The One That Got Away

Chapter 6: It Wasn't Supposed To End This Way

 ''Bucky. My name is Bucky.''

Bucky taking back Charlie's permission to use his first name meant that he had just put an end to their friendship. They both knew it, Steve knew it too. Charlie was frozen into place, unable to move. Steve got up from the couch and walked towards his best friend.

''Come on, Buck. Don't be like that.''

Bucky never looked at him. He was staring right into Charlie's eyes, neither one of them could look away. As soon as he had said it, he regretted correcting her for using his name but what he did next was even worse, things he would never be able take back, leaving him only with regrets.

Charlie couldn't stand to see the anger in Bucky's eyes, it was too much for her and so she was the first to look away. Her eyes met Steve's and she saw sadness in his. Her heart hurt in her chest, it felt like someone had taken it into their hand and had an iron grip on it, not letting it go and only squeezing it more with every moment that passed.

Bucky decided to leave, he couldn't handle seeing her this way. Especially when he had been the cause. He turned his back on his friends and opened the door, stepping outside. Watching him leave finally gave Charlie the ability to move again, she followed right behind him like he had done earlier when she had been the one trying to run away from him. It felt like it had been hours ago when barely 30 minutes had passed since.

''Jam- '' She cut herself off. ''Bucky.'' She quickly corrected herself, the sour aftertaste of the last time he had told her to call him Bucky still lingering in her mouth. ''Talk to me, we need to talk about this. Please.''

She was ashamed of how whiny she sounded. She was almost begging him and if she hadn't been so sad she would have been embarrassed beyond words.

He was glad he had his back to her because hearing her calling him Bucky hurt more than he had expected and he flinched, like he had just gotten hit. In a way, he did. Right in the heart. Waiting a few seconds to make sure he had gained his composure back, he turned around to looked at her and tried to have has little emotion showing on his face as possible.

''Talk about what? There's nothing to talk about.''

''I know my father has hurt you, twice now and believe me I feel incredibly guilty. I wish I could take it all back for him but I can't. You're one of my best friends and...'' She stopped talking when she heard Bucky scoff at her last words.

''I'm your best friend?'' He laughed dryly. ''We barely know each other.'' He quirked an eyebrow, he almost looked amused. Almost.

''Don't say that. We are friends. We care about each other.''

Bucky flat out started to laugh, and it made chills run down her spine. His laugh wasn't one of amusement. He was laughing, at her. His laugh felt like it was filled with venom.

''Talk for yourself. I never said I cared about you.'' It was lie. A lie that left a sour taste in his mouth, he felt sick to his stomach but never let it showed on his face.

She was speechless. Stunned. She always thought she was pretty good at reading people, sometimes she would be wrong but could had she fooled herself into thinking he was her friend? Had she read so much into everything that she was completely wrong about the situation? No. She refused to believe it. He ate lunch with her almost every day, he hugged her all the time and when he had came over to her house he had read to her. No. She wasn't wrong. They were friends and, although he never said it, she felt like he cared about her. As certain as she was, she was starting to feel less and less confident about it all.

''Listen doll, it was fun and all but there's way too much drama.'' He shook his head from side to side, sighing. ''It's not worth it. Your ''friendship'' isn't worth it.''