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psychobratuserunknown · 12 days

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A second chance at love★b.b

—prologue ;; the embodiment of defeat

Beatrix gets left at the altar by atlas. while also loosing her part-time teaching job. she discovers that her ex-fiancé fell in love with someone else. he was also going to take her on THEIR honeymoon. while he is on their honeymoon with his new girl bea takes things into her own hands by selling his belongings and moving away from the apartment they shared.

content warning — Mentions of infidelity, Atlas Jones is an asshole, and there's a little Shaun of the Dead reference in here.

pairing — older!bucky x younger!beatrix

chapter summary — Following her ex-fiance Atlas's departure from their engagement, Beatrix had feelings of humiliation and defeat. Due to her previous experience of being duped the night before, she realised it was a poor idea to book separate hotel rooms before the wedding. In addition to losing her postdoctoral scholarship, Beatrix lost her part-time teaching position. Unable to face anyone again, she sat by herself in her red wine-stained bridal dress.

word count — 3.8k ish

SERIES MASTERLIST || MAIN MASTERLIST

kansas city - December 15th, 2022

Beatrix felt completely defeated. She had been left at the altar, humiliated on what was supposed to be her wedding day.

Deep down, she knew getting separate hotel rooms before the wedding was a bad idea.

Her fiance had cheated on her the night before with someone else and all she wanted was a simple text saying he couldn't go through with it and that he was taking the other woman on their planned honeymoon to Australia.

Even the priest could see how sorry Beatrix looked. It was written all over his face, the same pitiful expression she hated seeing from others - both giving and receiving it.

She thought being left at the altar only happened in movies or to girls who used to bully her in high school. Never did she think it would happen to her.

To top it off, she got laid off from her part-time teaching job and her postdoc scholarship didn't make the cut. And now, here she sat on the steps of a beautiful church, alone and pathetic, eating her own wedding cake. At least it tasted good; they had paid enough for it. Well, her ex-fiance Atlas did.

The sounds of the party behind her grew louder as she sat there in her wedding dress, letting it flow down like a waterfall onto the steps. Snow began to fall and even though she should have gone inside to get a jacket, she didn't want to face everyone again. Her gorgeous ivory dress, passed down from her grandmother, was now stained with red wine after she spilled it on herself while trying not to cry.

With a cigarette in one hand and a chunk of wedding cake in the other, Beatrix sat there licking the white vanilla bean icing off her fingers. A few crumbs fell onto her lap and she looked down with a soft sob.

Things between her and Atlas were perfect - well, perfect for him at least. Beatrix never had much of a say but she just swallowed it, like a good fiancee. She was always the cool girlfriend who drank beer with the guys instead of wine, hosted Super Bowl parties even though she hated football, and woke up at 4:00am to go to CrossFit because Atlas wanted her to - he said she was looking a little rounder.

God, she hated him. What a prick. Why did she stay with him?

And why did she let him leave her like this? She knew he was cheating on her but she thought if she just endured it and lost enough weight or got a better job, or was sweeter to him, that he would stop.

The door opened behind her and her best friend since they were four years old, Matilda, called out to her. Beatrix looked over her shoulder and took a drag of her cigarette. Tilly's pretty hazel eyes bore into her as she stood there in her elegant blue dress while everyone else had changed into their casual clothes.

Tilly always hated being called by her full name so Beatrix had started calling her Titty when they were kids - a silly nickname that had stuck around. Tilly never seemed to mind and just rolled with it; except for anyone else who dared call her that - like an ex-boyfriend who received a punch in the face when he tried.

Tilly was sensitive when it came to her name and she couldn't help but comment on Beatrix's drunken state. As they sat outside, Tilly asked how Beatrix was truly feeling. Beatrix sighed and admitted that she felt broken and unsure of herself, but also a sense of relief. Tilly comforted her as she cried and reminded her that she wanted this night to be remembered for good reasons.

But deep down, Beatrix had only said that to save face and hide the fact that she was heartbroken over her fiancé leaving her at the altar. Instead of dealing with her emotions, she drank too much wine and sent angry texts to her ex-fiancé, who ignored them. Tilly reassured her that even if he hadn't left her on their wedding day, their relationship would never have worked out due to his cruel behavior towards Beatrix.

Despite wanting a fairy tale ending with him, she was willing to go through hell just to be with him. Now, Tilly suggested using the money meant for their honeymoon in Australia to go on a trip to Portland together instead. After some hesitation, Beatrix finally agrees and they make plans for the next day.

"Why do I have to spend Christmas and New Year's being miserable?!"

"I'm grieving!"

"Grieving over what? A guy with a flat butt and a small penis?" Beatrix started laughing, but Tilly nudged her in the ribs.

"Come on, I'm going to this party with some professors from the University of Portland."

"But I don't want to be around academics. I just got fired by academics!"

Tilly rolled her eyes.

"And I don't want to hang out with people I barely know!"

"How did you even get invited to this party?"

"The department head is Sarah's brother."

"Sarah Wilson?!" Sarah was in the same PhD program as Beatrix and Tilly at Washington State years ago. They still kept in touch occasionally, mostly through Facebook.

Sarah was a successful researcher with two beautiful kids, a huge house, and she did it all on her own after her husband left. Beatrix always admired her strength - she could really use it right now.

"Yeah! I told her I was going back to Portland to visit family, and she invited me to the party. Who knows, you might make some connections and land a great job!"

"I can't leave Kansas."

Tilly rolled her eyes.

"There's nothing left for you here, babe. Come home. Your mom was thinking about asking you."

"She's always thinking about it."

"Well maybe it would be good for you." Tilly paused and grabbed a handful of cake. "Come on, you hate it here. I can see it on your face."

"I don't hate it here."

"Who wanted to move here, you or Atlas?"

"He said it would be good for his career, and it was good for mine-" "Until they fired you." Beatrix sighed.

"Yeah."

Tilly wrapped her arm around Fiona's shoulder and pulled her close.

"Come on, come home. You're not a country girl, we both know that. Can you even name one country song?"

"Shania Twain..." Beatrix trailed off.

"Not a bad try, but it's not a actual song," Tilly laughed.

"You're not going to let this go until I'm on a plane back with you, are you?"

"Nope. And I'm sleeping in the honeymoon suite with you tonight, so..."

"You have your own room!"

"Do you think I'm letting you sleep alone?"

"There's only one bed!" Beatrix yelped.

Tilly winked at her and Beatrix nudged her in the ribs.

"Asshole."

"You love me," Tilly replied as she squeezed her and held her close. Beatrix rested her head on Tilly's shoulder and let out a soft sigh.

From behind them, Beatrix heard the door open and turned around. Scott Lang, one of her brother's friends - and hers - stepped outside with a cigarette between his lips. She always liked Scott growing up; he was funny and incredibly smart.

Scott was now a physics teacher at their old high school in Portland, but he was still working on publishing new articles. He didn't want to limit himself to just teaching high school - he wanted to stay connected to the scientific community. Although, some people didn't take him seriously because he taught high school physics.

"Hey, Scott."

He walked over and sat next to her, taking in the champagne bottle at her feet and the sad-looking cake on a small bone china plate.

"Hey. How are you holding up?"

Beatrix sighed.

"Covered in wine, drinking straight from the bottle, and eating cake with my hand... Just another Saturday for me."

Scott chuckled and lit his cigarette.

"I'm sorry about Atlas. That guy's a total jerk."

"Told you," Tilly muttered as Beatrix flicked her cigarette onto the pavement.

Immediately, Scott handed her another one and lit it as soon as she put it in her mouth.

"Thanks," she murmured. "So what's it like in there?"

Scott shrugged.

"Just a party, like you asked for. John's parents and sisters aren't here though."

Do you really want to hang out with John's sisters' friends and their wine club? That doesn't seem like your scene." He took off his jacket and put it around Beatrix's shoulders. "Here, you look cold and too stubborn to admit it."

She smiled softly as Scott rubbed her back.

"Will you be at the New Year's Eve party?" Beatrix asked him.

"Hell yeah. I got an invite from Sarah before Tilly did."

"You jerk," Tilly said with a playful punch.

Scott laughed as Tilly reached over Beatrix and tried to hit him. The three of them were 28 years old, two successful in their careers. And here she was - a complete mess, sitting on the steps of a snow-covered golf course.

Screw it. What do I have to lose? She thought.

Unemployed and unmarried... maybe getting left at the altar would at least score me some discounted plane tickets or free champagne on the flight?

Maybe even delivered by a hot flight attendant? Gender was never an issue for Beatrix anyways.

She and Tilly had dated in high school, but eventually realized they knew each other too well. Who would they complain to when things went wrong?

"I'll go home - but just for Christmas and New Year's!" Fiona exclaimed. "But don't tell my mom or she'll make me move to Seattle with her, and I can't handle that. Not for a third time."

Before Atlas, Beatrix had been in a string of terrible relationships. She fell too quickly and committed before truly knowing the guy.

One time, she ended up living with someone who had committed vehicular manslaughter. She found out when police showed up at their door one day while she was returning home from a run, arresting her boyfriend on a five-year-old warrant.

Beatrix grabbed the bottle of champagne next to her and took a big swig, holding it above her head. She didn't feel victorious, but fake it till you make it, right?

"You guys want to get out of here?" Scott asked as the bubbles burned Beatrix's throat.

"Yeah," Beatrix sighed, and Tilly helped her up. "This party is lame."

"Because Atlas's mom planned it," Tilly muttered.

"Probably."

They crushed their cigarettes on the ground and Scott helped Beatrix inside while Tilly grabbed their coats and Beatrix's purse. Her suitcases were already at the hotel, ready for their trip to Australia tomorrow. Technically, she could leave now, but she would have to buy plane tickets tomorrow and spend more money she didn't have.

She sighed as she looked around the ballroom. Most of Atlas's family had left, only her friends remained. Her dad was asleep in a chair with an empty champagne glass still in his hand while her mom tried to wake him up, eventually resorting to slapping him in the face. Beatrix giggled and caught her mother's eye before she hurried over to her.

"Oh honey, I am so sorry this happened." She hugged Beatrix tightly while Scott stood off to the side sipping a random glass of champagne he found on a table.

"It's okay Momma. These things happen, right?"

"They shouldn't," her mother whispered. She pulled back. "Why don't you come live with us in Seattle?"

There it was, she thought.

Beatrix shook her head.

"I'll be fine, Momma. I need to find a job anyways."

"Well, you know, I was listening to NPR and they were talking about how tough the academic job market is getting - it's brutal," her mother sighed dramatically.

"There's barely any security now. All of that time and effort for nothing?" Beatrix felt like a balloon rapidly losing air, her shoulders slumping and her expression becoming more defeated as her mother finished speaking.

It wasn't that what she said wasn't true, but beatrix just didn't want to hear it right now. Congratulations, beatrix! Your life has fallen apart and you can't even find a job. The universe always seems to kick you when you're already down.

"Thanks for the reassurance," she sighed.

Her mother rolled her eyes.

"Oh, honey, I didn't mean it like you'll never find a job. I meant it like you need to put your best foot forward and really impress those schools. Maybe wear a little makeup? It wouldn't hurt."

Beatrix had to hold back from snarling. She loved her mom, but sometimes she offered up her opinions as if everyone was asking for them.

"I will, mom. Thanks."

Her mother gently tapped her cheek.

"Your father and I love you."

"I know, mom. I love you too."

"You were too good for atlas anyway. He didn't deserve you."

Before beatrix could start crying again, tilly walked over with her bag overflowing with something - probably something she shouldn't have taken from the wedding, but today was supposed to be about beatrix... even though things didn't go as planned.

Beatrix's mother kissed tilly on the cheek and then looked down at the bag and coat in tilly's arms. Her eyes widened.

"Are you two leaving?" She asked as tilly handed beatrix her favorite cherry red wool coat - probably the best thing John ever bought for her.

"Yeah," beatrix said softly. "I'm tired and covered in wine. I just want to go back to the hotel since I have it for one more night. And I don't want to risk running into atlas at home and making things awkward."

"He didn't say anything to you? He didn't even call?" Her mother asked.

Beatrix shook her head and her mother scoffed.

"If he knows what's good for him, he'll have already left the country," Fiona's mother muttered.

"Or the planet," Scott added.

Beatrix's mother hugged her again, kissing her on both cheeks.

"Try to get some rest and think about what I said, okay?"

"Okay."

She knew she wasn't coming home. Beatrix didn't know what she wanted to do anymore. Academia seemed like a gamble and job opportunities were scarce, especially in Kansas.

The three of them said their goodbyes with Scott leading the way out of the building and into a large limousine that was rented for the night. The driver was standing outside smoking.

"I thought I was taking the bride and groom to the hotel," he said as he flicked his cigarette onto the ground.

"Yeah, change of plans," beatrix replied. "We're having a threesome now."

Scott burst into laughter and tilly rolled her eyes as she opened the car door.

"What?" beatrix asked as the driver walked around to his door and climbed inside. "I thought it was funny."

"It was," Scott chuckled.

The three of them piled into the limo, beatrix sliding in after tilly. Her thigh brushed against tilly's bag and she heard the sound of bottles clinking. She raised an eyebrow and Bea grinned, reaching into her bag and pulling out five bottles of Dom Perignon. Tilly always brought big bags to academic conferences specifically for stealing purposes.

Once, she decided to take the entire charcuterie board and even the fancy cheese knife from the event. The university later tried to charge her for it, but she tore up the bill and told them off.

"I found these in the fridge. Thought you might want a souvenir."

Beatrix laughed and threw her head back. The bottles were a gift from Atla's workplace, meant to be opened and enjoyed only by the head table. Beatrix, Tilly, and Scott made up the head table since no one else wanted to stick around and watch one person throw a party for themselves.

"Hey! Open one of those!" Scott shouted.

"Not here, uncivilized man!" Tilly retorted. "Calm down! You've had four Jägerbombs, five glasses of champagne, and two whiskey sours!"

"It's not my fault you can't handle your alcohol, Matilda."

"If you call me by my legal name again, I'll beat you into next week."

Scott leaned forward with raised eyebrows.

"You'll beat me?" he asked with a slight wiggle of his head.

Tilly went to stand up and punch him, but Beatrix held her back.

"Are you still going to the hotel?" The driver called out.

"Yeah! I have the room for one more night and my fiancé left me at the altar, so I'm going to enjoy every moment of having a balcony and a free breakfast tomorrow."

"Rough luck, kid!" The driver paused. "You seem to be handling it well though!"

"It's the alcohol," Beatrix reassured him. "And having my friends here makes it bearable."

Scott and Tilly hugged her tightly as Beatrix let out a soft sigh, resting her head on her best friend's shoulder as the car drove towards the hotel.

Things could have been much worse. She could have actually married Atlas Jones today.