Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping was a perfect addition to her bestselling Hunger Games series. Not only did the new Hunger Games prequel provide Haymitch with a compelling and heartbreaking backstory, but the novel made several connections to Collins’ original trilogy and perfectly tied them together — one of which is Haymitch’s nickname for Katniss. However, Sunrise on the Reaping reveals that Katniss is not the first to receive the term of endearment, and now I’ll never look at it the same way again.

Haymitch first begins to call Katniss “sweetheart” in the first Hunger Games novel, and he continues to do so throughout the remaining series. The nickname has become one of the most iconic and memorable lines from Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games books, and Sunrise on the Reaping only serves to give it a greater significance. While it was initially thought to be Katniss’ from the start, the nickname “sweetheart” was actually given first to Haymitch’s friend and fellow tribute, Louella McCoy.

The Nickname “Sweetheart” Was Originally Bestowed Upon Haymitch’s Friend Louella McCoy

The Origin To The Nickname Is Actually Very Sweet

In Sunrise on the Reaping, Louella McCoy is one of the two female tributes from District Twelve that have been reaped into the Hunger Games — and it turns out the 13-year-old girl is a family friend of Haymitch’s. It’s clear from the start that the two are rather close, and Haymitch does his best to comfort her once they’re all on the train heading for the Capitol and the Hunger Games. It’s at this moment that we learn Haymitch’s nickname for Katniss was actually bestowed upon Louella McCoy first, and the origin story is really sweet.

Her little face is so pinched that before I really think it through, I ask, “So, are you going to be my ally or what, sweetheart?”

She actually smiles. It’s an old joke.

— Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter Three

When Louella and Haymitch were younger, five and eight years old, respectively, Louella took to calling Haymitch her sweetheart and would trail after him wherever he went. This seems to have lasted all but a week before Louella set her sights on someone new, but Haymitch explains that since then, the nickname “sweetheart” has always stuck. From then on, he continued to call Louella “sweetheart”, using the nickname to reference their old joke, but to also offer comfort and encouragement when heading into the Games.

Why Haymitch Starts To Call Katniss “Sweetheart” In The Original Hunger Games Trilogy

He Can’t Help But Notice Her Similarities To Louella

In Sunrise on the Reaping‘s epilogue, we learn that when Katniss first began to visit the Hob after her father’s death, Haymitch realized how much she reminded him of his sweetheart of old, Louella McCoy — mostly due to her twin braids. But once Katniss volunteered for the reaping in order to save Prim, he explains the nickname couldn’t help but eventually slip out. Knowing that the nickname was used as a term of endearment and a comfort to Louella in the games, it’s sweet to fully understand why Haymitch began to use it with Katniss.

“Tough and smart, her hair in two braids then, reminding me for all the world of Louella McCoy, my sweetheart of old. And after she volunteered for the Games, that nickname couldn’t help but slip out.”

– Haymitch Abernathy, Sunrise on the Reaping Epilogue

The nickname is first seen in the original Hunger Games trilogy after Katniss and Peeta each have their gamemaker evaluations in the Capitol, but initially, from Katniss’ perspective, she thinks Haymitch is mocking her. The nickname continues to pop up throughout the remainder of the series, and eventually Katniss softens to the term of endearment — or perhaps just Haymitch himself. While no one could replace his friendship with Louella, his use of the nickname with Katniss shows just how much he cared about her from the start.

Learning This Backstory Shows How Much Haymitch Cared For Katniss From The Start

The Nickname “Sweetheart” Proves He Never Gave Up On Her

Haymitch’s backstory answered a lot of questions readers had after the original Hunger Games trilogy, but learning the story behind Katniss’ iconic nickname is probably the most eye-opening. In the first Hunger Games novel, Haymitch simply seemed a drunkard who had little interest in Katniss or Peeta beyond acting as mentor. But his use of the nickname clearly shows how much he cared for her, regardless of how aloof he might have acted on the outside.

Being the daughter of his old best friend, Burdock Everdeen, it’s no surprise he formed a bond with Katniss as well. Haymitch explains in the Sunrise on the Reaping epilogue that while he tried his best to keep everyone at arms’ length, Katniss and Peeta eventually found their way into his heart — stating that “the walls of a person’s heart are not impregnable“. Knowing how afraid Haymitch was of getting close to anyone after his games, this is a huge step, and it’s clear from the epilogue that Katniss and Peeta became more than his tributes, but his family.