"And where do you think your going?" Jacob asked from James' doorway. "Got yourself a hot date tonight?" James just ignored his brothers remarks and continued dressing. He was wearing a bit baggy blue jeans with a black shirt, nothing fancy just causal but comparable all the same. "Well?" Jacob pressed when he didn't answer him.

"Not that it's any of your business but I'm going out with some friends tonight is that okay with you?" He asked a bit annoyed with Jacob who smirked.

"Fine by me." He walked further into the room and sat on the edge of James' bed. He absentmindedly starting drumming his fingers on the bed post.

"Is there something else I can help you with?" James stated trying to get Jacob out of his room. "I really need to get going." To finalize his point he reached for his car keys.

"Why do you go to that school? No, I mean really why? Are you trying to prove something here because lets face it James, we don't mix with those coloreds."

"Look Jacob I'm not going to get into that with you right now. I go there because I'm not so closed minded about other people in this world and it's a great school for me when I don't want to end up as some racist red neck!" James pushed Jacob out of his room and made his way downstairs to find his mother in the kitchen on the phone. "Where's dad?" He mouthed to her and she smiled a bit at seeing him.

"At the store hun, so Anna I was talking to James...yeah I heard about that, didn't she...."

"Thanks see you later." She waved at her son and resumed her conversation.

"James! James!" Jacob called to his brother. "Don't go turning into a nigger lover." James' blood ran cold as he started up his car, backing out the driveway he looked back at his house in shame of his family. Hard as it was he pushed all that out of his head and looked once again at the address written on a small piece of paper. Smiling to himself and thinking that he was going to spend some time with an amazing girl this evening was more then enough to take his mind off his confused family. Pulling up to her house he felt a calm come over him, a calm he didn't even get when going into his own home. Shutting off the car James made his way to the door and smiled as he saw Ami run to the door with a smile he was sure could reach the sky. "Hello little lady." He winked at her. "Would Lila be home?" Ami nodded and ran off into the house yelling for Lila.

"Lila, James is here...hurry up! I want my ice cream."

"Ami keep it down all right? Mama's trying to work..."

"Sorry mama..." Ami laughed a bit. "But Lila's taking so long..." James laughed with the girl and in the hallway he saw Lila appear and his breath was caught.

"You know how mom gets Ami," She turned to James. "I'm sorry about that, I was doing some reading and I couldn't find away to put the book down."

"Don't worry to much about it. Which book where you pulled into?"

"A Handmaids Tale." She smiled. "It's an amazing book so far." Ami looked between the two as they talked and starting to forget about her ice cream. With a smile she put together that they liked each other, though she might have been called wrong for her being so young but still, she didn't miss the signs. "...the description was way out there."

"I know what you mean, I'm reading the same book...Margaret Atwood right?" Lila nodded, amazed to find they have more common interest.

"You know what guys I don't think I want any ice cream." Ami looked into their eyes. "Why don't you just go out for some and I'll stay home and help mama." Lila looked at her sister weird for backing down to ice cream, something was going on here and she couldn't find. "Have a good time and come back at a respectable hour thank you." Ami laughed and closed to the door leaving to two outside.

"I like your sister." James laughed.

"Yeah I do to, most of the time that is." He lead her to his car and being the gentleman that he is he opened the door causing Lila to giggle. "She's up to something, I just can't put my foot on it that's all." Lila thought and James took her hand in his.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure whatever it is it's harmless." Lila laughed at that remark. "What?" James joined her. "Do I have something on my face?" He glanced at her every so often.

"Hey, keep your eyes on the road cowboy." He just shook his head in amusement.

"Just trying to make friendly conversation Miss. Lila." He stated in an accent and Lila gently pushed his arm laughing a bit with him.

"Making conversation huh? Well, how do you like that book so far? I never got a chance to ask you." James thought for a minute trying to collect his opinion of it. "I take that you don't like it very much?"

"No not at all, I've been reading it for almost a week now...in between school and whatnot." He drummed the stirring wheel. "I find A Handmaids Tale very interesting I mean how Atwood sees the future of mankind ending up."

"I know it seems as thought in the book we're going backward where women have no rights and men rule of everything." Lila stated as they pulled up to a little ice cream shack. Stepping out James once again gets her door and listens to her as she explains her views.

"I see your point." He took her hand once again and led her up to order. "I mean, it's my second time reading it and I can't help but wonder if that's what the worlds going to be like? Is that what we're building towards? Women won't be treated as equals anymore..."

"But even less then we already where....deprived of learning and becoming only a child bearer." James smiled at her emotion on the book and felt warm knowing that he had someone to talk about things such as books. None of his so called friends ever seemed interested in anything but how to get laid and things of that nature. "What?" Lila asked after they had ordered, she had found him staring at her. "Did I say something wrong? Sometimes my mouth seems to run away with me...it's one of my worst habits."

"Oh no!" He begged. "I love hearing what you think, it helps me to believe that someone else out there in the world is opened to more then just TV"

"Orders up!" The cashier yelled and they turned around to pay him.

"No please, let me." James handed the kid a five and told him to keep the change.

"You really didn't have to." Lila smiled.

"Yeah, but I wanted to. Plus I invited you so it's only right that I pay." He scooped some of his chocolate ice cream in his mouth making faces.

"Don't eat it so fast." Lila laughed. "You might get a brain freeze." James stood in place for a moment.

"To late." Shaking his head to help it off they sat at one of the little tables, putting distance between them and the others. "So Miss. Lila, how does a girl like you stay single?"

"Who said I was?" James smile fell as he tried not to show it mattered but she could already see it in his eyes. "I'm not seeing anyone at the moment. I guess I haven't found someone who I've connected with on an intellectual level and that's what I what. Physical attraction is great but that will only get you so far...I know this might sound stupid but I want a forever. Maybe I won't find it now but I hope I will someday...that would be nice."

"How do you know that? That someday could be today?"

"That's the beauty of it."

"Not knowing?"

"Exactly! I mean I don't know when or where it's gonna hit me..."

"What if it already has and you just don't know it yet?" Lila stopped and tired to read his face to see if he was making a joke but found nothing giving amusement.

"I'm so young..."

"Romeo and Juliet where even younger."

"Never thought I'd hear a boy say that." They laughed. "What about you Mr. James, do you have a girlfriend?"

"I can't imagine having a girlfriend right now when this is the one place I'm most happiest to be." Lila blushed at his comment. "I don't know what it is about you Lila but..." James sighed and played with the last of his ice cream. "...I feel like I know you..."

"Like we've met before?" Lila placed another scoop of vanilla in her mouth.

"I don't know, I can't explain it." James looked into her brown eyes. "I won't dare question it, for I fear this might be nothing but a mere dream taunting me." Lila smiled.

"Are you a writer?"

"No."

"Well, you should be." Lila smiled as he took her empty cup and threw them away. "Hey look." She pointed towards the horizon as the sun was setting. "God if I could be any color I'd be the color of the sunset." She sighed and James smiled. "Just paint me across the sky...I won't mind."

"I'm sure." He smiled watching it with her. "So you rescue helpless people in the produce section, stand up to the village idiots and read books." Lila nodded at his recap of herself. "Is there anything else you want to add to your list?"

"Love for my family, friends...that..." She sighed watching the last shades of color clash with the darkening sky. "....and the sunset..."