and taste...they are by far my favorite fruit." She glaced at his smile. "Not to mention they where on sale and freshed sqeezed orange juice isn't bad if you think about it."

"I don't think I've ever made oragne juice before."

"Really? You'll have to come over sometime and try it out though I should warn you, it's messy and you might smell like critrus for a while." She joked.

"I can' handel it, trust me," He laughed, "I can handel it." Lila ofered another warm smile towards James. She had never really interacted with a lot of friendly people as she did now. Most of the time people tended to be to shallow, caught up on their own lives to really give anyone else a second look. "I'm really sorry about those boys...it goes to show you how nothing has really changed from the past."

"It's okay, I understand...." She spoke in a hushed tone and already James missed her upbeat self. "Some are just to scared of changing what they have been raised to know, for those of us on the wrong end of the deal we just have to accept it."

"You shouldn't have to." He soothed to her while pulling into a free space. After shutting off the car he turned to look into her now sad eyes. " I could never tell you why people are so scared of somthing different in the first place, and I'm deeply sorry for that." He bravly took her hand in his own slightly smiling on how they fit. "You see this?" He showed her their hands and Lila looked. "I see no difference between you and me...well, besides the whole male and female but I think you know what I'm getting at." Lila laughed at his joke and James felt a bit more at ease. Hearing the first warning bell sound off the two stepped out the car and headed into the building, starting something that was much more then they ever knew.