𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓷𝓲𝓪𝓬 ❖ 𝓫. 𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼

C H A P T E R (10) - R Y A N / T E R R E N C E

"Hey guys." Steve said as he entered the house.

Cassie and Bucky stepped away from each other quickly, both with a slight blush on their cheeks and a smile marked on their faces. Cassie positioned herself in a chair at the dining table whereas Bucky stood leaning against the kitchen countertop. Steve entered the kitchen and looked between the pair expectantly.

"Are you guys alright?"

"Yup." Cassie replied almost too quickly.

Steve furrowed his brows as he sat opposite his sister at the table. After a few seconds of silence, Cassie spoke up.

"Ryan Terrence." She said blankly.

Steve froze in his spot and didn't blink, causing Cassie to tilt her head at him. The name obviously had an effect on him, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"What have you got to do with Ryan Terrence?" She asked, "He's bad news."

"Nothing, I apparently have something he wants."

"Well he seems to think that it's his so you need to tell me what you have."

"Who's Ryan Terrence?" Bucky interrupted, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Cassie's-"

"No one."

Bucky raised his eyebrows and took a few steps closer to where the siblings sat staring at each other.

"Ryan Terrence is Cassie's no one?"

"Precisely." She lied as she stood up with a sudden desire to leave, "I have somewhere to be."

No one said a word as Cassie left the house and entered the evening darkness, leaving her confused friends behind. But the term friend seemed like an understatement for Bucky, and walking through a busy Brooklyn street, she finally had the time to think about what had happened.

She had been friends with him all her life, ever since she was born. She could still remember playing together as children, and now she had found out he loved her. Was it just in the heat of the moment, did he even truly mean it? Steve had interrupted the moment before she had a chance to respond, he did that too often for Cassie's liking, but this time she was partly grateful for the badly timed interruption.

Cassie turned a corner and bumped into someone, making them drop whatever they were holding. On instinct, she muttered a 'sorry' and bent down to pick it up. She furrowed her brows at the envelope addressed to Steve and raised her head at the person.

"Terrence." She sighed.

"Rogers."

Cassie got herself up from the floor but held the envelope tightly in her hands. She looked down at it and read Steve's name alongside their address.

"Why do you have an envelope with my brothers name on it?"

"Because I'm delivering it to him, isn't it obvious?" He mocked.

Cassie rolled her eyes and as Ryan leaned forward to take the paper from her hand, she pulled it back and held on tighter.

"Why?"

"Can't a man deliver a letter in peace?"

"You can't."

Ryan scoffed and took a step closer to Cassie, causing her to back up into the brick wall behind her. His face was too close to hers for her liking, so she turned it to the side as Ryan placed a hand next to her head.

"Do you need to protect him or something?" He asked.

"He's perfectly capable of doing so himself." Cassie assured, not that she believed her own words.

"Oh I'm sure." He laughed sarcastically, "I thought that's what his buddy was for, you know, what's his name-"

"Bucky. His name is Bucky."

"Yeah whatever. Anyway, I was thinking-"

"Well that can't be very good."

"Very funny," he spoke with a straight face, "I was thinking we could give us another go, y'know?"

"In your dreams, Terrence."

He laughed and took a step back, running his hand through his short hair. He looked back at where Cassie still stood against the wall with the letter in her hand. She had that hand against her chest as she clutched it tightly. After she noticed Ryan was eyeing the envelope, she quickly moved and shoved it down her shirt.

"Don't think that'll stop me, Rogers."

"Gross." Cassie rolled her eyes and began to walk away when Ryan grabbed her wrist, "Let go of me."

He shook his head and eyed her chest.

"The letter."

"No."

"Fine, I'll just take it then."

Ryan took his other hand reached towards her chest, to which Cassie's instinct caused her to whack it away with her free hand. She tried to shake him off but it didn't work as the pair were continuously trying to get their way: Cassie trying to leave and Ryan trying to get the letter back. Finally, Ryan backed Cassie into the corner of the wall and placed a hand either side of her head.

"Give me the letter or I'll take it." He demanded, his eyes still glued to her chest.

"No thanks." Cassie said as she brought her knee up and hit him in the crotch.

She then kneeled down at his side where he lay on the ground and gave him a devilish smile.

"That's for talking ill of my brother," she paused and then sent another blow to his crotch, "And that's for your unwanted male gaze."

Cassie stood back upright and spun around, her route now changed. She hadn't originally had a place in mind to go, but now she was heading home.

There was only one thought in her head as she entered her home: What did Ryan Terrence want with Steve?

When she entered the kitchen, she found Bucky and Steve both sat at the table.

"You're back." Bucky said as he leaned back in his chair.

"No shit." She replied coldly as she threw her keys on the countertop.

Bucky raised his eyebrows and turned to Steve who offered the same expression. Neither of them knew what had happened to make her attitude change so dramatically.

"I'll give you one more chance to tell me what you have to do with Ryan Terrence." Cassie said, glaring at Steve.

"I- uh- well..." he stuttered.

"Fine."

After receiving no answer from him, she was just going to read the letter. However, she preferably didn't want to remove it from her top in front of them both, so she made her way to her room and decided to read it there. Just as she pulled the envelope out, a voice sounded from the doorway.

"Did you just pull that from your shirt?" Bucky questioned with a smirk.

"Shut up." She laughed, "I had no other option."

"How about your hand?" He joked as he made his way to where she stood.

He saw how it was addressed to Steve and snatched it from Cassie's hands and held it above his head where he knew she couldn't reach.

"Bucky, give it back." She groaned as she jumped and tried to reach it, but to no success.

He began to open it and read it, but his once sarcastic expression was nowhere to be found as he finally brought his eyes away from the letter. And with one question, he stopped her heart.

"What happened between you and Ryan Terrence?"