The next year passes and the trio begins to grow even closer in their friendship.
It is incredibly rare that a day goes by without the three of them attached to each other's hip.
They celebrate Bucky's 15th birthday where the twins gift him with the second edition of "The Adventures of Bucky Barnes and The Roger Twins". They also celebrate the twins' 14th birthday on July 4th.
Bucky takes the twins to a look out he found one day and they sit and watch the fire works.
They stay out for several hours chatting and Lizzie falls asleep on Bucky's shoulder. Bucky feels the same inexplicable warmth in his chest that he felt two New Years ago when she kissed him on the cheek.
Well, he kind of understands what that feeling is now. He is fifteen and is starting to get interested in girls but those kind of feelings towards Ellie are incredibly dangerous so he tries his best to squash it.
So when Tara Conners asks him to go dancing, he doesn't say no.
The trio is hanging out at that same lookout a few weeks later when the topic comes up.
"What movie do you want to see Friday?" Lizzie asks.
The last Friday of every month, the trio always go to see a movie at the local theater.
"I can't go actually," Bucky admits guiltily.
"What? You got a hot date or something?" Steve jokes.
"Um, yeah actually. Tara Conners asked me out and I said yes," Bucky admits.
He refuses to look at Ellie when he says this. He knows if he looks at her, he'll give too much away and he doesn't want to see the indifference on her face.
If only Bucky looked at her, he would see the devastation on her face.
"Oh wow! Tara Conners, that's great Buck," Steve says genuinely.
"Well maybe we'll see a movie next month if James isn't too busy taking out all the girls around town," Lizzie says haughtily.
"Oh, calm down Lizzie. It's just one date. We hang out almost everyday and it's not like we're loosing him forever," Steve says.
Lizzie fears that that is exactly what this is. She worries that this is the beginning of the end of their friendship. He's eventually going to go steady with a girl and how will she take him having a girl as a best friend? He'll have to make a choice and she worries it won't be her.
At least, that's what she tells herself she is upset about.
"I have homework to do. I'll see you at home Steve," she says right before she runs off.
"What's up with her?" Bucky asks.
"You know she doesn't like change," Steve explains.
Bucky knows that change is something that Lizzie hates but he feels like there's more to it then that.
"Nothing is going to change, it's just a date," Bucky says.
"I know, I know, she's just overreacting. She has to understand that it's a part of growing up. Before we know it she's going to start dating, that'll be crazy," Steve muses.
Bucky doesn't like the feelings that pop up when he thinks about someone else taking her out, holding her, kissing her. It should be him, he thinks. He quickly stops that thought. He knows he can't go there for so many reasons; she's so young, she's his best friend's sister, and most importantly she is his best friend.
She's the biggest risk he knows he can never take.
That night Lizzie cries herself to sleep.
After the date with Tara, Bucky starts going out a lot more often. Sometimes with Tara but also with other girls. He always make sure to make it clear that he's not willing to get too serious.
Lizzie throws herself into schoolwork. She becomes so advanced that the school wants to bump her up a grade. She declines because she wouldn't want to be in a different grade then Steve. And if she's honest with herself, she also doesn't want to share classes with Bucky and all his new girlfriends.
She already gets dirty glares from a lot of the girls at school. She misses the days when she was invisible, it made everything so much easier.
One day Lizzie is walking home alone because Bucky got detention for being tardy and Steve is home sick again. For the first year after the incident, the boys panicked every time she had to walk home by herself but Bucky taught her some self defense and they relaxed a little after. They still freaked out if she was even a little late though.
"Hey, Lizzie! Wait up!" She hears a shout.
She turns around and sees Tara running up to her.
"Oh, hey Tara. Do you need something?" Lizzie asks politely.
"Yes, I've been meaning to talk to you," Tara admits.
"Okay, but I have to keep walking because Steve doesn't like it when I'm home late," Lizzie says.
Tara falls in line beside her.
"He really cares about you, doesn't he," Tara asks.
Lizzie didn't really know what Tara wanted to talk about but she didn't imagine this line of questioning.
"Of course. We're twins, we're connected in a way that no one else except another twin could understand," Lizzie explains.
"What about Bucky?" Tara asks.
This line of questioning makes more sense.
"What about him?" Lizzie asks warily.
"Are you connected to him too?" Tara prods.
Lizzie sees the looks that Tara and the other girls Bucky dates give her. They don't seem to believe that her and Bucky are just best friends. In their heads, she's the reason Bucky won't commit to them.
"He's my best friend, of course we have a connection. All best friends have a connection or they wouldn't be best friends," Lizzie responds.
She wants to add stupid to the end of her sentence but she refrains.
"And that's all you guys are?" Tara asks.
Lizzie is really starting to get frustrated and picks up her pace.
"Yes! Why does everyone think that there has to be more?" Lizzie says.
"Because you're obviously in love with him," Tara says with a mocking smile.
Lizzie stops in her tracks and glares at Tara.
"Oh, yeah? News to me," Lizzie says fastidiously.
"I just thought I'd break it to you that he's never going to love you back," Tara says.
I took a lot of sleepless nights and soul searching but Lizzie already worked through all the feelings she had for Bucky.
Lizzie has come to terms that her and Bucky aren't meant to fall in love. She's not a robot who can turn off her feelings but she is also extremely logical. She knows that Bucky is the most dangerous person to fall in love with.
Contrary to Tara's belief, she isn't in love with him. Maybe someday it could turn to that if they both went there but it was just a crush. She loves him, she's attracted to him but she's saved herself from falling in love with him so far.
"I feel sorry for you Tara," Lizzie says.
"You feel sorry for me?" Tara asks.
"You're so insecure that you have to track me down to try to cause a rift between me and Bucky? I may be quiet and a bit of a loner but insecure I am not. Also contrary to popular belief, Bucky and I do love each other. Not in the way that you're suggesting but in a way that will last forever. We were best friends long before you and Bucky were a thing and we will be best friends long after you are gone. You say that Bucky will never love me back? Well guess what Tara, he'll never love you either," Lizzie finishes.
Lizzie turns away from Tara to continue to walk home.
"Wait!" Tara shouts again.
Lizzie turns towards her and raises an eyebrow.
"You're not going to tell Bucky about this are you?" Tara says insecurely.
Lizzie throws her head back and laughs.
"No, Tara, I won't tell him. I'm pretty sure your so called relationship will fall apart quite effectively without my intervention," Lizzie says.
When Lizzie gets home, she goes to check on Steve.
"How you feeling, little brother?" Lizzie asks.
"Little brother? I'm older than you," Steve responds.
"Semantics. I'm still bigger than you," Lizzie says teasingly.
"Why were you so smiley when you came in?" Steve asks, changing the subject.
"Oh, I just put a little bully in her place," Lizzie responds.