August
Peeta Mellark. Katniss kicks her friend's dresser. Peeta fucking Mellark. Of course that's who Madge would choose.
"Katniss, calm down! You're gonna break something." The offending girl scolds, which only causes Katniss to scoff. "What's your deal?"
"Out of the entire school, out of hundreds of boys, you can only see me with him? The most unattainable person to ever walk the halls of Panem High?" Katniss doesn't think that she's that doomed to stay single. They're starting their senior year, and she's never had a boyfriend. Hell, she's never even held hands with a boy.
Madge crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. "That is a bit of an exaggeration."
"Madge, I'm pretty sure that every girl who's ever spoken two words to Peeta has wanted to date him. And yet, the entire twelve years we've gone to school together he has shown interest in no one."
"Debatable point."
God Madge can be stubborn. "Debatable?"
"Uhuh." She nods. "You've never dated anyone."
Katniss rolls her eyes. "I've shown interest in guys, though!"
"Alright, sure." The blonde laughs. "Who have you shown interest in, Katniss?"
She thinks for a moment. "Well, there was that Thom kid when we were freshmen."
"The one that was in our algebra II class?"
Katniss nods.
Madge looks at her friend in disbelief. "You liked him?"
The other girl shrugs. "He had nice hair...clothes too."
"Okay..." Madge stands from her bed and moves to examine something on her desk. "You know why I think Peeta hasn't shown interest in any of those girls?" She looks up at her friend across the room. "I think that he's been interested in one girl this entire time, and that he's waiting for her to give him the time of day."
"And who would that girl be?"
Madge sets her trinket back on the desk. "You of course."
"Me?" That's it. Madge has lost her mind. "That's ridiculous."
"Come on Katniss, you've never noticed him staring at you in class?"
"In English? Well, yeah. But he sat across the room from me! Where else was he supposed to look?"
This brings a sigh from the other girl. "I'm talking about all the classes you had together. And in the lunch room. And the halls."
Katniss scowls. Peeta doesn't like her like that. He doesn't like anyone like that. For all she knows he could be gay! But she had noticed his eyes on her, especially as their junior year had drawn to a close. Her eyes had been on him too, but that's not something Madge needs to know. "He could have been staring at you." She offers.
"It's not like I've had a boyfriend for the past year or anything." Madge deadpans.
"That doesn't mean he wouldn't look at you."
God Katniss can be stubborn. Exasperated, she runs her hands through her hair. "I can assure you he doesn't like me, Katniss. I mean..." A light flips on in her mind. "Do you remember his painting that they put in the case in the school lobby?"
"Yes..." Katniss narrows her eyes. What is Madge getting at?
A smug grin settles over the blonde's face. "It was a painting of a girl in a field of dandelions. A girl with dark hair and tan skin."
"Coincidence." She huffs.
"Whatever. I know that he likes you, and you like him too."
"I do not like him!"
"Why are you so opposed to the idea of being with Peeta? He's a really good guy. And," she pauses for effect, "and, his hair and clothes are way better than Thom's ever were."
This wins a laugh from Katniss. "Oh yes. Curly blonde hair, khakis, sweaters, button ups with the sleeves rolled up, every girl's dream." She says dramatically.
"My dream!" Madge's hand flies over her heart. "I wish that Gale would dress like that, even if it was only a few times a month!"
"Please."
The blonde chuckles. "You notice what he wears."
Katniss grunts and crosses her arms.
"Give him a chance." Madge crosses the room and squeezes her friend's shoulder. "Try to get to know him better. I really do think that the two of you would be great together."
Looking into the other girl's eyes, Katniss knows she's lost this one. She has a look of finality on her face, one that could have only been inherited from her father the mayor. Reluctantly, with a sigh of defeat, she agrees. "Fine."
xXx
The sound of books smacking onto the desk next to her causes Katniss to jump and nearly drop her phone. Who in the-
"Hey Katniss!" Oh no. A grinning Peeta Mellark sits in the seat beside her. "Looks like we're going to be neighbors for the next semester."
Katniss lets out a breathy laugh. "Looks like it."
"So how was your summer?" He asks after a short pause, always one to try and keep a conversation going.
Truthfully, Katniss wants to ignore him, to get up and turn in her summer english homework. It's the last period of their first day back, and she's beyond drained. Being surrounded by over a thousand people takes a few days to get used to again. But then she remembers the conversation she had with Madge yesterday, and decides that talking to Peeta for a couple minutes will be easier than dealing with her friend.
"It was...pretty good." She thinks a moment before adding more, "I got to spend a lot of time with my little sister, so that was nice. How about yours?"
"Ah," he shrugs, "the usual. I worked in the bakery a lot. Nothing too exciting."
"So no tales of summer love to return to Panem with?" Katniss drawls. Her eyes widen after a moment when she realizes what she said. What kind of question was that?
But Peeta laughs, and the sound isn't really as obnoxious as she always thought it was. Kind of nice really. He takes a deep breath and then sighs wistfully. "No, no summer lovin' for me."
"Damn." She snaps her fingers. "We could've had a musical moment."
"Well there's still you." He offers, sitting back in his chair. "I'm sure you had boys lining up at your door waiting to ask you to the boardwalk."
It's Katniss's turn to laugh, the thought is ridiculous. "No," she chuckles, "no boys at all actually."
"None?"
She shakes her head. "None."
"Huh." He sits back up and looks at her for a long moment. She fights the urge to squirm under his gaze. "Well, they're really missing out."
Katniss's eyes widen for a moment before she blinks rapidly to mask her shock at his words. What on earth is that supposed to mean? But then class starts and she never gets the chance to respond.
xXx
Katniss 3:45p.m.
I talked to Peeta today. Just for you.
Madge 3:47p.m.
Awww what a good friend. How'd it go?
Katniss 3:48p.m.
Fine
Madge 3:48p.m.
Fine?
Katniss 3:50p.m.
We just talked about our summers a bit before class. He wasn't a complete asshole.
Madge 3:51p.m.
Peeta isn't an asshole at all.
Katniss 3:51p.m.
Suree
Madge 6:20p.m.
btw kat, speaking to him once doesn't count as giving him a chance
xXx
They end up having two other classes together, calculus and pop culture. He sits in the back with his friends in calc, and gives her little notice beside a quick smile at the start of class. She sits with Madge and ignores him completely. Pop culture, however, is a different story.
He walks in late, the last to arrive. Katniss has situated herself in the back right beside Clove Jennings. Madge-the only person she really considers a friend-refused to take the class with her, so she was more than relieved to see her chem partner from last year when she walked in.
Looking up at the boy who just came in, it's easy to tell that Peeta is feeling the same kind of relief when he spots the empty desk beside Katniss.
She tells herself that the expression is only because the only other open seat was beside some sophomore.
"Hey, Katniss." He greets quietly as he sits down. "I didn't know you were taking this class."
How would you? She almost asks, but she bites her tongue. He's just trying to make conversation, she should be nice. "Well, I am." She says with a shrug. "I figured it could be interesting...and probably an easy A too."
"Yeah." He grins and her stomach flutters a little. Peeta Mellark is annoyingly beautiful, but even more so when he smiles at her like that. "I love as a teacher, I think she'll make this a really great class." He stops for a moment and raises his eyebrows, grin morphing into something more playful. "And you're here too, which makes it even better." Then, just as quickly as it came, his confidence slips. "So, um, we'll have someone we know to do the partner stuff with."
Katniss forces a smile, but it quickly becomes genuine. Was he just flirting with her? Madge will kill her if she doesn't take this opportunity. She kind of even wants to take it. "I'm glad you're here too, Peeta. For partner stuff."
Her words bring a sweet smile to his face, but as with the day before class begins and their chance to talk ends. Or so Katniss thinks.
After class Peeta tells her that he looks forward to having the class with her.
"You just better be a good partner." Katniss says, swinging her back onto her back. "I'll expect your very best."
He laughs and follows her as she leaves the classroom. "No need to worry, Everdeen. Failure is something that I've never considered."
"I'm glad we have the same work ethic then." She glances to her right where he walks beside her. "This partnership just might work out."
"I really hope that it does." Katniss decides right then and there that Peeta Mellark's smiles are going to be the end of her.
Dammit, Madge was right. She likes him...really likes him.
xXx
"Sometimes I really wonder if not riding the bus is worth this." Madge frowns at the line of traffic in front of her. She and Katniss have taken turns driving one another to school since it was legal to do so. They both despise the bus, or the people that ride it rather, and so Katniss is a little surprised by the statement. When Madge sees that her friend is looking at her like she grew another head she backtracks. "Well, it's worth it, but I hate parking lot traffic. Summer almost made me forget how obnoxious student drivers can be."
Katniss glances out her window at a raised pickup truck that's revving its engine. "I hear ya."
"God." Madge shakes her head at the truck when it peels out. Idiots.
"Nine months." Katniss reminds Madge as much as herself. "Only nine more months until we never have to deal with these people again."
"Sorry to inform you, hun," the blonde smiles regretfully, "but we are going to encounter their types for the rest of our lives."
"Not as often though."
"True." She nods, and they finally turn onto the main road. "Hallelujah!"
Katniss rolls her eyes at her friend and starts to hum along to the song playing on the radio. It was one of the summer's biggest hits, so the notes come to her easily and without much thought. She's lost in the bridge when Madge's words break up the sound.
"So," she drags the word out, her tone teasing, "Annie told me that she saw you walking with Peeta in the hall after third today."
With a shrug Katniss tries to dismiss it. "I was."
"And?" The other girl pries.
"We have pop culture together. I talked to him a little more..." For a moment Katniss considers whether or not to share any more. Not much happened in all honesty, but full disclosure is always best when it comes to Madge. "We decided that we're going to pair up for any group projects we get."
This brings a grin to the other girl's face. "Looks like things are shaping up quite nicely."
"What things?"
"Things for you and Peeta of course! Hmmm..." Madge taps her steering wheel in thought. "I give it Homecoming."
"For what? Peeta and I to get together?"
"Yep!" She smirks. "Six weeks? Plenty of time."
"You're crazy." Katniss tells her friend, but a part of her wants to believe the words. Maybe, just maybe, this year will bring some much needed excitement into her life...bring Peeta Mellark into her life. The thought isn't a bad one.
"I'm never wrong about this stuff, Katniss." Her best friend's self confidence in her abilities is exaggerated, but not entirely unwarranted. She has predicted several hook ups and relationships in the past. Madge lifts her chin as she drives and smiles winningly. "You'll see."
Thanks to Prisspanem as always for being a wonderful beta! I plan to update this story once a month to correspond to the month it's about, so updates will be spaced out but still regular. If you want to talk I'm hanginghope on tumblr! I'd love to see what you guys think.