Ghost Soldiers || Bucky Barnes

Chapter 7: The Vanderbilts

Clementine couldn't sleep that night. She was very excited about seeing Thomas and Eleanor again since she hadn't seen them in over five years. Even though they wrote each other letters, she felt her friends were different, and she wondered how they looked now at 22 years old. Most of all, she was curious about why Thomas came to her house asking for her. When she asked Sophie if Eleanor had come with him, she had said no, which she found even more strange.

She was going to meet them at the Grand Oaks Country Club in the afternoon. All the wealthy families in Manhattan were guests there, paying lots of money each year so it could be elegant and exclusive, only for them. She did not like going there much because of the people and that inner circle her family belonged to, but she enjoyed the beautiful views that Staten Island had to offer, as well as the food and the activities. It used to be one of her favourite places when Eleanor and Thomas were still living in New York, but that stopped as soon as they left. In fact, she avoided going there as much as she could, but now that her friends were back, she could not wait to be there with them.

That Sunday morning, she woke up with a headache. She had definitely drank a lot last night, but she had a wonderful time. The thought of asking Bucky to kiss her made her blush and smile; she would have never done that if she had been sober. She remembered how much she had wanted him to kiss her, and how disappointed she had been when he told her he was not going to do that until they were both sober. She wondered when was she going to see him again, since they hadn't done any plans for the week. It was probably for the best, since she had her final exams later that week, and she did not like the influence he could have on her. She had to focus, and she promised herself she was going to do that after seeing Thomas and Eleanor that day.

She ate her breakfast in bed while she read a book. She loved doing that on Sunday mornings; the house was quiet and calm, and everything around her felt at peace. She loved feeling the sunshine on her face, and the slightly warm breeze of May coming in through the window.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on her door, and her sister came in. Sophie always did that all Sunday mornings; she loved catching up with Clementine and having breakfast with her.

"Oh, you're alive. I thought you would be all messed up after the night you had... you looked drunk, you're lucky Mother and Father didn't see you. They literally went to bed five minutes before you got here." Sophie said, sitting next to her sister and stealing a bite of her toast.

"I wasn't that drunk... when you told me that Eleanor and Thomas were back I literally sobered up in a minute." Said Clementine, drinking her hot coffee.

"Oh, you should have seen your face when I told you Thomas came here to see you. I thought you would faint.." Sophie said, smirking.

"You're exaggerating. I was just surprised, that's all." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah right, do you still have a huge crush on him? And don't deny it! I used to read your diary when you were 18, I remember you writing, and I quote, how much you wanted to kiss that pretty little face of his." Said Sophie, laughing.

"Oh, shut up. I will never forgive you for reading that, I swear. I literally stopped writing since I found out you were doing that." Clementine said smiling, elbowing her sister. "And by the way, I did kiss him".

Sophie stared at her with her eyes wide open. "Now that is something I did not know! Why did you never tell me?"

"Because you were a stubborn little kid, I didn't trust you at the time. But yes, we kissed and went to one date before he unexpectedly left, without saying goodbye." Clementine said, sighing.

"I remember you being all sad for like a whole year, it was annoying." Sophie said. "At least you will see him today, and you can kiss that pretty little face of his again".