so this chapter was getting extremely long, so I'm splitting it up. i hope you like it! i was extremely excited to write this chapter. enjoy!
The under construction signs hung in the windows of Haymitch's might have been a deterrent if it wasn't the best place in town for a cup of coffee. As long as the dust and plaster stayed out of their coffee cups, the Donner girls were happy. They'd barely gotten a chance to sit down before Haymitch approached them. "You can't sit there," he said.
Her mother narrowed her eyes at him before asking, "Why not?" It wouldn't be the first time Haymitch attempted to thwart their many attempts to drink enough cups of coffee to get them into the Guinness World Records book.
"Three people have been injured while sitting at this very table."
"Three this morning?"
He gave her a look. "I'm trying to run a business here. Try and keep it down."
Her phone began to ring and she dug into her bag in search of it.
"Take it outside. The sign is still up, construction or not," Haymitch gestured toward the sign beside the landline, reading 'NO CELL PHONES' with a photo of a cell phone crossed out above it.
"Fine," she stood, leaving her purse. "Order me a muffin and a doughnut. Coffee too."
Madge rolled her eyes. "Hello, I'm a Donner too." She glanced around for Gale and as if on cue, he appeared behind her.
"You're going to want to hold this." An umbrella was thrust into her hands.
"Real cute," Haymitch muttered, filling her coffee cup. She moved to lower it, but he tugged it back into place. "Just keep it there."
"Okay," the word had barely left her mouth before it began to rain drywall on her head.
Her mother came back in, dusting off her chair before sitting. "Are we going to do that Singing in the Rain number like I've always wanted?"
"Maybe later," Madge glanced nervously toward the ceiling. "Come closer."
Her mother's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she did as she was told, barely missing another downpour of debris. "At least the coffee's good," her mother commented, taking another sip of her coffee.
"Yeah, the coffee's especially good today."
xx
It was hard to pretend not to be absolutely ecstatic when her mother gave her the news, a weekend with the house to herself. They might be best friends, but there were some things Madge could only do when she was home alone. It was rare and she could count on one hand the times it had happened, but Madge quite liked being home alone.
Not to mention her mother deserved a spa weekend away, even if she was dreading spending it with her grandmother.
There was a small pile of clothes on her mother's bed, beside her weekend bag. It was only two nights and Madge figured they were most likely going to stay in their robes for the most part, but knowing her grandmother formal clothes for dinner would be a requirement. Dinner was never an informal affair, not in Eleanor Donner's book at least.
Madge took extra care to roll up her mother's clothes and place them carefully into the bag. If it were up to her mother, she would just cram them in until they fit. No care for all of the wrinkles that would result.
"Thank you so much. I can't wait." Her mother hung up the phone, writing something down. "So I just got off the phone with the spa and I've rearranged our itinerary. Right as I'm smack dab in the middle of getting my pedicure she'll be in the next room starting her facial. We'll miss each other by about fifteen minutes the entire day. If everything goes as planned, I won't have to see her until dinner. It'll be great!"
"Mom."
"Well it's not my fault she manipulated me into thinking I was going to be spending this weekend alone. I would've thought of an excuse if she had told me that we were going to be trapped together all weekend."
"You won't be trapped. You'll be in separate rooms."
"That is nice. But enough about me, tell me about the rager you're planning on throwing this weekend while Mommy's away."
"The plan consists of me in my comfiest pajamas doing my laundry exactly the way I like, ordering Indian food, then going to sleep early."
Her mother rolled her eyes. "Try not to spend the entire weekend alone. Hermit it up one of the days, but spend at least half of the weekend with civilization. Invite Katniss over to watch movies and pig out or something."
"Yeah, but I kind of want to be home alone. Y'know, I might even fall asleep on the couch with the TV on."
"I think I would wonder if you were really my daughter if I wasn't there when you came out of me." Her mother looked wistful for a moment, before she started chuckling. "Your father would have jumped at the chance to walk through the front door instead of sneaking through my bedroom window for a change."
"You can stop now. I don't need to know the details of my conception." Madge closed the bag. "You're all set."
"Just push me out the door, why don't you? Are you sure you're not having a party? Is the guy with the keg arriving soon?"
"I can't have a party. I have school in an hour."
Her mother leaned forward and smoothed down her hair. "You're so innocent. You are aware that some kids skip school, especially when their mommies are away and wouldn't know the difference."
She shook her head vehemently. "But I have an exam next week in Chemistry and today we're getting our labs back. I can't miss any of that."
Her mother pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're one of the good ones, Kid—"
A honking car interrupted their moment.
"I think that's Grandma."
"Are you kidding me? Your mother would think it's undignified. A honking car? It's practically an automobile belching."
Madge glanced out the window, where a limousine was currently parked in their driveway. "I don't think we know anyone else who would come to our house in a limo."
"Oh no," her mother groaned. "Please tell me you're kidding me."
Madge stood, handing the packed bag to her mother along with a light jacket. They walked down the stairs, her mother complaining all the while.
Madge threw open the door. "Hi Grandma!"
Her grandmother grinned. "Why hello Madge!"
"You seem happy," her mother added, a thermos of fresh coffee in hand.
"How could I not be? We're going away for a weekend at a spa. I'm practically giddy!"
It was nice to see her grandmother so impassioned. Her grandmother was the very definition of 'prim and proper.' And most of the time that meant keeping a poker face at all times.
"Well, we must be going. We have a long and relaxing day ahead of us."
She shared hugs with each of them. "Have a good time, you two!" Madge called out, waving out the front door. Despite their past record, she was still hopeful that they would have a nice weekend together.
Madge took a deep breath, smiling to herself. She was going to get so much done this weekend.
xx
The 'A' written in red at the top of her lab was a good enough reason for Madge to be happy she skipped the "rager" her mother had in mind and made it to school. She flipped through it, checking through her work. There was always room for improvement.
Delly was chattering away toward the front of the classroom, and before she knew it she was standing directly beside her.
"Yes?"
"Do you have a date planned this weekend?"
Madge glanced back down at the pages in front of her. "What? Why?"
"I got an A- on my lab."
"And? That's a good thing."
"I've never gotten an A- in my entire life. You don't get into Harvard with an A- on your labs. I need you to help me study for the test next week. With an A- on my labs I'm sure to get a B on the exam and then I'll have to settle for state schools!"
"What are you going on about?"
"State schools, Donner! I can't go to a state school! Cartwrights don't go to state schools!"
"Calm down." Madge ran her fingers through her hair. "Why don't you see how you do on next week's exam and if you still need help then I'll help you study for as long as you like, within reason."
"What do you consider within reason? My definition may be far different than yours, Madge."
"Three hours without a bathroom break is not within reason."
"Well, if you're in there primping and reapplying your lip gloss then that's completely unreasonable!" She huffed, practically stomping her feet. "If I had just revised that seventh time like I had planned none of this would have happened."
xx
Madge ran her fingers through Beau's hair, pressing a kiss to the edge of his jaw. He dipped his head, sliding his lips over hers, his tongue running along the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to enter.
Though she didn't have a lot of experience, she thought Beau was a great kisser. He was her first kiss. It had happened at Coin's Market and she was so shocked she ran away clutching a box of cornstarch. It was the first time she had ever stolen anything.
"So your mom's not going to be home this weekend." Beau pressed kisses down her neck and along her jaw.
"Yeah."
"So I was thinking maybe we could rent some movies, get some food, maybe spend some time together without your mother or mine in the other room."
"Well, I kind of wanted to spend the night alone. Tomorrow, we're going to spend the entire day together. I'm your girl all day tomorrow though."
"Your mom's away and you want to spend the entire night alone?"
"Yeah, she never lets me do the laundry the way I like. This might be my last chance for a long time!" She pressed a kiss to his lips, a grin on her lips, her eyes shining.
"You want to be alone to do laundry?" His eyebrows furrowed and he pulled away, looking distraught.
It wouldn't be the first time that someone didn't understand Madge's hermit-like tendencies. The problem wasn't that she didn't enjoy spending time with her loved ones, it was that she rarely got the chance to spend time by herself without someone "popping in" and bursting her alone-time bubble.
"Yeah, Mom only separates the clothes by delicate, normal, and towels. I like to separate by type and then by color, lights, whites, and darks, but then also separate them a bit further. It's hard to explain, but I can't wait."
"You can't wait to do laundry? You'd rather do laundry then hang out with me?"
"No!" Madge pressed another kiss to his lips. "It's not that I don't want to hang out with you. I'm going to hang out with you all day tomorrow and I can't wait for that either! But laundry without my mother! That's the dream!"
"I am the best boyfriend in the world. You realize this, right?"
She chuckled. "Yes, you are."
"I think I'm eligible for sainthood now."
"Definitely. I'll make sure to have your papers into the Vatican as soon as possible."
xx
It was five-thirty and she'd finished two loads of delicates. Madge figured she had done enough to earn an early dinner. She was in the middle of her order to Sandeep's when the call waiting rang. "One second." She clicked over. "Hello?"
"Uh hey, I got the keg. When do you want me to come over?" It was her mother doing a horrible impression of a frat guy. Try as she might (and she did often), she was horrible at impressions.
"Hold on." She clicked back over. "Yeah, and that should finish my order. Thank you." She hung up. "What do you want?"
"Are you sure you're okay alone? Do you need me to come back?"
"Shouldn't you be getting a facial or taking a mud bath?"
"The mud bath is at the end of the day. I was just making sure you didn't need me to come home for any special reason."
"I'm good."
"Who were you on the other line with?"
"Sandeep's."
Her mother groaned. "Make sure to burn the house down when you're done. It's the only way we'll get rid of the smell."
The doorbell rang, interrupting her before she could respond. "Oh well I better go get the door."
"You can stay on. Cell phones are cordless! I'd love to know who's there!"
"Bye, Mom!"
She hung up, placing her phone on the coffee table. The knocking became more incessant as the seconds passed. "Keep your pants on," she muttered.
The door was barely open when Delly pushed her way through, already mid-rant, "I tried to study. I really did. I tried to go over my notes, but then I couldn't even read my serial killer handwriting. I spent two hours trying to read one page of notes. I was ready to pull my hair out. So here I am."
"I was going to ask what you were doing here, but I think you've already answered that question."
Delly gaped at her. "You're here in your pajamas," she glanced at the hamper filled with clothes, "doing laundry?" She dropped her bag. "I thought you had some big date planned."
"I never said that." Madge sighed. "My mom's gone for the weekend and I never get the house to myself, so I just wanted to enjoy it."
"Oh, you mean your mother doesn't like to spend long stretches of time away from you?"
Madge groaned. "Fine, I'll give you one hour, but no longer than that."
"I think you just earned your wings, Donner!"
xx
At the chime of the doorbell, Madge stood, yelling for Delly to begin gathering her things. "I gave you an extra thirty minutes. It's time to go."
She had been expecting her delivery of Indian food, not Gale at her door with a box full of food from Haymitch's.
"Special delivery," he announced, a smirk on his lips. Was there ever a time when one wasn't?
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, Haymitch figured with your mom away, you might be going without food, so he sent over some food."
"I already ordered Indian."
"You might want to burn the house down after. That's the only way you'll get rid of the smell."
"Cute," she sighed.
"Where should I put this?" Madge paused, considering the question. "Kitchen?" Gale slid past her, down the hall and into her kitchen. He placed the box onto the kitchen table and began unpacking its contents.
"This is a lot of food! This could feed an entire city!"
Gale scoffed. "Please, I've seen you eat."
"Fine, a town."
"He wanted to make sure you had enough until your mom came back. He wasn't sure how long she was going to be away."
"It's just for tonight. She's coming back tomorrow."
"He didn't know that."
"Well, make sure to tell him."
"I will."
"Why didn't Chaff bring them over?" The jovial cook usually made the deliveries, for as long as Madge could remember.
"I volunteered."
"Why?"
"I just needed to get away for a little bit. Haymitch isn't very soft-spoken, but since these guys have come in, all he's done is yell and those guys yell back, not to mention all the drilling and hammering. I can't even think over there right about now, much less read."
Madge nodded. "Oh."
"You didn't think I was coming over here just to see you or something, right?" Sometimes, she hated how he looked her right in the eyes, his gaze trained onto her. She spent more time then she would like to admit wondering what exactly he was seeing through his steel-colored eyes. What was he looking so hard at?
"No!"
"I just needed a little peace and quiet."
"Fine."
"That's all."
"Okay."
"Just needed to clear my head."
"Yep."
He leaned onto a chair. "Do you plan on eating any time soon?"
"Yeah, in a bit."
"Well, you don't want the food to get cold."
"It'll be fine."
"Fries suck when they get cold."
Madge glanced at the food spread across her kitchen table. "Yeah, they do suck." She looked back to see Gale looking at her expectantly. "What?"
"You forgot to give me a tip."
"You want money?"
"Not particularly, a fry would be good though."
"Have as much as you want."
He undid the buttons of his jacket, placing it onto the back of the chair he'd been previously leaning against. He moved to fold the sleeves of his flannel.
"You're staying?"
"Didn't you just invite me?"
"What?"
"You said I could have as much as I want. Now, that sounded a lot like an invitation to me. How can I be sure exactly how much I'll want anyway?"
"You want to stay here?"
"It beats being at Haymitch's."
"But—"
"I can't find my flash cards!" Delly announced, marching into the kitchen. She paused for a moment at the sight of Gale. "Oh, I didn't know I was interrupting something. Call me if you find them. I'll see you on Monday."
"No!" Madge yelled, surprising herself. "Stay. Gale brought over enough food."
"Oh, are you sure?"
"Definitely, I'll go over the notes another time after too."
"Deal! Just let me call Nanny!"
Madge stuffed her hands into her pocket, listening to Delly make the call from the living room.
"What was that?" Gale asked his eyebrows furrowed.
"What was what?"
"You think we need a chaperone or something?"
"No, but it's a lot of food. I was trying to be polite."
"We're down to only feeding a lousy town with me."
"And with Delly we're down to a village. It's still a lot of food."
He scoffed, sitting down.
She fought back the urge of telling him to get out of her seat.
xx
"You know, I actually tried to read it," Delly admitted, dipping a french fry into a puddle of ketchup.
"You're kidding me!" Gale yelled, his thick eyebrows rose toward his hairline. "I thought you were obsessed with the classics."
Delly shrugged. "I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about."
"What about you?"
Madge flushed under his gaze and took a bite of her burger in a poor attempt at avoiding the question.
"You cannot be serious!"
"I never said I liked it or anything! But when I'm speaking critically about something I want to know about it."
"Exactly!" Delly added.
"Prim loved it! I wanted to know why. Plus, I don't discriminate when it comes to literary genres."
"Alright, alright, alright, I'll try to refrain from teasing you until the end of time about this, but I have one question. Team Edward or Team Jacob?"
Madge tossed a fry at him. "Shut up!"
"You're talking a lot of trash for someone who's probably never read anything by the Brontë sisters."
"Hey! I read Wuthering Heights. And I read tons of novels written by women, if that's the point you were trying to make. I'll have you know one of my favorite books is The Awakening."
The two blondes looked to Gale with surprise etched across their features.
"That's pretty shocking. I took you as a worshipper of Kerouac or something."
Gale laughed, deep and loud. "I am."
The conversation was interrupted by Madge's ringing cell phone. At the sight of Beau's name, she answered, standing to talk more privately in the living room.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I got off work, picked up your favorite ice cream and am heading over to your place as we speak."
No. Just tell him no, she thought, but thought better. "You can't. I look terrible. We're hanging out tomorrow. You can see me then."
"I'll be there soon, babe."
He hung up before she could respond. Taking a deep breath, Madge walked back into the kitchen, making a big show of looking at the watch on her wrist. "Well, look at the time. It's getting quite late. Gale, thank you for bring the food. Tell Haymitch thank you for providing it. See you later."
Gale didn't move a muscle. "Who was on the phone?"
"No one."
"No one doesn't happen to be on his way over here right about now, does he?"
Delly, with a mouthful of mac and cheese asked, "What's happening?"
Gale stood, grabbing the jacket Madge was pushing into his hands. "Beau is on his way over and Madge doesn't want him to see me here."
"Why?"
"Yeah, Madge, why? I would love to hear this one."
"You know why, Gale." Madge pushed at his shoulder blades, guiding him toward the front door.
He dragged his feet, chuckling as she struggled to get him to move a couple feet into the hallway. "Gale, please. Do this for me. I don't want to fight with Beau."
"Fine," he sighed, putting his arms through his jacket. "You are no fun."
"Nope. So, thank you again."
"Say hello to Beau for me. Tell him I'm sad to have missed his veiny forehead, but hope to see it again someday."
"Gale!" She pushed him through the door.
"Well, I guess I can tell him myself."
gale is everything.
thanks for reading!
