1932

Bucky stood facing Steve, talking at the blonde boys locker before they headed to class starting their days. "So are you coming with me o-" Bucky's sentence was cut short as someone bumped into him. "Watch where-"

"I'm so sorry!" a small voice exclaimed. Sixteen year old Bucky turned around to find a small freshmen clutching books between her arms. Her blonde hair was wild, looking like she didn't even brush it before she left the house this morning. Her pants had dirt stains on the knees and her one shoe lace was loose enough to trip over - she didn't wear heels or flats like most girls. No, she was wearing a pair of sneakers, old and tattered with holes in the fabric.

"It's okay doll," Bucky said with a soft smile. She reminded him of Steve, small in build but a fire behind her wide blue eyes. Her cheeks dusted with freckles almost childlike, and her lips fuller than what society deemed 'beautiful' in their time. "What's your name kid?" he asked, noticing as she clutched her books tighter than before. "Jo Elliot." the girl said quickly before letting her eyes fall to the ground.

"Well Jo, I'm James Barnes but you can call me Bucky." He replied, putting his finger under her chin and guiding her head back up. "Bucket?" she asked, not hearing the boy properly over the crowds of teenagers around them. The boy behind Bucky let out a loud laugh which made Bucky follow. "Bucky, doll." the boy corrected her. "This here is Steve Rogers." The slender blonde boy offered a warm smile and a wave. "Nice to meet you guys." Jo said quietly before turning to leave before realizing she had no idea where she was going. "Can you point out where room 35 is?" she asked, making Bucky smile and wrap his arm around the small girl's shoulder. Steve closed his locker before following his best friend and the small freshmen.

"This is going to be the start of a wonderful friendship Jo Elliiot."

"Bucket you in there?" Jo asked from across the table. Bucky looked up to find Jo looking at him concerned. "All good," the boy replied with a smile. "Just thinking about when we met." he informed her which made Steve chuckle. "You were almost shaking, you looked so scared of Bucky." The boy reminisced making Jo roll her eyes. "I was not scared." she defended, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, sure doll." Bucky chuckled, leaning back in the chair he sat on. Jo couldn't help but smile at how cool Bucky looked. He was so effortless, he could get any girl he wanted without even saying a word. People admired Bucky, and boys strived to achieve the charm he had. "Hey, the fair opens tonight." Steve announced, dragging Jo from her thoughts and looking to the boy. "You guys wanna go?" he asked hopefully. "I'm in, we always go opening night." Jo agreed before the two looked at Bucky who sighed.

"Well who am I to say no to tradition?" He said giving in to them quickly. Jo and Steve high fived before the girl stood up from the place at the table and started collecting everyone's empty plates. "Thank you for breakfast, Mary." Steve said before clearing his throat. "We should both head home to get cleaned up." Bucky announced making Jo nod her head.

"See you at five?" Jo asked with an excited smile. "We'll be here." Bucky said, winking at the girl before the two boys bid their goodbyes and left the Elliot residence. Jo smiled to herself, before walking to the kitchen and placing the dirty dishes in the sink. Before Mary or Dennis could get in a word the girl had thrown on her shoes and was outside in the backyard, grabbing her book off the kitchen counter as she went.

The air was warm as the sun danced across her face which made the girl smile. She laid down on the hammock in between the tree's before finding her place in 'Tales of H.P Lovecraft' by the man himself. But the girl found herself reading the same line over and over again, she couldn't get herself to settle down long enough to enjoy the words of the pages before her. Her mind was somewhere else, her mind was on her brown hair blue eyed best friend.

It wasn't until recently that the boy had started to consume her thoughts. She only ever saw him as a best friend. But there was something recently, like the flip of a switch where the boy consumed her every thought. Jo sighed before closing the book once more and setting it down on her lap. She ran her hands over her face and let her arms fall across her chest. "What is it about you Barnes?" she whispered to herself. But deep down, she knew exactly what it was.

There was an eagerness behind Bucky's blue eyes. His eyes the shade of the sky on a warm summer day at the beach, not a single cloud in sight. His smile was warm, it could make anyone's heart flutter with even the smallest glance. But his laugh, oh his laugh was even more exhilarating than the beat of "boogie woogie bulge boy" by the Andrew Sisters. Being around James Buchanan Barnes felt like dancing through a field of flowers, or driving in her dads Pontiac with the windows all rolled down. More often than not Jo found herself stealing glances at the boy who was supposed to be her best friend.

She didn't know how long she had been outside, lost in her thoughts until her mother had called her inside. "Come on inside JoJo, if the boys are picking you up at five you need to shower!" Mary called out to her daughter. "Coming!" Jo called, grabbing her book and rolling off the hammock before running inside.

Jo threw her book back down onto the kitchen counter before making her way upstairs to the bathroom. Turning the knob in the shower she let the water run for while she undressed to give it time to warm up. Stepping into the warm shower the girl let the water wash the summer sun off her before quickly washing her hair and scrubbing her body clean with body wash. Her shower was quick and she turned the water off, grabbing a clean towel and wrapping it around her body as she brushed her teeth.
Leaving the bathroom, her hair dripping wet, she made it to her room before closing the door. Laying on her bed was a long skirt with a matching blouse laid out neatly. Jo sighed knowing her mother was trying to get her out of her comfort zone by wearing more skirts like the rest of the girls her age - but the girl couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she walked to her dresser and pulled out a pair of overalls and a white t-shirt. While she changed, the girl wrapped her hair up in a towel to help it dry.

Walking back to the bathroom the girl announced she was using her mothers hair dryer, before brushing through her hair and leaving it half wet when she looked at the bathroom clock to see it had just struck five o'clock. "Jo, the boys are here!" Mary called from the bottom of the stairs. The girl unplugged the hair dryer before turning off the bathroom light and rushing down the stairs. "Slow down before you fall!" Steve laughed as the girl made her way down the stairs.

"That's not the outfit I laid out for you." Mary sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Mom it was a skirt! Besides, theres too many rides to go on!" Jo defended, grabbing her shoes from the backdoor where she had left them and quickly putting them on. "There's a couple bucks on the counter for you!" Dennis called, Jo quickly grabbed the money, noticing how her dad left enough to cover the whole trio tonight and shoved it in the front pocket of her overalls.

The girl kissed both her mom and her dad on the cheek bidding her goodbyes and trying to get out the door as quickly as possible. "Now now!" Mary called, "We take pictures of you three every year!" Jo stopped and sighed, looking up to the two boys who did nothing more but smile and bring the girl under their arms.

"We're ready!" Bucky announced with a large smile.