Wednesday, October 12, 1932
"Please, Bucky!" Magdalena whined. She clung to Bucky's arm and looked up at him, trying her best to use her most convincing puppy-dog-eyes. His jaw tightened as he tried not to smile.
"Why would a little dame like you want to learn to box anyway?" the fifteen-year-old asked, looking down at her briefly before turning away quickly to hide his grin. "It could hurt your delicate hands." Magdalena scoffed and swiftly punched him in the stomach. He immediately folded over, wheezing, and tried to cover his midriff but Magdalena kept her grip on his arm.
"See," he croaked, "you don't need to learn to box."
"Give me a real reason why you shouldn't teach me." Magdalena demanded.
"I'm already teaching Steve!" Bucky straightened up and waved his hand in the blonde's direction who was leaning against the stairs of his brownstone home, drawing in his sketchbook. "That punk keeps my hands full as it is."
"I resent that." Steve muttered without looking up from his sketchbook. Bucky chuckled quietly but sobered as Magdalena shook his arm softly.
"But I could help!" she exclaimed.
He looked down at her, his eyebrows raised. "Oh yeah? How you gonna do that?"
"I can give Steve a break when he inevitably gets tired."
"Oh yeah. Go ahead. Pick on me." Steve asked exasperatedly, throwing the two a mock glare before returning to his work. Magdalena and Bucky shared a mischievous grin.
"Intriguing point, Mags." Bucky said inquisitively, raising his hand to his chin. "Do go on."
"You can't be there every time Steve or I need help." Magdalena stated seriously. Since Bucky was a year older than Magdalena and Steve, he had become their unofficial big brother. Whenever Steve got in over his head being a hero, Bucky was there to get him out of the scrap. Anytime Magdalena was teased or given unwanted attention from the other boys, Bucky was there to stand up for her.
"I want to actually know how to defend myself instead of getting hurt or running to find you." Magdalena continued. Bucky eyed her for a moment, trying to figure out if there was any seriousness behind her words. She met his eyes. "I'm tired of not being helpful." It was spoken quietly but Bucky heard. He held her gaze, steel blue eyes meeting copper brown.
"Steve!" Bucky proclaimed, turning to the boy in question. Steve slowly turned his head in their direction and raised an eyebrow, clearly used to and done with their shenanigans. Bucky grinned. "I expect you to take her down."
Magdalena beamed and threw her arms around Bucky's neck. Her toes barely touched the ground. Bucky had grown quite tall, standing at least a head taller than Magdalena and Steve.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Magdalena gushed, tightening her hold on Bucky, "You're the best."
"Just learned it from you, doll." Bucky chuckled as he returned her hug. Magdalena's smile widened. After spending almost every day with him for the last three years, she was quick to notice that Bucky hated praise almost as much as Steve hated bullies. Anytime she complimented him, he would simply throw his arm around her, say that, and flash his signature lazy smile.
Magdalena pulled away from their embrace to look him in the eyes. "Really. Thank you, Bucky." She said, trying to convey how happy she really was. He smiled at her gently before ruffling her hair.
"Arg! Stop that!" she yelled before squirming out of his hold. Bucky laughed loudly and Magdalena stuck her tongue out at him.
"If you children are done," Steve stood from his place on the stairs, his sketchbook packed away into his bag already, "School starts in fifteen minutes and I don't want you two to make me late. Again." He shot a playful glare at Bucky and Magdalena.
"That was all Bucky's fault!" Magdalena teased, jabbing Bucky in the side as she ran by him to grab her bag off the steps.
He held his side where Magdalena had poked him and stared at her, an offended look on his face. "That's twice today already! It's not even 8 o'clock!"
"You know you deserve it." Steve said as he strode past them and down the street. Magdalena smirked, sticking her tongue out at Bucky again before running to catch up with Steve. She quickly linked her arm with his, easily falling into step with him. Magdalena couldn't help but notice that his arm felt thin and bony. Although it had been three years since she had first met him, Steve hadn't changed much. He had grown a few inches and his cheeks had slimmed out, but for the most part he was the same small but mighty kid who had helped save her.
"Think he's gonna pout?" Steve asked, giving her a mischievous look.
Magdalena grinned back at him. "Most definitely."
Bucky jogged past and started walking in front of them. Steve and Magdalena waited for him to turn around or say something, but all they got was a view of his broad-shouldered back.
The silent treatment, how mature, Magdalena thought, two can play at that game. Steve and Magdalena remained silent, an unspoken understanding that Bucky would have to relent first. And they knew that he would. Bucky hated silence, but Magdalena smiled to herself; she loved the quiet. It was peaceful, especially this kind of quiet: she and Steve walking arm-in-arm while the morning sun gave the world a sort of hazy glow. It was the kind of peace that New York rarely saw, the kind of peace that made Magdalena grateful.
She looked at her boys. The scrawny blonde boy, an artist with a titan of a heart, and the handsomely confident teen, an athlete whose mere presence offered comfort. Then there was herself. The tiny Italian girl, usually too shy to talk to anyone other than Steve and Bucky. Magdalena knew they were somewhat of an unlikely trio. Seeing them together, striding down the streets of Brooklyn, one would wonder how they had become friends at all. But Magdalena didn't care how, she was just grateful that it had happened. That these boys had helped her. That they stayed.
Smiling to herself, Magdalena leaned her head on Steve's shoulder with a contented sigh and started humming softly.
"Excuse me," Bucky said, stopping suddenly and standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Magdalena whipped her head up as Steve abruptly stopped them both from ramming into Bucky's back. The older boy turned and stared at them.
"You're supposed to be begging for my forgiveness," he continued, stuffing his hands into his pockets and leaning back on his heels, "not humming that ridiculous song."
Magdalena frowned but shook her head before smiling up at Bucky. "I'm so sorry, Buckaroo. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive us?"
"I didn't ask to be forg…" Magdalena quickly covered Steve's mouth, cutting him off. She could feel him smiling beneath her hand. Fighting back a smile of her own, Magdalena looked up at Bucky earnestly. He stared at them, his steel blue eyes squinted as he considered their 'apology'.
"Well," he said with a sniff, adjusting his ratty brown cap, "since I am older and more mature, I guess I have to forgive you."
Steve rolled his eyes and pushed Magdalena's hand off his mouth. "How big of you." He said sarcastically.
"Come on, you big baby." Magdalena laughed as she linked her other arm with Bucky's and started off down the street before he could begin complaining about being called a baby.
She led them into George Washington High School, a slightly run down red brick building that sat in the middle of two busy streets. Bucky led the way, as he always did, and pushed their way through the crowd of students to the main hallway. Magdalena was glad she had linked arms with the boys, it kept her from losing them in the chaos. Students were running through the narrow halls, making Magdalena suddenly feel as if she were suffocating. She focused instead on the walls, trying to distract herself. The school's walls were a dull white, probably faded through the years, and colorful posters from various clubs were pasted on large billboards. Standard high school.
"See you guys later!" Magdalena focused on Bucky's voice as it rose over the murmur of the crowd. He removed his arm from her and she smiled at him. He patted her on the arm, returning the smile before walking in the direction of the sophomore hallways.
"Hey punk!" Bucky yelled, spinning around and pointing at Steve, "Keep her out of trouble and don't go starting nothing!" Magdalena blushed and shuffled closer to Steve as a few people looked in their direction.
"Get out of here, jerk!" Steve yelled back playfully. Bucky grinned broadly before saluting Steve and striding down the hall. People immediately started talking to him, mainly cheerleaders and other athletes, but also the more academic types. There were very few people who did not like Bucky. He was, by far, the most popular out of their group. People either loved him and were his friend, or they hated him but had enough common sense to leave him alone.
Steve tugged on her arm, "Come on, Mags. We'll let the prom king greet his people." Magdalena snorted gleefully and nodded at Steve before turning to make their way through the throng of students. They made it to the door of her math class in the freshmen hallway right as the bell rang for first period to begin.
"Remember what King Bucky said," Steve nudged her with his shoulder, "stay out of trouble."
Magdalena smiled softly at him, "I think you're the trouble maker out of the two of us."
"True." Steve said nonchalantly with a shrug and a smile before walking down the hall to his art class. Magdalena smiled after him.
"Missing your boyfriend already?" an obnoxious voice sneered over her shoulder. Startled, she spun around to see Andrew Mink leaning on the doorframe, staring at her. He was now at least a head and a half taller than her, she had to crane her neck to look at him, not that she wanted to though.
Andrew and Richard had tormented her relentlessly over the years ever since the day she had met Bucky and Steve, but Andrew was the most vicious. From destroying her homework to throwing red dye on the back of her skirt, he thought of anything and everything to ruin her day. Magdalena immediately gripped her books tighter to her chest just thinking about it. His smile widened at her obvious discomfort, making him look not unlike a snake. He had pale skin, a flat nose, and a smile that stretched almost to his ears. Light hair was slicked back neatly and black eyes peered at her.
"He-he's not my boyfriend." She stammered shyly, uncomfortable and afraid of Andrew's presence.
"Well you could have fooled me." He said, emphasizing each word and pushing himself off the doorway to stand in front of her. "Good thing though," Andrew continued, his cruel smile widening impossibly further, "Rodgers is no man."
Magdalena looked at him sharply, anger pumping through her veins.
Andrew leaned down to look straight into her eyes, "But then again, you're no woman, are you? Eh, Greaseball?" She fought back tears at his comment but, swallowed thickly. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She wasn't going to just let him walk all over her. What would Bucky do? She thought.
Magdalena stood up straighter and smiled sweetly at Andrew. "Steve may not be the strongest," she said evenly, "but at least he's a man who can pass freshmen algebra." With that she shoved Andrew to the side with her shoulder and walked into the class, leaving him with a dumb struck, and sour, look on his face. Magdalena smiled to herself as she took her seat. Andrew was Bucky's age and had failed algebra the year before, whereas Steve had been moved up a grade in math.
Andrew stalked angrily into the class and dropped into his seat at the front of the room.
She was too busy relishing in her triumph to notice William McCaffrey lean over his desk toward her. "What'd you do to Andrew?" He asked, startling her and causing her to drop her books on the floor. A loud bang resonated through the room. Everyone turned to look in her direction, and Magdalena blushed for what had to be the one hundredth time that day, shrinking down in her seat. She leaned over to pick up her books, but, to her surprise, William was already handing them to her.
"What'd you do to Andrew?" he repeated as she timidly took the books from him. She had never really spoken to William besides when it was necessary in class. He was on the varsity baseball team, a real feat for a freshman, and tended to be more outgoing than she thought was humanly possible.
"Oh, I um, I just told him something he didn't want to hear." Magdalena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously, curious as to why he was talking to her.
"Put him in his place?" William asked, his jade eyes questioning.
"Yes…?" Magdalena responded, unsure.
He looked at her a moment before nodding sharply. "Good." He stated, leaning back in his chair looking satisfied, "The jerk deserves it."
Magdalena looked at him, still very confused. She didn't know if that meant the conversation was over or if she was supposed to say something back. Soon she noticed that she was staring and quickly turned her attention to the front of the room where Miss Henderson was writing directions on the chalkboard. She started lecturing about polynomials and everyone busied themselves with something other than her.
"My name's Will, by the way." Magdalena heard the whisper faintly and looked at the boy next to her out of the corner of her eye. He was looking at her in the same way.
"I know who you are." She murmured in his direction, trying to be as discreet as possible to avoid getting in trouble.
He was quiet for a moment. "You're Magdalena, right? James' friend?"
She gave a tentative nod in response. Will couldn't be very close with Bucky if he called him James.
"Do you think she knows she sounds like a broken phonograph?" Will teased, changing the subject and making fun of Miss Henderson who was now droning on about exponents.
Magdalena smiled slightly. "Much rather listen to a broken phonograph." She immediately felt guilty and started babbling awkwardly, "It's not that I don't like her. I-I just don't like math... I mean, I'm not bad at it or anything, I just don't like doing it and it takes a lot of time and I just… don't like it."
Will either looked pained or amused, she couldn't tell. He was staring at her fully now but Magdalena avoided looking anywhere near his direction, afraid she would blush more than she already was and make herself look even more like a fool.
"You're cute when you blush," Will whispered coyly. Magdalena felt like her cheeks were burning. She moved to cover her face, turning toward the teacher fully and effectively ending her conversation with Will. He smiled proudly before returning his attention to the front of the room.
When the bell ran, Magdalena already had her things packed away and she all but ran from the room, not giving Will, or Andrew for that matter, a chance to even attempt to talk to her. It had taken about twenty minutes for her blush to die down after her embarrassing encounter with Will and she was very frustrated with her body's tendency to betray her. Though, to her relief, the rest of the morning passed by uneventfully. She went through her English class, Biology class, and free period, all of which she had with Steve, and was now seated with both Steve and Bucky in the crowded school cafeteria.
"What do you think this is, Bucky?" Craig Samson inquired, staring intently at a floppy brown clump on his fork. Craig was one of Bucky's friends from the YMCA boxing team. Magdalena liked him alright. He was always nice to her, said hi to her in the hallways and never made her talk more than she wanted to, which was truly a blessing to her. She never really talked to anyone other than Bucky and Steve. She could never figure out how it was supposed to go.
Bucky leaned over and inspected the clump closely. "Meatloaf? Maybe a French fry… Probably both." The two boys erupted into laughter.
Steve, who was sitting across from Bucky, smiled and shook his head amusedly as he put the finishing touches on the sketch he was working on earlier that morning. Magdalena leaned over from her place next to Steve to look at his drawing. She immediately recognized it as the view of New York from his apartment.
"That's really beautiful, Steve." She murmured, gently touching the page. He looked at her sheepishly and muttered his thanks. Steve was still shy about his art even though both she and Bucky constantly told him how good he was.
"… it's getting too difficult to do both. I'm thinking about just joining the baseball team next year." Magdalena only heard the end of Craig's story but it sounded like he was done talking.
"Bucky," she said, tapping him on the arm to get his attention. Bucky immediately turned to her. "Do you know William from the baseball team?"
He frowned softly. "Only a little. Why?"
"Is he… weird?"
"Why do you care about that? You're weird." Craig joked, making her blush slightly. Bucky immediately hit him on the back of the head.
"He's not really the type that I hang around with, but I guess he's alright." Bucky said, ignoring Craig's complaint of a headache. Magdalena nodded to herself.
"Why do you ask?" Bucky asked slowly.
She shrugged. "He just started talking to me today in algebra. We never talk. He was funny, said he liked my blush." Craig snorted. Magdalena rolled her eyes and took a sip of her water then looked up to see Bucky's startled expression.
"Said he liked your what?"
"My blush."
Bucky continued to stare at her.
"Your blush is very charming." Steve said to her, looking at Bucky pointedly. That seemed to rattle him from whatever world he had just gone to because he shook his head absent mindedly and smiled crookedly at her.
"Yes. It brings out your girlish qualities." He said.
Magdalena frowned. "My what?"
"Your girlish qualities." Everyone shared a look of confusion.
"Like…?" Magdalena drawled. Steve chuckled quietly to himself and Bucky shot him a glare.
"Your freckles! And…" he started, looking at Magdalena closely, his eyes drifted from her cheeks to her lips to her forehead to her eyes. "Your hair…?" he said weakly, drifting off and frowning as Craig and Steve started laughing.
"Never mind! I don't have to explain myself!" With that, Bucky stood swiftly and walked away. Craig and Steve continued to laugh.
"Look what you did." Magdalena sighed, turning to the two with a look of irritation and entertainment. They didn't even try to defend themselves but if they had, the bell would have cut them off. Soon the cafeteria filled with commotion as chairs scraped over tile and everyone flocked out of the room.
The rest of the day passed in a blur even though Magdalena's last three classes were her favorite: art, world history, and gymnastics. Especially gymnastics. Other than doing it at school, her neighbor gave her free lessons in return for free laundry from her mama. It was a perfect exchange.
Magdalena was a natural born gymnast, something that came as a shock to her classmates. They couldn't understand how the tiny, quiet, awkward girl was good at something so adventurous and coordinated. But she was, and she loved it. It gave her such a thrill, not to mention much needed confidence. Plus, it was something that Bucky couldn't do. Bucky was good at everything, which bothered Steve and Magdalena to no end. He was the top of his class academically, a superior boxer, he could get along with anyone, and no one was better than him at drawing, besides Steve of course. Magdalena loved having this one thing to hold over his head. It was hers.
When the bell rang signaling the end of the day, Magdalena was towel drying her hair after her post-gymnastics shower. When the dark tendrils stopped dripping and darkening her shirt, she went in search of Steve and Bucky. There had only been a handful of times in the last three years that she had walked home alone, usually only because Steve had been sick and, since his mother had to work, Bucky would often leave school early to visit him. Ever since the first day they had met, Bucky insisted he and Steve walk her home, claiming to be her bodyguards.
So here she was, standing on her tip toes, searching for her bodyguards. It was difficult to see over, or even through, the mass of students milling about the halls and front lawn of the school.
"Hey, Magdalena!" a voice rang out through the halls, distracting her from her search. She turned to see Will walking up to her, a grin on his face.
"What are you up to?" he asked as he came to stand next to her. For the first time, she noticed how much taller he was than her. Well, everyone was taller than her. She and Steve were probably the shortest in the entire school, standing at five foot nothing. Will wasn't as tall as Bucky or Andrew, but he was tall enough to make her look up at him.
"Just trying to find Steve and Bucky." She said. Two times in one day? She thought. Why is he making so much effort to talk to me when he never has before? She continued to scan the halls, trying to look uninterested in the conversation.
"Ah. The protectors." Will mumbled too lowly for Magdalena to hear. "Look," he said loudly, catching her attention and smiling softly, "I just wanted to ask you if you had any plans for the dance on Saturday."
She whipped her head around to frown at him. "Me?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes, you." He laughed, reaching up to ruffle his curly brown hair.
"But… why?" she drawled, very confused as to why he was talking to her.
"My date canceled on me and I still wanted to go so I figured I would ask you." Will explained coolly with a shrug of his shoulders. Magdalena continued to stare at him. He looked at her expectantly.
"Well, do you?" he asked slowly.
Magdalena blinked. "Do I what?"
"Have plans. For the dance."
"Oh!" She exclaimed, coming to her senses, "No. I wasn't planning on going… but I kind of wanted to. I didn't have anyone to go with though, so I wasn't going to go, but I guess I can go now." Color rose into her cheeks the longer she babbled.
Will smiled at her. "Okay, good. So, you'd be okay going with me?"
"Sure. Why not." She responded, smiling at him now. Even though she didn't really know him, she was excited. She had never been to a dance before.
"Great! I'll see you then!" He said quickly before disappearing into the crowd, leaving Magdalena standing in the middle of the hallway staring after him. He left so fast, she wondered if it had happened at all.
Suddenly, Steve appeared at her side. "What were you and Will talking about?" He asked. Now she knew she hadn't imagined it.
"He asked me to the dance." She said. Steve spun around so fast she thought he might break.
"He what?"
"Asked me to the dance." Magdalena repeated, smiling at Steve's dumbfounded expression. "It's not a date or anything." Her clarification didn't pacify Steve at all. "Come on, let's find Bucky." She said before grabbing his arm and walking briskly down the hallway and onto the school lawn, practically dragging Steve behind her.
She spotted Bucky leaning against the stone columns that framed the entrance onto school grounds. His lean arms were crossed over his chest and he seemed to be deep in thought, gazing at the few clouds in the sky. He looked so peaceful. Magdalena almost felt bad for interrupting him.
"Hey, Buckaroo." Magdalena greeted happily. He looked down at her, somewhat startled from his reverie.
"Heya, doll." He recovered and smiled lazily before throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Stay out of trouble like I told you to?"
"Mostly! I don't know about this one though." Magdalena tugged on Steve's arm which she was still holding onto, making him stumble slightly. Bucky threw his free arm over Steve and leaned down, putting his weight on him and Magdalena. They both struggled to stay upright. Bucky grinned.
"You guys are the only trouble in my life." Steve wheezed, out of breath and panting from their manhandling him.
It was tradition to go straight to Bucky's apartment after school. His mother usually had something delicious baking and Magdalena and Steve loved playing with Bucky's siblings. They didn't have any of their own. Bucky's home was also closest to the school. He lived in one of the nicest buildings in the neighborhood so there was always room for them. When they walked through the door, Magdalena was greeted with the scent of warm cinnamon and sweet apples.
"Ma!" Bucky yelled as he took off his boots at the door. "We're home!" He walked through the spacious hallway into the kitchen.
"Mags! Mags! Mags!" a small voice called. Magdalena looked up, perched on one foot as she took her shoes off. A young boy around the age of seven came barreling around the corner, his black hair bouncing.
"Joey! How are you?" she laughed as the boy wrapped her legs in a hug. She almost fell over but managed to steady herself. Joey looked up at her, his blue eyes shining and his lips pulled up in a toothy grin, revealing two dimples. Joey was a carbon copy of Bucky. Just smaller.
"Good!" Joey exclaimed before turning to ram into Steve. Magdalena smiled fondly at Joey's energy then went to find Bucky in the kitchen.
It was one of the nicest kitchens she had ever seen and she loved being there. White cabinets and glossy black faced appliances surrounded the room. Various children's drawings covered the walls, including a few of Bucky's which she thought was hilarious. Bucky himself was leaning against the wooden table in the center of the room, talking to a tall, slim woman. She was laughing at something he said, her blue eyes crinkling attractively. Magdalena always liked Bucky's mom. She didn't talk much but still somehow filled the room with life.
"Mags, sweetheart," Mrs. Barnes said through her laughter, "I made apple pie just for you. It should be ready in a few minutes." She smiled at Magdalena and wiped her forehead with her forearm, leaving a thin trail of flour on her heart shaped face.
"Thank you, Mrs. Barnes." Magdalena smiled gently before taking a seat at the table next to a young girl. She was hunched over the table, working on some sort of drawing. Her blonde hair pooled on the table next to her as her brown eyes stared intently at her work, forehead creased in concentration. Louise was ten and easily the most reserved of the Barnes children. She preferred books and art to sports or parties, and, excluding her eyes, was the spitting image of her mother.
Magdalena watched Louise draw, admiring how skilled a ten-year-old could be. Her charcoal pencils scratched the page gracefully, leaving elegant lines to create the image of her mother, floured face and all. Soon, Steve entered the room. He politely greeted Mrs. Barnes before sitting next to Louise and giving her drawing tips.
Someone tapped Magdalena's shoulder. She turned to see Bucky, holding a plate in each hand, a steaming slice of pie on each. He grunted at her, a fork in his mouth, and handed her one of the plates before sitting in the chair next to her. Magdalena immediately shoveled the pastry into her mouth, moaning as it practically melted on her tongue. Soon her pie was gone.
"Holy cow," Bucky said in awe, "Where'd you put that?" he leaned down and started poking Magdalena in the stomach. "Is there even any room?" He said over her laughter as she pushed his hands away.
"Bucky, honey," Mrs. Barnes said from the doorway of the kitchen, shrugging into a long overcoat, "I'm talking Louise, Joey, and Becca to Mrs. Vinacelli to get winter coats. Do you need anything?"
Bucky sat up and turned to his mother, "Nah, my coat from last year still fits."
"Are you sure?" she asked as she helped her eldest daughter, Rebecca, into her coat. Becca was two years younger than Bucky, a budding teenager, and tended to spend most of her time in her room. She rolled her brown eyes at her mother's fussing and lifted her midnight tresses out from underneath the coat.
"You don't need anything for the dance this weekend?" Mrs. Barnes asked, rolling her eyes back at Becca who tried to hide her smile. Bucky shook his head.
"Alright then. See you kids later!" She said with a smile, blowing them a kiss before ushering her three youngest children out the door.
Steve, Bucky, and Magdalena sat in the now silent apartment, all too full of pie to move from their place at the table. Steve suddenly gave her a conniving smile. She narrowed her eyes at him. He was up to something.
"Speaking of the dance," he said, leaning forward on the table toward Bucky, "Mags has a date."
Magdalena blushed crimson and shot Steve a glare. "It's not a date!"
Bucky looked at her with wide eyes.
"Will asked me after school." She explained quickly, wondering why she even felt like she had to explain herself, "His date cancelled on him and he still wants to go so he asked me."
"Sounds like a date to me." Steve sat back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest smugly. Magdalena and Bucky both shot him a glare. He held up his hands in mock surrender.
Bucky shook his head, trying to ignore Steve, before looking at her intensely. "I don't like it. You shouldn't go with him."
"Why not?" Magdalena bristled.
"I don't like him." He leaned back and folded his arms.
Magdalena scoffed. "You said he was alright! I asked you during lunch what you thought of him."
"I don't like him." Bucky repeated shortly.
"So, you lied to me?" Her ears got warmer the angrier she got.
"No!" he exclaimed, "I was trying to be nice. I didn't want to go around saying horrible things about him, but if I had known he was gonna ask you out I wouldn't have held back."
Magdalena shook her head angrily. "He didn't ask me out!" she emphasized, throwing her hands in the air, "He just asked me to the dance. We're not dating and it's not a date."
Bucky didn't seem to care. His jaw was tight and he was glaring at the wall behind her. "I don't care. I don't like him… I don't see why you said yes to him."
She felt like an idiot. He was taking back everything he said before and making her doubt her decision to say yes to Will. Angry and embarrassed tears pooled in her eyes. "Because." She ground out, "you told me he was alright, Bucky."
He looked at her sharply but softened when he noticed her discernable anger and distress. He let out a breath of hot air, releasing the tension in his body, and leaned over to her.
"Hey, don't cry Maggie," Bucky urged, wiping a tear off her cheek with his fingers, "I didn't mean to."
Magdalena sniffed. "I just wanted to go. I've never been to a dance." She peered at Bucky through her thick lashes. "And you said he was alright, so I thought it would be okay."
"I know." Bucky sighed, closing his eyes momentarily before staring at her. "I'm sorry."
She nodded, letting him know she wasn't mad at him anymore. "Steve can't go and you already have a date… I thought it would be okay." She repeated. Steve's mom thought he was too young to be going to dances so her previous plans of going with him were ruined, and Bucky had asked a pretty girl on the track team, so she couldn't go with him either.
"It will be okay, though." Bucky assured, "Like you said, it's not date, and," he sighed before smiling stiffly, "If you want to go, then you should go."
Magdalena looked him hard in the eyes. She couldn't believe he would relent so easily, but his eyes were sincere even if he still seemed slightly on edge.
"Are you sure?" Her eyebrows rose innocently.
"He's sure." Steve's voice called out. His sudden interruption made her laugh, she had forgotten he was even there. Bucky seemed annoyed that Steve had spoken for him, but he was soon chuckling too.
"Shut up, you punk." Bucky breathed between chuckles before turning to Magdalena. "But, really, I am sure." He continued, "It's not that big of a deal… I'll be there to watch out for you. Nothing's gonna happen."
"You wouldn't have to watch out for me if you taught me how to box." She said, trying to sound strict but her smile betrayed her.
"Don't worry, Mags," Bucky drawled, "I'll teach you."
She beamed at him, making his blue eyes crinkle.
"You're gonna have fun." He said earnestly.
The sound of chair legs scrapping against tile stopped Magdalena before she had a chance to respond.
"You're still a jerk." Steve said to Bucky as he stood up.
Bucky grinned.
"Come on, Mags," Steve walked toward the door, "our moms will kill us if we're late for dinner."
Magdalena got up to follow after him.
"I'm tired of listening to you two talk about the dance that I can't go to, anyway." He called from the hallway.
Magdalena giggled and shared a guilty smile with Bucky.
"See you tomorrow, Buckaroo." She said affectionately before ruffling his short, dark hair.
He didn't even attempt to stop her but gave a soft grin instead. "Bye, doll."
Magdalena and Bucky rarely fought, but when they did it was usually over fast. Though she had seen him and Steve fight and those never lasted long either. She guessed it was just difficult to stay mad at someone you loved.
