We Are Not Weapons {CA: The Winter Soldier}

Chapter Two

After my first two morning classes, I had a sizable break before my next class, so I decided to go down and help Auntie with the mid-morning rush. While she made sure people were enjoying their coffee and treats, I wiped down the counter and tables. I also rearranged the shelves to keep them aesthetically pleasing.

The bell above the door chimed, signaling that a guest either walked in or out. My brown eyes flickered to the door, and I smiled, seeing a familiar face.

"Hey, Sam," I greeted. He smiled at me as he approached the counter.

"What's up, Shortstack?"

"Let me guess," I started. "Warm croissant with strawberry jam and a cup of coffee, black."

He chuckled. "Normally, you'd be right. But I'll just have coffee today."

"One for here, one Togo?"

"That seems fair. Thanks," he replied before sitting at the counter. I smiled and placed a mug and saucer in front of him before pouring him his coffee.

Auntie came around the counter as I set the pot back onto the heating disk. "She snooker you into more than one cup?"

"Doesn't she always?"

We chuckled and Auntie offered, "Well, the second one is on me."

"Thank you, Miss Spencer. That's very generous of you."

As she wiped down the counter, she shrugged and replied, "I gotta get you to come back somehow with this one practically forcing more coffee into you."

I scoffed, my jaw dropping as she gestured to me, and I shook my head. Sam chuckled and replied, "You have nothing to worry about, Miss Spencer. Shorty here is half the reason I come back. You and your amazing baking skills are the other."

"That's very kind of you, Sam," Auntie remarked before turning to me. "Now, baby, why don't you stop swindling the nice man and get back to school."

I playfully whined, "Aw, you're no fun. Can I at least get him his Togo cup? He said he really wanted it."

Auntie rolled her eyes and shared a pointed gaze with Sam. "She's trouble," Sam commented. I giggled and went to pour his coffee into a paper cup.

"Mm-hmm," Auntie hummed. "Tell me about it."

I placed Sam's Togo cup in front of him, smiling innocently. "Here you go, nice and fresh."

"Thanks, Serena," Sam replied. "Will I be seeing you at the Community Center today?"

I nodded as Auntie smoothed down my hair and replied, "You might just be seeing the both of us. Serena was kind enough to offer my services for the snack table in her support group this week. I'm gonna help her carry in the trays when I drop her off."

"Great! I'll see you there."

After handing Auntie more than enough money to cover both coffees, Sam left as Auntie and I waved. 

Sam ran a support group for veterans that suffered from PTSD, and after I told him that I was in New York during the invasion, he happily invited me to try out his support group. I knew I needed the help to cope with my new demons, and it meant a lot that the support group welcomed me with open arms despite our different experiences. I steered clear of being a part of the fight as well as anything that had to do with my powers, only talking about the explosions, how loud noises still affected me; I talked about how screams of innocent victims haunted my dreams, how I saw angry aliens whenever I shut my eyes.

"Alright," Auntie chimed, freeing me from my dark thoughts. "Time to get back to class."

I nodded, but I guess my eyes still held a far-off glance because Auntie's brows furrowed. She brushed her fingers over my hair and asked, "You okay?"

"Hmm?" I hummed distractedly. "Oh, yeah. Just lost in thought."

"Are you okay to go tonight?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I assured. "It's important for me to keep up with it."

Auntie didn't seem convinced even with the smile I offered. But she relented, dropping the subject. "Okay. Do you want a snack to take back upstairs?"

"I have a green apple and peanut butter calling my name. Thanks though."

"You're welcome. See you after class."

"See ya," I replied before disappearing into the second story. After closing the door behind me, I leaned back on the hard surface and released a deep, calming breath. Support group, talking about my feelings, allowing myself to be vulnerable, being so openly exposed to others' pain, it was all so draining. But I had to push through because even though there was an obvious drawback, talking about my experience and hearing about others' helped a lot.