Not Just A Pretty Face // Book One

Prologue

Some may describe Steve and Selena Rogers as polar opposites, despite that they were twins.

Selena was very outspoken, fierce and extroverted, something that society didn't want to see from a woman. But that didn't stop her - you see, Selena didn't care what other people thought of her. Only her opinion mattered when it came to how she wanted to present herself. If she wanted to speak her mind, she would. Her brother Steve, however, was quieter, more shy and reserved; however, like Selena, he was not afraid to speak his mind if he disagreed with something, or someone. Especially bullies.

This often got him into many 'disagreements', which ended up with him all bruised and bloodied. It was not right to hit a woman (unless in defence), and so the bullies would pick on Steve instead, using his small height and build to their advantage. This was not tolerated by Selena: she took pride in being the older twin (only by a mere 13 minutes, yet older nonetheless) and therefore felt she had a duty to protect him. From a young age, Selena taught herself how to fight, so if anyone tried to hurt her 'baby brother' she'd send them on their way with a bloodied face, and a string of curse words. This usually left the bullies flabbergasted to hear such explicit words from a pretty girl like her.

Yet she was not just the 'pretty girl' everyone wanted her to be. No, Selena Rogers was more than that. She wasn't just another pretty face.

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(1932)

Selena Rogers and Steve Rogers strolled down the sidewalk of their neighbourhood in Brooklyn. Their mother, Sarah, had sent them for groceries, and they were currently on their way to the store, chatting about the latest football game; they hadn't had enough money to actually see it, but they eagerly read about it in the papers.

"I'm tellin' you Stevie, Jack Depler is the best coach the Dodgers have had. Without him, they wouldn't have beaten the Tornadoes last Sunday!" Selena said, smirking as she used the nickname she had given to him as a child.

"I don't think so, 'Lena. Wilbert Robinson did a pretty good job last year, y'know." Steve countered, catching on and using his nickname for Selena too.

Selena scoffed.

"Oh please, we both know that-'' she began, before she was interrupted by a boy, who looked to be no more than 17, slinging his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey there pretty lady. What's a good lookin' girl like you talkin' about football for? That's a guys' thing ya know?" the teen let out a hearty laugh, as if he just told the world's funniest joke.

Selena was not impressed. Shoulders tensing, she shrugged his arm off her shoulder, clenching her fists and glaring at the boy. Just as she was about to give him a piece of her mind, Steve must have sensed her anger, because he stepped in front of her, almost as if he was shielding her. However, they both knew it was because he didn't want Selena to fight the boy, as she was more than capable of protecting herself.

"I think you should leave my sister alone." Steve said, calmly yet sternly, not breaking eye contact with the man.

"That's your sister? She's smokin' hot, dude. Is she single? I'd love a piece of that ass!" the boy bit his lip as his eyes trailed down Selena's body.

"I'm not just some trophy that you can claim as your own! Hey! Eyes are up here, genius! I'm my own person, and I'm certainly not interested in someone as vile as you!" she seethed, her anger becoming more apparent.

"You're a feisty one, ain't ya, darlin'? Come with me sweetheart, I'll show you a good-'' Selena didn't give him time to finish, cutting him off with a harsh slap to the cheek. The boy gingerly pressed his fingertips to his face, where there was a bright red handprint.

"You bitch!" he stepped forward and lunged at Selena, catching her off guard and punching her in the nose before she had time to react. She staggered backwards, however it was mostly due to shock; this guy clearly hadn't had much experience fighting, and, though he was strong, his punches were sloppy.

"Selena!" Steve exclaimed, as he gently placed two hands on either side of her face, turning it to face his.

"I'm fine." Selena said, jaw clenched, peeling her eyes off the man. Her expression softened slightly as she looked into the concerned eyes of her brother. Luckily her nose wasn't broken or bleeding, but it would most likely leave a bruise.

"You need to control your whore of a sister, man. She's an animal, I'm tellin' ya." the man just didn't know when to call it quits, did he? Steve gave Selena a look that said 'don't worry, I've got this'.

"Listen pal, I think you should leave before things get ugly." the man just scoffed at Steve, sizing him up.

"Or what? You're gonna hit me? You're just a kid who can't even protect his own sister."

That's was the final straw for Selena. How dare he talk to her and Steve like that? She marched towards him, arms tightly folded on her chest.

"Just in case you didn't get the memo, I can take care of myself. I don't need the approval of someone like you. And just because I'm a woman doesn't mean you are any better than me, or that I should change to fit your standards! I deserve to be treated with respect, not like some toy that can be thrown around!" By this point, Selena's nostrils were flaring, as she finished lecturing the man.

He scoffed again, reaching to grab Selena's wrist. However, this time, she was ready. She raised her fists towards her face and glared at him. Swinging her right arm back, she released all of the pent up anger and frustration, as she collided her fist with his jaw. He staggered backwards, pressing his fingers tenderly to his jaw. Selena could tell she was starting to piss him off now. He tried to send another punch her way, but again, Selena was too quick. She ducked, spinning behind him and grabbing his left arm, before twisting it behind his back. He groaned at the agonising pain. She expected him to give up there and then, but all of a sudden, he threw his head back, headbutting her in the nose; it was surely bleeding now, and possibly broken. Selena's hands immediately flew to her nose, trying to stem the blood flow, which left her defenceless. The man then shoved her onto the ground, kicking her repeatedly. She curled up into a ball, shielding her head with her arms.

Eventually, Steve pulled the man off of his sister, and began throwing sloppy punches at him. Yet the man easily overpowered him. Selena wanted nothing more than to go and save her brother, however she was starting to go dizzy, her vision slowly turning fuzzy as she quickly began to lose consciousness. The last thing she remembered before passing out was a boy, who looked to be their age, pulling the man off of Steve.

Selena's eyes slowly flickered open, as she was met with an unfamiliar voice.
"Ma'am? Are you okay?" a boy asked, whom she recognised to be the same boy who saved her brother from that disgusting man.
Squatting down to her level on the pavement, the first thing Selena noticed about this mystery man was his piercing blue eyes, which seemed to be full of concern and worry. She gazed into them absentmindedly, admiring the swirl of blue and green within his irises. He ran a hand through his dark hair, snapping Selena out of her daze.

"M'fine. Who're you?" she asked groggily, propping herself up on the curb.

"I'm James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky." he smiled down at her, extending a hand, which Selena graciously took.

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I hope you guys enjoyed the prologue! Let me know what you think in the comments!

~ Haylie