Only a Memory | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 27: Rebecca's Story

While everything seemed to be coming together, Bucky also found himself more confused.

Stacy, arrested?

The words rattled around in his brain for the next little while. The rumours, like always, spread though the school like wildfire. This time, however, there was no common consensus. No one really could agree on what Stacy got arrested for. In fact, no one was really sure that she got arrested at all.

Sure, there were witnesses that said they saw the police leading her out of the school. However, no one knew what had happened after that.

Regardless, though the school wouldn't explicitly say it, Stacy was expelled.

"I'm not really sure what it was," Bucky said to Steve. Beside him, Pietro was telling Peggy a story. He was waving his arms about widely, while Peggy nodded along politely. It didn't, however, look like she was paying him much attention.

"Did you ask Rebecca?" Steve said. He turned away, and Bucky followed his gaze to where a bunch of ninth graders were all quickly turning their heads away. Lately, just by being slightly involved with the Stacy situation, it was like everyone just expected that they knew exactly what was going on.

Bucky only wished that were true.

"I'm afraid to ask," he said.

"She probably knows," Pietro cut in, finally abandoning his story after realizing that Peggy wasn't interested.

"Probably," Bucky agreed. "But I don't want to upset her. I'll ask eventually. Just... not yet."

"C'mon Buck," Natasha said. "Everyone's dying to know."

"You know what I want to know?" Bucky said, glancing over at Peggy, who looked entirely spaced out. "Why Peggy and Celia still aren't together."

Bucky relied on the two girls way too much for changing the subject, but yet it did work every time.

Peggy's head snapped up, and like every time Bucky brought Celia up, her cheeks reddened.

"Well, actually—"

"The two are finally official," Pietro interrupted.

"Seriously?" Bucky said. "And no one told me?"

He was only joking, but Peggy almost looked apologetic. There was a smile on Bucky's face that just wouldn't leave. In his life, he was so used to a series of bad things happening to him, but it almost seemed like the opposite at that moment.

Things were good with Steve, Stacy was out of the picture, Russia was temporarily put on hold since his parents were having trouble finding a house, and now Peggy was finally dating Celia.

About damn time.

**

It was later in the week that Bucky finally couldn't take it anymore, and had to ask Rebecca if she had any clue as to what was going on.

She was laying in her bed, probably watching Supernatural. There was a slight smile on her face, and for a moment Bucky had to stand back and just watch. He hadn't seen a lot of smiling from her lately, but ever since Stacy was absent from school she seemed to be in much better of a mood.

Then the smile faded when she saw Bucky, and she quickly shut her laptop, as if she had to hide this uncharacteristic display of happiness.

"Hey," Bucky said, awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"Well don't just stand there," Rebecca grumbled. "Come in."

So Bucky did, sitting on the bed beside her after she had scooted over to make room for him. She looked annoyed that he was there, but there was something deeper in her eyes. There was this load off of her shoulders, and the relief of it was something tangible in the air that even Bucky could feel.