While everything seemed to be coming together, Bucky also found himself more confused.

Stacy, arrested?

The words rattled around in his brain for the next little while. The rumours, like always, spread though the school like wildfire. This time, however, there was no common consensus. No one really could agree on what Stacy got arrested for. In fact, no one was really sure that she got arrested at all.

Sure, there were witnesses that said they saw the police leading her out of the school. However, no one knew what had happened after that.

Regardless, though the school wouldn't explicitly say it, Stacy was expelled.

"I'm not really sure what it was," Bucky said to Steve. Beside him, Pietro was telling Peggy a story. He was waving his arms about widely, while Peggy nodded along politely. It didn't, however, look like she was paying him much attention.

"Did you ask Rebecca?" Steve said. He turned away, and Bucky followed his gaze to where a bunch of ninth graders were all quickly turning their heads away. Lately, just by being slightly involved with the Stacy situation, it was like everyone just expected that they knew exactly what was going on.

Bucky only wished that were true.

"I'm afraid to ask," he said.

"She probably knows," Pietro cut in, finally abandoning his story after realizing that Peggy wasn't interested.

"Probably," Bucky agreed. "But I don't want to upset her. I'll ask eventually. Just... not yet."

"C'mon Buck," Natasha said. "Everyone's dying to know."

"You know what I want to know?" Bucky said, glancing over at Peggy, who looked entirely spaced out. "Why Peggy and Celia still aren't together."

Bucky relied on the two girls way too much for changing the subject, but yet it did work every time.

Peggy's head snapped up, and like every time Bucky brought Celia up, her cheeks reddened.

"Well, actually—"

"The two are finally official," Pietro interrupted.

"Seriously?" Bucky said. "And no one told me?"

He was only joking, but Peggy almost looked apologetic. There was a smile on Bucky's face that just wouldn't leave. In his life, he was so used to a series of bad things happening to him, but it almost seemed like the opposite at that moment.

Things were good with Steve, Stacy was out of the picture, Russia was temporarily put on hold since his parents were having trouble finding a house, and now Peggy was finally dating Celia.

About damn time.

**

It was later in the week that Bucky finally couldn't take it anymore, and had to ask Rebecca if she had any clue as to what was going on.

She was laying in her bed, probably watching Supernatural. There was a slight smile on her face, and for a moment Bucky had to stand back and just watch. He hadn't seen a lot of smiling from her lately, but ever since Stacy was absent from school she seemed to be in much better of a mood.

Then the smile faded when she saw Bucky, and she quickly shut her laptop, as if she had to hide this uncharacteristic display of happiness.

"Hey," Bucky said, awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"Well don't just stand there," Rebecca grumbled. "Come in."

So Bucky did, sitting on the bed beside her after she had scooted over to make room for him. She looked annoyed that he was there, but there was something deeper in her eyes. There was this load off of her shoulders, and the relief of it was something tangible in the air that even Bucky could feel.

"Do you know?" Bucky said. "Why Stacy got arrested?"

She looked a little taken aback, since Bucky had decided to be so blunt. But she was quick to reply, as if this were something that she had been holding back forever and had just been bursting at the seams to let out.

"She wasn't arrested," Rebecca said. "But I told Principal Fury that she kept a switchblade in her locker."

There was a heavyweight in Bucky's stomach, and like a childhood epiphany everything suddenly made sense in all the ways that he didn't want them to. He didn't say anything because he was entirely speechless, his mouth incapable of forming any words at all.

"She was expelled," Rebecca continued, "for obvious reasons."

"How did...?" Bucky didn't need to finish his question. Rebecca would know exactly what he meant. It was only a matter of whether or not she would actually answer.

Rebecca seemed reluctant at first, but then she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it over to Bucky, her hands shaky.

"I was going to give this to mom and dad," Rebecca said. "I don't think I can say any of this out loud. But I guess you can read it first."

Bucky unfolded the paper, and the first thing he noticed was that some of the words were smudged, and he had a pretty good guess of why that was.

He took a deep a breath, not entirely sure if even he was ready for the truth, at last. Then he began to read.

Stacy threatened me once, a long time ago. I don't even know why she hated me so much. I guess she felt threatened that I would take all the attention away from her, coming from a different country and all. She basically said that if i ever tried getting ahead of her bad things would happen. It all really started when I was talking to her best friend in English class.

So she pulled out the switchblade, and of course, like anyone would, I agreed that I'd pretty much do whatever she said. I don't think she ever would have actually hurt me. She never even brought up the situation again. Sometimes I even thought that I dreamed of it... But anyway, since then she had still been horrible to me. It's mostly the comments that she makes. They made me hate myself.

And then I just couldn't take it anymore, I didn't know if she still had the switchblade, and if I was wrong I could've been in trouble for wrongly accusing her of something so serious. I was going to see if there was some way to break into Stacy's locker, but I was afraid to get caught. In the end, I risked telling Principle Fury.

It was weird, because he didn't even seem surprised all. He believed me. Then he said that someone else had brought Stacy to his attention, but he didn't realize that it had been so serious. Still, he searched her locker and want do you know? The switchblade was in her backpack, and not hidden very well either. That's when he was supposed to call the police.

They came, and when they questioned me all I could really tell them was I happened to see it when we were still friends. A straight up lie, considering we never were friends, but I knew that Stacy would go along with it. It wasn't like she'd tell them the truth, because it would only put her in a worse spot.

Maybe I should have told the truth, but I don't really care anymore. Like I said, I don't think she ever would have used that switchblade. She's gone now, and that's all that really matters.

I wish I could say that everything will go back to normal, but I don't really know anymore. Stacy really put me in a bad way. I always felt like there was something wrong with me, and I still do. I just don't know, and I'm sorry that I put everyone through so much trouble.

I just hated going to school because of her. I couldn't have friends because I was afraid to. And like I said, Stacy was just awful to me. So I wrecked her brother's car, which was maybe the dumbest thing I could do. I wouldn't have done it if I was sober. Im sorry for that. Again.

And I'm sorry that I crashed your car. I really just couldn't take it anymore.

It was more than just the bullying. I'm not sure of you can understand what it's like to just hate yourself so much. I felt like I was just a burden to everyone. You guys were always so frustrated with me, and Bucky had also given up, which I don't blame him. I thought it would be better if I was gone.

But I'm glad it failed, if that means anything at all.

I guess that's all I really have to say.

It ended so abruptly, and then, as if an afterthought,

Russia is so far away.

**

The last chapter and epilogue should be published by tomorrow.