Our Life After

Trying to Fix This Mess

So sorry for not updating in a while!  I hope you all read my previous Author's Note.  If not, please read it now.  Thanks for understanding!

*Catherine's POV*

As soon as I told Lizzie, it was like her whole being collapsed.  Her face dropped into a frown.  “What?" She said.

“Lizzie, honey, I am so sorry.  My mom is really torn about what Katniss said.  She lost a very good friend and she said that's why we came to 12.  If she didn't have Katniss, we might as well leave."

She looked so hurt and I wish there was something I could do.  Then it hit me so hard I almost flew backwards.

You and Lizzie can fix this. I thought, You just have to be smart.  You and her can get your families back together before Mom and Dad have the chance to pack up and leave.

“Lizzie!"  I almost screamed, and many turned to look at me a second be for  looking away.

“We can stop it.  I know we can." 

“Wait, stop what?"  she asked, and the bell rung, so we hurried off to first period.

In class, I passed her a note.  I detailed very carefully what each of us have to do.

Lizzie.  This is how this is going to have to happen.  Our mothers will be our target first.  We have to get them to take us out to particular places at the same time, those places will be specified later.

We have to get our mothers to see each other, triggering the part of them that says they miss each other.  They'll eventually give in to it, and start trying to do something about all of this.

Our dads are going to be much harder.  My dad and yours aren't particularly close, so we have to get our moms to talk to the dads and try to fix this.  The dads have to give in at some point.

Your dad is really mad at mine for saying that thing about him and your mom, so he will take much convincing.  You'll have to help your mom with that.

At the very end, we have to get both our families to a public place, where they will see each other.  You and I will casually bring up that maybe we should go talk to them, and hopefully at this point they'll apologize to each other and get over it, then I won't have to move and we can publicly be best friends.

This will take a while so we have to start soon.  Ask your mom to go shopping at Rayne's Fashions this weekend. 

I couldn't  think of anything else I wanted to say, so I reached across the aisle and slipped the note on Lizzie's desk before the teacher saw.

I watched her read it and she looked at me and nodded enthusiastically.  I knew she would cooperate.

The rest of the day crawled by extremely slowly, but at the end of the day, I waited for Josh, and walked home.  I came in through the front.

I slung my backpack over the couch and sat at the kitchen bar, watching mom cook.

“Hey mom?"  I asked.

“Yes baby?" she replied while stirring whatever we were eating for dinner.

“Do you wanna go shopping this weekend?  You know, get your mind off all this negative stuff between you and..."

“Yes of course!" she said, cutting me off.  I knew she'd do that.  She doesn't like talking about the fight.

“Just thought it'd be good to get your mind off that."  I said with a smile.

“Of course.  We'll go Saturday afternoon."  She said.

A little red flag went up in my head.  I knew Katniss liked to go shopping in the morning. 

“Afternoon?  I'm afraid we won't have enough time if we go late in the day.  You have to get home, make dinner, all this stuff."

“Okay, honey.  We'll go in the morning if it makes you happy." And with that, I walked upstairs to do homework, knowing this would work perfectly.

The next day at school, I showed up late, so I didn't see Liz until first period, instead of meeting before school.

I wrote her a note, saying, Is everything set with you and your mom?

Yes.  Saturday Morning.

Perfect.  I hope this all works out well.

You have no idea.

Then I decided to actually pay attention in class for once, and I was all excited.  My plan was idiot proof.  Or so I thought.