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"Unbelievable. There's no way he doesn't know how stupid he looks right now."
Burdock frowns, glancing up from the patch of dandelions he had been picking. His eyes travel across the recess yard stretched out ahead of him, scanning over each of his classmates until they eventually land on what Burdock thinks is Blair's target. Woodbine Chance, the boy currently offering up a small daisy to Maysilee Donner, who's giving him the iciest stare that Burdock has ever seen in his life. Woodbine, apparently unfazed by this, is giving her a cocky grin in return, raising his eyebrows suggestively at her. Burdock lets out a snort, shaking his head before returning his gaze to the dandelions below.
"Well, Chance never was very good at recognizing when a girl doesn't want anything to do with him." Out of the corner of his eye, Burdock sees Blair's face screw up in confusion, his head turning to glance over his shoulder briefly before he lets out a snort, grabbing Burdock's sleeve and tugging on it pointedly.
"Not Chance, Burdie," Blair insists, pointing to the section of the recess yard that Burdock currently has his back to. "Abernathy!"
Burdock blinks in surprise. He shifts a little, his eyes following the line of Blair's arm and finger until he eventually finds where Blair is pointing. As soon as his eyes land on his target, Burdock lets out an involuntary groan, his eyes rolling so hard that if his ma saw it, she'd lecture him about having an "attitude problem."
"Aw, geez, Abernathy," Burdock sighs. Blair gives a nod of his head, his expression just as exasperated.
"Yep. He's been like that since she first sat down."
Haymitch Abernathy— someone who Burdock used to think was cool, who he used to actually look up to— was up in the branches of the schoolhouse's old sycamore tree, lying on his stomach against one of the limbs. His chin is propped up on his folded arms, and he's wearing an expression that Burdock's memaw would call "starry-eyed," his lips curved in a dopey smile as he stares down at Lenore Dove, who's leaning back against the tree trunk, cloth-bound book in hand and brow furrowed in thought, apparently completely unaware of Haymitch's presence above her.
"Do you think he's actually gonna talk to her this time?" Blair remarks dryly. "Or do you think he's gonna chicken out like he did last time?"
The "last time" that Blair was talking about was an incident that had occurred at a wedding that he, Burdock, and Haymitch had all been forced to attend. Or, to be more accurate, the "incident" was referring to one that had not occurred at all.
The three of them had been half-heartedly playing a game of mumblety-peg on the borders of the reception area in a vain attempt to pass the time, when Haymitch had suddenly spotted Lenore Dove, sitting at one of the tables by herself and quietly watching as guests danced to the Covey's music. Blair had dared him to ask Lenore Dove to dance, and Haymitch had managed to get about ten paces away from the group before Lenore Dove had shifted in her chair and caught Haymitch's eye. Haymitch had immediately gone bright red, spluttering out a noise that kind of sounded like a "Sorry—!" before immediately turning on his heel and marching stiffly back out to where Burdock and Blair were waiting, both of them already cracking up.
The only good thing about the whole incident was that it gave Burdock and Blair ammunition. It's something to hold over Haymitch's head for the rest of his life now.
Lenore Dove flips a page, her brow furrowing further. She brings her knees in to herself, craning her neck as she moves the book closer as well, as if there were something within its pages that she was struggling to comprehend. Haymitch, if it were somehow even possible, seems to melt even further against the branch, his shoulders rising and falling in a dreamy sigh.
"He's gonna chicken out again," Burdock deadpans. Blair snorts.
"Yeah. Sounds about right." Blair studies Haymitch a moment longer, his brows knitting together in thought. "Just wish he'd get it over with. What's it been, like, a month now?" Burdock lets out a bark of dry laughter.
"Oh, please," Burdock laments. "You're lucky you weren't forced to get caught in the middle of them."
"Huh?" Blair glances over at Burdock, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that just before school started in the fall, I got cornered by Lenore Dove. She made me take Haymitch out into the woods so that he could meet her."
Blair's eyes widen in surprise. "Wait— Lenore Dove wanted to meet Haymitch?!"
Burdock gives him a look. He still cringes with secondhand embarrassment at the thought of Lenore Dove and Haymitch's first "official" meeting that Lenore Dove had convinced him to set up. He thought it would be a one-and-done deal; bring Haymitch to the woods, leave him alone with Lenore Dove for a bit, and then Lenore Dove would do the rest.
Except that when he had returned with a sack for the apples that Lenore Dove had showered down on them, both Haymitch and Lenore Dove were just… standing next to each other. Awkwardly waiting for Burdock's return.
When he had debriefed with Lenore Dove after the fact, she was blushing all the way down her neck, staring pointedly at the ground.
"So…" Burdock had begun, painfully awkward. "Um… how did it go while I was gone?"
"Fine," Lenore Dove said, far too strained. "He, uh… he told me his name. And I told him mine."
"Okay…" Burdock frowned, studying her face. "Then what'd he say?"
If it were at all possible, Lenore Dove's blush somehow deepened even further. "He said… said, 'Dove like the bird?' And then I said, 'No. Dove like the color.' And he said, 'What color's that?'"
The last few words had cracked into a strange sort of squeaking sound. Lenore Dove kept her eyes trained on the grass below, refusing to lift them to meet Burdock's.
"…well," Burdock pressed after a long moment, "what did you say?"
Lenore Dove had buried her burning face in her hands. Sucked in a deep breath.
"'Same as the bird.'"
Burdock had thought that would be the height of stupidity regarding this whole affair. Except apparently the conversation had actually done something for Haymitch, because soon after, Burdock began to catch Haymitch staring at her in class, schoolwork lying forgotten on his desk in favor of watching Lenore Dove press the invisible keys of a piano on her desk. Later, when Burdock's family was going to the lake for a picnic, Haymitch came flying down the street, asking if Lenore Dove would be there and begging Burdock to get his family to invite Haymitch along for the day. And stupidly, Burdock had pulled on some heartstrings and promised some extra chores, even managed to get Haymitch and Lenore Dove some alone time on the picnic blanket his pa had brought along, only for Haymitch and Lenore Dove to just sit there, staring straight ahead and not talking to each other.
And now, about two months had passed. And neither one of them had made any progress in the matter.
Not that it stopped either one of them from using Burdock in an attempt to get closer to one another.
"So… wait!" Blair gives Burdock an incredulous look. "If Haymitch is sweet on Lenore Dove, and Lenore Dove is sweet on Haymitch—"
"—then there shouldn't be a problem!" Burdock finishes with a frustrated growl. "Except apparently, they're both so stupid that they've managed to create one anyway!"
It's a bit of an exaggeration to call them both "stupid," but Burdock was honestly worn down after a whole month of nonstop back and forth. If Haymitch and Lenore Dove ever did get together, Burdock was going to demand compensation for his role in the matter.
"Sheesh," Blair whistles. "Somebody oughtta knock some sense into the two of them."
"Believe me," Burdock says solemnly. "I'm on the verge of clocking Abernathy myself."
Blair lets out another loud bark of laughter, this one ringing out through the schoolyard. Of course, it blended in with the rest of the commotion happening all around them, but Haymitch stirs a little at the familiar sound, his eyes leaving Lenore Dove to glance nervously around the schoolyard. When they finally land on Blair and Burdock, they widen in an almost comedic manner, Haymitch's whole body tensing in surprise and horror alike. And it's mean, it really is, except that Burdock doesn't particularly care what is and isn't a mean thing to do at this point, so he gives Haymitch an exaggeratedly cheerful grin, waving wildly and opening his mouth to shout out Haymitch's name.
Haymitch makes a yelping sound, scrambling on the branch in an attempt to push himself up into a climbing position. But his flailing limbs slip out from under him, and so Burdock and Blair can only watch, eyes wide in horror, as Haymitch slams back down on the branch and rolls to the side. He hits the ground below with such a high-pitched yelping sound that it startles Lenore Dove, who had been fully wrapped up in her reading, causing her to let out a shriek of surprise as her book slips from her grasp, falling onto her lap.
It takes Burdock a second to register that both he and Blair had clapped a hand over their mouths, eyes wide with a mixture of horrified embarrassment and morbid curiosity. Haymitch sits up with a wincing sound, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace, only to immediately lock eyes with Lenore Dove. Both of them freeze, their gazes seeming to hold them both in place, rendering them unable to move.
The silence is painful. The whole scene is, but it's the kind of embarrasing painful moment that's impossible to look away from. It seems that Burdock and Blair are trapped here, forced to quietly watch events as they unfold.
"Hi, Haymitch," Lenore Dove finally says. She glances upwards, then back down at Haytmitch. "Um… were you up in the tree this whole time?"
Haymitch goes scarlet.
"No."
"Oh."
Burdock fights the urge to smack his own forehead.
Haymitch's eyes land on the book in Lenore Dove's lap. He seems to register that her dropping it was his doing, because he starts to stammer out a string of noises that Burdock thinks is supposed to be an apology, trying to push himself onto his feet only to let out a pained hiss through his teeth, screwing his eyes shut and settling back down, his hand coming up to gingerly rub at the back of his head again. Lenore Dove's petrified face quickly morphs into one of concern.
"Are you okay?" she asks nervously. "That looked like it hurt."
Haymitch freezes, peeking open an eye to look at her. He immediately tries to school his pained expression, shrugging with a breathless laugh that's not at all convincing.
"Me?! Hurt?!" he says, his voice far too high-pitched. "'Course not! I— ow! I, uh, barely felt it!"
"Are you sure?" Lenore Dove sets her book against one of the tree's roots, stumbling slightly as she stands and makes her way towards Haymitch. Haymitch's eyes widen as she draws nearer, his breath catching in his chest as she kneels next to him, fidgeting nervously with one of her pigtails. "It was kind of a long fall—"
"—actually it did hurt!" Haymitch rushes to amend. "Hurt a lot. Yep. I-I mean, um, my head's throbbing a little, but I'm… I'm…"
He trails off as Lenore Dove shifts her attention to the back of his head, her shaking fingers coming up to carefully comb through the curls there, her face screwed up in concentration as she does so, as if searching for some kind of bleeding or head wound. Haymitch's eyes widen, his whole body going tense as she touches him, like he can't believe that this is actually happening to him right now. He remains perfectly still as she gently pokes and prods at the back of his skull, as if terrified of suddenly scaring her away.
"It, um… there's no blood," Lenore Dove manages after a moment. When she pulls her hand away and sits back, her cheeks have darkened significantly. "I think it's just a bruise—"
"My shoulder hurts too!" Haymitch blurts out.
Blair bursts into a fit of laughter, curling in on himself and muffling the noises with his hand as best he can, though a few snickers still slip past.
"Oh!" Lenore Dove moves as if to reach for him again, only to pause, glancing up at Haymitch. "Um… which one?"
Haymitch glances between Lenore Dove and his own shoulders. He swallows hard.
"Both."
"Oh my god," Burdock groans with gleeful horror. "Oh my god, it's not actually gonna work, is it—?"
Lenore Dove reaches for the sleeve of Haymitch's shirt, shifting the fabric just enough to reveal an ugly yellow bruise painted across the curve of his shoulder. She makes a noise of sympathy, but Haymitch is practically glowing, beaming so hard that he has to school his expression again when she shifts to the other shoulder, confirming that both are indeed fairly bruised.
"You're bleeding a little on the left one, but it's not so bad." She lets her touch linger for a moment before quickly pulling her hand away, her hand coming back up to fidget with one of her pigtails. Haymitch gives a solemn nod of his head, wincing exaggeratedly as he shifts his position again.
"I should probably go see Ms. Brown then," he says. "Maybe get some bandages or—"
"Wait!" Lenore Dove's hands fly out as if to stop him from rising, and Haymitch blinks in surprise, giving her a startled look. Lenore Dove catches herself, pulling her hands back and clearing her throat. "Just… maybe you should rest for a moment? You could sit with me under the tree for a bit."
Haymitch seems to light up at the request. He stares at her a moment, breathless and giddy, before finally managing, "Y-you want me to sit with you?!"
"B-because you hit your head!" Lenore Dove rushes, scrambling to find an explanation for her request. "And… and I read that you need to rest a moment before you try to move again."
Haymitch frowns, brow furrowing in confusion. "You did?"
"Uh-huh!" Lenore Dove squeaks, clearly lying. "Um, you wouldn't know that book, though! 'Cause it's not in the school, and only the Covey has it. A-and they don't share that book with anyone else! And they'll get really mad if you ask them about it, so I wouldn't even mention it to them, okay?!"
"…okay."
At this point, Burdock and Blair are fully doubled over, bodies racked with silent laughter, hands clutching their cramping and aching sides.
It takes the two of them a moment to get situated against the tree trunk (apparently, Haymitch is too injured to walk the seven feet to the tree trunk by himself, so Lenore Dove lets him wrap an arm around her shoulders, taking a bit of his weight as she helps him to the base of the tree), but once they do, Lenore Dove reaches for her book, her cheeks still hot as she thumbs to a new page. For a moment, it's just the two of them, side by side, Haymitch trying not to stare at Lenore Dove, his expression one of a man who had just won the lottery, and with Lenore Dove nervously fidgeting with her pigtails, her eyes firmly locked on the page. Finally, Haymitch glances over at her, scanning over the page before gently nudging her with his elbow.
"Whatcha reading?"
Lenore Dove hesitates, but after a moment, she lowers the book, shifting it so that it's between both of their laps.
"Stuff about the mountains." Haymitch brings a hand up to hold the other side of the book, and Lenore Dove scoots closer, clearly trying to hide the excitement in her voice as she points to something on the page. "I just like the bird pictures, though. See?"
Haymitch looks up at Lenore Dove, and sure enough, that starry-eyed expression is back in full force, his gray eyes achingly soft as they travel over the side of her face, like he's trying to memorize every detail of her that he can while she's close.
It's so disgustingly sappy that Burdock has to suppress a gag.
"Aren't they pretty?" Lenore Dove asks softly. Haymitch blinks, shaking his head as if trying to snap himself out of some kind of haze before looking back down at the page, and now it's Lenore Dove who's watching him, a small and giddy smile on her lips.
"Yeah," Haymitch agrees. "I like the… feathers."
Burdock flinches, but apparently this stilted phrase is enough to make Lenore Dove's smile grow, spreading across her entire face until she's beaming at him, barely able to help herself.
When Ms. Brown blows the whistle that signals recess is coming to a close, both Haymitch's and Lenore Dove's faces fall, clearly upset by the end of their time together. Haymitch turns, giving Lenore Dove a small smile.
"Thanks," he says. "For, uh… for checking in on me."
"You're welcome," Lenore Dove says, her face darkening yet again. She stares at him for a second, her teeth working the inside of her cheek. Then, something in her expression hardens, her jaw going tense as her hands tremble against her book. "I hope you feel better."
Haymitch opens his mouth to reply, but faster than anything that Burdock's ever seen, Lenore Dove surges forward and presses a quick kiss to his cheek, right over a freckle. Haymitch's words seem to catch in his throat because he makes a strangely choked noise, his eyes bugging out so much that Burdock's almost convinced they'll pop out of his skull, his whole face darkening as he freezes, completely mute. Just as fast as she'd kissed him, she pulls away, grabbing her book and scrambling to her feet.
"Bye, Haymitch!" she hiccups, and then she's dashing away, her expression one of complete and utter mortification.
Haymitch remains frozen for a moment, like his brain is short-circuiting, like he still hasn't processed everything that's happened. Then, his fingers come up to brush over where she'd kissed him. His whole face breaks out into a wild grin, and a breathless laugh falls from his lips, awed and so incredibly happy that Burdock's almost tempted to let the whole thing slide.
Almost.
"Hey Abernathy," he drawls. Haymitch startles, whirling around to see Burdock and Blair, both of whom had crept up behind him while he was in his giddy haze, now leaning against the tree with smug grins plastered across their faces. Haymitch's whole face and neck turn the shade of a tomato, and Burdock and Blair burst out laughing, loud and uncontrollable, Haymitch's spluttering barely heard beneath them.
"Shut up—!"
"Oh, Lenore Dove!" Blair crones, batting his eyelashes and clasping his hands together under his chin, pitching his voice up into a mocking tone. "Oh, won't you please help me, I'm so very injured—!"
"I hate both of you—!"
"Why yes, Lenore Dove!" Burdock butts in, just as high-pitched. "I love birds, I love their feathers—!"
"I'm gonna hit you!" Haymitch snaps. "I'm gonna—!"
"Boys!" All three of them whip around to see Ms. Brown, who's waiting by the schoolhouse doors, her hands on her hips and her face pinched in a stern expression.
"Coming!" Blair shouts, still gleeful. Burdock helps Haymitch up, and the three of them hurry towards the schoolhouse, all of them giving Ms. Brown apologetic expressions as they step into the hallways.
It's a few years before Haymitch and Lenore Dove officially get together. But at the very least, neither one of them bothers Burdock to set them up again. It seems that they've both flown that particular nest.