Chapter 4: School Year 2015
September 7, 2015
Auburndale Art School
11:20 AM
Sitting in one of his classes on a Monday morning, Steve listens intently at his professor standing in front. It had been a week since classes started, and he was finally a second-year college student. Two more years.
Ping!
He hears the familiar sound of his phone. Ever since he and Peggy had re-communicated, he had never left his phone in silent mode again. He had become a little attached to it, especially now that he and Peggy had nightly video conferences. The downside of it, his phone is always plugged in for charging.
Ping! Ping!
Subtly taking his phone and turning it around while he kept his eyes in front, he made a quick glance at his notification banner.
/Notification
wellpeggy
First day of school, done!
After reading the message, Steve smiles to himself. He then looked up and watched his professor explain the difference between Western and Asian cultures. He barely understood what his professor was saying as his mind was on Peggy's message. He was just pretending to listen at this point.
Secretly unlocking his phone, Steve made a quick glimpse on his phone and clicked on Peggy's message. He then types in a quick reply.
/wellpeggy First day of school, done!
Hey, it was your first day in Grade 12. How was it? sgrogersart/
Before he could turn off his phone, a bubble with three dots suddenly appeared. So, he waited.
/wellpeggy It was fine, like usual. Although Mr. Heavensbee is one of our teachers. Hahaha 😆
/wellpeggy oh, by the way, we call it year 13, not grade 12
/wellpeggy I have never realized that you weren't aware of our school system.
Steve sheepishly smiles as Peggy quickly figures that out. He then sent a brief reply.
Wait, what? hahaha sgrogersart/
It's not that different, right? sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy Generally yes…
/wellpeggy It depends really. What do you think is the same?
Uh, graduation? sgrogersart/
I mean, everyone does. Right? sgrogersart/
Steve suddenly bites his lower lip in anticipation, when suddenly a resounding clap is heard, making everyone jump in their seat.
"Alright, is everybody still awake?" Professor Allen asks as he looks around at the group before him, "Okay, just checking,"
Steve retracts his hand back, trying to keep his phone out of view. When Professor Allen returns to his discussion, Steve leans back to his chair and slowly slides down a little. He then brought out his phone to read Peggy's reply.
/wellpeggy Uh, no. We don't really have graduation like you had before.
Steve suddenly sat up straighter as he was a little stunned. He then looked around the study hall and checked if anyone noticed him. Thankfully, everyone was trying their best to keep awake and paid no attention to him. Steve then types.
Wait? What?! sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy 😂
/wellpeggy are you truly surprised by that idea?
Yeah… sgrogersart/
I wanted to give you a graduation gift sgrogersart/
Steve then stares at his phone when Peggy doesn't reply immediately. He then thought that Peggy was probably busy heading to school, so he slowly turned his phone off.
Ping!
Steve was startled a little at the sudden sound, but he turned his phone around and saw it was Peggy's reply.
/wellpeggy aww, thanks, Steve.
/wellpeggy well, who says you cannot give me a gift? 😂 😂
/wellpeggy you have spoilt me with your art and I love it
/wellpeggy 😝
Steve smiles at her words and emoticons. He feels happy and proud for making Peggy feel this way. She always told him that she was his number one fan of his art and she will always be proud to flaunt his artwork to everybody.
Well, then I shall spoil you again soon sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy hahaha
/wellpeggy by the way, are you in class? Or having lunch?
class, why? Sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy what?!
/wellpeggy Steven! You should have told me!
hehehe Sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy don't laugh! Listen to your professor and stop chatting with me!
Hehehe, yes ma'am Sgrogersart/
Steve looks up with a grin on his face, trying to follow Peggy's orders. But then his mind was just wandering and wasn't into the lecture anymore. He was thinking of all the possible art pieces he could make for the English brunette. Suddenly his phone chimed.
/wellpeggy we'll have a call tonight, right? 6 PM your time?
Of course Sgrogersart/
see you and talk to you later! Sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy see you later!
September 17, 2015
St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls
3:50 PM
"That's great! We should build our concept map first so that we can properly arrange our information," Peggy then smiles at her groupmates, Gemma, Alice, and Dina.
"Sure, especially this one, Mussolini and Stalin's, we might mix-match them because of overlapping dates," Alice points out.
"Oh right, that would be horrible," Gemma seconded the notion.
"Then it's set, let's begin," Peggy then brings out her laptop from her bag when Dina raises her hand, "Yes, Dina? You do know this is not a class? You don't have to be so formal,"
"Right, sorry. I'm just overly overwhelmed working with you. Working with a smarty one," Dina sheepishly smiles at the brunette, who tilts her head in wonder.
"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Peggy questioned, making the other two girls chuckle when Dina blushed.
"Yes! Oh, goodness, yes! I totally admire you, especially when you deal with Doreen," Dina huffs in relief, "I wish to be tough-minded like you,"
Peggy shyly smiles at her classmate's compliment, "Thank you. But anyways, you wanted to ask something?"
"Right!" Dina perks up, "Um before we begin, can we buy food? I'm famished," Dina warily smiles at the brunette.
"Sure, sure. Can you buy us too?" Peggy then pulls out her money, "Any would do,"
"Alright!"
"I'll come with you, Dina," Alice said.
"I'll just go to the loo," Gemma then joins the other two girls, leaving Peggy by herself in the garden open area.
As Peggy kept herself busy typing on her laptop while waiting for the girls to return, her phone suddenly chimed to a Skype call. She quickly looked at her phone and saw Steve's name. Grabbing it, she stared at her screen for a few seconds.
"What time is it?" Peggy looks down at her wristwatch, "It's only four," she then looks back at her ringing phone and immediately swipes it to the right.
Twang!
Peggy stared at a black screen before Steve's face showed up. Instantly, she smiles at him.
"This is odd, Steve," Peggy stifles a laugh as Steve scratches his head and ducks. When he looks up, some of his hair falls on his forehead, making Peggy want to swipe up for him, "Why'd you call?"
"Is it the wrong time?" Steve asked as he sounded a little winded.
"Not really, just doing group work," Peggy smiles as she tries to recognize his background, "Where are you?"
"I'm at school. Just finished a class," Steve then turned his camera around and showed Peggy his surroundings. It was a first, seeing Steve's school as they usually talk at night when he gets home. "I'm heading towards my next class,"
"Next class?" Peggy glanced at her watch and mentally calculated their time difference, "But it's 12 there in the afternoon. Have you eaten your lunch?"
Steve smiles at her concern, "Yeah, ate during class,"
Peggy gave a questioning look, "Is that even allowed?"
Steve laughs as he shakes his head, "I had to duck my head every time I would bite on my sandwich,"
Sighing, Peggy looked at the blonde with an exasperated gaze, "Steven…"
"I had to do what I had to do," Steve shrugged his shoulders, still looking amused with what he did, "They gave me a terrible class schedule so, they have to deal with it,"
Peggy rolls her eyes and then chuckles along with him, "Alright, so why'd you call? You don't usually call me at this hour,"
"Right! I, uh, just wanted to know your opinion," Steve suddenly stops by a stone bench and puts down all of his things.
For a small stature, Steve was relatively carrying all of his art materials well. But it was no wonder for Peggy that she was hearing him sound so out of breath.
"Did I tell you about my Drawing II class?"
"You did," Peggy replies as she places her phone on top of her opened laptop. The phone leaned on the screen, which Peggy had now forgotten, "What about it?"
"So, we have this project, and we were tasked to draw objects with contorted shapes. I was wondering if you could help me figure out what object to draw because I can't choose between the two," Steve then pulls up two pictures. One was a compressed loaf of bread and the other was a smushed pumpkin.
Peggy leans forward to stare at the images and compare. She hummed in contemplation while she focused on the images. Steve, on the other hand, stared back at the concentrated look of the brunette. He was noticing everything. It was adorable how Peggy bit her lower lip, how cute when she tapped her chin while she hummed, and then tilted her head when she seemed to have an opinion in her head but didn't blurt it out yet.
"I think…" Peggy starts, snapping the blonde out of his admiration, "The pumpkin," she then leans back and returns her focus to Steve's face, "It has more destruction in its surface and edges, and I think that will be more of a challenge to you than a compressed loaf of bread. Your skills are beyond average so, you need more texture and edges to enhance your skill,"
Peggy smiled as Steve nodded his head, "Thanks. You really know what's best for me,"
She felt her cheeks warm, and she was grateful that she had leaned back, making her cheeks less clear in the camera.
"Well, I'm quite familiar with your artwork and I know what's easy for you," Peggy grins when she catches Steve blush.
"Who are you talking to?"
Peggy suddenly jumped at the new voice, making her grab her phone and clutch it close to her chest. As she looked up, Gemma was standing in front of her, "Gemma, have you been standing there a long time?"
Gemma suddenly grins, "Not quite. But who are you talking to?" she then sits down in front of the brunette.
"No one," Peggy replies too fast, making Gemma grin back at her knowing it was false. At that, Peggy grumbles at her poor attempt, "Okay, obviously someone…you don't know,"
Gemma gave a suspicious look to her and then realized that Peggy usually reacts like this when she mentions a certain American bloke.
"Uh, Peggy?" Steve suddenly spoke, confused at the black screen.
The two brunettes had their eyes widen.
"Hush!" Peggy panicking exclaims as she clutches the phone closer to her chest when Gemma's face slowly gawked at her.
"Is that Steve? The American, Steve?" Gemma inquires with a twinkle in her eyes.
"No!" Peggy bashfully lies, but knows she is miserably failing, "It's…"
Gemma gave a pointed look at her before standing up and then sat next to the brunette. She then pulls Peggy's hand away from her chest to peek through the phone.
Gemma's smile grew wide at seeing the good-looking blonde, "Oh, hello!"
Peggy bites her lower lip again as she looks back at her phone screen. Steve was stunned at the sudden new person on the screen. But he gave a bashful smile and wave.
"Uh, Steve, this is Gemma. Gemma, this is Steve," Peggy looked at Steve and their eyes met. She smiled at him guiltily, as if apologizing that he had to be exposed to people. But Steve just gave a gentle smile and greets back.
"Hi, Gemma! I have heard a lot of things about you,"
"Oh, is that so?" Gemma glances at the other brunette with a knowing smirk, "Well, I have heard a lot of things about you too,"
"Really? Well, I hope good things," Steve replies with bemusement in his voice.
"Oh, trust me—"
"Alright! Enough, I have to go, Steve," Peggy then pulls her phone close to her face as she huffs in nervousness.
"Right, yeah. Sorry,"
"You have to go too. You have class remember?" Peggy then sniggers when Steve starts at her reminder and cusses softly, "Language, Steve,"
"Sorry!" Steve quickly answers as he begins to grab all of his things and walks faster. The video then becomes shaky as Steve speeds up. This left Peggy smiling.
"Hey, Steve," Peggy calls, and the blonde quickly brings the phone up to show his face, "I'll call you later tonight,"
"Yeah, okay, great," Steve replies with a smile on his face, despite wheezing as he fastens his pace, "See you later!"
"See you! Bye!" Peggy then waves as Steve waves goodbye to her and then ends the call.
When the call was done, Peggy looked back at her friend next to her. She couldn't help but roll her eyes when Gemma had that teasing look.
"Please stop," Peggy retorts before Gemma starts laughing and squealing as she playfully pokes her on the side.
October 31, 2015
Brooklyn, New York
5:05 PM
"Happy Halloween!" Children greet in chorus as they stand by the entrance to the community center gymnasium.
"GRAAH!" Bucky exclaims as he opens the door to frighten the children in his werewolf costume. He then grins when a few of them shriek. He then stands up straight, "Welcome! Come on in," he then pulls the door wider open and lets the children run inside.
Steve sniggers as he watches the children squeal in excitement upon seeing the child-friendly horror place. Steve wore a skeleton overall costume and complimented it with a face paint of a skull.
"Nice touch on that skeleton face," Bucky grins as he stares at his best friend.
"Nice pointy ears," Steve teases back as he looks at Bucky's real ears instead of his prosthetic wolf ear.
The brunette lad quickly holds his ear, feeling conscious as he had recently gotten a haircut when suddenly Steve chuckles. Seeing that the blonde was just making fun of him, he playfully pulled the blonde by wrapping his arms around his neck and did a headlock.
"Jerk!" Bucky muttered.
"Punk!" Steve shoves the brunette, laughing, "Are your sisters here already?"
"Yeah, over there," Bucky then points to a group of girls, hovering over a table full of gummies.
Steve smiles again. He enjoyed participating in these community events. It was common for everyone to hold a trick-or-treat activity. But since the streets of New York can be quite unsafe for some children, their community decided to hold an indoor horror house, where children can visit various booths and ask for candies from participating neighbors instead. It was still fun for the children as some of their neighbors provided more interactive games too.
"You know, I think when you get older, you should run for mayor or something," Bucky joked as he and Steve walked around the gymnasium.
"Why would I do that?" Steve questioned, baffled at the suggestion.
"You made Halloween trick-or-treat safer for children New Yorkers," Bucky grins as he knows Steve would roll his eyes, "If you haven't suggested that we do this instead, there would be some kid out there who would have been honked to death for crossing the street,"
"It's not like a revolutionary idea," Steve mumbles as he and Bucky stop midway through their walk when a few children run across them, "People just needed new options,"
Bucky scoffs at Steve's attempt to belittle his community contribution, "Yeah, okay. It's not going to change New York on a wide scale, but won't you agree that it makes the community safer,"
"Yeah, I guess it does," Steve shrugs his shoulders, feeling bashful for the compliment Bucky has been telling him.
Suddenly a group of older women waved at them and encouraged them to come by. The two immediately followed.
"Oh, Steve, your plan is fantastic!" The blonde woman greets, "Look at everybody, they are all having fun,"
"It was just a suggestion, Mrs. Adams," Steve shyly smiles.
"Oh, how modest of you!" Mrs. Roberts muttered as she waved a hand in dismissal, "You have more helpful suggestions than those elderly men who sit in community meetings,"
The group of women chuckles, and Bucky then nudges the blonde, "Told you…" he whispers.
"Have you taken a share of brownies?" Mrs. Wilson then brought up pouches and offered the two, "Have your munch while you walk around,"
"Thanks, Mrs. Wilson!" Bucky quickly sweeps it before Steve declines, "We'll go ahead," he then pulls Steve by his shoulder and passes one pouch of brownies to him.
"What did I tell you?" Bucky sniggers as Steve just groans and shakes his head.
Soon enough, the blonde walked ahead and helped out a kid who couldn't reach a basket of chocolate bars. When done, he looked around and found Bucky on the other side. He was talking to their neighbor, Daliah Adams, another redhead.
Sniggering at the idea that Bucky had a type, he couldn't help but think of a certain English brunette. Her and her red lips. Steve quickly shook his head, feeling guilty for thinking of her in that manner.
"But I got here first!" a whiny voice bellows, snatching Steve's attention. He then looks around and sees two children fighting over a bag of lollipops.
"Hey, you guys, is everything alright?" Steve greets them as he walks up to them. The two children quickly stop pulling.
"I got here at the table first, but she stole my bag of lollies!" The boy whines, stomping his foot as he points at the other kid.
"No, you did not! We got here at the same time!" the girl shouts back, shaking her basket of candies.
"Okay, how about this, can I have the bag of lollies first?" Steve smiles at the girl as he opens his palm and waits for the girl to hand over the bag. She hesitantly gives it up. "Thank you. How about you both share the lollipop? We have six lollipops, so, both of you get three. I think that's a fair share. What do you think?"
"I want it all!" The boy retorts as he shakes his head.
"You're so greedy!"
"Okay, shouting doesn't help, guys." Steve then crouches down to their eye level, "Let's just split it up to three then? We all get two lollipops each. I get two, you get two, and you get two? Fair?"
"Why do you get two?" The girl asks, confused.
"I don't know, so that it would be fair?" Steve then smiles at them both. When the two kids nod at him, he can only chuckle at the absurdity of tricking these kids. When the two were satiated somehow, he then hums in contemplation.
"I forgot I have eaten so much lollipop today. Do you want my lollies? One each," Steve grins when the two kids perk up. He then laughs as he hands the lollipops to the children, who exclaim their thanks before running off to the next table.
More than an hour passed and almost all the children in their neighborhood were there in the community center. It was getting crowded, and Steve continuously bumped into children running around. So, he decides to take a break and steps outside the hall.
Sitting on one of the stone benches by the entrance of the center, Steve takes a breather. It was getting hot inside and a little suffocating. He didn't want to trigger his asthma all of a sudden. Taking a deep breath, Steve relishes the cool autumn breeze, his favorite season. Not too cold and not warm either, a good mixture of both.
Ping! Ping!
Steve starts as he hears his notification bell. He quickly grabbed his phone and saw that it was past 6 PM already. It was his and Peggy's usual call time.
"Shoot," Steve mutters before he fumbles with his phone and opens his social media account messaging.
-October 31 AT 10:49 AM-
/wellpeggy I do have last errands to do before the Halloween party.
/wellpeggy Need to look for some accessories for my sporty spice outfit.
Sporty spice? Sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy hahaha goodness Rogers, Spice Girls. Search it up.
Oh that group. Sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy Is that judgement?
/wellpeggy hahaha
No! I promise! Sgrogersart/
You'll look cute in it. Sgrogersart/
/wellpeggy hehe thank you.
-Unread messages-
6:08 PM
/wellpeggy Are you free for a call?
/wellpeggy just want to get your opinion.
Sorry late reply. Now? Sgrogersart/
Steve then waits if Peggy is still online. It had been more than 15 minutes since she messaged him. He didn't like wasting the chance to talk to her. But if it couldn't be helped, he had always been honest with her and she'd be always kind to adjust their schedule. She'd stay up late even for a brief virtual conversation.
Suddenly, Steve's phone rings to Skype's incoming call. This startles the blonde and then realizes his venue. The park was a little dark already and streetlamps were lit. It was kind of a bad timing.
"Crap," He mumbles to himself as he debated whether to accept now or look for a better venue to talk. When he felt like the ringing was getting longer and that the call might drop, he decided to accept it. His face then showed up on his screen and his blue eyes grew big. My face!
"Hi, Steve! Oh—" Peggy's voice was obviously stunned at the sight.
Steve rubs his hand behind his neck, feeling embarrassed to face her with his skeleton face paint, "Hey, Pegs. Did I startle you? Sorry for—"
"Were you the one who painted your face?" Peggy cuts off with an amused tone.
Steve gapped for a second before closing his mouth and nodding his head, "Yeah. I did,"
"That is fantastic!" Peggy grins before she chuckles and then takes a seat, "So, you're a skeleton? Just the face?"
"Uh, no…" Steve then pushes his hand away from him to show his full costume. He then hears Peggy chortle in amazement, "I'm a full-on skeleton, which is befitting for my small frame,"
Peggy then raised a brow at his subtle self-depreciation, "Do you mind rephrasing that, Steve?"
"Huh?" Steve was baffled for a second before he thought about his words and then realized it. Peggy always reprimanded him whenever he would say stuff like that about himself. It was the little gesture he appreciated to help him build confidence in his physical appearance.
"I mean, I'm a full-on skeleton…" Steve watched Peggy's eyes stare at him, challengingly, "which is a classic Halloween costume,"
"Hm, better," Peggy then shrugs her shoulders before smiling back at him, "Your costume is fantastic, and it suits you well because you made it realistic with your artistry of a real face painting of a skeleton. Although, your eyes,"
"What about my eyes?" Steve inquires, curiously.
"It's a lovely blue, fits more for an angel…" Peggy smiled unknowingly until she grasped her words and blushed a little, "I mean—you can make that as your…next Halloween costume,"
Steve chuckles, making Peggy feel warm in her chest, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
The two then fell into a comfortable silence. They just stared at each other until Peggy felt queasy as she stared long into Steve's entrancing eyes.
"Anyways, I need your artistic opinion," Peggy then stood up and walked back to show her full body.
Steve just realizes that Peggy was wearing her own Halloween get-up. She was wearing a white midrib top and then matching white tracksuit pants, that both had red, white, and blue linings. She then pulls up her brown locks into a high ponytail, showing off her flat stomach.
Steve swallows hard before casting his eyes down.
"Does this outfit work for me? Or do I go for Scary spice outfit?"
Steve tilts his head in confusion but keeps his gaze low. Not feeling confident of not embarrassing himself in front of the brunette.
"Uh, who's Scary Spice again?" Steve asks, nervously.
"The one who wears a leopard suit,"
Steve's eyes slowly grew big as he recalled how more skin-showing Scary Spice's outfit was. He doesn't think he will be able to look at Peggy straight in the face without full-on blushing.
"Right, um. Your outfit is okay,"
"Just okay?" Peggy then walks up close to her camera and takes a seat, "Maybe I should—"
"No, you look fantastic!" Steve cuts off, looking back at Peggy. He then huffed in relief seeing her face up close, "You look great. You look exactly like…sporty spice,"
Peggy then smiles in gratitude for the compliment, "Alright, I believe you." She then pulls her hair up again, exposing her nice long neck.
Steve just stared, entranced by the lady's beauty. When Peggy was finished, she sat down properly and grinned at the blonde. But then she furrows her brow.
"Steve, who is that dog behind you?"
"What?" Steve snapped out of thoughts and whipped around to look behind him. His eyes then grew wide when he saw Bucky standing a few meters away from him. But his grin was evident.
Bucky slowly walked up to him and then crouched down a little to squeeze into Steve's camera frame.
"Hello!" Bucky greets, waving a hand, "I'm a werewolf, by the way, not just a dog,".
Peggy curiously waves back as she pinches her brows together, trying to stop herself from laughing.
Steve sighed as he closed his eyes, "Peggy, this is Bucky. Bucky, this is Peggy,"
"Oh," Peggy then grins as she finally meets the other best friend. "Your look today is better than your picture," she teased.
"My look with this costume? Picture?" Bucky looks at the blonde, "What picture?"
Peggy answers instead, "The one he sent me before everything went downhill," she then chuckles when Steve alarmingly looks back at her and laughs along.
It took a few seconds for Bucky to recall that picture and then connect what she said. He starts laughing at Peggy's teasing, "Oh, Steve, she's a clever girl,"
"Oh, I know," Steve smiles proudly at the chuckling English brunette.
November 4, 2015
St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls
8:01 AM
Peggy raises her brow as soon as she enters the school. A lot of the girls were giggling and chattering away, more than usual. Some of the girls were even animated talking, feeling too ecstatic for that morning.
As she turned to the corner, a huge banner was raised in the hall.
/First Christmas Social Dance
/December 22, 2015
Peggy froze on her spot, feeling bewildered at the posted event. Suddenly, she jumps when someone nudges her shoulder.
"Aren't you excited?" Gemma asks, staring at the banner with excitement.
Peggy dubiously looked at her friend, "How is this exciting?"
"It's dancing," Gemma smiles widely, "I thought you loved dancing,"
Peggy was silent for a second as she reasoned to herself that she did love dancing. She loved how music can be so enticing and make you sway your body like it had no care in the world. But somehow, seeing that banner didn't sit well in her stomach.
"I do…" Peggy turns to look at the signage again, "I'm just not excited about this one."
As Ms. Robinson enters the room, the 13-A class suddenly slows down from their chatter. She stopped in the middle and smiled as she knew what the excitement was all about.
"Alright, ladies, I know everyone is excited," Ms. Robinson giddily snickers as the girls squealed in delight, "So, more than a month from now, you will be having your first annual Christmas social dance,"
The girls cheered. Peggy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Obviously, since this is an all-girls school, it would be less thrilling if you just go on your own as a class batch. So, Madame Lewis has permitted everyone to bring a partner to the dance,"
All of the girls in class thrilled squealed and started to chatter among themselves. Peggy huffs in disappointment. All the girls just seemed so invested in getting their boyfriends to school.
Ms. Robinson claps her hands to get everybody's attention, "Okay, listen. Since this is a social dance, the school has partnered with another boarding school. The Fulham Boy School,"
Resounding gasps were heard, and even Peggy gawked in surprise. It was Michael's and Fred's previous school. Of all schools, why did it have to be that?
"Yes, ladies. So, in the coming week, the year 13 Fulham Boy School students will be dropping by for a pre-socialization activity. This is a venue for you to get to know one another and communicate. So that by the time the dance comes, you will be more comfortable to mingle with other students."
One of the girls suddenly raises her hand, "Ms. Robinson, are we required to bring a partner from the Fulham Boy School? Or we can bring our own date?"
Ms. Robinson tilts her head at the choice of word, "Um, I wouldn't say it's a date because this is a modest socialization event. But no, you are not required to have a partner from Fulham Boy School. Although, of course, it would be more suitable if we knew who are the students that will be joining the event,"
Peggy raised her hand and didn't wait to be called, "Are we required to bring a partner at all?"
Ms. Robinson was taken aback, and even her classmates, looked at her as if she was being absurd.
"Um, I…I'm not certain if it is required. But from my understanding, it is highly encouraged as this is a socialization activity,"
"I still can socialize even without a partner," Peggy challenged her homeroom teacher and gave a disinterested look.
Baffled, Ms. Robinson nods her head, "True, but…again, it is encouraged to bring a partner in the school dance. If you prefer to be on your own, then…so be it,"
November 14, 2015
Hampstead Heath, London
9:15 AM
The bell rings soundly as her mother pushes the door open. Amanda Carter quickly greets the seamstress and gives pleasantries to one another, while Peggy warily enters the boutique.
"Ah, is this Margaret now?" the head seamstress and owner of the shop, Mrs. Anderson, suddenly walks up to the young brunette. She was stopped and turned to face her. "Such a beautiful lady. You probably have dozens of suitors,"
"Oh, goodness, she does—"
"Mum—" Peggy retorts but her mother waves her dismissively
"—she just doesn't entertain them,"
Mrs. Anderson chuckles before she gently swipes her forefinger under her chin and then ushers her towards a large mirror. "Well, if I had a daughter who is as gorgeous as her and…" she then looks down to Peggy's voluptuous chest before looking back at her face, "ample in many ways, I think, she deserves to be picky,"
Peggy blushes at the odd compliment. Suddenly, she felt shy about her chest as it was fuller than most of her classmates. Unconsciously, she crosses her arms over her chest.
Mrs. Anderson just chuckles at her gesture before turning away and talking to her mother. Left alone by the mirror, she quickly grabs her phone and checks the time. It was just 9:20 AM in London, so it was still 5 in the morning in New York.
"Please wake up," Peggy muttered softly before she was called by her mother.
"What are you talking about?" Amanda bafflingly looked at her daughter, who stomped her way out of the dressing room wearing the 6th outfit for that first hour.
"I think what I said was pretty clear and simple," Peggy huffs before she pulls up the gown, ungracefully, and then steps up to the platform facing the long mirror. She then drops the ends of the gown and Mrs. Anderson quickly assists in fixing it.
"I know and yet I don't understand where it's coming from," Amanda walked towards her and settled behind her. She stared hard at her daughter through the mirror, "Why aren't you going to the dance with a partner?"
"Because I don't want to," Peggy shook her head before turning to face her mother, "It's just a socialization. I could talk to anybody available for conversation,"
"Margaret, it's a social dance." Amanda raised a sarcastic brow, "No one is available for conversation because people will be dancing, not really talking,"
Peggy groans, rolling her eyes. She then steps down from the platform and walks back to the dressing room. Before she could even slip inside, Mrs. Anderson handed over another gown.
"Try this one," Mrs. Anderson then pushes the brunette back to the dressing room.
"Fine, I'll bring Michael instead," Peggy bellows as she struggles to unzip the gown.
"That is absurd! Your brother has classes, and he can't skip class just to help you out in a school dance,"
"Mum, it's Christmas break!" Peggy exclaims as she peeks over the door, clutching the gown to her chest, "He can help me. And please, can you ask Mrs. Anderson to help me out? I'm stuck,"
Mrs. Anderson suddenly appears and lightly gasps as she sees the young brunette. She sheepishly smiles at the brunette and enters the dressing room.
"I was thinking…" Amanda started again, making Peggy roll her eyes, which Mrs. Anderson catches and just stifles a laugh. "Why not ask Fred Wells? He's an alumnus of Fulham Boy School too. I think that would be fitting,"
Peggy softly grunts before she speaks loud and clear, "Again, Mum, I'm going alone,"
December 22, 2015
Carter Residence
4:36 PM
Click!
Peggy stares at her computer as her screen shows she's calling Steve via Skype. It took a few rings before his face showed up.
"Hey, Peggy—wow…" Steve sighs in amazement.
Peggy suddenly blushes at the stunned look of the blonde. Slowly she bites her lower lip in anticipation.
"What do you think? Does this look work for me?"
Peggy shyly turns her body from side to side, making her bold red ruffled chiffon ball gown spread out beautifully. She then sees Steve's eyes grow wide and mouth gapped.
"You look beautiful, Peggy," Steve whispers, barely aware of his honest response.
Peggy smiles shyly. "Thank you,"
Steve suddenly jolts and clears his throat, as if something was caught in his mouth, "I mean, you always look beautiful in anything. So…uh, yeah, it-it works for you,"
"Okay, noted, thank you," Peggy grins playfully, knowing that Steve was just rambling when he gets nervous. She then takes her seat in front of her computer, "So, tonight's the Christmas school dance. This is the only time we can talk because I'll be out until…I don't know at least by seven?"
Steve chuckles, "Try to at least enjoy it. It's the first time for your school, so, a lot of things can happen,"
Peggy rolls her eyes in amusement, "Oh, I'm sure,"
"Then you'll tell me about it," Steve and Peggy then chuckle together.
She stares at him for a second before she asks, curiously, "Have you been to a dance?"
Steve turned bashful as he scratched his head, "Uh, no. However, I did ask Bernadette during Junior prom and she said no. So, after that, I didn't feel like attending those dances,"
Peggy bites her inner cheek, wondering who Bernadette is, and thinks how foolish of her to say no. "So, you haven't danced? At all?"
"Yeah…I don't know how to dance," Steve nervously laughs as he tries to avoid looking back at Peggy.
"I can teach you how to dance," Peggy suddenly offered without thinking of the logistics. This earned her a softly amused chuckle from the blonde.
"I'll hold you to it,"
Peggy and Steve just nervously snigger despite knowing how impossible it will be given the oceans between them.
"So, who's your date?" Steve curiously asks.
"No one," Peggy gave a confident look, "It's a socialization activity, Steve. I don't have to have a partner to attend one,"
"Oh…" Steve suddenly felt light, but he wouldn't admit that "So, solo flight. That's cool of you,"
"Of course," Peggy laughs but is then cut short when her mother calls out for her to come downstairs, "Coming!"
Peggy sighs, "I gotta go, Steve. Chat later?"
"Always. Have fun," Steve smiles gently at her before waving goodbye and ending the call.
Peggy huffs in exasperation before she stands up and grabs her things.
Stepping out of the kitchen, Michael curiously looked for his mother. When the doorbell rang, his mother dashed out of the kitchen and never returned. But it sounded like she was giddily talking to the guest. Perhaps an expected guest. But who would it be on a busy day for the ladies?
As he reached the living room, he immediately saw a familiar blonde man. Michael couldn't help but groan quietly at the sight. Mother, what did you do?
"Hello, chap," Michael greets casually, breaking their conversation. He then stood next to his mother, not offering his hand.
"Hello, mate," Fred nods his head instead as his hands clenched and unclenched, unsure whether to reach out or not.
"Oh, Michael, remember, Fred Wells? He was a student at Fulham Boys School too, like you," Amanda happily shared as she tried to engage his son in the enthusiasm.
"Of course, how could I forget?" Michael gave a tight-lipped smile before wrapping an arm around his mother, "Do you mind if I talk to my mother for a second,"
"Sure, I'll be right here," Fred nods his head and steps back with his hands clasped at the back.
As Amanda is turned around by her son, she immediately notices how Michael is a little rigid. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, nothing," Michael mutters as he walks his mother further, "Well, technically, not with me." He then stopped and turned to his face mother, "Why is this lad here?"
Amanda raised an accusing brow, "Why you ask?"
Michael sighs, "Mum if this is about Peggy going to the dance without a partner, I will be glad to fill in,"
"Nonsense," Amanda whispered, irately, "I called Fred Wells and just told him about the school dance. He offered and so I accepted for Margarett. She'll be glad,"
Michael grunts knowing how unlikely that would be. He shook his head as he tried to reason out again, "Mum, Peggy wouldn't like it. She told me how she wasn't interested in bringing a partner to that dance for a particular reason,"
"And what reason is that?" Amanda questioned with her challenging gaze.
"Um…" Michael trails off as he isn't sure it would help Peggy's case at all, "Well, you see. Peggy is a feminist lassie and she'd like to make a point that—"
"Oh, nonsense, Michael," Amanda interrupts, waving her hand, "Stop tolerating your sister's rebelliousness. What time is it?"
Michael looks down at his wristwatch, sighing at how stubborn his mother could be. "It's ten past five in the afternoon,"
"Oh, goodness, look at the time." Amanda then turns around and leaves her son. She then shouts, "Margaret! Come down now! It's time to go!"
There was silence for a second, "Coming!"
Michael can only sigh and expect a ruckus from his sister when she finds out. He soon follows and stands by the foyer, waiting along with the others.
Amanda grumbles impatiently. She leaned over the railing and shouted, "Margaret! Make it quick!"
"Alright, alright!" Peggy annoyingly grunts as she steps out of her door and walks down the stairs.
She carefully carried her gown and looked down at her feet, trying to see her steps. When she was three steps away from the ground, she finally looked up and nearly audibly yelped in surprise.
"Hello, Margaret," Fred smiles as he steps up and gently takes her left hand to guide her down the remaining flight of stairs. "You look beautiful,"
Peggy just stared wide eyes at the taller blonde as she slowly descended the stairs. When she stood firmly on the ground, she quickly looked at her mother with an accusing stare.
"Mum," She briefly says, and her mother quickly picks up the intonation.
"I called Fred and told him about how his school and your school partnered up for the first annual Christmas social dance. He was glad to offer his companionship to you," Amanda gave a gentle smile, but Peggy knew that smile better than anyone else, it was her infamous 'don't dare to retort back' smile.
"I told you already," Peggy still retorts back, but whispers as to avoid any embarrassing heated shouting, "I didn't want to go with a partner,"
Amanda sarcastically laughed and forced the brunette to face the young lad, "Peggy appreciates your time and effort, Fred. Why don't you two go along now?" Amanda then pushes her daughter closer to Fred, making her stumble a little. She then handed Peggy her coat and scarf.
Fred quickly catches the brunette and wraps an arm around Peggy's waist.
Michael quickly whistles, startling the two younger teens, "Hands, lad. Be careful where you place them,"
Peggy looked back at her brother and gave him a dejected look. But Michael could only return the same despondent gaze. Soon enough the two enter the car and leave for the school dance.
... ... ...
December 22, 2015
Brooklyn Daily Eagle Building
6:04 PM
Wrapping his scarf securely around his neck and pulling his beanie hat down to cover his ears, Steve finally heads home after doing a quick work at the publishing house. It's a bone-chilling winter nowadays and he can feel his whole body tremble despite the layers of clothes he is wearing. One of the downsides of his imperfect health. But it was better like this than being stuck at home being sick.
"Hey, Rogers!" Stan suddenly peeks out of his office. The blonde artist stops in his tracks and turns around, "I'll need that illustration before Christmas,"
Steve nods, "I'll finish it by tomorrow. I'll drop by,"
"You still have classes?" Stan then leans on his doorframe, crossing his arms.
He shook his head, "No, I just have some errands tomorrow and then I'll clock in," he then double-checked his things to make sure he had his materials. "Is there another illustration that needs to be done immediately?"
"Nah," Stan waves his hand, "I can manage. You're basically just part-timing. I can't let you do all the work for us," he sniggered along with the blonde.
"I don't mind," Steve shrugs, smiling at his senior, "I got nothing to do over the vacation,"
"Nothing?" Stan dubiously looked at the younger artist, "Don't you have dates to attend to? How about that lady friend of yours?"
Steve blushes at the insinuation but he shakes his head as he tucked his hands into his coat's pockets, "She's just a friend and besides, she's in London,"
"Oh, a British lady," Stan smirks, nodding his head in acknowledgment, "But she's just really a friend? I mean, when I watch you, you always smile at work when you secretly text her,"
Steve was stunned for a second before he huffed in laughter, "You're just teasing, right?"
Stan rolls his eyes, "Rogers, Rogers, Rogers. When will you learn?" he said turning his back to him before he waves, "See you around, kid!"
Steve was confused. Stan always told him he was just teasing. Wasn't he just teasing a while ago? Or was that a serious question?
He shook his head before turning around and headed to the elevator. When he stepped out of the building, a harsh cold wind brushed his face. He could feel his nose get stiff and it was probably turning red already. So, he quickened his pace and headed straight home.
When he reached his apartment, the place was empty. Bucky probably went home to his mother to help out. He'd drop by some other day. For sure, he'll never hear the end of it if he skipped on Christmas dinners at the Barnes.
Dropping his things inside his room, Steve quickly worked up to prepare his dinner. There were leftovers in the fridge from last night. He felt too lazy to cook up something when he was all alone. So he decided to just heat it.
As he waited for his food to be ready, Steve grabbed his phone and opened his social media account. In one of his notifications, it showed that Peggy was tagged to a new post. He then remembered that Peggy had gone to their Christmas social dance and probably it was one of those school photos. So, he clicked it.
Peggy had told him that she was going to the dance alone. Not even with Gemma, as her friend actually opted to attend with a dance partner. He would have expected that Peggy would surround herself with her friends instead. But he was surprised to see the photo.
There she was, standing stunningly in her red gown, red lips, and beautiful curled brown hair. Next to her was a tall, lean boy, wearing a well-fitted black suit and had sleek dirty blonde hair. He looked around his age, but Steve knew, the man was more well-built than him.
Suddenly, he felt insecure. They looked nice together in the photo and probably everybody thought so too. He didn't know why he'd think that he and Peggy would look nice together in a photo too. Obviously, he was overestimating himself.
Ting—!
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Steve jumped in his seat when his phone vibrated violently and then the microwave beeped. Astounded by what to do first, Steve tried to grasp his surroundings again and focus. He looked down at his phone and it was ringing loudly.
Peggy was calling.
Steve quickly swipes right, "Hello?"
"Steve?"
"Pegs, are you alright?" There was a pause, and Steve could feel his heart pound in nervousness. What was going on?
"How fast can you arrive in London and help me get out of this horrendous school dance?"
Steve was stunned and didn't get that logic immediately. And then he realized Peggy was just being sarcastic but meant her last words. Steve huffed in relief.
"It will be around five or six hours before I can find my way to London, and then a few more hours to get to your school. Most likely when I get there, you are probably at home," Steve softly smiles as he tries to go along with Peggy.
Peggy groans, "I want to go home,"
"Where is your date?" Steve then wants to bite his tongue, too late to retract his words.
"Date?" Peggy repeats, surprised, "How'd you know I went with someone?"
Steve hung his head low before brushing his hair up, "Uh…I saw photos."
"Oh…" Peggy trailed off before she sounded like she was shivering.
"Are you outside Pegs?" Steve sits up straight, concerned for the brunette.
"How'd you know?" Peggy astonishingly asks back before she chuckles, "Are you sure you aren't in here, stalking me behind a bush or something? 'cause I'd really appreciate it if you come out now and help me,"
Steve huffed in laughter, "Oh, how I wish... I wish I was right there, right now, for you,"
There was a long silence again and this made Steve a little worried that he said the wrong thing. But when Peggy whispered, he felt his heart jump in thrill.
"Me too…I wish you were here. You should have been my dance partner," Peggy sighs at the other end of the line.
Steve could only smile at that thought. He wished the same.
To be continued…