One Step Closer [Haymitch Abernathy Love Story]

1 - Nowhere Near Him

Chapter 1 - Nowhere Near Him

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[[A/N: Hey guys! I normally post on another site, but I know there are many THG fans on Wattpad so here is my first story about The Hunger Games. Didn't think I'd get into it, but I'm really happy now that I have. And in the midst of all that, I developed a liking for Haymitch… I find him to be an interesting character and to be honest, I can relate to him in a lot of ways. So when I came up with an idea for a story, I couldn't help myself. The summary basically explains it. But I will say that I own the character of Renay since I did invent her, I guess she's intended to fill the spot of Haymitch's nameless girlfriend.

Also I guess you can consider this to be a flashback, as I'm aware that ten year olds don't really think the way I like to write; I have tried to tone down my style and vocabulary as much as I can, but it's a bit difficult. Once she gets a bit older it won't be toned down as much, so bear with me. I hope y'all like this :3]]

 xx Renay's POV xx

The first time I met Haymitch Abernathy - that is to say, the first time I had a conversation with him - I was ten years old. It was a school day, and lunchtime had found my best friend and I sitting on a rickety wooden bench underneath a willow tree, trading jokes and biscuits. We usually took this seat at mealtimes (when the weather was nice, otherwise we ate in the lunchroom) because it was close to the fence that surrounded the schoolyard, so others didn't disturb us too often. Every now and then, some of the boys - from either part of the district - might run past as they kicked around an old soccer ball, but otherwise it was quiet; just the way we liked it.

"Maddi?" I whispered softly, trying to figure out whether Maddison - my best friend ever - was still paying attention, or whether she was once again staring into space as she often did.

"Hmmfff... What? Oh... Yes, Ren?" the shorter, brown-haired girl sitting next to me replied slowly, confirming that she had indeed been staring off into the unknown. I sighed softly, giving a small shrug before dismissing her worst habit - after all, what use was there in getting annoyed? She was still my best friend anyway, and it was something we had in common.

"Can you watch my bag for a minute? I think I left my water bottle inside..." I admitted. Maddison nodded to let me know she would do it, and I smiled as I stood up. With my blonde hair flowing, I happily skipped away. It took me a few minutes to reach the side of the building that my classroom was on, but the classroom was the first one on the left so I was inside in a flash. I stopped for a moment to straighten out my dress - which was blue, had sleeves and was polka-dotted on the bottom half - before walking down to my desk and swiftly retrieving my black water bottle from my desk. Smiling as I passed through an unusually large ray of sunlight streaming through a window, I was almost at the doorway when I noticed something in the room - or rather, someone - who definitely shouldn't be there right now. One lone student - obviously the same age as me - was sitting at his desk, his head bent over a schoolbook as his right hand moved back and forth over the page he was currently working on. He had dark, curly hair, grey eyes and a serious expression on his face, which intrigued me because most of the other boys in my class didn't seem to care as much about their schoolwork. Feeling quite curious, as I'd never meet this boy before - I'd seen him, but we'd never spoken - I tiptoed back towards his desk and stopped, smiling at him.

"Hi, what's your name?" I asked politely. The boy looked up from his book - without letting go of the pencil he'd been using - and asked, "I'm Haymitch, who are you?"

"My name's Renay Garrison, it's nice to meet you," I added, my head bobbing up and down slightly as I spoke. And I meant it; I liked meeting people. Haymitch nodded and smiled slightly after I'd finished speaking, but slowly returned to his work and said no more for the time being. Unsure of what to do next, I leaned on one foot and then the other for a moment before reaching for the chair behind me, turning it around and sitting in front of him with my legs crossed at the ankles.