It was late at night, and Evangeline, known to her friends as Eva, was sneaking out to see her best friend, Elena. It was quite normal for them to sneak out late; however, this time, they snuck into a speakeasy. Now, it wasn't necessarily bad for Eva to be there, considering she was 24 and Elena was 23. However, Eva's brother, Steve, had one rule for her: she was not allowed to go out to the speakeasy because Eva could not handle alcohol at all. Whenever she went out to the speakeasy, she would have a breakdown and experience consistent mood swings.
When Eva and Elena made it inside, they ran into Bucky. This was bad for Eva because Bucky would do anything to get her in trouble with Steve, so she played it cool and went up to him.
"Hey, Barnes, what are you doing here? It's way too late for you to be out," Eva said.
Bucky, leaning against the dimly lit bar with a smirk, raised an eyebrow at Eva's approach. "Well, well, if it isn't little Eva sneaking around past her bedtime," he teased, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Eva rolled her eyes, trying to maintain her composure. She knew Bucky's penchant for trouble-making all too well. "Cut the act, Barnes. What's your game tonight?" she asked, crossing her arms defensively.
Bucky's smirk widened, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "Oh, nothing much. Just enjoying the nightlife, unlike some people," he replied, gesturing casually around the bustling speakeasy.
Eva sighed inwardly, knowing she had to tread carefully. Bucky had a knack for stirring up trouble, and she couldn't afford to get caught in his schemes, especially not tonight. With a forced smile, she glanced back at Elena, silently urging her friend to keep a low profile.
Ignoring Bucky's taunts, Eva straightened up and glanced around the crowded speakeasy, her senses on high alert. Little did she know, their late-night escapade would soon lead them down a path filled with unexpected twists and dangerous revelations, echoing the remnants of a past she had long tried to forget.
Flashback to 6-year-old Evangeline:
???: "Evangeline Lily Rogers! Get down here right now!"
Eva: "Yes, mama...?"
Mom: "Why weren't you watching your brother at school!?"
Eva + Steve: "We have different classes, mama."
Mom: "I don't care; he's still your responsibility, meaning you need to protect him."
Eva runs out the door to go to her safe spot.
Eva: "I hate her so much."
Bucky: "Why are you here? Usually, you only come when you're scared..."
Eva: "What's that green stuff in the barrel?"
Bucky: "Eva, don't go near that stuff!"
Eva: "I just wanna see it... I'll be fine, James. Woah-"
Eva falls in.
Present time:
Elena: "Eva, are you okay? You look scared and pale."
Eva: "I'm fine... we can go home. I'll see you tomorrow for work."
Eva went home to get some sleep before she had to go to work at the library. Laying in bed, Evangeline thinks about how Bucky seemed concerned for her after making it clear for years that he hated her, or so she thought.
*Time skip*
"7:00 AM and Eva is still asleep," shouted Bucky. "Eva, you have to go to work!" Eva jerked out of her sleep, throwing on her work clothes and bolting out the door. "Wait!" Bucky tried to stop her so she could grab her keys, but by the time he ran out the door, she was already gone. He decided to lock the door for her.
Eva rapidly searches her pockets.
Eva: "Well, isn't that just perfect?"
Elena: "What's up, angel?"
Eva: "I left my keys at home, and Steve said he'll be out all day. That means I have no way inside the house until he gets back."
Bucky, out of breath: "Jeez, you run fast. Here's your keys, by the way."
Eva smirks, knowing how far Bucky ran just to give her the set of keys she left behind mistakenly. She never thought James would care enough to chase her for 6 blocks down the road. Snapping out of her thoughts, Eva goes to thank Bucky, but he walks off to find a book.
Eva: "Today is not my day."
Elena: "Why do you say that?"
Eva: "I was late getting up, I left my keys at home, I haven't had any coffee yet, and I can't even speak to Barnes without spacing out."
Elena: "Since when does not speaking to him have an effect on you?"
Eva: "Since he has changed... Maybe I'm overexaggerating."
Elena: "Maybe not. You'll never know until you ask."
Evangeline sat there contemplating whether she should ask James about his sudden change of heart. Bucky was only nice to her when they were children. After they reached middle school, he changed. They haven't had a civilized conversation in years, all because of an unspoken rule they didn't know of.
Flashback to a conversation between Eva's and Bucky's mom:
Winnifred: "We can't let the kids be friends anymore."
Sarah: "Why not? They're best friends; we can't just separate them!"
Winnifred: "No, James told me that Eva was messing around with this green liquid in an abandoned warehouse. She fell in, and that's why her skin is messed up and looks supernatural."
Sarah: "Fine, but we never tell the kids about this. Even when they get older, they shall never know."
Present time
Eva decided she would go thank Bucky and question him at the same time. She had to know, the suspense was killing her.
Eva: "Thank you, Barnes, for bringing me my keys. I can't imagine how fast you had to run behind me."
Bucky: "Was that a thank you..? Uhh, you're welcome, I guess."
Eva: "I have one question for you, and don't ask why, okay? Why can't we get along like we used to?"
Bucky: "Honestly, I don't know. I feel like you just cut me off, and I haven't fully processed it, I guess?"
Eva: "I never meant to cut you off. My mom told me that I was no longer allowed to be your friend. The weird thing about it is that this happened a week after I fell into the elixir at that warehouse."
Bucky: "Our old hangout area, jeez man, I haven't been there in years."
Eva laughed, thinking about all the memories they made in that warehouse. Bucky joined her in reminiscing about all the happy times they spent there. They decided that after Eva's shift ended, they would go visit the warehouse for a bit of nostalgia.
Time Skip 6:00pm
Outside of the warehouse stands Eva and Bucky, they instantly remember all of the adventures they had as children in that warehouse. They return back to their childhood sanctuary, reminiscing and laughing amidst a flood of precious memories together.
END OF THE CHAPTER
{A/N}This is my first time writing an actual story so bare with me the slow plot build :)
