Ashleigh, back at college at the end of summer wanders out into the hood. She finds the man of her innermost dreams on a basketball court. He and his friends initiate Ashleigh into the secrets of interracial love.

"Still feeling mellow from the blunt she shared with her dorm-mates, Ashleigh pushed through the residential building’s front door. Only four days back from summer vacation, the whole old crew was there. Parties rocked the building through the last few nights as everyone got reacquainted with each other in the excitement of entering their sophomore year at college. Now, not having emerged from the dorms in more than a day, Ashleigh was ready to make friends with the neighborhood again.

It was a hot day in August. The heat was a thick mellow blanket after the chill of the building’s powerful air conditioning. Although she had considered wearing more clothes, she was glad she had stayed in her short summer dress and flip-flops. The heat felt good and echoed the heat she felt, warm and heavy from last night’s festivities. She stood still a moment to bask in the sun before going through the gate to the street.

Ashleigh came from Iowa. In her senior year, she’d won an important scholarship to study at the prestigious Fordham University, in the Bronx. Her freshman year – her first as a grown woman, and her first away from her hometown – was a wonderful kaleidoscope of new experiences and new people. She’d not told much of her experiences to anyone back home. They never understood city life anyway.

And she didn’t want to share with them anyway, they seemed so backward to her now. There were no black or Latino or Asian people in her hometown. Everyone looked like her, or dad, or her mom. They were all white. They were all blonde. They all had blue eyes. They all thought anyone who didn’t look like them was looking for a handout. Now Ashleigh knew different and loved it. But even her now best friend, Isabel, who was also her roommate, would never be made welcome back there. There was no going back to that kind of life, even as much as she loved her mom and dad.

She wondered what new experiences she would have this year."

"She watched him approach. She tried to be aloof, but the mellowness of the weed was still with her. She felt slightly slack-jawed as she watched him come closer. And at each step, he grew more handsome. Tall. Well over six feet. His arms and legs were chiseled and lean and long.

“Hey,” he said. The voice was deep. It resonated well with the vibrations she was feeling between her lips. Her eyes flicked down to his shorts. Something large strained against the fabric.

“Hey,” she replied and looked up at his big dark brown eyes.

“You at Fordham,” he said.

Shocked, she could only blink stupidly at him. “How did you know?” she said.

He grinned, showing pearly perfection. “Well, this is a certain kind of neighborhood,.” He said. “Usually don’t get girls like you around here unless they at Fordham.”

“Is that so bad?” she said with a smile.

“Nah,” he said. “I go there, too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll be a sophomore next month.”

“Me, too,” said Ashleigh.

He held out his hand.” I’m Tysheem.”

She smiled, “I’m Ashleigh.” Her eyes flicked down to his shorts again where a certain something strained against his shorts. “Wow,” she muttered. She re-crossed her legs and squeezed her thighs together. She tore her eyes away from his shorts and looked up at him again. “It’s a hot day.”

He grinned wider. “Hotter than you know.”