Wasting My Young Years || Bucky Barnes (Book 1)

Chapter 1

FRIDAY, JULY 14th, 1989. 2056 HOURS

She's got a smile that it seems to me,

that reminds me of childhood memories

Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky.

The smiling girl bursts into song, singing her little 7-year-old heart out in the back seat of the family station wagon. Her nimble hands grab ahold of the pencil from her Star Wars notebook, using it as a makeshift microphone. Amanda, her mother, who has a big smile strewn across her face, turns the volume up a notch. The mixtape only plays the best music that there is, of course!

Now and then when I see your face,

it takes me away to that special place

And if I stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry.

Her father, William, taps along the steering wheel, nodding his head side to side with the beat of the music. He, too, loves this song just as much as his daughter, only he doesn't always show it.

Woah, oh woah sweet child o' mine!

Woah, oh, oh, oh sweet love o' mine.

Clara's mother enters in with her little show, deciding to not sing as loud as her only child. The little girl wouldn't say that she was yelling the words, but it was tolerably loud. Maybe even excessively loud.

The guitar solo soon commenced, forcing Clara to do the only thing possible: air guitar. She throws her Dark Side lightsaber pencil to the side, twiddling her fingers in thin air as if she actually knew how to play. Her body leans into the seats and away from them, taking up every little corner as she pours her heart and soul into this solo. How much she has dreamt about being on stage, playing the guitar and rocking away. That seems like a pretty good goal.

She's got eyes of the bluest skies

as if they thought of rain.

The sky is strewn with splotches of orange as the sun sets in the horizon, making the mood further relaxed. Trees litter the patches of grass here and there, creating a colorful spectacle. Clara treasures this time of day when everything starts to calm down and the sparkling lights shine up above. It reminds her of evening laughter and cherry ice cream at a local county fair. Or the photo booths and dreamy sunsets by the pier. It all works out in perfect unison.

I'd hate to look into those eyes

and see an ounce of pain.

Her father roles down the windows a little more, letting fresh air into the hot and sticky car. This only makes his daughter's little scene feel even more genuine. The wind whips at her hair, creating a climactic effect as she continues to sing and dance. She loves all of this. She never wants this to end.

Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place

whereas a child I'd hide,

and pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by.

The ride of the Georgia plains to Ohio is a long one. However, Clara truly believes that road trips are the best. But what awaits in Ohio is even better; Her grandma bakes the best m&m cookies and has lovable horses that she gets to ride on. Of course, it was scary, but the adrenaline that she felt in her little body was all that mattered at that moment. And she will never forget that pig. The feeling of her rolling in the mud with the fat animal comes back to her all at once. Of course, she got a bit into trouble....