Hey everyone, hope you all have had a good week so far. I started school this week, so I am not sure how often I will be able to post once things really get rolling again. I will at least try to make sure that I put up at minimum one chapter a week, but I will try to get more up if I can.

I am really excited about this next set of chapters because they are all going to be homecoming related!

Chapter 18:

Madge's POV

"Do we have to?" Clove whined.

"YES!" I say, pushing the door to the shop open. As I glance around at the other girls, it becomes quite apparent Annie and I are the only girls excited to be here. Clove and Johanna look as though they are planning their way out. Katniss just looks rather indifferent.

The bell tinkles, signaling our arrival, and within seconds Cinna and his team are surrounding us.

"Madge! It is so good to see you!" Cinna says smiling. He scans the group. "You as well Katniss."

We all turn to her in surprise.

"You know him?" Johanna asks surprised.

"Yeah, my little sister used to come here all the time to just try on dresses." Cinnia gives Katniss a warm smile when she says it.

"These two are new though," One of the other workers says.

"Yes. Welcome! My name is Cinnia and those are Venia, Octavia, and Flavius. They will also be assisting you today."

"Who's helping Madge?" Clove asks.

"Oh, I already have my homecoming dress. I just wanted to make sure that you guys actually went and got yours." I give Clove and Johanna a small glare as I say it. Clove glares straight back at me.

One by one, the girls are taken away to dressing rooms and are given dresses. I sit on the large, cushy ottoman that lays in the middle of the large dressing rooms. I scroll through my phone as I wait and I see a text from Finnick.

Hey, can you send me a photo of Annie in the dress she is going to wear to homecoming? He asks. It is kind of an odd question for him to ask, but I have seen the way he looks at Annie. It is kind of obvious that he likes her. So I agree.

no prob. I text back.

Johanna comes out first and she looks more murderous than ever. She is wearing a dark green dress. The fabric goes past her knees and the dress is fastened with a single strap on top. It is a simple dress and somehow the deep green color doesn't clash with the fiery red streaks in her hair. If she didn't have a scowl painted across her face, she might have been able to put a guy to their knees.

"I hate it," Johanna says.

"Why? I ask. "You look good."

"I'm not wearing this."

I roll my eyes.

"Fine," I reply.

I wait again for a while, waiting for the next girl. Katniss comes out of one of the dressing rooms, wearing a black dress that had cutouts of bright fabric that portrayed the image of flames around her ankles and up to her knees. She doesn't look quite happy, but I also notice her admiring herself in the mirrors that form the walls of the dressing room. I didn't even have to ask to know that this was one of Cinna's personal designs.

"Oh, Katniss!" I squeal, "It's perfect!"

Katniss looks herself up and down once more before saying that it would do. I can tell that she is lying. Thinking about what Finnick had asked, I make her pose and I take a photo of her in the dress, so it won't look suspicious when I ask Annie for a photo. Cinna is in the corner of the room, smiling as Katniss does another spin in her dress. She looks so breathtaking that we both stop for a moment to admire her. This is a different side of Katniss that I haven't seen before.

When we are at school, she usually wears her hunting boots, a pair of jeans, and either a plaid shirt or a faded crew neck. Almost everything that she owns looks about as old as it is, not because she doesn't have the money to buy new clothes, but because most of them still remind her of her father, who died years back in an accident at his job. On top of that, when Prim got really sick, she used to beg Katniss to take her either shopping or to the local petting zoo. Most stores probably bring back those memories to Katniss, who I am pretty sure loves no one and nothing more than her little sister Prim.

I am stirred out of my thoughts when Johanna once again comes out of her dressing. She is wearing a fitted light brown dress with a pattern than I am not quite sure how to describe. I look at her feet and see that Venia even managed to get Johanna to wear a pair of brown and green short heels that fit the dress perfectly. Johanna's jaw drops when she sees Katniss, but she recovers herself quickly.

"Nice dress Everdeen," She says before turning to look at herself in one of the mirrors. She tugs at one of the straps with annoyance, but when she turns back to Katniss, Cinna, and myself all she says is "I don't hate it," which I think is Johanna for "This is the homecoming dress I want."

Annie comes out a few seconds after Johanna. She is wearing an ocean blue dress that has a coating that makes it appear different shades of blue and green as she moves in the light. She is probably my favorite out of the girls that have come out yet because she wears a wide smile on her face. I quickly snap a photo of her in the dress, with the beaming smile on her face and send it to Finnick.

"I love this dress!" Annie squeals and she smiles at me, not even bothering to try Johanna and Katniss, who we both know is already way less interested in their own dress choices than anyone else. I see Katniss looking at herself in the mirror again. Okay, so maybe just Johanna.

By the time that the three girls have changed out of their dresses and paid for them at the front desk, Clove still hasn't come out of her dressing room. Worried, I go back to check on her. As I approach her dressing room, I hear her muffled voice talking angrily on the phone.

"No mom!" She whispers agitated. "You can't blame him for what you did-"

I knock on the door, not wanting to eavesdrop on what is obviously a very heated family argument.

"Clove," I say kindly, as though I just got there. "We still haven't seen your dress."

"I got to go," I hear her mumble.

I take a step back from the door and after a few seconds, Clove steps out of the dressing room in a sherbert orange dress with a layered skirt of tule. Her eyes are just barely rimmed with red, but I pretend not to notice.

"It is perfect!" I reply. And in all honesty, it is perfect for her. I am not sure that there is anyone who could pull off this dress with the confidence and charisma that Clove does, especially since it is orange.

"Yes, it is. Sorry I kept you guys waiting, I'll change out of it and buy it so we can get on our way." Clove walks back in the dressing room and shuts the door forcefully. I don't think that she actually saw herself in the dress for more than a brief glimpse. And I don't think she really cares.

Clove buys her dress and we make our way out of the store. As we go our separate ways, I can't help but notices how fidgety Clove is being. Or the fact that Annie keeps checking her phone and smiling, and that Johanna gets this knowing look on her face every time she does it. I am trying to sort through all of the things that are going on with my friends when my phone dings.

From: Gale Hawthorn.

I open the message.

i know its kind of last minute, but do you want to go to hoco with me?

I type my answer back and continue walking to my car.

What did you all think of this chapter? Why do you think Clove's mom is calling her after all this time? Let me know any comments, predictions, or critique for this chapter. Hope you all are doing great wherever you are.

Stay happy, healthy, and safe,

-Jewel.