Azalea Rose Willow loves three things above everything else:
summer, the only season that mattered in her mind.
singing, alongside the comforting embrace of her guitar.
but above all, the easy camaraderie with the boy who lives next door to her, and...
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Azalea expected the sting of Finnick's continued silence the next day, but it didn't dull the ache. Neither Mags or Tomás said anything about his absence in their lives suddenly, he no longer hang with Azalea, and no longer joined for dinner, which made Azalea question if they knew something she didn't.
Had Finnick informed them they broke up? She was sure they would've asked her if that was the case. She was sure something else was going on.
What was worse was the dinner they were both forced to attend tonight, as today the Victory Tour of Jacob Spader, was arriving to district 4.
To Azalea, the dinner was a twisted tradition, a farce of mourning and unity orchestrated by the Capitol. After the ceremony in which the recent victor would showcase his condolences towards the two families of the fallen tributes. Then, in a display of supposed camaraderie, all District 4 victors and their families would gather at the Mayor's home, a symbol of the elite few who had managed to survive the Games.
This year would be so different. No matter how indifferent the Ashwing family was, they had been the Mayor family for as long as Azalea had memory. She felt horrible for Alicia and her mother, not only had they lost their son, but also their father.
Even if the event was being held in the same place as all the years before. It didn't feel the same. Perhaps because just yesterday Mrs. Ashwing and Alicia had finalised taking all of their belongings out of the home, moving in to their family members home. It wasn't a home anymore, simply a venue for the event. It felt empty.
The new Mayor, Pine Smith, had managed to dress the house sufficiently for the Victory Tour Dinner to be held tonight. Of course, he came from district one, everything looked luxurious and expensive. Thankfully, the ceremony outside the town square had been cut short, as it was pouring rain today, something not common in district 4, and to which they were not prepared for in the slightest.
So here they were, all sat in a big dinner table. She had her purple dress Mags had made her, and some ballerinas on her feet. Her hair wrapped in a beautiful braid to the side.
The room was filled with tension, forced smiles and uncomfortableness. The new Mayor, eager to prove his loyalty, fawned over the victors, peppering them with inane questions. Barely any of the victors wanted to be there, so the only older victors who were truly engaged in the conversation were Tomás and Mags. Or what the Mayor could communicate with Mags.
The Mayor, ever so oblivious to any tension, decided to seat the guest of honour of the party, Jacob, beside the only teenagers in the room, Finnick and Azalea. He knew Finnick and Jacob were likely to see one another more and more in the upcoming years as a victors.
Jacob sat beside Azalea and in front of Finnick, attempting a semblance of normalcy despite the obvious trauma etched on his face.
Finnick, his jaw locked tight, refused to acknowledge Azalea's presence. His gaze swept over Azalea like she was a transparent ghost, focusing solely on Jacob, the new victor.
