✔𝚮𝐞𝐥𝐥𝛐 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 ➳ 𝚩𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝚩𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 6: 𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐦𝛐𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, Jo was up bright and early, unsure of what exactly had woken her up. Peggy was down in the kitchen already, scrubbing away by the sink and letting out exasperated breaths. A small smile flew over her, seeing the cherry-stained shorts in her sister's hands.

"Peggy, the shorts don't matter," Jo said with a casually fake yawn as she sat down on one of the stools by the protruding kitchen island. A few of Bucky's work papers were lying in a neat pile on the corner.

"Yes, they do." Peggy laboriously breathed and kept her eyes on the water. "Because if I don't get this clean then either Dad or Mom is going to notice, and then they'll either freak out on you, or they'll scold me for being irresponsible - as if they expect me to keep an eye on you at all times!"

"Maggie..." Jo slowly spoke, using the nickname she hadn't used for her sister in close to 10 years now. Peggy turned around, wiping her forehead with her wrist.

"I'm sorry, Jodie." Her eyes slowly closed. Almost in slight regret. "I'm sorry about them," she added.

"It's not your fault. They'll find something to yell at no matter what I do. I can't wait to tell Dad about my plans for college," she huffed and walked over to get herself a glass of fresh water from the fridge.

"Are you set on that?"

"Well, don't sound too excited now." A huff left her, and she calmly sipped at the water. Peggy's eyes disapprovingly shot to her, scolding as always before she turned to work on the shorts.

"I just want-"

"I know!" Jo snapped, becoming more than sick of the way people were treating her.

Tony and Pietro were somewhat back to normal, but Peggy was far from it – even if she didn't know half of what had happened. A sigh left her as she slumped back down on the stool and her leg started impatiently bouncing.

"I know you're just trying to help," her voice was gentle when she spoke. "But I turn 20 in a few weeks – I'm already technically an adult. Art is what I want to do, and if you and Steve can't afford me living with you then I'll stay at Mom and Dad's."

"The good art schools aren't around our small city."

"Then I'll live in a dorm or something. I've saved up all my money, and the car was signed over to me too. Maybe I'm rushing slightly into this, but I have given it some thought," Jo argued, and Peggy stopped scrubbing. She twisted the shorts instead, ridding them of water and hanging them on top of one of the lower cabinet doors which she opened.

"Steve and I can still afford it- and I'm glad you've thought about it."

The two sisters sent each other a smile, calming down as they left the other to their own thoughts. Steve was the first one up, and he started on breakfast immediately, planning to go on a run with Bucky afterwards, he informed.

"Speaking of Bucky, how's everything between the two of you?" Peggy asked, and Jo warily watched her sister. That underlying thing was in her voice, but she wasn't sure what it meant right now.

"I don't like him," she plainly replied and kept her attention to the bowl of cherries.

It would take them a few weeks to get through all the cherries they had stolen.

"And that's it?" Peggy pryingly asked, obviously thinking there was more to it, but Jo just nodded.

"Yup," she replied, popping the p, and coyly placing a cherry between her lips.

"He's my friend so thank you for staying civil... just-" There it was. "- don't be too civil."

"Too civil?" She innocently asked even if she knew exactly what her sister meant.