The man with the gloves [bucky barnes ff]

20

"No wonder you didn't want to stay in Carolina. New York is sick." Tristan continues raving. Spending this day with him made me remember why I never hung out with him back home. I can't wait for him to leave. "Where do we go next?"

"I am going out with friends. You know how the subway system works so you should be fine on your own from now on." Tristan and Ryan have been on my back this entire day. They went to college with me. Joined Orla and me for lunch. Even came to the bookstore with me after college. I didn't expect them to follow me around all day long. I thought that after showing them the school I go to and introducing them to a few friends, they'd leave me alone but clearly that was delusional of me.

"We'll join." Tristan states.

"Yeah, no, you won't."

"Why not?" Ryan asks.

"Because I've been your tour guide this entire day and I have better things to do than to babysit my brother and his friend. New York is enormous. Go sightseeing or something but get off my back."

"Isla, I barely see you and we barely talk. All I am asking is for you to spend two fucking days with me, is that too much to ask for?"

Of course he has to play the pity-card. "You won't even like it. We're just meeting for dinner. You don't know them and you don't even have anything in common. I promise, you're not missing out on anything."

"I don't care. I want to know who you're hanging out with."

"Oh, so this is just about controlling me?" I unlock the door to my apartment. I wanted to get dressed and read a thesis before meeting up with Gen, Adrian, Brodie, Adelaide and Zach.

"No, this is about wanting to be part of my sister's life. Why do you always assume the worst when it comes to me?"

"Because you never cared to be part of my life before, so this is all a bit sus."

"If Isla doesn't want us to come with her, you can't force her. Let's just go to a bar of something, bro."

"Fine, we'll just go to a bar then. In fact, how about we pack our bags and go to a hotel because my sister apparently doesn't want me around."

"Stop gaslighting and acting like a victim." He's been trying this forever now, appealing to my conscience to get what the wants, but it never worked and never will. "You know what. Ryan, you're more than welcome to join me and my friends."

"Really?" Tristan exhales.

"Yes, really. Because Ryan isn't a dick, unlike you."

"He won't go without me." Tristan rolls his eyes.

"Actually, yes I will."

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, man, but if her other friends are as chill as that Orla girl, I'd like to get to know 'em." Ryan sits down on the couch.

"Wow, so this is how Caesar must have felt when he was betrayed. Okay, y'all go have fun then. I'll find someone to hang with." Before we could even reply to that he did a 180 twist and turned around.

"Tristan!" I called after him and took a step out of my apartment. "Come on, dude. I was just joking, don't be a crybaby."

"Nah, I ain't going no place where I am not wanted."

This is one of Tristan's worse traits. He's the pettiest person I've ever met and once he's mad at you he won't talk to you for days. After he took the elevator, Ryan tried calling him but Tristan didn't pick up. We decided to let him be and just wait, expecting him to return before we'd be on our way to the get-together but he didn't. So we went without him.