And, here we are…the recital!
The Family Plan
Part Eleven
"Reach higher!" Miss Trinket's command rang in Ramona's ears. "Straighten your back!"
She could feel the sweat pouring out of her flushed skin, which was unfortunately pressed against Sebastian's own taunt form.
"Sebastian, I need you to lead!" Miss Trinket continued as she adjusted Sebastian's hold on Ramona's waist. "You're supposed to be enchanted with this girl! She is trying to leave, but you don't want to let her go!"
"Sorry," Sebastian muttered into Ramona's ear as he pressed her even closer. "My death grip is probably killing you."
She snorted at his words. "Whatever my Prince commands."
They giggled quietly, loosening their stance.
Miss Trinket let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, you're free for today. It was better but not perfect—and I expect perfection from my leads."
"Yes, Miss Trinket," they both replied dutifully.
The teacher dismissed them and quickly they grabbed their bags from the corner of the studio before she could find some other issue with their pas de deux.
"Where are you heading now?" Ramona asked her friend.
"Baseball practice," Sebastian replied. "Not too far from here." He let out a tired breath. "I'm having a bit of a hard time with the whole romanticism of this production." Her friend looked to her. "Not that you have anything to do with it—"
"I know what you mean," Ramona told him with a dismissive wave. "We're just friends and, in the whole scheme of things, we're practically babies when it comes to relationships."
Sebastian smirked. "Not big on the romance, eh?"
"I just know that sometimes it's not meant to be," she replied. Her parents were prime examples of that. "And, look at my Dad and Katniss—three children between them, two exes, and they fell in love just now."
"Speaking of your dad and Katniss, how is Beatrice?"
The blush on Sebastian's pale cheeks was prominent.
"She's good," Ramona said with a grin. "You know that the boy across the street from our place is madly in love with her."
There was a beep and she turned to see her Dad's car pulling up. The back window rolled down and Beatrice waved at her excitedly.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with some healthy competition," Sebastian told her. "I'll see you on Monday."
"Have a great weekend," Ramona responded.
With a final wave and a wink at Beatrice, Sebastian walked away in the opposite direction.
Opening the passenger door, Ramona hopped into the front seat.
"What was with the wink?" Beatrice asked her from the backseat.
Ramona sighed with a smile. Sometimes, her friend was too oblivious for her own good.
"Just a little talk about competition, sis."
"How was rehearsal?" Katniss asked as they all sat down for dinner.
This was new to Ramona. She was used to dinners with her dad as they sat in front of the television or by their kitchen island. Dinners now were boisterous affairs—mostly because of Dylan.
"It was good…but tough," she replied. "Apparently, Sebastian and I lack the romance factor."
"Or maybe just the acting factor," Beatrice replied. "You'll get it, sis."
Ramona beamed at her friend. "Thanks. I'm sure we'll get it." She looked over to Katniss and her father, both looking at one another as they forked their salads. "Question; what do you two think romance is?"
Beatrice eyed her for a moment before joining in the inquisition.
"Yeah, Mom. What would you consider a romantic gesture?"
"Well…I'm not a flowers and chocolates kind of girl," Katniss answered thoughtfully. "I thought it was romantic that Peeta knew me enough to give me something that was part of his passion…painting."
"And, I think it's romantic the way Katniss always makes me coffee the way I like it," her father added. "Knowing those small bits of a person shows great intimacy."
"I think it's romantic when Haley in my class shares her favorite crayons!" Dylan suddenly added in-between slurps of his spaghetti. "Then, she tried to hug me and I gave the box back."
"You still have a few years before 'hugging'," Katniss told her son. She looked to Ramona. "Why the interest?"
"Sebastian and I were talking about how we can't seem to create romance when we don't know anything about it," Ramona explained. "I'm not quite ready for that big love, you know? Plus, it's not like either of your past relationships are great examples." She looked between the two adults. "Sorry."
"Ramona does have a point. Your relationship with one another is great, but still ongoing," Bea said. "But your past ones…not so great."
"Your father and I had a great relationship," Katniss protested. "It's just…we grew up. In the end, we didn't know one another. However, we have a great amount of respect for each other."
"But did Dad ever really do anything super romantic for you?" Bea asked.
Katniss pondered the question for a moment.
"He always got me my favorite milkshake when I was pregnant with you," she supplied.
Bea rolled her eyes. "I'm swooning…"
Ramona looked to her father. "How about you? Anything romantic from Mom?"
Her father's eyes darkened for a moment and he shook his head hurriedly.
"No, nothing like that…" Standing quickly, he went towards the kitchen. "Forgot the rest of the bread."
The table went silent.
"What's wrong with Daddy-Peeta?" Dylan suddenly asked.
Ramona knew what was wrong.
It just hurt too much to say.
Katniss found Peeta sitting on their bed.
"The kids are cleaning up." She sat next to him and took his hand. "You want to talk about it?"
Peeta sniffed softly. "I tried so hard with Madge. Nothing ever made her happy. If I took her to dinner, the restaurant wasn't nice enough. If I gave her flowers, they were never her favorite. Those few months before she left, I tried to be the romantic husband that I thought she wanted."
"Peeta, you do realize that nothing was going to stop her from leaving," Katniss said gently. "That wasn't about romance, it was about her unhappiness."
He met her eyes. "Do you think I messed Ramona up?"
Katniss' gaze widened in shock. "Why would you think that?"
"I think she saw how desperate I was to keep Madge there," Peeta explained. "Ramona was little but she's a smart girl. I wanted us to have the perfect family and would have done anything to keep it that way. Thinking back now, I realize how pathetic it seemed to try to keep someone who was already halfway gone. I don't want Ramona to ever be like that—to try to stay with someone who would treat her as bad as her mother treated me."
"I would never think like that."
Ramona entered the room and rushed over to her father, her arms going around his neck.
"What I remember and what I know is that I have a father who loves me," she said. "You don't have to worry about me. I have a good head on my shoulders. Truth is that I knew that you were desperate for her to stay because of me. You were just as unhappy with her as she was with us—but you chose to stay despite that."
"I would never leave you," her father told her.
"I know and what's more loving than that?" Ramona beamed at Peeta. "When I decide that I want any sort of romance, I know that I want it to be with someone who would never leave—even when it gets too hard."
"Thanks for telling me that." Peeta smiled at her. "I only want what's best for you—" The door creaked. "—and for the two people eavesdropping."
"We weren't eavesdropping!" Beatrice protested as she entered, pulling Dylan in with her. "But everyone left without dessert." She rushed out into the hallway and returned with the pie that Peeta had made. "Thought we could just have dessert in bed—" Bea reached into her pocket, producing a handful of plastic forks. "I came prepared."
Peeta helped Dylan onto the bed. The little boy scrambled to sit in the middle of the plush comforter as Katniss and Peeta flanked his sides. After setting down the pie and forks, Beatrice and Ramona sat at the end of the bed.
They reached with the forks and dove into the pie together, savoring the taste of cinnamon and apples.
"I think this is kind of romantic," Katniss said after a moment, her eyes going to Peeta. "Us together…eating dessert with our kids."
Taking her hand, Peeta reached to kiss her knuckles. "I'll remember that."
Deep breath.
I can do…I can't do this!
Ramona opened her eyes.
Her trembling hands reached to her core as she tried to steady herself. Even though she was in her peasant costume, the sway of her skirt made her stomach flutter at the thought that, in less than a few minutes, she would be on stage.
There was a knock at the door and Beatrice stuck her head inside. "Sis?"
Ramona squeaked, ushering her friend in quickly. "Bea, you'd tell me. Do I look like an idiot?"
Bea's eyes warmed. "No…Ramona, you look like a prima ballerina." She joined her pseudo-sister in front of the mirror. "Look at yourself."
Doubtfully, Ramona took a breath before looking at her reflection.
Her makeup had been done; just some powder and eyeshadow along with a lipstick to add a little color to her usually pale pink lips. She had put her hair half up then tied a white handkerchief under the nape of her neck to keep it in place. Her costume was a beige frock with a full skirt.
And, it was completed with a pair of white pointe ballet shoes—a present from her father and Katniss.
Beatrice was right.
She was a dancer.
Taking another breath, Ramona looked to Beatrice.
"Will you walk me to the stage?"
Beatrice nodded excitedly. "Let's go Prima Ballerina."
Together, they walked out of the dressing room. Many of the dancers gave Ramona a quiet thumbs up as it was required that they remain silent backstage. However, when they walked past Celeste—who played one of Cinderella's stepsisters, Beatrice muttered a quiet "break a leg" to which the girl let out an audible gulp.
"Quiet backstage!" came the command from the stage manager.
"Will you stay and watch from here?" Ramona suddenly asked.
"Of course!"
They hugged before Ramona walked towards the curtain.
Beatrice was unbelievably proud of her—hopefully soon!—sister.
These last few weeks had been a whirlwind for Ramona. The bullying had subsided, but she could see that there was still a little bit of insecurity in Ramona's eyes. Bea understood that she wanted to be liked but was also just beginning to realize that it shouldn't be in detriment to herself.
From where she stood, Beatrice watched Ramona take a full-body breath before whirling onto the stage.
It was dazzling.
In the blink of an eye, Ramona had disappeared and replaced with the beautiful but downtrodden Cinderella. She swept the hearth of her home with gracefulness and stared sadly at the cinders of the soft fire. Her stepsisters stomped onto the stage, demanding and merciless as they pulled her between them.
"Ramona is really the perfect Cinderella," a warm voice suddenly whispered against her ear.
Bea whipped around to see Prince Charming behind her. He stepped back at her sudden movement.
"You scared the beejeezus out of me!" she hissed as quietly as she could.
"Sorry…I just wanted to introduce myself," the boy said. "I'm Seb—"
"Sebastian…Ramona told me," Bea responded, her eyes going back to Cinderella's solo. "You're one of the few people who is nice to her here." She met his eyes. "Thanks. She needs people on her side."
"Ramona is not hard to like," Sebastian replied with a blush.
Bea snorted. It was clear the guy had a crush on her pretty friend. However, it seemed that Ramona only had eyes for the boy next door—who just happened to be in the audience with his parents. The Hawthornes and the Odairs had been eager to see Ramona perform, not hesitating to buy tickets from her when she asked.
If Cam had it his way, he would've bought out the auditorium for a private performance.
The boy was a smitten kitten and so was the knucklehead next to her.
"She's my best friend and if we have it our way, we'll be sisters one day, too."
There was a resounding applause as the curtain went down for the quick scene change and Ramona was soon heading over to the two.
"How did I do?" she asked them anxiously.
Beatrice threw her arms around her friend. "You were perfect! All those jumps and twirls…obviously I don't know ballet terms, but anyway I put it, it was beautiful!"
"I believe you mean jeté and pirouette," Sebastian said with a grin.
"Yeah…what he said," Bea told Ramona. "I'm amazed."
"Thanks…" Ramona glowed at her. "I don't think that there's anything that makes me feel more alive than dancing."
Beatrice gave her another hug. "It shows."
The applause was deafening.
From where Ramona stood on stage, she couldn't see her family. However, by the shouts of her name, she knew they were there. Backstage, Bea was jumping up and down in excitement.
Sebastian turned to her beaming, dressed in his pure white regalia and matching tights, he looked every bit the Prince Charming. "We did it!"
Taking her hand, he led her forward as she used her free hand to hold the voluminous skirt that was her wedding gown.
Together they bowed, and her eyes filled when she looked up to see the audience on their feet.
Backing up together, they waited for the curtain to go down before giving one another a hug.
"Thank you for being the perfect Prince," Ramona told him.
"You're going to be a star, Ramona," her friend replied affectionately.
Pulling apart, Ramona caught Bea's gaze. Her friend looked suspiciously at them and she wondered if perhaps she was a little jealous.
"How did it go with Bea?" she asked as they walked towards the backstage area.
"I don't think she's crazy about me…but she sure does love you," Sebastian said. "I like that about her. She's strong and loyal."
Ramona separated from her friend and rushed towards Beatrice where they met halfway in an excited embrace.
"You were beautiful!" Bea wiped her eyes, overwhelmed with pride. "It was a complete transformation. As soon as you stepped on stage, you became Cinderella!"
"God, Bea. I wish I could tell you the feeling it gives me being up there…I want to do this for the rest of my life." They walked towards the dressing room. "I hope that you have something that does this for you."
"Not yet," Beatrice replied before they stepped into the room. "But I'll get there."
"Hey Ramona?" They turned to find Celeste behind them. She gave them a shy smile. "I just wanted to say…great job. You really deserved to be Cinderella."
Ramona approached the girl, her bright blue eyes on her.
Then without another thought, she hugged Celeste.
"Thanks." Stepping back, Ramona smiled kindly at the girl. "I'll see you on Monday."
When Ramona returned to the studio that Monday, she found a gift bag hanging from her locker.
Inside was beautiful pure white leotard and a card saying, 'From Celeste'.
"I'm so proud of you!"
Peeta embraced his daughter tightly at they all stood in front of the auditorium. He could hardly breathe, caught in Ramona's performance and disbelieving that the lovely young woman on stage was his little girl. Many of the parents from her dance class had gathered afterwards to express their delight at her skill and even congratulated him on his upcoming marriage—much to Katniss' embarrassment.
He knew Gale and Finnick would rib him later about this.
"You were beautiful up there, darling." Katniss gathered Ramona into her arms. "You really have a passion for dance."
"Thanks," Ramona murmured in their hug bashfully, taking in the sweetness of Katniss' perfume.
It was different to have so many people there for her and her father. However, here they were. Beatrice and Dylan marched proudly in front her, her pseudo-brother yelling out that he was guarding Cinderella. Prim had also made it and was standing in front of them alongside the Hawthornes and Odairs.
Her eyes zeroed in on Cameron, a dozen pale pink roses in his grasp and a brightness on his olive cheeks.
That unfamiliar heat rose through her and she caught Beatrice's teasing eyes.
"I may have told someone that you like pink roses."
"Ramona!" A voice from behind called out and a biting chill rushed up her spine.
Her father stiffened and his arm went instinctively around her shoulder as Katniss took her hand, letting Ramona grasp her tightly.
Together, they all turned to see the golden-haired woman approach them. She wore a beautiful black suit, fitted to her lithe body perfectly. Her golden hair framed a delicate heart-shaped face and pink lips.
And her blue eyes—Ramona's eyes—glinted with coolness s as she took in the sight of the family.
Ramona steeled her shoulders. She knew this would happen eventually.
She just wished it hadn't been tonight.
Giving her father and Katniss an assuring nod, she stepped forward to meet Madge Undersee's calculating stare.
"Hi Mom."
I was going to have Madge come sooner, but I think it's better to spend a whole chapter on her.
Thank you for your patience. I know that it can be frustrating to wait but I'm definitely devoting what little time I have in-between time with Baby J to updating!
Next: Madge's return through many different perspectives.
Until then, JLaLa