I danced in front of my mirror, hairbrush in hand as a makeshift microphone as I belted out the words to "Never Can Say Goodbye" my new favorite song by the Jackson Five. Twisting and twirling, scrambling in vain to hit every one of Michael's high notes, I ended up knocking myself right into my mother.

"Gosh, Mama, don't you knock?" I whined.

"Mary-Courtney Davis, is that anyway to speak to your mother? I should wash your mouth out, young lady. And for your information I knocked three times already but how could you hear me with that awful music blasting?"

"It's not awful, Mama."

"Whatever. You kids these days...anyway, I was trying to tell you that you have a phone call."

"Who is it?"

"Who do you think?" she asked with a half smile.

I couldn't contain the grin on my face as I bolted down the hall past my mother to the telephone in the kitchen.

"Mary-Courtney, no running in the house! And turn that music down, your father will have a fit if he comes home to all that racket."

I didn't even care about her scolding. All I cared about was who was on the other end of that phone.

"Hello?" I said breathlessly into the receiver.

"Hey sugar. Your voice is about the best thing I've heard today."

Flopping down on a nearby chair I held the cord close to me.

"Hey Ray. How's it going, baby?"

Ray Budds was my boyfriend of a little over two years and a stand out player for our school football team, the T.C. Williams' Titans. I was the cheerleader, he was the jock and in everyone's eyes we were the perfect all American couple. I loved Ray, I really did. We'd been together since we were fourteen and he had big plans of being recruited by some fancy college where he'd play ball and we'd get married and have kids and live happily ever after. That was the plan for most high school couples in small towns and I was fine with it. I was happy. By all standards Ray was an awesome catch.

"It's going...I don't know, Mary-Courtney. We're still on three a days and it's killing me."

The football team was attending a special camp at Gettysburg College in preparation for the upcoming season. It was supposed to be perfect. Our boys would go all the way to State being led by future Hall of Fame coach Bill Yoast. Yeah, that was the plan until the school board decided to integrate. For the first time a bunch of colored kids would be bussed to T.C. Williams. For the first time in Alexandria, blacks and whites would attend classes together and play sports together. It was the single biggest change ever to happen to our little community. And then to shake things up even more, Coach Yoast was demoted to assistant coach and replaced with a black man transferred from North Carolina named Herman Boone. All the new changes weren't settling well with lots of folks, especially with my Ray.

"It'll be over soon, baby", I sighed.

"You'll be home soon enough. Still I can't believe Coach Boone is working y'all so hard."

"You mean Coach Koon", Ray hissed, his voice dripping with hatred.

It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. You see, I'm one of those people that don't see color. I'd never been prejudiced. It just didn't make sense to me to hate someone solely because their skin was a bit darker. Unfortunately, most people didn't share my opinion. My parents, other members of my family, some of my friends and of course Ray. I was okay with him not having the same beliefs but it made my soul cringe every time he made a racial slur. It wasn't just what he said but it was the way he said. There was so much anger and animosity. Sometimes it really scared me.

"Baby..."

"What? Mary-Courtney, you don't understand, honey. It's awful. Not only are we on the three a days, Boone has us sharing rooms with the coloreds. And get this. Now we have to spend time with a teammate of a different race and write essays about it and stuff."

"It might not be so bad, you know, getting to know different people and all. Besides, you're gonna be playing with those guys. Didn't you say y'all were like brothers?"

"That was last year, Mary-Courtney. Things have changed. Ain't none of these monkeys gonna be my brother, I tell you that much. And the new quarterback? This Jerry Harris kid they call Rev. Well it will be a cold day in hell before I ever block for his black behind."

"Ray baby, don't be like that. Besides if you don't block for the quarterback then you're not gonna start."

"I'm biding my time, trust me. Biding my time...Jesus, Mary-Courtney what is all that racket in the background?"

"I'm listening to my new radio Daddy bought me."

"What the hell are you listening to?"

"That's the great sound of the Jackson Five."

"It sounds like crap."

Sighing I tried to change the subject. It was hard to talk to Ray when he was acting like that.

"Well when you get back only three days before we head off to the lake. Those good bye to summer parties are always so much fun. We're gonna have a blast. I can't wait for you to see the new swimsuit I just bought."

"And I can't wait to see you in it", Ray breathed.

I giggled just as I heard a bunch of yelling in the background.

"What's all that, Ray?"

"I gotta go, Mary-Courtney. The other guys need to use the phone but I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon. I miss you, Ray."

"Miss you too", he whispered.

"I love you." "Me too."

"You better say it back", I laughed, well on to his little game. "

I can't, Mary-Courtney."

"Oh yes you can. Gerry said it to Emma so you have to say it to me."

"Fine...I, I love you, sugar."

I smiled as I heard all the guys in the back begin to tease him mercilessly. I hung up the phone with a huge dopey grin on my face. I missed Ray a lot and I did love him. I saw a real future with the guy. He was a good person alright, just a little rough around the edges. But we were going to be okay. We'd get through camp and integration and football season and school and any other obstacles in my way. I was actually looking forward to it. Everything was going to be just fine.