It's Friday night and Peeta is all set for the game; popcorns popping in the microwave, beers cooling in the fridge and the apartment for himself. Finally a quiet afternoon in the solitude of home; he knows he has to make the most of it, precisely because on Fridays, his girlfriend and his sister, both, collide in the apartment - that's never a peaceful encounter.
"Oh believe me, I can, and I will!"
"Oh-my-god! I can't even watch. Peeta! PEETA!"
…Aaand there we go.
Not again! Peeta yells in his mind. He wonders if it will ever be a single game in the season, these two don't ruin with their catfight. He is so sick of this.
"Fuck!" he angrily exclaims when the sound of steps gets closer. He wonders if running and hiding will convince them he isn't at home, but he decides that the strong smell of popcorns will give him away right away and Madge will probably end up drinking his beers.
A second option would be to pretend he is deep in the game, so he turns up the volume of the television and remains there, sitting on the couch, feet up on the coffee table, pretending he can't hear a thing.
"Peeta!" the door opens abruptly, hitting the wall hard. He turns his head slowly in that direction. Nice acting Peeta, he tells himself.
"Yes, Glimmer?" He asks to his girlfriend in an overly sweet tone of voice.
She huffs and starts talking in that annoying tone of voice that she has when she is mad. He can't help but relate that voice with one spoiled kid tantrum. He is not that far from the truth, Glimmer is the adored only daughter of a prominent banker and an ex-beauty queen.
"You'll definitely have to move, honey. This can't possibly go on another day."
He is still watching the game, nodding at everything she says, hoping she thinks he is paying attention. He will continue this until the very last moment. Maybe this time he might get to see a goal. But nothing good can last. His sister, who he must admit, is much smarter than his girlfriend, enters the apartment and presses mute on the television. He hits his forehead with the palm of his hand.
"Now what?" he asks in exasperation.
"I honestly, can't understand what you are you doing with her. She, she is such a bitch Peeta!"
"Madge," he warns unconvinced.
"Your sister primary mission in this life is to piss me off, she hates me Peeta, you heard it!" And they begin to talk, or more accurately, yell, saying pretty much the same as each time they see each other.
The explanation is very simple. They hate each other's guts.
Peeta and Madge live together on his apartment in Panem on the weekends, she studies in District 12, an hour away from here but she, like him, finds their mother impossible to handle, so, as soon as she can get away from her, she does. That happens every Friday after school. Some Thursdays too when things are rough, she doesn't care about missing some classes, she just needs to get away from the woman.
Madge and Peeta also have two older brothers, the oldest is married and Rye is a mess, he drives everyone in the family crazy. He must be backpacking around Europe right now. Peeta and Madge have always been close, so it's not common for them to argue and Glimmer has become one a constant topic of battle It hurts both of them, they basically have always had the same group of friends and they have worked shoulder to shoulder at the family bakery. They used to think similarly too, hoping for the same things from life.
Madge has always been a bright girl. Her GPA has earned her scholarships to the best universities, but she doesn't really needs one. The best medicine school in the country is in D12, so she stayed there, close to their mother, unfortunately.
Mrs. Mellark set Peeta up with Glimmer. She is the daughter of a millionaire - spoiled, beautiful, and frivolous and everything his mother loves in this world. That's one of the reasons why Peeta is still with her after almost a year. He has never felt approval from his mother before - , she is a tough, angry woman and therefore, he never realized how hungry he was for that approval. Glimmer isn't the woman of his teenage dreams but he is not a kid anymore, and he knows life is not a fairy tale. Glimmer could be a model if she wanted to, and she is willing to try pretty much everything in bed, so Peeta really can't complain.
Madge is rebel and idealistic, she doesn't give a fuck about her mother's approval, maybe because she has always had it. Instead, she loves to challenge her until Glimmer screams in frustration, but Madge truly thinks Peeta deserve much more than the girlfriend he has, that he is not who he used to be anymore. She is mad at him and he knows it, he isn't the way he used to, Madge is a romantic and he can't afford to be that way anymore but the relationship between them is being affected, worsening day after day. Glimmers whining wakes him from his reverie "Peeta, she is feeding the homeless again,"
"Come on Glimm, not this again. Why do you care so much?" He rubs his forehead in frustration.
"Why do I care? Are you serious? Every Friday I come to see my boyfriend and I have to walk over that nasty homeless girl. They are like cats you know, they will never leave if you keep feeding them. Well not you of course, your lunatic sister."
"She is just a girl; I don't think she is much older than us. Only god knows what happened to her. What harm is there in giving her a bit of bread every Friday?" Madge says, ever the kinder one. Peeta doesn't really cares who she takes the bread too.
"Madge has a point. She only comes here on weekends Glimm, it's not really a big deal."
"A Point? God! She said it herself. Imagine the things she has had to live to finish like this? How can you be sure she isn't a murderer? Have you thought she might be dangerous?"
"Now Glimm has a point, sweete," he tells his sister, who just shakes her head. He knows he will not hear the end of this.
"Peet, she smells." Glimmer says like it's the most disgusting thing in the world.
"Of course she smells, you idiot, she can hardly bathe every day like you do." Madge turns around and goes to her room slamming the door.
"I can't believe you didn't defend me." Glimmer pouts.
"God, what else can I do? This is her home too, she pays her share of rent, and she is only feeding her, I really wish you two stop fighting all the time." he says, sighing, exhausted with the situation.
"You're blaming me?" Oh god not again! He thinks.
"Glimm, I am very tired, I think you should go. Call Clove or something. You deserve to have fun and I'm so tired today."
"Want me to help you relax, honey?" she asks seductively while she walks closer to him, following an invisible path on his shoulder with her fingernail. He is convinced there must be something wrong with him because she is truly beautiful and he is young and not really tired but he just doesn't feel like it.
"I just want to get to bed Glimm." She kisses him, licking his lips, tempting him. He almost gives in, decides against it. He takes her shoulders and puts some space between their bodies.
"I will text Clove then, call me if you reconsider." She gives him a quick kiss on the lips and walks to the door. She is gone. Good.
The following Friday is rough. Peeta has to open the bakery, Thresh called in sick and everyone has to work double, having to frost a hundred cupcakes for some girl's party. He regrets not taking his car in the morning because he wanted to breathe fresh air and walk. He is almost home and can tell from a distance they're fighting again. Peeta suddenly wishes he could go back to work. He turns on his heel and walks in the opposite direction of the yelling. However, the discussion appears to have taken on a new dimension and he reluctantly turns around, walking towards the house where the screaming spills out onto the street., "Have you've lost your already lunatic mind? You can't do this!"
"Do you have silicone on your brains too? This is MY house and I can do whatever I want."
"What the fuck is going on now?" Peeta says, with an enormous regret at finally reach his destination.
"She has moved that filthy indigent into your home."
"She, what?" He turns to see Madge seeking confirmation.
"Exactly what I'm saying, honey. I came here to see you and what I found when I came, was your sister taking that dirty girl up the stairs."
He peers up the stairs where, on the last step, her feet fidgeting , is what appeared to be a girl, though it's hard to be sure, giving her appearance. Her clothes are much too big for her small frame; her hair is greasy and, tangled hair and she is so dirty you can't really distinguish the color of her skin. She seems very young but he can't quite tell, her face is covered in dirt and seems to be bleeding. She is looking down, which prevents him from seeing her eyes. He is oddly intrigued by this. It remindes him of when he was painter, he used to pay special attention to people eyes, thinking that, as cliché as it sounds, they reflect more of a person than their whole face and attitude can. He used to spend a lot of time trying to get the exact same color of the eyes of whoever he was drawing. He shakes himself out of his memories.
"She's hurt; I just want to check on her." Madge explains to her brother.
"You'll end up with your body cut into pieces." Glimm yells at Madge. He doesn't like this; he thinks maybe Glimmer is right, for once.
"Madge, you have to realize this is crazy, you can't take this girl inside. She could be dangerous,." He hisses, because he doesn't want the girl to hear.
"So go follow your girlfriend then, this is my house too and Kat is coming in." She says girlfriend in such a vicious way that makes Peeta flinch at the sound.
"Kat?" Glimmer asks.
"My friend obviously," she hisses.
"Peeta, they're friends." Glimmer accuses.
"You can't be serious," he says, trying to reason with her but knowing that at this point, this will be impossible. .
Madge's huge blue eyes start to water with fury and frustration.
Shit. Peeta thinks, knowing what's coming. He has always been a sucker for her puppy eyes since they were kids. He was never able to say no to her.
She snaps at him "You are the one who can't be serious about this, Peeta. What happened to you? You were always the compassionate one. You never refused to help anyone in trouble. Why have you changed so much?" She is in tears now. He knows she is right, he has changed, but that's what maturity is for, right? Dreams never took him anywhere except to his mother blows. He knows Madge sees the world differently because she can do no wrong in their mother's eyes, and if she does, well, it would be Peeta's fault too. His mother will always find a way to blame him, His mother always wanted a daughter, one and only daughter. But Bran came first, she was disconsolate. Then, Rye came second; by the time she knew he was a boy, it was too late for her to have an abortion. The third pregnancy was the last attempt to have their cherished daughter. The previous two were already paying the price of his mother frustrations. When Madge and Peeta came together in her belly, well, he was a necessary asset. Maybe she would have willingly given him up for adoption if his father had allowed it.
"I think you're taking things to the extreme Madge."
"Well, this is my house too, and you and your girlfriend will have to suck it up." She walks up the stairs while Glimmer huffs. He can hear them arguing. Katniss is reluctant to enter the apartment, trying to argue with Madge, telling her that it's fine, she doesn't have to get in but the blond one is not one to take no for answer.
"Kat, we already agreed on this, you're going to let me help you today, please." The girl stares straight into my sister eyes, pleadingly, but Madge leads her into the apartment. The girl seems weak, and stumbles but she doesn't let go of a little bag she is holding. Madge tries to help her on her feet, but in doing so also loses her balance so Peeta runs to help, preventing them from falling down stairs. Glimmer's litany begins again. The girl recoils from his touch and looks in into his eyes with distrust.
She stares at him. He feels nervous all of a sudden. Her eyes are gray, deep and penetrating. They hide immense sadness and a living fire. Apparently she is contemplating if he is trustworthy; it takes a few seconds to figure it out but she must have come to the conclusion that he is because lets him put his hand on her bonny back and help her to the kitchen table while Madge finds her first aid kit. A fuming Glimmer comes behind them, shouting expletives. "So, you're going to let her get away with this?"
"Glimm, please go." He is just too tired and can't believe he is doing this. "I can't take the fights between you two anymore. I'm not happy about it, believe me, but Madge is right, this is her home and you can't intervene this way. Sorry but this is between my sister and me."
She is boiling with rage. "It's unbelievable that a filthy homeless hobo is more important than your girlfriend. Your sister is just doing this to piss me off; she knows I won't tolerate this stinking woman. She wants to break us apart Peeta, can't you see it?"
It's not fair for her to talk this way in front of the girl. Why does Glimmer has to be so rude? "We will talk, trust me, but for now you'll have to leave, Glimm." She takes an indignantly breath and says. "Don't even think about calling me until that dirty girl is out of your house, Peeta Mellark."
"Okay Kat, she's gone. It's alright now." Madge whispers to the girl who looks scared and very out of place. She looks with wild, wide eyes to every corner of the apartment, not feeling comfortable at all.
It's obvious she just wants to leave but somehow Madge's insistence has kept her in place. Peeta studies her. He knows that she is aware of him, watching her every movement. Although he is pretending to watch TV she can't blame him, he reasons with himself; after all, there is no way to know if she is psychotic, suicidal or just unstable. For all he knows, she could be a mutt; ready to strangle his sister without warning.
"Kat, you're full of scratches, and the wound in your arm will become infected if I don't clean it." Peeta wonders how she made those wounds.
His sister amazes him today more than never; she switches into healer mode, cleaning the girl's wounds patiently, whispering soothing words to her when she gasps in pain. When she finishes, she whispers something to the girl and cleans the table, picking the first aid kit. Madge is studying to become a doctor, so it is safe to say she has a little hospital inside that case.
"Now you need to eat something and take a bath." Did he hear her correctly? Is she planning to bathe this girl in his house, in his bathroom? He can't believe his ears. Of course he glares at Madge, but she answers lifting an eyebrow in a challenging way that makes him back down. Madge hands the girl a glass of milk, who drowns it in three gulps. Madge then takes left-overs from the fridge and heats them in the microwave. She finishes within minutes. Peeta is still processing his sister's suggestion of a bath.
The girl looks at him suspiciously but seems confident enough with Madge, who leads her to the bathroom, closing the door behind them. Peeta approaches the door, intent on eavesdropping and ready to jump in in case his sister needs him. However, he thinks better of it and instead goes over to the couch as soon as he hears the water stop falling. It takes a long while for them to come out yet. It's to be expected, giving the state she was in. Peeta hears the bathroom door open and then the door in Madge's bedroom closes. Apparently Madge isn't just checking her wounds, she's letting this girl stay!
Later that night Madge approaches her fuming brother, whispering, "Thanks for supporting me Peeta." He's not sure how to feel about this.. He wishes he could be more like Madge, but that'll get him nowhere in this life.
"I don't think you gave me a choice. You shouldn't be putting us in this situation."
"I'm just trying to help her."
"Where is she, by the way?"
"Asleep. She was exhausted."
"What do you mean asleep? Is she in your room?" he asks her frantically his forehead furrowed in worry.
"Yes, Peeta. Kat is in my room, sleeping in my bed, with my clothes on." She answers to him in a condescending tone that does nothing to calm his insecurities about this situation.
"Are you crazy? She can't stay here."
"And why not? Peeta, she is a sweet girl. I had to work hard to earn her trust. It took a long time for her to accept food from me. You could say we're friends now. She trusts me and I can assure you she isn't dangerous."
"Well, I'm sorry but this is the first I've heard about this strange friend of yours. I knew you were feeding her, not socializing with her. You shouldn't have brought her home. Why don't you find her a shelter or something? Did you really do it to piss Glimmer?" Peeta knows his sister too well to know when she is lying, he looks at her with knowing eyes.
Madge sighs and concedes "I can't deny that watching Glimmer throwing a fit was something I enjoyed immensely. But I would have brought her anyway, Glimmer or not, I care about Kat. I couldn't let her sleep in the street for another day, especially now that she's hurt."
"What happened to her?"
"Someone tried to steal her backpack, she fought back and took some hits."
"Damn, Madge." he exclaims somberly.
"Katniss and I, have been friends for a long time, and indeed, I was planning to take her to a shelter, a private one, but I couldn't resist driving Glimmer crazy, I'm sorry Peeta but she made me so angry with all the names she was calling Katniss. Please don't be mad at me. I don't regret having brought her home, though. " Peeta rubs his forehead, trying to think clearly. He didn't want to be an insensitive prick but this could be dangerous. Madge keeps going "Peeta, you don't know what people suffer on the streets, sometimes even in shelters too. After helping her to bathe and seeing some of her scars, my heart filled with sorrow," she pleads.
"Shit Madge. Why is she living in the streets anyway? Is she an orphan? What's her story?"
"She clams up every time I try to ask her something related to her past in that way. I've been giving her bread for a long time. the first time she just started to walk away, leaving the untouched food on the street, she is so goddamn stubborn and proud. I call her and when she looked into my eyes she just sat there and started eating, when I ask her what kept her to turn and leave that day she told me that my eyes remind her of someone she loved. I started to sit on the street next to her, not really talking. She would scowl at me, but after some time she started to clear a place on the floor next to her, for me. We didn't talk much at first. We just sat together, keeping each other company."
"Madge, she's a homeless girl, you should probably find her parents, maybe she ran away ... I don't know, the range of possibilities of what could have happen to her is infinite but it is definitely not your responsibility."
"I know it's not. I do this because I want to. She is my friend."
Peeta nods, making an effort to understand "What do you even talk about now?"
"I'm usually the talker one but she tells me some things. She asks me about the bread because she has such a sweet tooth, I told her you bake it. I've talked to her a lot about you. I also think it's a matter of time before she tells me what happened. At first she couldn't even tell what day it was, she seemed numb all the time, lost to the world. She has improved so much Peeta, I'm now, more convinced than ever that what Kat needs is a little love and a good friend. Please let me be that to her." She pleads.
"I don't know Madge," he sighs knowing he just agreed and feeling like he shouldn't have "I should call Glimmer before I got to sleep."
"You should probably realize that you deserve someone very unlike her, but you never listen to me so, suit yourself."
Glimmer doesn't answer her phone that night.
The next morning a strange motivation wakes him. Well, saying morning is really not true, he'll always have the schedule of a baker. It's still pitch dark outside. This girl must be starving, he thinks, doesn't matter how angry he is at Madge she looked like she needed food, so he starts to bake some cheese buns and eggs for everyone. If Madge can do something kind for a stranger, so can him. He puts juice on the table, fruit, bread, bacon and coffee in the pot until a coughing gets his attention.
He turns to face her. The air leaves the room as soon as he spots the creature standing next to his sister looking at everything around but him. He is perplexed, finding impossible to relate the dirty and smelly girl from yesterday with the vision before him today. It has to be her though - same height, dark hair and that scowl framing a pair of deep storms that finally turn to where he is, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Well after last night's drama, please let me introduce you two properly: Peeta, this is my friend Katniss. Katniss, the flabbergasted guy here, is my twin brother, Peeta."
She nods in acknowledgement, hiding her face from his persistent eyes.
Her hair is not tangled and dirty and doesn't remind him a rat's nest anymore. Instead, it is shiny and silky, pulled into a long loose braid hanging over her thin shoulder. Small, delicate frame; olive skin; plump and chapped lips and then she turns her head up to look at him again, with those stunning gray eyes that stand out even more in today's light than yesterday. She is in pink pajamas, a pair that surely belongs to his sister. He even dares to go too far and describe this girl as beautiful.
She is too thin too, prominent cheek bones. Madge pajamas pants hangs from her hips and the shirt is too big compared to how it fits Madge. Makes Peeta wonders how hungry this girl has been. He feels his heart shrink. He knows that he is making her uncomfortable with his staring but he finds he can't stop. She glares back at him, which finally makes him turn to take the cheese buns from the counter, checking that they've cooled and holds out a plate to her, a silent offer to their guest.
Madge coughs again, looking strangely at him. "Come on Kat, he is my brother, I promise he won't hurt you."
"I made breakfast," he says, feeling suddenly stupid.
"Thank you," she whispers, her voice is a bit hoarse and shy. He reprimands himself instantly for having thoughts about that voice.
Madge sits her at the table. She tells her she can eat as much as she likes. Katniss hesitates at first but as soon as she starts, she begins eating like there's no tomorrow. After a few moments, she realizes two pair of blue pools staring at her and blushes furiously, looking down at her plate. Peeta feels the lack of air in his lungs when he notices the coloring on her cheeks, and he can tell he is making her uncomfortable, but he can't look away.
She eats slowly after that, avoiding eye contact. He regrets it though. Katniss takes a cheese bun, and puts it to her mouth. She gives a small bite moaning involuntarily " You made these?" she asks in awe.
He feels his face burn. That's strange, he thinks, he has never been shy, much less tongue tied. He nods with a wave of pride washes over him as he watches her devouring the cheese bun and reaching out to take another. Its been so long since he baked at home, he normally leaves that for the bakery, especially when someone misses work.
"Yes. I made them." comes his short response, conscious of the questioning look from his sister.
"Madge, I think these are number one," she says in that soft, barely inaudible, tone of voice that makes him lean his head to the side in order to hear her better.
Madge laughs and explains that each time she visited Kat, she tried to bring a new variety of bread for her. They were figuring out which one was her favorite. "I never imagined that your creation was going to be the winner." She turns toward Katniss in explanation. "Peeta created a new recipe for the cheese buns when we were on high school. They were a total success at the bakery. I'm sure you agree now that you've tasted them." Katniss nods timidly.
When they finish eating, Katniss tries to help clear the table and moves to wash the dishes, she falters grabbing the table for balance, the blond one tells her she should rest while she goes out to buy groceries.
Madge is so excited when she gets back, she puts the grocery bag on the counter, while she places things on the fridge claiming she found the perfect solution for Katniss. She says over and over that this has to work. Apparently she came back from the street with an idea, Peeta listens attently while doing paperwork from his place at the kitchen table, somehow he just knows he is not going to be happy about whatever his sister is talking about.
"Kat, get ready, we're going out, I need you to talk to someone." She shouts as she heads into the room.
A/N: Well, I had promised that would post this story until it was finished, well, I couldn't keep that promise. In my defense, I have 5 chapters written. I hope to not keep you waiting much this time.
This isn't my language although my wonderful beta ct522 does everything in her power to help me in spite that I keep changing tenses or not making any sense in general sometimes.
Please let me know if you like my story or not. Leave a review, they make my day. And if you feel like it, come follow my boring account on tumblr, it's under the same name: inmyfavor.
Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!
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