Real - An Everlark Fanfiction

- Chapter Thirteen -

I stand outside the door for what seems like forever. Haymitch usually takes this long to answer, though, so I'm not worried. I don't know why I came here. I just wanted someone to talk to about the wedding. Someone who isn't overexcited. Someone who really gets me and how I feel about social events. My mentor is the only one who, no matter what I say, will always stay calm. Who will always listen. It hasn't always been like this. I used to dread talking to Haymitch. I used to assume he wasn't paying attention and didn't care. I thought that he was too drunk to comprehend what I was saying. Now I know that he does care. He cared enough to save my life numerous times.

I scan Haymitch's yard and spot a dead garden located to the side of his patio. I've never noticed it before. It looks like he used to grow tomatoes. And pumpkins. It probably wasn't in my lifetime that Haymitch enjoyed farming. I try to picture the drunk man that I've come to know working in the fields in District 11. Gliding through the trees like Rue. The image in my head brings a smile to my face. And soon I'm quietly laughing to myself. Haymitch wouldn't last a day doing what Rue used to do. She was too strong and brave for him. I bet she still is.

I take a closer look at the crops. It seems like Haymitch still tends to them sometimes. They don't look totally deserted. They're still holding on. They still have hope.

I walk over to the garden and pull a few of the stray weeds that are taking over the plants, hiding them from reality. It bothers me how a greater force just takes over private property without permission.

"Sounds familiar," I mumble, pulling out the last of the unwanted plants. I smile at my work, and wipe off the dirt on my hands. The garden already looks ten times better than when I arrived. I walk back to the door and I hear some fumbling from inside.

"Hello, Katniss," Haymitch says, opening the door. I let myself in and shove right past his lazy body. He doesn't seem to care.

The smell of his unclean house is unmistakable, and I almost throw up in my mouth when I take my first steps inside. I wish he'd tidy it up just a little bit. Just enough so I wouldn't need to keep a spare barf bag in my back pocket. I take a seat on his dusty couch and watch as he clumsily sits in his large arm chair next to me.

"Why so quiet, sweetheart?" He asks, leaning back in his seat. I bite the side of my cheek, not knowing how to respond.

"I'm scared," I finally say, looking at my feet, "About the wedding,"

Haymitch lets out a long twisted laugh and almost falls out of his chair. I look up at him and my face turns bright red with anger.

"Katniss Everdeen? Scared?" He asks, teasingly.

"Yes, Haymitch. I'm scared to get married. If I were you I'd shut up. Especially considering you don't know anything about love." I say, and immediately he stops laughing.

"Sweetheart," he says tauntingly, "You don't know a fraction about my life. If I were you, I'd never say those words again. To anyone. Either tell me about your little problem or get out of my house."

For a while no one speaks. We just sit. We're both hurt by each other, as usual. But this is different. This is about love. I look up at him and decide to break the silence.

"I'm just afraid that..." I say, and he shoots his eyes in my direction, "That I haven't done enough for Peeta... Like I'm letting him do all the work."

"You'll never do enough for Peeta," he says. I sigh.

"I know," I mumble. "But I feel so awful. It's his wedding too and I've been acting like its all about me. For my entire life."