𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | barnes¹

iii. three musketeers

Bucky faked an apologetic expression. "Sorry Mrs. Sullivan, I was showing Lucy around the school since it's her first day and... Well, we kinda lost track of time."

Mrs. Sullivan sighed in defeat, waving him to the back of the room. "Just go sit down."

The woman's glare dissipated into a smile as she turned to Lucy. "Welcome to George Washington High, Lucy. I hope that Mr. Barnes over here hasn't been too much trouble for you."

Quick to defend the boy that had been so friendly to her, Lucy frantically shook her head. "No, not at all! I was lost so he was just showing me around."

"Good. Well, there's an open seat in the back right next to him and Steven." She pointed to the seat, prompting Lucy to quickly make her way to the desk.

She practically melted into the chair when she sat, desperately needing to give her feet a break after doing laps around the whole school.

Mrs. Sullivan continued her lecture as Lucy settled in next to Bucky and his friend. She realized as they made eye contact that he must have been the same boy who was with Bucky in the diner the first time they had met.

Since he was sitting in the middle, Bucky quietly re-introduced the two. "Lucy, I'm not sure if you remember him from the diner, but this is Steve."

So she was right. "I do remember. Nice to meet you again, Steve."

Steve blushed from her words alone. While his best friend had a new girl on his arm practically every week, Steve could never even hold a conversation with one. All of Bucky's past girlfriends never liked Steve, one of the main reasons why their relationships with Bucky were cut short.

Lucy's kindness caused him to immediately take a liking to her, noticing that she was just as shy as he was from her body language alone.

It takes one to know one.

"You as well, Lucy."

Lucy opened the Science textbook, placing her schedule on top. While tapping her wooden pencil against her bottom lip, she read through it for the hundredth time that day.

Bucky silently grabbed the schedule and pulled it onto his own desk. Lucy gave him a curious look as he took out his own pencil and wrote on it. She leaned over and gratefully smiled when she realized that he was scribbling directions for how to get to each of her classes on the margins of the paper, pausing every once in a while to think and make sure that they were as detailed as possible.

───

Much to Lucy's surprise, the rest of her first day went smoothly. After Science ended, Bucky walked her to English, one of her favorite classes.

When it was time for lunch, Lucy's nerves that had eased a bit skyrocketed yet again. The cafeteria was packed because of the rain outside, where students would usually go spread out around the courtyard and eat.

She searched the room for Bucky and Steve, hoping that they were somewhere around.

"You see her yet?" Steve questioned Bucky, standing on his tippy toes while scanning the room for her

"No." Bucky began to worry. Were his instructions not enough? Did she get lost again?

Before the two could say anything else, Bucky finally saw her. She was in the middle of the room, standing there with her lunch tray like a lost puppy.

Bucky threw his hand halfway into the air and waved, calling out a hurried, "Lucy!"

Lucy's head turned after hearing her name, smiling when she saw Bucky waving at her. She quickly made her way over to their table towards the side of the room and sat down beside him.