Hey everybody, welcome to chapter two of "Seam In The City"! Thank you all for reading thus far, and I hope you enjoy what's to come. There are some new characters in this chapter (some I really like and others not so much), and I hope you get to know them, because they'll be making many more appearances here pretty soon. Anyways, please follow/REVIEW/alert, it inspires me to keep writing. Enjoy!
All credit where credit is due.
My dad wasn't born rich.
Actually, he wasn't born with much besides his voice and his name. The only two things he said he ever needed. Andrews Everdeen was raised in Seam County, Pennsylvania to a stay at home mother and a father working day and night in the coal mines to make ends meet. Other than survival, there weren't many things that the people of Seam strived for. My dad on the other hand, always knew he wanted to make it out of that small town.
So he worked hard. He went to school during the day, went to football practice in the afternoon and worked in the coal mines at night. It paid off, eventually earning him a full ride athletic scholarship to Penn State. After graduation, he launched right into his business, using his lifetime savings and a small bank loan to begin design and implementation of what would eventually become Everdeen Athletics ©. Now, his small flagship store in Seam, Pennsylvania has turned into the 3rd largest sporting goods company in the world (only behind Nike and Reebok- still ahead of North Face, Under Armour and Champion).
This is the responsibility that I inherited two years ago today.
"Ms. Everdeen, the arts department sent this option for the shoot today. I told them you wanted something more militant, but apparently these yoga pants are the most visual. Should I dial them and let them know that won't do?" Madge gently waved a pair of pants in front of my face. I had allowed myself a moment of distance from the madness surrounding me. Photoshoots were always chaotic and took hours that I never had to spare, but I made sure to be present at every one. It was a principle of my father's, to have his hand in every aspect of production.
"Can't put your name on something you ain't even known about, Little Duck." He'd say in his signature drawl. Of course his higher education had taught him well, but he insisted on staying true to his hometown roots.
"Let me see them in the frame and I'll let you know. Have our model try them on." She shuffled across the room quickly, depositing the pants on the doorknob of the dressing room. I knew that I had sent her on a suicide mission, but it was better her than me delivering the news. I could see her attempting to gently explain the costume change through the doorframe, and shrinking instantaneously at the reaction from the other end.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, BRAINLESS? We had this shoot approved DAYS AGO!" Johanna Mason, our newest spokemodel crossed the linoleum floor, stopping inches from my face to deliver her most recent discontent. "I thought editorial oversight was in my contract! You know I hate this tight sh-"
Johanna was nothing if not painfully honest. And the amount of attitude she insisted on bringing to every event would be absolutely unacceptable coming from anyone else but her. For everything that we shared, though, I would never get rid of her; whether in a business capacity or for the sake of our friendship.
"Calm down, Johanna. I just said to try them on. It's not going to kill you." I rolled my eyes and started towards the stage. The background was pure white and had leaves scattered about the base. I quickly adjusted some misplaced lighting, without breaking my stride. "Jerry could you get a brighter bulb for this, please? It's looking a little dim, and we can't have Jo washed out. Thank you!" I didn't stop my movement before continuing, Johanna still angrily marching behind me. "Why do you insist on being so disagreeable, Johanna? We'd have fired you by now if you were anyone else." I turned to Madge, who had silently rejoined my side. "Madge please tell arts that when I requested cargos, I meant that. No compromises. Thank you."
Madge nodded and did her signature scurry away. "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, Everdeen." Jo stopped walking, grabbing my wrist gently and turning me to face her. "You're even more high-strung and tense than usual. Is it today?"
I nodded quickly and busied myself with removing invisible threads from my jacket. She grabbed one of my hands to still it. "It's nothing, alright? It gets easier every year. Now can you please just put on the wardrobe so we can keep this show on schedule?" I forced a quick laugh. "I don't know why I keep you around, Mason."
She gave me a swift punch to the shoulder and offered a rare smile. "Whatever. I'm the best advertising campaign this company has ever seen!" Although her cocky demeanor could be off-putting to some, I had grown used to it. In fact, I believed that it was her driven, no-nonsense attitude that had carved her name into the history books. Johanna was the youngest Olympic Triathlete to ever win a gold medal, breaking the previous record by a solid 4 minutes.
But over time, fame had hardened her, creating the exterior that many knew today. When we met seven years ago, Jo had been a completely different person- still filled with sarcastic and biting wit, mind you, but a different person in her spirit.
Before allowing myself another moment of nostalgia, I channeled my father's commanding voice, finally calling the shoot to order.
The executive floor of our headquarters was nearly empty by the time I prepared to leave. Not that it changed the atmosphere much, anyway. All of the shareholders, board members and vice presidents' offices were housed on this floor, and it was always eerily quiet. Another risk associated with the job.
Even when you're in a room full of people, you're always pretty alone.
"Should I bring the car around, miss?"
"Yeah Ga-, er I mean, sure Thresh. That would be great, thank you." It had been two weeks since I'd spoken to Gale, but still couldn't get used to the idea of being monitored by someone new. Always true to his word, Gale had found a fantastic replacement in Michael Thresh. He was strong, competent, level-headed and respectful- exactly what you'd look for in a bodyguard.
Not exactly what I looked for in a best friend.
It was probably for the best that we severed our personal ties sooner rather than later. Gale was going to need to pour himself into his position as head of Capitol and I couldn't afford any more distractions than I already had. Constantly managing not only a multi-million dollar empire, but my own personal image in the eyes of the media was hard enough without the constant inquiry of our relationship. At least that's what I was telling myself.
I had sent Delly home hours ago, but Madge refused to leave the office until I did. Grabbing my leather jacket, messenger bag and shutting down my Mac, I breezed out the door and into her adjoining office to say goodnight. She was furiously typing away at her computer and didn't even notice when I knocked on her door. "Madge, I'm headed out for the night, okay?" Her head shot up quickly, concern knitting her eyebrows together.
"Okay great, are you alright for dinner? I could make you a reservation somewhere or…" She trailed off, her eyes glued to something behind my head. "Good evening, Mr. Hawthorne." I turned around, my gaze met by Gale's steely green eyes. He looked well. Only two weeks had gone by, but I felt as though something momentous may have occurred in our time apart. A Mike Tyson face tattoo perhaps? A Mohawk, maybe? "If that's all, I'll just be on my way then. Good evening Ms. Everdeen, Mr. Hawthorne." She breezed past the two of us, eyes directed anywhere but at the scene at hand.
"What are you doing here, Gale? You quit, remember?" I pulled on my jacket and rushed past him, making a beeline for the elevators. I could hear his heavy footsteps pounding behind me.
"Katniss, please… I wasn't going to let our little fight keep me from being with you today. I know how hard it must be." He reached out to touch the small of my back comfortingly- move that had it been done any day but today would have worked for me. Today it just filled me with rage.
"Don't bother, Gale. I can get through this just fine without you, thanks. I'm actually late for something right now, so if you wouldn't mind leaving me to it that would be great." I racked my brain for any number of excuses that could satisfy the question that was sure to follow.
"Oh really? And where are you doing at this time of night?" I glanced at my watch, finally realizing that it was almost 11 o'clock. Poor Madge.
"I uh, I actually have a date tonight." Of course that was the first thing to spill out of my mouth. The most preposterous suggestion possible- that I, Katniss Everdeen, would be going out on a date- on a work night, no less! I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes and wanted to confess right then and there. I wanted to invite him to my loft to watch the TiVoed Giants vs. Diamondbacks game and eat cold pizza on my floor with me, because that was the only thing I could imagine making me happy tonight.
"Do you have a date tonight?" He allowed a snide smile to creep across his face. "With whom? Finally decide to return one of Cato's phone calls?"
I wanted to slap him. Gale knew that bringing my ex into the equation was a low blow. I had dated Jason Cato for a little over a year, when I found out that he'd been cheating on me… With Charity Bolden, country singing superstar. The high profile infidelity made the cover of every major gossip magazine earlier this year, sporting headlines like 'CEO Heiress Hits a Winner' and 'Everdeen Athletics in Personal Crisis'. Not only had it tarnished the image of my company, but Jason -the star pitcher for the Mets- had been my first adult relationship since I'd lost my father. And it ended in flames. Needless to say, I hadn't spoken to him since.
"You're a pig, Gale, you know that? A real pig." The elevator finally reached my floor and I stepped in, leaving Gale alone. "What does it matter to you who I date, anyways? You quit the business of being in my life when you hired Thresh." The last thing I saw before the doors shut were Gale's hands being shoved into his pockets and a look a pure disdain on his face.
And somehow, I felt even lower then than I had all day.
Can I just say that I love Johanna? She is so cool. Also, I promise that next chapter we're going to get a little bit of romance sprinkled in there...
Please leave reviews! Makes me write faster (: