Apartment 102 (B. Barnes) (AU)

Chapter Forty Two: Tears

"We're going to have a little chat, girl to girl."
- Bellatrix Lestrange

Song: Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars

"And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while. 'Cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are."

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Harlow had believed this school was different. She had believed her baby had finally found a place where she belonged. Bucky thought Jodie was finally going to be happy. He thought the little girl wouldn't feel like an outcast or a freak, but he and Harlow were wrong. Man, were they really, really wrong.

Almost two months into the school year, Harlow had gone to pick up Jodie from school. Bucky had decided he'd pick up the groceries for dinner, which Harlow had meant to grab when she had gotten off work, but she had completely forgotten about them until it was too late. If he hadn't volunteered, she would've had to pick them up on her way back home from Jodie's school, and Jodie wouldn't have been too happy about it.

When Jodie ran over to Harlow with her lip quivering, Harlow's heart dropped to her stomach. She didn't know what had happened, but she knew she wasn't going to be happy with what Jodie was going to tell her.

"What happened, Jodie? What's wrong?" Harlow asked, as she pulled the little girl into her arms.

Jodie's hair was a mess, which wasn't too strange after school, but it was more messy than normal. Harlow gently pushed the hair behind Jodie's ears that was in her face. The woman's eyes widened, when she seen the bruise on her daughter's cheek. She felt anger bubbling up within her, but she refused to show Jodie just how angry she was.

"Who did this to you?" Harlow asked, as she glanced over the bruise.

"I hate it here, Mummy. I never want to come back," Jodie cried, tears falling from her eyes in streams.

"Oh, darling," Harlow cooed, pulling her daughter close,"Let's get you home, and we'll talk there," She said, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

Though Jodie was more than old enough to walk on her own, Harlow placed the girl's school bag on her back, before picking the girl up in her arms. Jodie buried her face in her mother's neck and cried, as Harlow simply walked home and glared at everyone that passed her. She wasn't sure who to blame yet, so she blamed absolutely everyone she seen.

As soon as they arrived at the apartment, Harlow brought Jodie inside and set her down on the kitchen counter. She quickly placed the school bag on another counter, before giving her daughter her full attention. Jodie's poor cheeks were tear stained, her eyes were red and puffy, and her nose was running.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" Harlow asked,"You can tell me, and I promise they will never lay their hands on you again," Harlow stated, as she stared her daughter in the eye.

"Taylor hit me," Jodie answered, causing Harlow to frown.

"Why?" Harlow asked, hoping there wasn't a full fight that she hadn't been informed of.

"She wanted my crayons. I told her they were mine, and we could share, but she didn't want to share. She said I was stupid, and she threw them on the floor. She jumped on them and crushed them up. When I told her to stop, she hit me," Jodie said, making Harlow frown deeper.

"What did Miss Day do about it?" Harlow asked, causing Jodie's lip to quiver again.

"She said I should've learned to share, otherwise that wouldn't have happened. I tried to tell her what happened, but she called me dumb, and said I wasn't smart like Taylor and knew how to share. She pulled my hair, and put it like this so you won't see the mark. She said I'd get in trouble for telling on them, and that only cry babies tell on people," Jodie rambled, causing Harlow to practically growl.

"Don't worry, darling, I will take care of everything," Harlow said, as she smiled slightly at Jodie.

"I don't want to go back there, Mummy. I hate it!" Jodie exclaimed, and Harlow nodded.

"I promise, Jodie, after I'm finished, that school will never treat you like that again," Harlow replied, kissing her daughter's forehead.

"Where's Daddy?" Jodie asked, as she laid her head against her mother's chest.

"He's shopping," She replied,"How about you go take a nice bath, and he'll be home before you know it," She commented, and Jodie nodded.

Jodie quickly ran off to her room once Harlow had set her on the floor. By the time Jodie was in the tub, and Harlow had checked to make sure she was fine, Bucky had walked into the apartment with the groceries. Harlow had set the baby monitor near the bathroom door, so she would know if Jodie needed her. As soon as Bucky walked inside, he knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" He asked, as he set the groceries down on the table.

"A girl at Jodie's school hit her and crushed her crayons. She told the teacher, and the teacher pulled her hair, put it in her face, told her she was too stupid to know how to share, and said if she told on anyone, she was dumb," Harlow said, telling Bucky a shortened version of Jodie's story.

"So, what? Are we going up there and scaring the teacher, or are we scaring all the teachers and principal?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow,"'Cause I will not tolerate the way they treated her today," He added, and Harlow smiled slightly at his words.

"I know, but we can't do too much without being arrested. So, I was thinking you stay here with Jodie tomorrow, and I'll go up to the school," Harlow commented, and Bucky nodded,"I was thinking about taking her out of school. I mean, she told me she hates that place, Buck, and she never wants to go back. You should've seen her face, and I refuse to see her so upset because of that place again," She said, causing Bucky to sigh.

"Whatever you think is best, I will agree with you wholeheartedly. I won't send her back to that awful place, not for them to treat her like she's different," He replied, and Harlow smiled.

Bucky was a good dad, and Harlow could see it almost as clear as day with everything he did for Jodie, and every time he talked about the little girl...