I'm waiting outside for Prim. She's milking her goat, Lady. Gale and Rory come around the corner. We wait for them every morning then we all walk to school together. Prim runs her bucket of milk into the house to our mother and picks up her school pack on her way back out the door. By the time she gets back out by my side, the two brothers are only 10 yards away. We all smile a warming "Hello" to each other.
"Hey," Gale says to me while Prim says hello to Rory.
"Hey. Ready to go?" I ask.
"Let's go!" Prim says, and starts walking with Rory telling a story about some lesson in a language called French. I remember taking French. But, I don't remember much about it. I was distracted by the feeling of a pair of deep blue eyes on my face from the right side. The deep blue eyes on a face below a mess of blonde curls that I go to bed seeing every night...
"Katniss?" Gale's voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah?" I asked realizing he said something.
"I said, what do you think about our new lesson in gym?" He repeated. This year for the Harvest Festival there will be a stage, really just a half a foot raised platform, for couples that would like to dance. But, this year, in gym we will be partnered up and will be taught a dance, then we would have to perform it during the Harvest Festival.
"I just hope I'm paired with you," I say. Gym is the only class Gale and I have together. At least we get lunch together this year. "It would be akward being paired with anyone else." Nothing romantic is going on between us. I felt nothing as I said the words. But, as I said it would be akward if I was partnered with anyone else. I'm not very well liked.
"Yeah, I guess," He answers. We get to school and we go our separate ways. He turns around and yells down the hall.
"See you at lunch!" I smile to him before he gets lost in the sea of kids trying to get to class. I get a few glares from girls in the hallway, but I ignore them. Gale is well likes. Particularily handsome, muscular, and tall. I hear the girls talk about him in the hall as he passes by with me. "Why does he hang around with her?" or "He's to good for that Seam junk." I've learned to ignore the comments but the glares go right through my skin, to the center of my bones, chilling my whole body.
I walk to Mathmatics with Prim and Rory. My classroom is on the way to their history class. I say goodbye at the doorway, and walk into class. I have to sit next to the peircing blue eyes that belong to the boy that saved my family's life. He's already in his desk, watching me sit down and get my textbook out. I open to the page of our last night's homework, I know the first thing we do will be correcting it.
"What did you get for number 12?" a voice to my left asks me. I look at the face of Peeta Mellark. I open my notebook and look at my answer.
"13.75," I tell him. I get the correcting pencil out from inside my desk. There is one in each desk that stays in the desk. All the classes share it so it must be there, or you are in trouble.
"Good. Then I did the problem right," he says and relief floods his face.
I look at him confused. "Why are you so certain I did the problem correctly?"
A hint of smile plays on his face, but I'm genuinly curious as to why he think I'm so smart. He doesn't get to answer because the teacher is calling our attention to start class.
After class is over I have history. Peeta Mellark is still in my class, I just don't have to sit next to him. I have evry class with Peeta Mellark, and I don't like it. I have nothing against Peeta Mellark. It's just I have a hard time talking to him. I was never able to thank him for saving my family. The awkward stares during class don't help either.
After history I have French. Peeta Mellark sits on my right staring at me all through class. I feel a glare from behind through class also. From Delilah Wellsworth. I feels the glare lessen as, what I believe it is, she glances at Peeta staring at me. But as she looks back at me her glare intensifies.
After French I have lunch, so as soon as the bell rings I'm out of my seat and to the patio where I sit with Gale, Prim, and Rory. This year they changed the lunch schedule a little bit. 12 year olds, 14 year olds, 16 year olds, and 18 year olds have lunch at the same time, leaving the 13, 15, and 17 year olds to have lunch after us. The 7 through 11 year olds go to school in a different building.
I see Gale, Prim, and Rory all sitting at a table discussing something. I smile as Gale waves at me. I feel a pair of eyes from my right and see him out of the corner of my eyes. My smile fades away and Gale gives me a quizical look as I walk over to the table and I just shake my head and pull out my lunch. I feel his stare off and on throughout lunch but I ignore it as best I can. I feel the intesnsity of his stare fade when I laugh or smile after Gale says something. Almost as if Peeta is sad I laughed or something. I dismiss the thought right away.
After lunch I say goodbye to Prim and Rory and head to Gym with Gale. I feel the blue eyes digging through my skin as I walk to gym.
"Soooooo," I hear the familiar voice of Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter cut through the comfortable silence. She butts her way between Gale and I. She has a huge crush on him.
"Hello, Madge.," Gale says irritated. He looked like he was about to say something before Madge interupted.
"So who do you want to be partnered up with, Gale?" she asks.
"It doesn't really matter much to me," he answers.
"What about you, Katniss? Who do you want to be paired up with?" the look in her eye tells me that if I say Gale, she'll be upset.
"Doesn't matter. I would prefer someone I know, but it doesn't matter. And what about you?" I ask.
She blushes at my question because she knows I know the answer. "It doesn't matter," is her reply.
I quickly change into my loose cotton shirt and pants and walk into the Gym, which will be my living hell for the next two weeks. I walk into the gym and find madge sitting on the makeshift wooden bleachers. I sit next to her I hear a voice I wished not to hear.
"Hello Madge," Peeta says.
"Hello Peeta," she says as bright and cheerful as possible.
"Hello Katniss," are his next words.
I see Gale coming and try to be friendly. "Hey," comes out of my mouth. I'm surprised by how casual it sounds. Gale sits next to me in shorts and a loose cotton shirt.
"Hey, Mellark," he says casually.
"Hi Gale," he replies.
"Hey, Catnip. Nice to see you again," he says with a smile. I return the smile. I look at Madge and shes staring me down. I give a slight shake of my head. She knows I don't feel that way about Gale. I don't feel that way about anybody.
The gym teacher clears his throat and Peeta sits on the bleachers the row in front of us.
"Mellark have his eye on you?" Gale asks with a smile.
"What? No," we are whispering so no one can hear. I don't smile, though. Because it's not funny.
"I've got my eye on him," he says more serious now. What did that statement even mean? He must have seen my cinfusion, because he explains further. "Make sure he doesn't hurt you."
"How would he hurt me?" I ask. But I don't get an answer because coach is putting us in lines. He stands me and Gale next to each other so I think we'll be together. Madge is across from Gale on the other sie of the gym.
"So what did you mean?" I ask him in a low whisper.
"He's got his eye on you. So I'm watching him," he replies.
"Gale you don't have to do that," I tell him
"Yes, I do," he says. I roll my eyes. The teacher is telling us to walk forward. So I walk across the gym looking at a smug smile on Madge's face. The teacher is telling us that whoever meets us in the middle of the gym will be our partner. I move my gaze to the left a bit and see the face I least wanted to see as my partner.
He smiles at me but I just stare dumbfoundedly at him.
At the face of Peeta Mellark.