Everything was as it usually was that day. Until it wasn't.

They sat at the picnic table before school, went to class, contemplated jumping through the second story window. All was well.

Then lunch came around.

Peggy wasn't around, which Bucky noticed immediately. While he talked to everyone else often enough, him and Peggy always sat together at lunch. It was their daily routine. If anyone else noticed this sudden change, they didn't say anything about it.

Bucky talked to Pietro, who was talking to Clint, who was off in space probably thinking about Natasha. Wanda and Vision were gone, probably making out behind the school somewhere. Bruce was sitting quietly and eating a sandwich. Peggy was gone.

It become apparent soon after where Peggy had been, or at least who she had been with. When she sat down at their usual lunch table she was accompanied by the one and only Steve Rogers. Bucky should've known this was coming.

"Peggy." Bucky nodded at her.

Peggy frowned. Nothing could get by her. That, or Bucky was being super obvious that he was bothered by the new addiction at their lunch table. More so, he was bothered by what it meant.

"Bucky." Her voice was quiet. It was like she knew. She couldn't have. Could she? "Umm. You know Steve, obviously."

She was looking at Bucky guiltily. It wasn't her fault. He shouldn't have been mad at her.

She didn't say that they were dating, but she didn't have to. Bucky saw Steve reaching for her hand before he sat down next to her. He wasn't even being discreet. Bucky knew he was being unreasonable, but he almost felt as if it was on purpose, and for whatever reason Steve was rubbing this in his face. Did he think Bucky had a crush on Peggy?

Steve was avoiding his eyes, which Bucky hardly noticed because he was doing the same thing. It was hard to look across at Peggy without looking at Steve, so Bucky ignored the two entirely. He knew it wasn't right, but Peggy would probably not even notice this, anyhow.

They were talking, Peggy and Steve. They were in their own world where nothing outside of each other mattered at all. Bucky wasn't sure why they'd even bothered to come at all.

"Bruce," Bucky said suddenly.

Bruce looked up. There was mustard on the corner of his mouth. "Yeah?"

"What do you think about a Halloween party?" It was the first thing he had thought of. Halloween was a week away, and he didn't actually think he'd be hosting a party, but he needed to start up a conversation somehow.

Bruce looked very unsure. "Party's aren't really my thing."

"Tony has a big Halloween party every year," Peggy said.

Natasha had convinced Bucky to wear his hearing aids to school, which Bucky found weren't all that hard to get used to once he actually wore them. However, sometimes he hated teenagers and their obnoxiousness and wished he wouldn't have to hear them so clearly.

All heads were turned to Peggy. She continued, "Steve already invited me. I'm sure you guys could come too."

Steve put on his charming Steve Rogers smile that was hard to look away from.

Oh god Bucky, stop—

Bucky looked away, catching Pietro's eye. Pietro raised a brow.

"Of course. The more the merrier." Bucky wondered why Steve managed to sound so serious most of the time. Then he wondered why he even noticed.

Pietro scoffed. "We've only been there the last three years, after all."

"Technically, you weren't there in tenth grade," Clint said.

Peggy laughed. "Yes, that was the year you decided that for Halloween you would be invisible."

Steve watched curiosity. "I heard you wouldn't leave the house for two days after watching some horror film. That's why you weren't there."

Bucky felt very much like an outsider in this conversation. He hadn't been friends with Pietro and the others until just recently, and he definitely had never been to one of Tony's Halloween party's.

He imagined that Steve wouldn't have wanted to leave the house either after watching a horror film. Bucky would have come over and tried to convince him that there was nothing to be afraid of. Except this wasn't the same Steve.

"It's on Halloween next Tuesday," Steve told them.

He caught Bucky's eye ever so briefly before quickly looking back to Peggy. This caused rage to boil in the pit of Bucky's stomach. Steve could at least pretended he existed, but instead he had to throw away years of friendship to the side of the road like the useless trash they apparently were.

Bucky looked down at the table to his clenched fists. He didn't even realize the pain of his nails digging into his palms. He though back to arguing in the car with Derek—

No.

He couldn't think about that right now. Around him were all of his friends, and he did not want them to see him in the state that thinking of his brother usually left him in.

When he looked up Steve was gone. Bucky didn't even remember Steve saying bye. It wasn't like Steve would say bye to him, anyway.

Peggy was still there, though. She looked rather whimsical in the cafeteria lighting—which to say the least wasn't very good—with wisps of hair falling around her face. Her eyes were bright with the sort of light that only love seemed able to bring. She was quite pretty, but she was also off limits. This was a rule that Bucky had devised for himself as soon as they had become friends, and it came into play even more so now that she was dating somebody.

That somebody was Steve. Skinny Steve, though not very skinny now, had managed to get a girl as pretty as Peggy. Not only was she pretty, but there was much more to her than just looks. Again, Bucky wondered how it was Steve getting a girl like Peggy and not him. It was a selfish and arrogant thought, really. That didn't seem to matter when he was angry at Steve.

He decided then that he would get a girlfriend at least before Christmas. It was a fair amount of time he knew, but Christmas had never seemed closer.

**

Hope came to him with the name of Maria Hill. She was a senior, and Bucky had convinced himself that he had a crush on her. Both his mind and heart knew this weren't true, but he pushed that aside for now.

Maria was neither a part of Tony or Bucky's friend group, but occasionally she drifted to both. Bucky knew her well enough.

His plan: ask her out, she would say yes, they'd kiss, they would start officially dating. It seemed simple enough. He already had Miria's number, with help from Peggy. He'd had it for a while, because a while ago Peggy had tried to convince Bucky to talk to her, but Bucky had chickened out.

It was cowardly to text her about going out on a date, but he was afraid that if he asked her in person he would seem hesitant and she would suspect that something was up. It was important that she said yes.

Miraculously, she did. Bucky felt neither excited about this information or disappointed. Peggy was excited for him, though. Apparently, he needed a distraction. She wasn't wrong.

Their date would be on Friday. Bucky was going for something cliche, though not intentionally. Maria seemed like the kind of girl who would appreciate a fancy restaurant, and they could even go and watch a movie after, if she wanted.

On Friday, he searched through his wardrobe for what he could wear. This wasn't his expertise. He should've asked Peggy for help.

Winifred and George were downstairs. George was happy that his going on a date with a girl proved he wasn't gay, and Winifred was just happy that he was going on a date. She suspected he wasn't too thrilled about Peggy and Steve being together, assumed he must've liked one of them, and guessed it was latter. So with this information, she promptly smacked her husband on the arm for making a homophobic comment.

In another hour he would have to leave to pick up Maria. His palms were sweaty and he was feeling slightly jittery. If all goes well, he might have a girlfriend. He wouldn't be bothered by Steve and Peggy sitting together at their lunch table, because Maria would be there too. It was a rather pleasant thought, the possibility of dating Maria.

His outfit was now laid out on his bed. It was satisfactory, but it would have to do. If Maria really liked him she wouldn't care too much about what he was wearing. It wasn't that Bucky didn't care, he just didn't know what else to wear. Again, he was wishing Peggy were there.

His phone buzzed, and Bucky suspected it was Peggy wishing him luck for his date. It wasn't Peggy. Bucky's stomach dropped as he read over the message.

Maria Hill: I'm so sorry to cancel our date last minute like this, but I have a terrible cold and I don't want to get you sick. Rain check?

Bucky checked the clock on his bedside table. 6:21. He was supposed to get Maria at seven.

Maria was at school that day, and she looked perfectly fine. It was obvious there would be no rain check. Why had she even agreed to this date in the first place if she never wanted to go?

Bucky slumped down on his bed. All at once, he felt relieved, disappointed, angry, and humiliated.

Humiliated. That was what seemed to stick the most. His parents, Peggy, and Rebecca, even, were so excited for him. He would have to walk down the stairs and tell Winifred and George that he wasn't going on this date, after all.

Clint could get a girlfriend, and Steve could get a girlfriend. Bucky, apparently, was undesirable with the ladies.

When he thought about it, he really wasn't too upset to not be able to go on a date with Maria. Still, he would continue to be bothered by Steve and Peggy dating. Part of him definitely knew why, but he would never admit it.

With a deep breath, he headed down the stairs to deliver the news.

**

A/n: Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than usual. I kind of love Bucky being fabulously bi. Also, please don't hate on Peggy. Or Maria. Or anyone.