My hardest goodbye - BUCKY X OC

FOUR- lake day.

It was the summer of 1930, I was eleven and James and Steve were 13. Me and a group of friends had decided to go swimming at a lake a few hours away. Amount this friend group was me, Steve, Bucky, a girl named Lydia and her brother.

We got to the dock and I sat at the edge. I never really cared for swimming in lakes. And I wasn't a very strong swimmer to begin with. Bucky had talked the whole day about how he couldn't wait to swim. He got invited to come by Lydia's older brother, Mikey, and he made Steve tag along and my mom had made me go with them.

As I sat there, Bucky sat next to me. "You alright, via?" He asks, looking at my face. I turned my head and looked at him, "yeah I'm just not a very good swimmer." I said with a small smile. He grins, "aw come on, Vivian. I won't let you drown." I remember looking over at him, "you promise?" I asked him.

"I promise."

Then Lydia jumps in the water, "come on, James. Jump in!" She called for him, in a way that made my blood boil. I jump in first. When I come up for air, Bucky was in the water too. Him and Steve and Mikey all splashed eachother with water. If I remember correctly, Mikey was about 14.

After a minute pull myself back up onto the dock and walked back to land. I went to where the sand meets the grass and sat down. After a minute, Mikey walked over too.

"Hey, Vivian right?" He asked, sitting next to me. I look over at him, sitting still awkwardly. "Uh..yeah." I responded. "Do you oh not like to swim?" He asked. "No not really. I'm not the strongest swimmer. And lakes are kind of gross." Mikey laughed at my response, "well, I like to swim. You should swim with me." He said, standing up again.

I stand up too, "yeah, let's go back to the dock-" I turn to walk back to the dock but Mikey grabed my hand, stopping me, "no, let's just swim with the others." I say, I tried pulling my hand away but his grip was firm. "Come on, swimming alone with me would be a lot more fun...plus, it'll give us some privacy..." he said quietly, running a hand over my shoulder. I again tried to pull my hand away but he wouldn't let me, "no thanks-" then he grabs my waist and pulls me closer, "come on, don't be so boring."

In the moment of panic, I do the only thing I could think of. I raise my fist and punch him in the nose. He immediately let go and clutched his bleeding nose. At the commotion, the others rush over.

"Vivi, what happened?" Steve asks, turning me around to face him. "He was trying to get me to go swimming with him, I said no, and then he started touching me." I explain defensively.

I watch bucky's eyes widen and his nostrils flair, he turns to Mikey, "did you touch her?" He asked angrily. "Oh come on man, it wasn't like that-" but Bucky cut him off with a shove, "that's not what I asked. Did. You. Touch. Her?" Just then, Lydia interjects, "oh come on, she's obviously lying! My brother wouldn't-" but Steve cut her off, "shut up, Lydia." Lydia just scoffed in response.

I turn when I hear a thud. I see Mikey laying on the ground with a hand over his eye and a hand over his nose. Bucky was standing over him, he turned and grabbed my arm gently, "come on, guys, we're leaving." He said. I put my shoes back on and a jacket over myself as we head to the bus stop.