Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Suzanne Collins' characters and her world. They're hers. Not mine.
One Piece At A Time
Madge got out of her car and sighed. This was just her luck.
It wouldn't start, just made a pathetic clicking noise each time she turned the key. She went to the front and popped the hood, wedged it up with the long metal rod that lived under it, put her hands to her hips, and gave what she assumed was the engine a disapproving glare.
How dare it not want to start.
After several minutes of that not working, and that was the only tool in her arsenal, she sighed again and ran through her options.
Peeta and his family, her best shot, were out of town already, had left the day before to head to a cousin's wedding. She could call her dad, but he was out of town, so that wouldn't do her much good. Maybe he could point her in the right direction though. Her mother was at a retreat, trying to stay clean. There was Mr. Abernathy, he would come, but it was late and Madge was certain he would have started drinking. She didn't see how him walking up to the high school and cursing her car with his liquor bottle would help her.
Madge bit her lip and pulled out her phone, scrolled through the numbers.
Katniss.
While Katniss herself probably didn't have any auto repair skills, her dad worked for the District, so maybe he knew some basic mechanics. Maybe she was stereotyping them since they lived in the country…
Hitting the name, she prayed Katniss wouldn't be offended by the assumption.
It turned out to be a pointless worry, the Everdeens didn't even answer.
She pulled up Delly Cartwright. It was Delly's fault for making her stay after school for her stupid homecoming committee meeting, which Madge wasn't even on but had somehow been guilted into helping with anyways. She hoped Delly answered and had someone that could help, she owed it to Madge.
Her thumb had just begun to lower, to quickly smash the name, when someone pulled up behind her.
"Car trouble, Undersee?"
Not you.
Why, of all the people at the school, did Gale Hawthorne have to pull up?
Madge bit her lip, "No, Gale, just admiring this marvel of modern technology."
The windows were all down in his banged up truck, which had clearly seen better days. The paint was peeling and the bed was scratched almost bare, there were patches of rush, very small, on the bumper, but it was surprisingly clean.
She heard the driver's side door open, then bang shut, and cringed when she felt Gale's looming warmth at her side, staring down at her open hood beside her.
"What all have you checked?"
He apparently feels some kind of manly duty to help her in her time of auto distress, which would be cute, if she weren't sure it was going to result in him making her feel like a complete ditz.
She shrugs, "I've opened the hood."
Gale nods, "And?"
Madge waves her hand at the car's guts, "The engine still appears to be intact."
He makes a noise, it almost sounds like a laugh, but when she looks to him he's a stoic as ever.
"Okay."
"Maybe," Madge bites her lip, "you can jump it?"
She has cables and everything, not that she's one hundred percent sure how to use them, but Gale probably did, and she has no doubt he'dlove to show her how to use them.
"You're radio is playing," he states, as though that's important.
"So?"
"It isn't your battery if the radio is playing. A dead battery or a shot alternator would mean your radio, lights, you know, the things the battery runs, wouldn't work." He rubs his face with his hand, "When was the last oil change?"
A small part of her wants to play dumb, ask if she's supposed to change the oil everyyear, but she's tired and covered in glitter from Delly's homecoming decorations, so she just lets her shoulders sag, "A month ago."
He nods, actually looks a little stunned she had done some basic car maintenance.
Gale takes a step forward, leans over and puts his hands on the car, staring down into the hood as though divining the root of its problem in the silence. He reaches in and pulls out the dipstick, she guesses he didn't believe her about having the oil changed, smears it on his jeans, then puts it in and out again. Once he's happy the car is in perfect working order, other than not running, he straightens up, which is a shame, she was enjoying the view.
"I bet it's your starter."
Now he was just messing with her head.
"My what?" That had to be a fake name. He was making that up.
"The starter." He walks around to her driver's side and folds himself in before trying to turn the key over, only to be met with a clicking noise. "Yeah, probably the starter."
Madge gives him a dull glare, "You aren't funny."
"I know," his brow wrinkles. "I'm not trying to be."
She arches her eyebrows. A 'starter'? Really? How stupid does he think she is?
"Do you get those at the same place you get the 'blinker fluid'?"
Gale rolls his eyes, "I'm serious, Undersee. It's a real thing. It literally makes the car start." He eyes her phone, "You have anyone you can call?"
Madge wishes she did, telling him 'no' makes her feel a little pathetic. Lying though, isn't really an option if he's telling her the truth. Maybe he'll continue to take pity on her and tell her the name of someone who won't rip her off too badly, she isn't certain the guys at the oil change center are qualified to change a 'starter', though she isn't sure.
Sadly, she shakes her head no.
He looks serious, even as he pulls out his phone and dials a number while walking to the tool chest bolted in the front of the truck bed. Probably one of his football buddies to laugh at her.
She gives her traitorous car a glare. How dare it betray her like this.
When he comes back he's holding several tools.
He hands a few to her, "When I ask for one of these hand them to me."
Madge wrinkles her nose, "What are you going to do?"
"Get the starter off," he grunts, pulling a cord or some sort off what she thinks is the battery. He goes back to his truck and grabs a jack, slides it under her car and hoists it up before sliding under is himself.
After what feels like ten minutes of Gale snapping at her for handing him the wrong tools, as if she knows one from the other, he crawls out from under it with a small part in hand.
"The starter."
He holds it out for her inspection, as if seeing the defective piece will make her understand him more. She frowns.
"So…what now?" Obviously this is an essential part. Where does she get another 'Starter'?
Gale tosses it up and catches it, "I called my dad. He's going to bring us another."
Madge nods, hoping it's that easy.
"You, uh, working on homecoming?"
She nods again. "Oh, yeah. Delly talked me into it."
He grunts. After a few moments of silence he cuts a look at her. "You coming to the game?"
"Yeah, I guess." It was probably the only game she'd attend that year. She didn't enjoy the cooling fall air or having to interact with the shrilly cheering crowd and her schoolmates. Football games, any school function really, was just a waste of time for her. Besides, it exhausted her, being around all those people.
Madge looks from her car over to him, wondering why he's trying to make small talk.
"I'm escorting Chenille Shumard," he tells her suddenly.
Okay…
Why his escorting Chesney's big sister during the homecoming ceremony is important, Madge isn't really certain, but she gives him a small smile. "Oh, that's nice."
If his sudden scowl is any indication, he doesn't seem to think so, but says, "Yeah."
They stand there, staring at her car as they wait for his dad.
"Hey, Undersee?"
Madge frowns and turns to him. He looks a little pale, maybe he's dehydrated from football practice, his mouth is gaping a little.
Then a truck pulls up, the District 12 emblem on the door and a government tag, the driver gives the horn a little honk. Gale scowls.
A man, about Gale's height, with a scruffy bearded and a long sleeved work shirt on, hops out. He's smiling as he brings a box over to them and hands it to Gale before jutting his hand out to Madge.
"You must be the young lady with the bad starter," he grins. His shirt is filthy, smeared with grease and dirt, emblazoned with the District 12 emblem and his name, 'Asher', on the right shoulder. "I'm Gale's dad."
He reaches out with a calloused and worn hand and shakes hers.
"It's nice to meet you Mr. Hawthorne. I'm Madge."
He chuckles, "Just call me Asher, little lady." He shoots Gale a small look, "He behaving himself?"
Madge gives him a small smile, not sure what to say. Gale was helping her, which was more than she ever really expected. So she nods, "As much as a teenage boy can I suppose."
Mr. Hawthorne laughs, it's deep and warm. Madge wonders if Gale laughs the same way, or if he's even able to laugh.
"Very diplomatic of you."
He turns and watches his son as he crawls under the little car with the starter, offering a few pointers here and there as Gale grunts acknowledgements.
Uh-huh. Yep. Yeah. I know dad. Yeah.
Mr. Hawthorne grins over at Madge after the tenth 'Uh-huh' and winks.
"He's a real conversationalist."
Madge lets a little giggle bubble out.
How did such a friendly man produce Gale? His mother must be a total witch.
The sun is sinking at their backs when Gale finally wiggles out from under the car, wiping his hands on his already filthy jeans, smearing oil and grease across his thighs. He pushes himself up from the parking lot and gestures back to the car.
"I'll get it down then we'll try it out."
He releases the jack and reconnects whatever it was that he'd pulled off earlier, then tells Madge to get in and start it.
After a deep breath, Madge turns the key, and, to her great relief, it starts.
She does a little dance in her seat, "It lives!"
Mr. Hawthorne grins as Gale slams the hood down.
"Thank you so much!" Madge beams at them, "What do I owe you for this?"
Mr. Hawthorne holds up his hand, "Helping a pretty girl is payment enough."
He bats away her wallet, waves a finger at her and laughs when she makes her saddest face at him. "I have four kids. I'm impervious to that face, little lady."
"I at least owe you for the part."
Gale's father just keeps shaking his head as he walks back toward his truck.
"Please, Mr. Hawthorne!" Madge drops her hands to her sides in exasperation.
He waves, "It's Asher, and I get a discount at the parts store, so don't worry about paying."
She's still protesting as he gets in his District truck and drives off, waving his goodbye.
Madge pulls out whatever cash she has in her wallet and tries to hand it to Gale, but he pushes it back at her.
"You heard the man."
She gives him a glare, "I'm not just gonna let you roll around on the ground and get all dirty fixing my car and not at least pay for the part."
Gale eyes the money for a moment before shaking his head and grunting, "Wasn't much work."
Madge tires to shove it in his hand but he jerks back, raises his hands above his head.
A little annoyed and ready to go home, Madge attempts to stuff the money in the pocket of Gale's shirt.
"If you want to get in my clothes you don't need money, Undersee."
She freezes.
He's grinning, there's an odd sort of gleam in his eyes, the dim sun is flickering out in them. He's teasing her.
She starts to snipe back, 'yeah, I've heard,' but stops herself. He's been uncharacteristically nice to her, just repaired her car, so she bites her retort back and settles on, "Don't get excited, Gale."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
I'll bet you wouldn't.
Gale walks around his truck and hopes in, "You can owe me lunch or something."
Madge nods, she owes him something, and if torturing her during lunch is his way of getting his pound of flesh for services rendered then she supposes she'll just have to suck it up and muddle through. She squints back at him, but can't really make out his features in the dying sun.
"Sure, and thanks, Gale. It was really nice of you. Just name the place and I'll pay up."
He tilts his head a little, nods, then shifts his truck into gear and takes off.
Madge falls into her car, sighing at the soft rumble of the now running engine. Her luck may have been crappy, but at least it had ended well this time.
