What Is The Color of Love?

It's the day before tryouts Bree and I are eating lunch together. We have tried to keep our love a secret. I'm The Hope of Small Town Friendly to bring home a state basketball title.

A basketball savant from the Projects. She is the All American country club girl destined for stardom. A dancing prodigy in her own right. We live in a place and time where the color of your skin determines who you are to love.

Everyone knows we have been friends since elementary. We try to convince ourselves it's not that strange that we would eat lunch at the same time. Since we are both in the top 20% of our freshman class.

We have literally all our classes together. With our last names J & K, respectively. We always sit close. The hardest thing for me is keeping my hands to myself.

"Are you nervous about tryouts?" I ask.

"Sort of, but my cousin, who cheered last year, has shown me all the routines and cheers. I just need to execute the moves and remember the chants. I will have an excellent chance to make the team." She replies.

"What about you? You are going against bigger stronger guys than in Middle School."

"I have done every drill a thousand times. I've played street ball against all the players on the team. There's only one guy I couldn't stop. I think if I play to my capabilities I will make the team."

"Wouldn't it be awesome if 2 freshmen made the varsity basketball and cheerleading squad?" Bree says.

"Yes, I expect nothing less but on another note. I want to. No, I need to see you away from school. Do you realize we haven't kissed?"

"I am painfully aware. How do you propose we see each other since neither of us drives?"

"I've been thinking if you spend the night with your granny, I could walk to her house better yet, I could ride my bike there after she falls asleep. She lives right off of main street."

"That's why I love you. You are so smart."

"It's your job to come up with a good excuse to stay at your granny's. I will meet you in her driveway at 11 p.m. If I don't see you, then I will turn around heart broken and go home and dream about kissing your beautiful lips." I say with a playful pout.

Bree places her hands on top of mine.

"I will be there." She replies.

The only kiss my hilltopper honey and I share are air kisses. She would discreetly blow me a kiss. I would catch it and place it in my heart and I would blow her a kiss and she would catch it and place it in her heart.

I couldn't carry her book bag or hold her hand. Our love is a victim of the era of racists thinking in Small Town Friendly.

Tryouts are over. We are all waiting, hoping to hear our names. I hear my name called. I walk into our locker room to see the most beautiful gift I have ever received.

A gift from the basketball gods. My Hilltopper warm-ups and uniform. All the lonely hours on the ball field dreaming one day to have my name on the back of a jersey, a beautifully designed piece of history at a legendary program.

I wanted to tell the most important person in my world. My cheerleader, my love, my Bree. I lay in bed waiting for the clock to tick 10:55 PM and wondered what she would taste like. I had dreamt about kissing her for a couple of months now.

The time arrives I speed to her Granny's, take the right off the ball field road to her house. I stop just short, get my breathing together, walk my bike to her gravel driveway and put down the kickstand. I turn.

I see her approaching, as if she is in slow motion, coming from the dark driveway into the streetlight, illuminating her countenance. She's wearing an RS Central Hilltoppers varsity cheerleader uniform.

Her hair is up with a light blue ribbon. The short skirt shows off her long dancer legs. She doesn't speak.

My Heart walks into my personal space, her unblinking eyes seem to stare through my eyes to my soul. My Love places her hands on my shoulders. I gently touch her waist.

Her aroma: vanilla and strawberries. Our lips touch, a wave of euphoria engulfs my entire body. She offers her tongue. They meet like two star-crossed lovers, finally finding each other for the first time. It's everything I dreamt about. We kiss for a good 5 minutes.

"I've been waiting to do that since seventh grade." She says.

"I've been waiting on a kiss like that my entire life." I say.

"So I take it you made the squad."

"Yes, can you believe it?"

My sweetie is so giddy, her eyes beaming with excitement.

"I'm happy for you." I say.

Offering a sad face.

"Well, would you like to see the routine I… I. Wait a minute, you look sad. Did you not make varsity?"

I put my head down.

"My beautiful boy, I love you because of your sweetness, kindness and cute smile, not because you are the best basketball player I have ever seen up close."

"Psych! I made the team."

She punches me in the shoulder. I grab and lift her. She screams, then immediately covers her mouth. I bring her down to eye level. I'm holding my love, whose legs are wrapped tightly around my waist.

"We have to be quiet. We don't want to wake grandmother." She says.

"Kiss me, pretty girl."

She is kissing my lips, cheeks and neck. I walk her to the big tree swing in the backyard. I sit with my love straddling me. She gives one final peck and takes a seat beside me.

We swing for a few moments. She bumps my shoulder with hers. Then, without warning, Bree springs up off the swing as if she's been shot out of a cannon. My topper sweetheart speaks.

"Now before being interrupted, I was asking, did you want to see my dance routine that got me on the squad?"

"It would be my pleasure, beautiful one."

"I'm not doing the cheer because we need to be quiet."

She puts her finger to her mouth, giving the "Sh" sign. She is too cute for words. As this exquisitely enchanting creature begins her routine under the still quiet moonlight, a Chopin sonata comes into my head, her favorite composer.

She kicks, jumps, and spins. I hear her breaths and movements cutting through the cool night air. Her beauty, grace and determined look of a Russian Prima ballerina; cemented in my mind's eye, I was viewing my Lifetime Love. Bree breathlessly finishes her routine.

"What did you think?" She asked.

"Three words: sexy, sassy, and scintillating."

"Ew baby, is that a PSAT word: scintillating."

"Of course, I used an alliteration."

Bree is the only person I would ever try to impress with my smarts. It wasn't a redeeming quality I would ever knowingly reveal to my homies. But I digress.

"Why, you smooth, suave, succulent operator. I need to kiss those lips." She says.

She walks towards me.

"Wait, stay right there where you stand. Don't move."

The Moonlight is so bright it lights up the night. My princess standing there reflecting a striking silhouette.

"Please pirouette for me?" I asked.

"You bad boy, do you want to see my bloomers."

"No, my love, I want to remember this night with my breathtaking Bree. After making the team, I dreamt about making and fulfilling that dream.

Finally, tasting the lips of my Juliet, whom I've loved most of my life. I never want to forget this night. Do one of your interpretive dances. Please. Pretty please." I ask.

Bree silently walks to my personal space, she's standing over me, puts her hand to my face and takes a seat on my lap. She kisses me so passionately she takes my breath away. She backs away from my mouth.

"Are you crying?" I ask.

"I don't understand it. I never cry."

She takes a deep breath and I brush some of her hair away. My love wipes her tear-stained face.

"The things you say to me, the way you say them. The way you make me feel. You are my forever, Romeo. I will dance all night for you." Bree says.

She kisses my cheek. Walks about six feet away. Bree squats her long, lean, beautiful body in a ball for what seems like an eternity, but really maybe a minute or two. She begins her dance. My first grade love is literally and figuratively poetry in motion.

The twists and turns, arms and hands scream. You can feel her anger and frustration, joy and happiness. Bree dances for a good 5 minutes.

She is like no 14-year-old I would ever know. She ends the dance the way it began. Bree re-enters my personal space and takes a seat on my right knee.

"So what did it all mean?" I ask.

This dance was about a fair maiden lost deep in No Love Forest with no way out. She doesn't give up, she's a fighter.

Different shades of knights in shining armour attempt to rescue her. They try to persuade her God sent him to help navigate her out of No Love forest.

However, the Devil has cast a spell. The only way out. The only way to find the hidden path to love. They must answer the question. What is the Color of Love?

None of the knights have the answer. With hope almost gone, her golden brown Knight taps her on the shoulder. His touch feels different. The princess is crying. She turns and screams: What is the Color of Love?

He takes off his helmet and bows. Then softly holds her hand and gazes into her eyes.

My Lady, God shows us it requires every color in the universe to come together standing side by side. God's gift can only be achieved when each color is represented. It happens after the darkest of storms.

When we think all love is gone. God offers a most precious gift, it appears from the heavens. A Rainbow. The color of love isn't just one but all the different colors of the people in the world.

The colors of a rainbow. At that moment, the sky opens and a stunning rainbow illuminates the path to love. The princess and her knight walk to eternal love.

Bree is now straddling my lap. She cups my face. I move some of her hair behind her ear.

"Beautiful boy, when I look into your eyes, I see all the colors of the rainbow. I see love staring back."

We would cuddle and kiss under a blanket, swing and talk almost until sunrise. Our doomed, forbidden star-crossed love would not be long for Small Town Friendly. However, that night, in that small space and time. Ours was the color of love.