Lily continued walking down the hallway, ignoring the ugly words making a beeline for her from behind. She was used to bullies. She was the little girl who had killed her own mother. Lily had accepted a long, long time ago that bullies would flock to her. After the necklace of innocent little fish, she'd known she would never fit in—she didn't want to be like them. Bullies liked outcasts, though.

Today it was worse, however. She could deal with taunts about herself. That was perfectly fine. She happily knew and accepted who she was and nobody could take that away from her with some words. But the words weren't about her today.

Jackson Ewing was the most handsome boy in school, allegedly. Lily didn't care how handsome the other girls said he was—he was no Zach. As it happened, Jackson Ewing had condescended to ask her to the homecoming dance.

Even if she lived with those black women, he'd reasoned to her, she was new and interesting. It was probably just a story anyway. What white girl would want to live with black people?

But Lily had declined.

Putting his somewhat limited intelligence to the most work it'd had in a long while, Jackson had set out to learn why some stupid girl would refuse him, apparently. This was accomplished by studying her movements throughout the day. He'd discovered that she got a ride to school every day with the quarterback of the black high school. It was highly unlikely he even knew Zach's name.

He always dropped her off at least four blocks from school, except for that day. He had an away football game and had to leave early.

Lily had noticed with mounting annoyance her constant tail but didn't think she needed to mention it to Zach or August. Jackson was just a bully. What was he going to do?

So, about a week after being spurned, Jackson was getting his revenge by shouting it through the halls at her.

"Where's your chauffer, Lily?" he drawled, stretching out her name mockingly. His friends laughed. She kept walking, clutching her books tightly to her chest. "Do you tip him in the morning? Does he call you ma'am like he's supposed to?"

Jackson switched tactics when she refused to rise to his bait, "Has he healed up yet from jail?" Lily froze in her tracks. "Yeah, my daddy was there. He told me all about your little boyfriend. He said he cried like a baby when they hit him. He screamed and cried and didn't shut up until they finally knocked him out."

The hall erupted in cruel laughter that only a few besides Lily didn't take part in. She still hadn't moved. "Leave him alone."

Smirking at her with an anything but handsome face, he laughed, "How's your little nigger compare to me now?"

Lily's tearful exclamation was so full of conviction it sliced through the laughter, "I would rather spend the rest of this lifetime aching for him than ever go anywhere with you, Jackson Ewing!"

The hall was silent as she turned on her heel and strode to class before he could think of something to say.

line

Zach arrived at the Boatwrights' home after his football game that night to find the household in an uproar. August and Rosaleen were beside themselves and June looked ready to harm something—a sure sign she was worried. Neil had pulled her into his lap in the chair at one point, probably the only thing keeping her from harming something.

Mental inventory taken, Zach frowned, "Where's Lily?"

August looked up at him and seemed to pale, "She's not with you?"

Shaking his head, he replied with growing worry, "No, she said she was going to walk today because of my game." It was only a two mile walk. She did it all the time… With nothing else to do but wait—the police wouldn't do anything but get angry at some black folks taking up their time—Zach sat on the couch next to August and began to stare at the front door.

It was nearing midnight when they finally heard shuffled footsteps on the porch. The screen door opened a moment later and Lily stumbled from the entrance to the living room. Rosaleen, August, and June were up and surrounding her so quickly, Zach almost didn't catch a glimpse.

A large, purple bruise encircled one of her bright blue eyes and most of her face. A trail of blood was trickling down from a gash on her forehead and a bloody nose. Dirt and matted blood were caught in her usually sunny blonde hair. Her lip was swollen and split. Her left wrist was swollen, bruised, and laying at an unnatural angle. Someone had made sure she hurt.

Although he'd promised Lily once a few months ago that he never would, Zach felt himself begin to boil with anger. He wanted nothing more than to find whoever had done that and hit them until they couldn't stand…but he couldn't. He was colored. He couldn't do anything. If he was white, he would be a coward if he didn't stand up for his girl. But, if he raised a hand against anyone now he would be handed a one-way ticket to jail.

Guilt punched him in the stomach. If he were white, then none of this would've happened to Lily. This was why black and white people shouldn't be together. It was too dangerous. Lily getting hurt was all his fault. It was all his color's fault.

He sat there on the red couch, trying to fight down all the angry feelings. He was staring murderously at the floor with such concentration that he didn't notice when Neil stood and left and another shadow filled the doorway. Lily had sat down beside him and leaned onto his shoulder before he noticed she was there.

He stiffened, his guilt making him feel bad for even letting her close to him. Lily seemed to understand because she promptly said, "Zach, it's not your fault. Don't leave me."

Sighing and wrapping an arm around her, he nodded, "Yes, it is my fault."

Snuggling further into his shoulder, letting her lay down in his arms, Lily insisted, "It's not your fault. It's mine. They didn't even know your name. If I'd kept my mouth shut then this wouldn't have happened."

"Why? What did you say?" Lily was quite generally shy. Her saying something provocative was unusual to say the least. Her saying something that caused someone to beat her was impossible.

"The truth," she said simply, closing her eyes. "I said I would rather spend my whole life aching for you than ever go out with one of them."

Smiling for the first time that night at that, Zach held her bruised face gently in his hands. Kissing her softly until she opened her eyes, he said, "Lily, you won't have to wait a whole lifetime. I promise."

She smiled as much as her split lip would allow, "Good. I don't want to have to love you from afar forever. I like kissing you too much."