Ghost Soldiers || Bucky Barnes

Chapter 10: The Decision (Part II)

"So, what did we miss?" Asked Thomas, staring at Clementine's red face.

"Not much, just talking about Clementine's exam." Said Eleanor, shrugging her shoulders.

"Right, I forgot to ask you how it went, Clemmie." Said Bucky, staring at Clementine.

"It went great, actually. I think I'm going to apply to one of the hospitals on Monday." Said Clementine, proudly. "We should get our final grades back tomorrow night, so if everything goes right, I could start working next week."

"Wait, I thought your father would not let you work..." Said Thomas, confused.

"He won't. But I am still doing it. And if he doesn't like it then, that's too bad, because I want to be a nurse." Said Clementine, firmly.

"Good, I'm proud of you Clem. You should stand up for what you want." Said Thomas, putting his hand on top of hers.

That startled Clementine, so she smiled at him briefly and tried not to stare at Bucky. Of course, Bucky felt extremely jealous, so he looked at his glass of beer and avoided eye contact with everyone.

"Right... should we start bowling now? Things are getting a bit tense over here." Said Eleanor, standing up. "So, would you team up with me, James?"

Bucky looked at Eleanor and nodded.

"All right, guess it's the two of us then doll." Said Thomas to Clementine.

Clementine smiled and nodded at him. She remembered when they were younger how he taught her to play, since she was terrible at bowling. With time, she knew she was improving, but she always pretended to not know how to do it so Thomas would always be there to help her. That thought made her feel happy he was back, but she was still confused about how she felt about him now.

"Thomas, is that John Carrington?" Asked Eleanor, looking at the bar.

Thomas looked to where his sister was pointing and smiled. "That's him. What's he doing in New York?"

The two of them then went to the bar quickly and shook hands with a young gentleman and his friends. Clementine didn't know him, so she guessed he was from Europe and was friends with them, so she decided not to go and introduce herself.

She looked at Bucky, who was still sitting at the table, drinking his beer slowly.

"Hey, are you okay? You've been very quiet today. That's unusual." She said, smiling at him.

Bucky then met her eyes and stared at her with a sad expression before shrugging his shoulders and faking a smile.

"I'm alright, Princess. Just tired, it was a long day at work." He said.

"That had never stopped you from drinking like crazy and being the happiest person in the group." She said, chuckling.

"I know, I'm sorry. It was a tough week, but I'm fine." He said, drinking his beer.

"Okay, if you say so." She said, knowing something was up with him. "Well, what do you think about the twins?"

"Eleanor seems great, now I know why you like her so much. It must be fun to go partying with her." He said, smiling.

"Told you. And wait until she starts drinking more, she goes crazy." She said, laughing. "What about Thomas? I saw you talking by the bar."

"He's... alright." He lied. "He was nice and paid for the beers. And he told me about Switzerland."

"That's good, I have a feeling they like you too." She said, sighing. Nothing made her happier than her three friends getting along, even though they came from opposite worlds.