Hey everyone, thank you to all of you who have been reading this story and a big shout out to the people who reviewed my last chapter; you guys keep me going ! So without further ado, here is the next chapter; let's see what kind of trouble we can get them in today.

AN: I've got a lot of reviews about people not knowing who the love interest is, just to let you know I'm doing that on purpose, I don't want to give it away yet but never fear it will be revealed to you soon.

Disclaimer: I own nothing….still

New York, New York 1989

Needless to say, Daddy had been a little more than upset once he got home that night. He was amazed that I had already gotten myself hurt within the first twenty-four hours of returning to school; I must say it was a new record even for me. To top it all off, my 'hide it and no one will know' theory went down the drain because not even twenty minutes after I had gotten home Louis was at my door wanting to know if I was ok, turns out a lot more people that I had hoped caught Julius's rant in the hall that afternoon. I ended up giving both him and Daddy the same story as I had Julius, although only Daddy believed me; Julius and Louie were another matter completely. I knew they didn't buy my story and that school the following day was going to be a new level of hell…

Alexandria, Virginia 1971

"Seriously Julius? There is absolutely no need to be following me like this!" I had just come out of Spanish to find my adoring and exceedingly annoying cousin waiting for me as he had been doing all morning.

Julius was being exceptionally obnoxious today and had turned into my second shadow from the moment I walked onto campus. The morning was shaping up to be bad enough without him bothering me. I had managed to cover most of my bruise effectively with my own makeup that morning but it didn't really matter, between the episode in the halls yesterday and him following me around today it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on and pretty soon our entire little group knew. It was safe to say that I was not very happy with my cousin at the moment…

After waving farewell to Susan, I gave up and followed Julius to history class sending glares at the back of his head the entire way. I realized that I was acting immature but I found I really didn't care, after all I'm not a child and I don't need this much protecting. Walking into class and sending a quick hello to Coach Boone and a smile towards Louie I settled in my seat, and attempted to ignore the looks Julius was sending me.

"Alright what's the deal? Your cousin looks about ready to slap someone" Blue asked gaining Julius's attention.

"Annie's just a little upset with me right now" he replied while shooting me a look.

"Only because you're being extremely obnoxious!" I shot out sending him a glare before turning around in my desk and continuing to ignore him.

"Cut him a little slack, he's just trying to look after you" Lou replied gently from my side, soft enough so only I could hear.

"Well that's fine and all, but his attempt to look after me is getting on my nerves" I replied, saying the last part loud enough for Julius to hear. I heard Gerry snicker before Coach Boone called the class to attention. Making sure to keep my eyes on the board, I managed to get through the entire class without so much as a word from Julius, a small blessing since I honestly would have hit him and that would have been difficult to explain to the Coach.

I was up and out of my seat the second the bell rang, racing out towards the hall in an attempt to avoid my cousin. I heard Boone call the boys on the team over, something about the game that Saturday night, and I gave a silent sigh of relief. About damned time I got a moment to myself. I met up with Susan and Brenda at my locker before physics, giving me an opportunity to talk to them for the first time that morning.

"Alright so tell me, what's going on with you and your cousin?" Susan asked coming up to one side of me with Brenda on the other. I really am lucky that I managed to find someone in this school that not only I could be friends with, but someone who could be friends with my best friend too.

" I don't know, ever since yesterday he's barely let me out of his sight, to be honest it's actually quite annoying" I replied while hooking my arms with her and Brenda.

"You know why he's doing it don't you?" questioned Brenda shooting me a quick smirk.

"Oh I don't know…maybe because he's simply infuriating?" I replied while she and Susan giggled.

"No, he's doing it because he knows your lying to him" she said laughing at my grimace. "I heard him talking to Petey this mornin' before you got here, he was sayin' how he didn't believe that you just fell".

"Yeah well I'm not that surprised; I always sucked at lying to him. It's not like I had much choice though, what was I supposed to say 'oh yeah I got in the middle of a fight'? God he'd never let me out of his sight if I told him that"

"Well not to be the bearer of bad news, but he barely lets you out of your sight now" said Susan. Not even a minute after the words came out of her mouth, I caught sight of my darling cousin rounding the corner with his football buddies at the far end of the hall, and I was sent sprawling to the floor again. I could feel my temper flare, and right when I looked up to give whoever I collided into a piece of my mind, I fell silent realizing it was the same guy who pushed me yesterday.

"Try watching where you're going next time!" said Susan while Brenda stooped to help me off the floor.

"Its fine, not a big deal" I replied, I really didn't want to get into it with this guy. I don't know what it was, but something about him rubbed me the wrong way; besides the fact that he obtained a fascination with knocking me to the floor.

"Hey Annie you alright?" questioned Julius grabbing my arm and moving me slightly behind him, maybe I wasn't the only one who felt a weird vibe coming off the guy. I nodded yes, clutching my books a little tighter to my chest; this guy seriously hadn't taken his eyes off me since I got up.

"Hey Ray" said Gerry, slapping him on the shoulder effectively getting his attention off me.

"Hey man, let's get to class; we're gonna be late" he replied shooting Julius and Petey a look that had me hiding behind Julius a bit more, this guy was creeping me out.

"So who was that?" Brenda asked after they left, attempting to break the silence that fell over us.

"Ray…he plays on the football team" Petey replied after no indication that Julius would say anything. Ha! I was right when I thought he looked like a football player, although he seems a lot different from the boys I've already met and not in a good way either…

Lunch finally rolled around and my anger at Julius drastically defused. After that little run in with Ray I didn't object as much to having him around, the way he was looking at me really creeped me out. Retreating to our table outside I made my way over to my spot by Louie.

"So I heard you had a little run in with Ray today" I looked up at Louie and was slightly shocked at his dark expression. I felt Julius tense up beside me and caught Rev and Petey's quick look towards them both, maybe something had happened at camp; why else would they all be acting like this?

"So what's the deal with him?" I asked gaining the attention of the four. "With Ray I mean…is there something about him you don't like?" I laughed attempting to break up the silence.

"Ray's just a little difficult to get along with" said Rev gently with what seemed like a sad smile towards me before turning back to his lunch.

"Hard to get along with in what way?"

"Like in the way that he's not particularly fond of people like…well us…" replied Petey jumping into the conversation.

"Oh…got it…" I wasn't really sure what more I could say. Well, that will certainly make English class more interesting; sitting next to a racist…fun.

About ten minutes through lunch and I couldn't stand the silence anymore. No one was talking and everyone just seemed beat down. Attempting to escape, I decided to go attempt to study some in the library with Brenda and Susan, both of whom had decided to skip out on lunch and go straight there. They had decided to go to the game Saturday night and wanted to get their homework out of the way earlier.

"I'll see you guys later, I'm going to the library"

"Wait up, I'll go with you" said Rev grabbing his bag and standing up from the table. After saying a quick goodbye to everyone we made our way down the halls.

"So you're coming to the game tomorrow night right?" he asked once we were far enough from the crowds. People were absolutely horrible when it came to the races mixing. I had already gotten more than enough comments from girls about me talking to Brenda; I was kind of afraid what would happen if they saw me alone with one of the boys…I hated the way I looked at times like this. After all, I may have the features of my mother but I had inherited the complexion of my father, if anything I had more of an olive toned look than a mixed one. It sucked that I could barely be around my friends and family without having someone question my 'motives'.

"I don't know, I'm still thinking about it" I replied quietly. I barely understood the game, and it's not like I'd be hanging out with them anyway.

"Come on Annie, it'll be fun! Plus after the game we all were planning on going out."

"…I'll consider it…."

**Game day #1**

It was about an hour before the big game and I had been lounging around the house waiting for Louie. My plans were originally to sit around at home and listen to the game on the radio with the girls, but Julius and the boys had cornered me at the end of the day telling me I was going whether I liked it or not. I finally consented after ten minutes of arguing between me and Julius, not that I had much of a choice. With that settle we decided I would ride with Louie to the game, then after I would hang around the town with the girls and Julius would drive me home. About ten minutes later I heard the door bell and grabbed my coat before running out to meet my ride.

"So you ready for the first game?" I asked getting into his car.

"Ready as I'll ever be" he said tossing his gear in the back. "So do you remember anything I taught you about the game?"

"Nope, not a thing"

We got to the school in a record time and Louie ran ahead to the locker room. I think he was getting nervous about the game because no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get him to talk and he kept tapping the steering wheel anxiously. I went up to the stands after giving him a big hug and a quick kiss on the cheek for luck, looking around to try and see if I could find anyone. I was surprised at how many people were already here, I could see the Harris's in the back and walking a little further in I saw my aunt and uncle sitting by the Jones's.

"Hey Uncle Charles" He looked up from his conversation with Mr. Jones and gave me a warm smile before scooting over and offering me the aisle seat.

"Hello Annie" greeted Mrs. Jones, returning my small smile. "Brenda should be up in a minute Honey, she was helping Petey with something before the game." Noticing her walk in the entrance I said a quick goodbye to our families before running off to the middle section of the stands, heading for the seat she saved in the front row. Once I got there I realized that Susan was already there too.

"Hey girls, ready for the game?" I asked filing into our aisle and dropping my bag by my feet.

"This is so exciting, I love football!" gushed Susan before plopping down beside me and turning her gaze to the now filling stands.

"The first game is always fun" added Brenda from the other side of me, "and don't worry, we'll be sure to explain whites going on for you" she giggled with Susan at my expense, I have great friends huh?

"Well that's good because I will definitely need it…which side are we supposed to be scoring at again?" They both laughed and pointed out which side I should keep my eyes on. I figured I may not understand the game or what they're doing, but if I follow the crowds' example and cheer when the ball gets to that side then I won't look too out of place. Looking out on the field I figured that we were probably in a really good place to view the game. We were the first row of bleachers in the stands and had the perfect view of the 50 yard line, with the player's bench directly in front of us. Maybe I'll be able to pick out Louie and Julius…

With five minutes to go before kick-off, the marching band was putting on a performance and the stands were stuffed to the brim with the exception of the aisle directly behind us. The three of us were getting some pretty dirty looks and I had caught my Uncle's worried gaze more than once, it probably would have been better to sit with them then by ourselves, but I doubt anything would help the situation at this point. Amazing that we all came here to support the same team, but can't bring ourselves to support each other.

Once the cheerleaders filed out on to the track and our opponent team the hawks were introduced, the Titans came running out on the field. Standing up with the crowds to cheer I searched the sea of players trying to remember what number Julius was…

The first half of the game flew by and we were only down by a few points, but the hawks' running back was killing us, or so Susan told me. Apparently Alan wasn't fast enough to stick with him and before we realized what happened Petey, who had already been taken out of the game by Boone, was put back in as a replacement for him. I heard a man start yelling at the coach to not take his boy out, which must have been Alan's dad; he was one intimidating looking dude. I also noticed a cute little blonde girl who had been pacing the stands for the past hour next to him, which must be Coach Yoast's daughter; she sure was a spitfire.

Turning back to the game, Petey had proven to be a much better defensive player than offensive. The other team didn't know what hit them, because next thing anyone knew we had scored the last touchdown and won the game. The cheering from team barely matched the three of us jumping around and screaming. I noticed a few of the boys looking up at us and laughing at our antics but I didn't care, we had won and I inherently decided that football was more interesting than I first imagined.

Following the crowds out Brenda went to go say goodbye to her family while Susan and I went to go find mine, deciding to meet back up by the school. I noticed my family heading to their car and ran up to say goodbye while dragging Susan behind me.

"Hey Auntie Hazel, Uncle Charles…this is my friend Susan I was telling you about" I said while introducing her to them.

"Well it's nice to meet you dear" smiled my Aunt while my Uncle nodded politely besides the car. "Now ya'll have fun tonight and enjoy yourselves, make sure you stay close by the boys and don't stay out too late" she fussed before Uncle Charles ushered her to the car, throwing a 'have fun' over his shoulder.

Meeting back up at the school with Brenda I decided that the boys take way too long, plus I was getting really bored. A few boys started trickling out, while I tried to remember if I had met any of them. I recognized Jerry Buck from lunch and threw a quick wave to him and Tyrece, whom I had been introduced to by Julius the last time he went to play ball in the burg. Waiting a few more minutes I saw Louie followed by Rev and ran over to give them my congratulations; which was basically me throwing myself at Lou and hoping he would catch me. Laughing at Lou's surprised grunt when he caught me, I put my feet back on the floor and turned to give Rev a slightly gentler yet just as enthusiastic one.

"You boys pulled it off, great game" they both looked away slightly embarrassed, a little pink rising to their cheeks. I wasn't sure if it was because they were being humble, or because of the pretty pink lipstick mark that now stained both of their cheeks. Giggling slightly I tried to wipe it off before any of the other boys came out. Julius, Rev, and Petey are all used to it by now, they know I'm a naturally affectionate person; still though, don't want the rest of the team thinking I'm a tramp.

"Annie, stop traumatizing the poor boys" laughed Brenda coming over with Susan in tow. "Now if you're done embarrassing these guys, maybe they can go hurry along our rides" she teased while wiping the last bit of lipstick that I missed off Rev's face while Brenda produced a tissue to help Lou.

After sending the two back into the fray the three of us stood around outside for a few more minutes until a lot of yelling and cheering could be heard coming down the halls.

"Well, here comes Petey"

"Oh joy, now we get to spend the entire evening attempting to deflate his ego" Brenda sighed while rolling her eyes at his antics. The doors to the school busted open with the sound of singing and out comes Rev and Lou followed by Petey, Sunshine, Blue, Alan, Gerry, and Julius.

Petey came over followed by Sunshine and Blue, twirling a football in his hands, "so I hear a couple of pretty ladies are looking for us" He said smiling in Susan and my direction. "Ya'll know its custom to congratulate the winner with a kiss right?"

"Oh well then in that case how could I say no?" I replied keeping my face in a mask of seriousness.

"Wait, really?"

"No." And with that I walked away, leaving him to the laughter of Sunshine and Blue. I felt kind of bad though, he seemed so excited for a minute.

"Congratulations on your big win Ju" I said giving him a hug and administering another kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks, well we gonna head on out if ya'll are ready. Do you want to hang out with us or do you want us to drop you three off somewhere" he said while wiping off my lipstick; I really should avoid putting it on for game days.

Before we could answer Gerry piped up behind Julius "why don't ya'll hang out downtown with us?" a chorus of agreement met us and again, we found ourselves without much of a choice. So we all set off for downtown, splitting up into three little groups amongst ourselves. In the lead were Louie and Rev who had began discussing something about school with Susan, followed by Petey and Brenda accompanied by Blue and Sunshine, leaving Julius, Alan, Gerry and I to bring up the rear and Alan's spirits.

The poor guy was pretty upset about getting pulled out of the game. I guess he was real worried about what his dad was going to say once he got home. Petey carrying on about winning the game wasn't helping much either.

"Hey man, don't worry about them…they like to show off is all" responded Gerry to Alan's complaints while throwing an arm over his shoulder before Julius stopped in his tracks.

"Wait they…what do you mean they" He said getting real defensive really fast.

"Yes they, them up there" Gerry said pointing to the direction where the others were.

Julius managed to start up again before Gerry cut him off, both of them silencing when a car pulled up to the curb, the people inside calling to Gerry. While he was talking with whoever was in the car I went to talk to Julius.

"Ok what's your problem" I asked catching his eye and keeping my gaze locked on his "There is no reason to be getting all defensive, he didn't say anything to get you all riled up"

He just looked past me to where Gerry was returning to Alan's side looking every bit like a kicked puppy. "I don't know Ann; it's just harder to get along in a place where no one wants you together"

We made our way back over to Gerry, pulling Alan back from following a group of girls down the street when we heard Petey start yelling up ahead of us then storm past us.

"Let's go Julius" he said while storming past, Brenda pulling at his arm trying to get him to slow down and relax.

"What happened" I heard Julius ask while walking after him and Blue following yelling for Petey to cool down. Our little group began splitting itself up, and once again, race created the boundary lines. Susan joined me by my side and explained what had happened at the restaurant. I felt so bad for sunshine, he looked absolutely miserable.

"Come on Annie" Julius yelled from up ahead where he managed to catch up to Blue. I looked back at the second half of our group. Lou and Sunshine stood rooted to the ground while Alan was kicking at the ground and Gerry just gave me a sad smile before shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Come on Annie, we should go" sighed Rev. I couldn't just leave though, nor did I want to. I stood there torn between two sides; on one hand was Lou and Susan as well Gerry and Alan and Sunshine, but the other hand was my family…what choice did I have.

"It's alright Annie, you go ahead; I'll see you at school on Monday" she said giving me a sympathetic look.

"You sure? I'm real sorry about all this" I said trying to explain something even I didn't understand.

"Annie come on!" Julius yelled from somewhere up ahead.

"Just go Annie, its fine" Gerry added jumping in. With that I turned and walked away, turning back once to send them all an apologetic look before catching up to where Rev was waiting a few feet away. We caught up to the rest of the group and walked in silence, listening to Petey fume and Blue telling him to cool out.

"I know it's hard right now, especially for you. But it has to get better eventually" whispered Rev, low enough so no one else could hear. "Eventually we won't have these black/white conflicts, and neither will you." I kept my eyes on the ground, all the while questioning if he knew just how hard this really was….

AN: Ok people, so here is the next chapter, Hooray! Remember to read and review, let me know what you're thinking