Red Flag Race | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 2.

Bucky Barnes was walking through his new hometown when he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He had stopped in front of a convenience store wanting to buy a snack when he heard some orchestral music coming from the building next to him.

Curious as to what was going on, he peeked through the large front window to see an empty studio with mirrors lining the wall. A girl was standing in front of the mirror, her left hand resting on a long wooden bar. She was wearing a navy blue tank top thing - Bucky didn't know what it was called - and a light pink, sheer skirt. Her long, dark hair was in a low ponytail and she had on ballet shoes, he thought he had heard them be called pointe shoes one time, but he wasn't sure.

The girl lifted her right leg to rest up on the bar and leant across it slowly, stretching her muscles. Once she stretched her right leg, she did the same to her left. It probably looked weird to people walking past, seeing a teenage boy watching a teenage girl warming up to dance, but Bucky just couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. He was completely enthralled by her fluid yet precise motions.

The girl turned slowly in her place, shocking Bucky when the most striking pair of green eyes met his. She tilted her head slightly and her dark eyebrows furrowed in question at what he was doing. He suddenly felt like he was in trouble, his eyes widened and he took a step back, bumping straight into a man walking past.

"Oh shit, sorry." Bucky hastily apologised.

"It's all good, kid." The guy replied with a small smile and kept walking.

Bucky was surprised by the stranger's kindness, having grown up in Brooklyn he was used to people being rude. He turned back to the window to see the girl with a small smile on her face and her shoulders shaking slightly from laughter. Bucky's cheeks heated in embarrassment and he gave the girl a tight lipped smile.

Another woman walked into the studio, she was only just taller than the girl and was blonde. Her face was stern and her posture perfect, the girl turned back to the mirror quickly and resumed her stretches. Bucky assumed that was her teacher and took that as his sign to keep walking.

Just before he left though, the girl looked back up and made eye contact with him through the mirror. Bucky couldn't help the smile that came across his face, causing her to bite her lip in an attempt to conceal her own.

"Charlotte! Focus!" The woman said sternly, Charlotte's eyes snapping back to look at herself. The woman turned around to look through the window, trying to see what was distracting her student and came face to face with Bucky.

He stepped to the side and quickly entered the convenience store next door.

***

A few hours later, Bucky walked through the front door of his new house to see his grandparents sitting on the couch watching the news.

"Hi James, how was your day, son?" His grandpa asked. Bucky pocketed his keys and headed over to the lounge room.

"S'fine, just walked around. The town square was bigger than I'd expected." After he bought some snacks (BBQ flavoured chips, a grape lollipop and a bottle of water), Bucky strolled over to the park across the road and sat down for a while.

"We're not a rural town, dear." His grandma chuckled. "Why don't you go downstairs and wash up and then come help me with dinner."

Bucky nodded before getting up and going downstairs. He sat on his new bed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through social media, catching up on what his friends were doing back home. He replied to a message his sister sent a few hours prior, and sent a snapchat of his face to his friend Sam. He wanted so badly to call his mom but he knew that she couldn't answer. He wanted so badly to call and vent, wanted to tell her about his new home, wanted her to come home, wanted to hear her voice again. But he couldn't - she was currently serving in Afghanistan.