Like many young people in Charlotte, Love felt herself drawn to West Charlotte High School and eagerly anticipated the day when she would enroll there. Not only was the rivalry between West Charlotte and other area schools fodder for competition, but the ties between West Charlotte and Charlotte's African American community were quite strong. The connections between the school and the community revealed themselves along Love's walk to school in the mornings. In describing her idyllic walk, Love reveals that the city of Charlotte did not provide a school bus for African American students.