*Time Skip- 1939 (11 years later)*

My father was a very protective man, and by protective, I mean that he was always watching out for Maxine, Wesley, and I. Being the middle child, I was sometimes forgotten about, but I didn't mind. Eleven years after that day in Prospect Park, I was still living in the same apartment on Crown Street.

My mother had died when I was 12 (1931). It was rather sudden. She had a heart attack, but she was asleep. It was hard for me to deal with. I mean, everyone kept trying to tell me that it was better that way-that she didn't suffer, but it just felt like I was the one suffering in her place. Wesley became quieter after Mom's passing. The two of them had been very close. Mom always used to call him her little author. Wesley had dreamed of becoming a famous journalist. Maxine became more spoiled. She would force Pop to do stuff for her by saying things like "Momma would want me to have (fill in something completely unnecessary for her existence)" or " I know Momma would be sad if you didn't let me (fill in the blank some random fad that she heard about from Sally Wellington at school)."

Then there was me. I had to try to deal with it on my own. I had Bucky and Steve, but sometimes a girl just has to have some time to herself to mourn. I would go and sit on the steps to our apartment building, watching the cars and people go by. I continued this habit up through my teen years.

Then my teen years were over. And I had no boyfriend. Or husband. Or good paying job. I felt like a failure in my house. Wesley was off at college, Maxine was in high school still, and then there was me. Still living at home with Pop. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy it, but most of my happy memories from when I was 20 have nothing to do with my family.

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Ring!...Ring!...Ring!...Ring!...Bonk!

I banged my hand against my alarm clock. It was silent. I didn't feel like getting up, but then I remembered what day it was. It was the day my dreams of being a famous singer may come true. I jumped out of bed and put on my robe. I went into the kitchen to find Maxine sitting at the table with several books in front of her. Pop was sitting in his armchair next to the radio listening to the news.

"Morning, Max." Maxine glanced up at me.

"I have told you multiple times! My name is Maxine! Call me by my actual name, Louisa!"

"Oh, you want me to call you by your actual name?" Maxine looked annoyed.

"Don't you even go there, Louisa!"

"Why ever not, Maxine Tyler Allen?" She looked angry enough to bite off my neck. You see, Mom's only brother, our uncle Tyler, died in World War I. Everyone thought that Maxine was going to be a boy, so Mom decided that she was going to name the baby Max Tyler Allen. Well, long story short, Mom decided to keep the middle name of Tyler for Maxine. Maxine hated it.

"You know what? Not all of us can be as lucky as you to get a name like Louisa Anastasia Allen! When I become a famous actress like Jean Harlow, I'll change my name to something more romantic like Isabella Paulette Bassford or Claudia Danielle Lewis."

"Until then, you will finish school." Said Pop, standing up from his armchair. Maxine mumbled something I couldn't hear and kept working on whatever it was she was working on. "Would you like some breakfast, Louisa?"

"No, but thanks anyway, Pop. I'm meeting Stevie and Buck for a late breakfast at the automat down the road." Pop looked over at me as he got a carton of eggs out of the fridge.

"Those two boys better not be making improper advances towards you." My father had had a grudge against all of the boys in Brooklyn (excluding Wesley, of course) since Woody Kellner kissed me in the fourth grade. I had told him countless times that he didn't have to worry about the boys, but he was stubborn and wouldn't listen to me. He just barely trusted Bucky and Steve enough to let me go out with them, and even then, every time he saw them, he would lecture them on the proper way to treat a lady. That is why I always met them places instead of having them stop by.

"Pop, be serious. You know Steve and Bucky. They are gentlemen, and they treat me very respectably." He mumbled and got out a skillet to cook his breakfast on. I walked into my room (which I only had to share with Maxine now that Wes was at college). I put on my green dress with small white flowers on it. I grabbed my purse and the bag that I used when I would go to the beach. In the beach tote, I put the fanciest dress I owned, a black chiffon dress with a sweetheart neckline and a sparkly belt. I was gonna need it for later, but my family couldn't know, so I had to hide it. I also put my black pumps in the bottom of the bag with a small box that had my necklace and earring I was going to wear. After getting all of my stuff together, I walked out of the room.

"Why do you have your beach tote with you, Louisa?" Asked Pop. I quickly racked my brain for an answer that would make sense.

"Oh, Buck, Stevie, and I were thinking about going to the beach. Buck was gonna try to get his old car to start. Don't expect me back for dinner." Before Pop could ask why, I left the apartment and headed for the automat.

When I got there, Steve and Bucky were sitting in our regular booth next to the window. Steve looked really excited.

"Hello, Boys! What's new?" They both looked up at me, and Bucky scooted over so I could sit down.

"Louisa, you won't believe it!" Steve was practically jumping on his side of the booth.

"Guess what?" I glanced over at Bucky who was just grinning.

"I got an invitation to an interview at the art school I applied for! They had a cancelation, and I was next on their list of applicants! The interview is tonight! I am so nervous!"

"Congratulations, Stevie! I am so happy for you! Wait. What time is your interview?"

"It's at 7:30 across town. Why? Oh... Louisa, I'm sorry! I totally forgot about your performance tonight. I already called and scheduled my interview time. I have been waiting to hear back from this school for over a month. I'm so sorry. I really wish that I could make it."

"Don't worry about it, Steve. I'm sure that if I do well tonight, you'll get to hear me sing lots of other times." I smiled at Steve. He soon looked happy again.

"Yeah, and I'll still be there tonight, Lucy. I can tell Steve all about it." I smiled at Bucky and turned back to Steve.

"What time do you need to head back to your place to get ready?"

"I'll need to head home around 5. I want to get there early, and that way I can have extra time incase I get lost."

"Ok." I looked down at my watch. "It is 11:30 now. After we eat, we can head to the movies, if that sounds ok with you two." They both nodded their heads in agreement. A waitress walked over to our booth and took our orders. Steve ordered a vanilla milkshake with a side of fries, Bucky ordered a Coke and a hamburger, and I got a strawberry milkshake with a ham sandwich.

As we sat eating, I told the two of them about the whole Maxine fiasco that morning.

"I honestly don't know how much longer I can stand living at home with Maxine there! After Mom's death, she has become even more of a disaster! If I had a steady income, I'd move out, but I can't since I don't. It's not easy having your only income being seasonal help picking strawberries out in the country. I'm just glad that my aunt hires me every year. I don't know what we'd have done without Aunt Felicity after Mom died. She helped us all through it, and for that, and many other things, I greatly respect her."

"Well, you know, Louisa. You could always move in with me." Said Bucky. I laughed and looked over at him.

"Buck, you know my father would rather me die than live with a man, let alone a man I'm not even engaged to! I'm gonna be an old maid. I'm calling it now, boys. Old maid." They both laughed. I glared at them as I drank my milkshake.

An hour and a half after I had arrived at the automat, the three of us headed out to go to the movies. There was a new Bob Hope and Jane Russell movie called The Paleface that we all wanted to see. Bucky forced me to let him buy my ticket for me, and he also bought Steve's. Them two of them had been very cheerful all day, which made me forget about all of the stress and annoyances back in the apartment.

We sat down in our seats and waited for the movie to start. I sat between the two of them-Steve on my left (hehehe) and Bucky on my right. When the movie finally started and the lights went down, I felt Bucky slowly grab my hand. He just silently sat watching the movie and holding my hand. I let him. I didn't think about it and focused on the movie.

*Time Skip- Three hours*

Since we had stayed through the news reels and cartoons, we were at the movies longer than we anticipated. It was around 4, so Steve still had about another hour before he needed to head back to his apartment. He loved in it alone now since his mother and father had both passed away. I rarely ever went to it. He always said that it was messy, yet whenever I went over there, it looked pristine. I don't know why he didn't let me go there often. It always puzzled me.

"Want to head to the park?" Asked Bucky. Steve and I both said sure, so we all headed down the street to Prospect Park.

"So, Louisa, what song are you going to sing tonight?" Asked Steve as we walked past Harvey Luther's taxidermy shop.

"I'm going to be singing Rubber Dolly." Steve sighed.

"I wish I didn't have to miss it, but I can't give up this chance." I grabbed his arm and made him stop.

"Steve, stop it! Stop beating yourself up over this! You are going to go to that interview! It is what you've been waiting for since you were 6! I am the one who should be sorry! My singing tonight isn't as important as the fact that your dreams are coming true tonight!" He grinned at me.

"Thank you, Louisa." I gave him a hug. He whispered,"Have fun tonight. Your dreams matter too." I smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He blushed a little.

"Thanks, Stevie. Now, we better catch up with Bucky. He's almost to the park. Why didn't he stop when we did?" We both started running to catch up with Bucky. Steve started to breath heavily almost immediately. He slowed down, so I slowed down with him. We both walked our way towards Bucky who leaned, looking bored, against a light pole.

"What took you two so long? By the time we get to the park, Steve'll have to go right then!" We all walked across the street to the park. We found a bench, sat down on it, and stayed there for an hour.

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Ok, so I wasn't planning on ending the chapter here, but this is already a pretty long chapter, so I'm going to make the rest of this, when I write it, into chapter 3. So, chapter 3 will be about later that evening/that night. Hope you are all enjoying the story! I really like writing as Louisa! I think she is a fun OC because we are very alike! Also, with this story, I think that I'll be going back and forth during the years, telling a story about when she was 5 to telling a story about when she was 14 to telling a story about when she was 2. That type of thing. I love you all, soldiers! Please don't forget to vote, comment, and possibly follow me if you haven't already! Night, Soldiers!

Love,

💚😁💐Peggy💐😁💚