Chapter 3 – Do You Like Her?
Effie: 13 years old
By next summer, Effie was slightly put off by Haymitch's behaviour. He was more irritable and angry, and summer was a little tensed since she felt as if she always had to be cautious around him.
Effie tried to spend time with her father but apart from meal times, she couldn't seem to get her father to want to be with her.
"Play with the boy, sweetlings," Stephen Trinket said distractedly, gently pushing her between the shoulder blades out of the house. "I have to be at the mines."
"He is nowhere to be found, Father," she pouted. "Will you please just take me to the meadow today? We could have a picnic there."
"Euphemia, your father is very busy," Lysandra Trinket chided. "Wherever is your son, Isla?"
Isla Abernathy glanced surreptitiously in Effie's direction, and she couldn't understand it but it was the look in Haymitch's mother's eyes that made Effie felt a little uneasy, a little guilty, as if her very complaining to her father would get Isla in trouble.
"I – I sent him out on an errand," Isla replied, carefully applying a coat of dark blue nail polish for Lysandra. "He should be back anytime soon. Why don't you come sit by me, child? I will do your nails after this, if you like."
Effie bit her lower lip, considering the choices in front of her. On one hand, her father was clearly not interested in spending time with her, more concern as he was with Lachlan Abernathy currently patiently waiting for his employer by the car. On the other hand, she liked Haymitch's mother. She was always so nice and gentle with her, and treated her the way she would treat her sons. Effie always wished her own mother would dote on her that way.
"Will you put some shiny gem on each one?"
Isla smiled beckoning her to take a seat. "I wouldn't recommend the gem. Not for summer, at least. The things you and Haymitch get up to… You will lose the gems and your nails will not be pretty anymore, will it?"
Recognising the truth in that, Effie laughed lightly and shook her head.
"What colour would you like, Effie?"
"Red," she answered without missing a beat. "Haymitch told me it's his favourite colour."
Isla's gaze shot up at her and then it softened. Effie was too young, only in her early adolescent, to have been able to read her expression but if she could have, she would have seen the gleam of sadness and pity in Isla Abernathy's eyes.
"A very basic colour, Euphemia," Lysandra remarked snidely. "Perhaps, something more vibrant… How about turquoise?"
"No, thank you, Mother. The red will do."
Lysandra huffed and left the room to retire to the veranda.
"Haymitch usually takes me along whenever he has an errand to run for you," Effie spoke quietly.
"He left very early in the morning. You were still asleep. It was my fault, child, I told him to let you have your sleep."
Effie dropped her gaze to her fingers and watched as Isla applied fresh coat with careful precision. Deep within her heart, she felt something was amiss. Haymitch's mother wouldn't lie to her, would she?
She didn't see him until later that night when he walked into her room and she swore, her heart skipped a beat.
"I didn't hear you knock."
"That's 'cause I didn't," he shrugged. He had grown taller and a little gangly. There was a pimple on his left cheek, something Effie had pointed out on the first day here. He had merely looked away in embarrassment. "Mama said you were looking for me."
"I was but that moment has passed," she told him coolly.
She was miffed and annoyed.
"What are you doing?" he asked, moving closer to her bed.
"Drawing," she answered. Maybe if she were to give him one word answers and pretend she was not interested, he would leave her alone like he had the entire day.
"I didn't know you could draw. Let me see it."
He sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her with interest sparkling in his grey eyes and she sighed. It was so impossible to stay mad at him.
"Do not laugh," she warned but handed him the sketchpad. "These are just drawing of clothes."
He looked at her in confusion.
"I – " she hesitated, wondering if this was something she wanted to share with him but they were best friends and they tell each other everything. "Mother brought me along during the fashion week where they were having their Fall/Winter collections. I love it a lot. Mother said she would take me along again next time. It was amazing, Haymitch! There were all the pretty shoes and clothes, and Mother introduced me to her acquaintance who is a stylist! So she told me all about designing clothes and that is what I want to do. I want to be a fashion designer."
He blinked.
"So all you do is make clothes? Like a tailor?"
"No, no, no," she shook her head. She was on her knees on the bed, looking at him excitedly. She had never spoken about this dream out loud and it was making her feel all sorts of things. "Tailor sews clothes. Designers design them. Oh, it is all so very exciting the more I think about it."
"Do you have to go to school for that?"
"Of course," Effie nodded. "People will love my designs and one day, I will be famous."
"You will," Haymitch chuckled. "Then you'll forget all about spending your summer here. It'll be boring."
"Never," her eyes widened. "I do not abandon my friends. I will invite you to the city for my show and you will get to see all of my designs."
"Sure," he indulged.
"Promise?"
He merely smiled but it was enough for her. Effie leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He froze and slowly, touched the spot where her lips had touched his skin.
"You won't leave me alone tomorrow, will you?"
"You can't survive a day without me?" he teased.
"Where were you today?"
She could tell that her question did not bode well with him. He stiffened next to her. Effie's gaze was trained on him as he stood up and moved towards the door.
"I'll tell you tomorrow, a'right? Goodnight, Effs."
When morning broke across the horizon, Effie was woken up the crowing of roosters. She had spent several years of summer in this part of the country but she could never get used to all the crowing. Making her way down to the verandah, she broke into a grin when she spotted Haymitch there buttering his toast with the three top buttons of his shirt undone.
"Will you make sure Haymitch gets everything on this list?" Isla requested, pressing a small rolled up piece of paper into her hand.
"Of course, Mrs. Abernathy," she promised and she was more than happy to because it meant she would be spending her day with Haymitch.
They kept glancing at each other over breakfast, grinning and smiling, and once Effie was done with her croissants, she leapt up from her seat which earned a disapproving look from her mother.
"See you later," she waved to her parents.
Haymitch was right behind her and with his long strides he easily caught up with her. Once he was close enough, he placed both hands on her shoulders to guide her towards the back of the house.
"All aboard!" she laughed.
"To the shed, Trinket," he hollered.
They picked up the bicycles leaning against the wall and made their way out of the village. They cycled next to each other leisurely and Effie figured this was a good time as any to talk about yesterday.
"You have something to tell me," she reminded, "about where you were yesterday."
He rubbed his forehead, squinting against the glare of the sun.
"I didn't want to be at home a minute longer and I couldn't wait for you 'cause you were still sleeping so I took off," he said simply which of course, raised several other questions in her mind.
"Did something happen?"
He let out a breath, and stopped cycling. He lifted his shirt and Effie gasped. The skin on his right hip was mottled blue and black. Without thinking too much, she reached out and touched it gingerly but still he sucked in a breath.
"I don't think he meant it," Haymitch lowered his voice as if wary that someone might overhear the conversation. He pulled the shirt down.
"Who?"
"My dad," he admitted. "He's been drinking again and he was in a mood. I – I asked him a question and he told me to go away but I – uh – I kept asking."
Effie shook her head. Haymitch could be very stubborn and adamant.
"He lost control and hit me here, with his bottle. The bottle didn't break. Otherwise, it would have been worst. All I got was this bruise," he said. "Guess I got away alright."
"Does he always… Has he hit you before?"
"Usual stuff you know when I don't listen or I don't behave. He'll twist my ear or hit my palm with his belt, nothing weird. Aspen's father does it to him too. Sometimes dad will shove me inside the house so mama could talk to me. But… nothing like this before."
"What was it that you were asking him about?"
He looked away.
"I asked why he couldn't just stop and find some other job," Haymitch said.
Effie stared after him, not at all expecting that.
"I heard him tellin' mama that the mines have been giving him trouble. He's … I think he's drinking to deal with whatever's going on there. Do you know anything?" he rounded on her. "Did you father say anything to you?"
"No," Effie answered. "You know he would never discuss something like that with me. Besides, I spent most of my time in school and with my friends."
"Yeah? What do you do with your friends, anyway? Paint each other's faces?" he mocked, taking the sight of her in.
Effie bristled. She had spent her morning ensuring that she looked pretty. It was just a little lip gloss and some eye shadow but she supposed if he could mock her about that, then he must have noticed. Suddenly, she didn't feel so irritated anymore.
Besides, he could have mocked her about the drawings he saw yesterday but he didn't.
"Amongst other things," she replied over her shoulder.
She walked ahead in the aisle, picking up an apple to inspect before putting it in Haymitch's basket.
"Weird hobby."
"We do not have rivers and lakes to swim in after school, Haymitch. Or a meadow to catch spiders from," she retorted. "If I were to tell my friends what you and your friends do for recreation, they might just think the same – weird, abnormal."
He smirked.
"Learnt a new word back in school; feisty. I think that's you."
She preened.
"Speaking of lakes, you want to swim at the lake this afternoon?" he asked. "Everyone's going to be there and the boys are asking after you."
He wrinkled his nose when he said it and didn't seem at all thrilled. She wondered the reason behind it.
"What other options do we have aside from swimming at the lake?"
"I dunno," he shrugged. "If you want to do something else go ahead but I want to go. Myra's going to be there."
"Myra?" she asked sharply.
"Yeah, what's your problem with her? You still don't like her cause she's different?"
"It's not that," Effie said and walked off.
She watched as he picked up onions and potatoes. She consulted the list and pointed him to the tomatoes.
"Do you like her?" she asked after a while, circling back to the topic that had quite frankly, unsettled her.
Haymitch looked at her. "As in like like?"
"Yes," she hissed. "Do you have a crush on her?"
Haymitch gave a goofy smile, one she didn't think he realised he was doing. "She's pretty," he admitted.
"Really? I won a beauty pageant twice in a row," Effie couldn't help but point out.
"How could I ever forget that when you've repeated it about a hundred times…" he taunted.
"Ugh, you never take things seriously. How horrible," she spat.
"Don't act like you don't have a crush on someone in that school of yours. So, come on, which city boy got your attention?"
Effie thought of Marcus almost immediately. Marcus had always been sweet on her since the school year started and he always got her presents. There was also Theron, good-looking and rich, and someone whom her mother had pushed her to befriend for his family's name.
"That is none of your business," she huffed, turning on her heels to find the rest of the items on the list.
She heard him laugh two aisles over.
They cycled over to the lack with the groceries filling their individual baskets to the brim. Haymitch carefully set his bicycle against a big tree, careful not to disturb their shopping. Instead of running off to his friends, he helped Effie down and parked her bicycle next to his.
It was only after that he tossed her a grin, took off his shirt without much delay, leaving his white undershirt on to hide the bruise, and ran towards the lake, jumping into it with a big splash.
Effie was more hesitant as she leisurely made her way over.
"Come on, just take the dress off and get in," Haymitch shouted.
That was such a ridiculous thing to do. She had been under the impression that they would first head back to his house to drop off their groceries which would give her the chance to change into something more appropriate. She had after all bought a new one piece swimsuit which she was eager to put on.
They had argued about this on the way over, naturally, but Haymitch was adamant that cycling back home would be a waste of time.
Behind him, Aspen was grinning. "Come on in! What are you waiting for?"
"Leave her alone," Myra chimed in, treading water next to Haymitch. "She'll come in when she's ready."
Effie gritted her teeth.
The last thing she would do is to sit around waiting for them to be done with their afternoon swim. She also refused to be a mere spectator to this frivolities so despite her better judgment and despite the fact that her mother would be appalled, Effie undid the button at the back of her dress and let it fall to her ankle. Immediately, the boys – Aspen and Toby – started whistling and egging her on. Haymitch grinned.
She waded into the lake. Haymitch met her halfway, just as the water started rising to her calf and held out his hand to help her in.
"Careful, might be slippery," he warned.
He gripped her hand tightly and only let go when the water was above her waist. It was cooling in the lake and when she washed her face with the water, it was tasteless.
"Hey," Haymitch whispered in her ear as he treaded water, "you look pretty, too."
Effie blinked trying to figure out where that statement came from before she remembered the conversation they had the grocery store. She smiled at him.
Young Haymitch is more open and less guarded, adult Haymitch would never have admitted what his father did.