Loosely based off of The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.
PS: I do not own anything.
Katniss
Wow. Just wow. That movie was absolutely perfect.
John Green was such a talent. And Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort portrayed Hazel and Gus so perfectly. I couldn't really tell if there was any flaws in the actual movie; it was just so perfect! And I was saying perfect too much... Well, it was the best way to explain how it was. It was perfect.
But maybe there was one problem about its perfection: I was still feeling heartbroken after Gus' eulogy to Hazel. And as the credits rolled, I felt myself standing up and leaving. As expected, the theater was super crowded because of everyone watching the movie. I plopped my earbuds into my ears, the song Timber blaring into my ears from my phone. It was what I really needed at that point to stop myself from full out crying.
Walking out of the movie theater, I looked from side to side as I started walking towards home. I didn't go to see The Fault In Our Stars with any of my friends. Madge, Johanna, and Annie had a swim meet, and since I wasn't much of a swimmer, I wasn't on the swim team and couldn't go with them.
But then, with my clumsiness, I ended up bumping into someone. How cliché.
"Sorry," I choked out. I wasn't much of an apologizer, but it seemed appropriate so then I could get out of there as soon as I could so then I could fangirl in peace.
But then, I looked at him for the first time. He was hot, to say the least. His skin was tanned, his eyes so flourescent blue that they almost looked fake. He was toned, but not ripped like Finnick, Annie's boyfriend, was, and his cheekbones were so high that they were almost unbelievable. He was a bit taller than me, maybe taller by a couple of inches. I found myself blushing oh-so-slightly and biting the inside of my cheek to try to stop myself.
He smirked and said, "My bad."
My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Was he really quoting The Fault In Our Stars? Instead of walking away and going on with my life like I originally planned, I asked him, "Did you watch TFIOS?"
He nodded, his smirk only growing. "Why of course."
My eyebrow only raised at that. There was no possible way he willingly went to watch The Fault In Our Stars. He was way too hot for that. But, then again, he was hot. Maybe he had a girlfriend that he went with that wasn't with him at that moment. So, I just had to ask that instead of heading on my way. "Did you come with your girlfriend?"
He chuckled and said, "I'm single."
I quirked an eyebrow in disbelief, holding back a smile. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yes, really. Why are you asking? Are you already into me? I mean, I know I'm pretty hot but..."
I felt myself flush in embarrassment as I admitted, "You don't seem like the type to like The Fault In Our Stars. Or, any book, for that matter."
He started smirking again. "Well, I'm sorry for not meeting your standards."
I looked around again. "Are you here with... anyone, for that matter?"
He shook his head. "Nope. But I may be able to get you to go to Starbucks with me for a drink or two as I get to know you better."
It took a few seconds for what he said to actually register into my head. I looked at him with complete shock and disbelief. "Are you serious right now?"
"Completely." I watched as his smirk grew wider and wider by the second. "I mean, you're so beautiful, so why not? A little Starbucks date to let me get to know a beautiful girl like you is not something to be turned down."
My eyebrow raised more with disbelief. "You're serious?"
"I thought we already covered that." His smirk was so wide at the moment that I thought that his face would explode, but hey, at least it emphasized his already defined cheekbones. "I am completely serious. Now, please say yes so then I don't look like a complete idiot."
I laughed and quoted Hazel. "You know, you could be an axe murderer for all I know."
He laughed too, catching the reference. "Yes, well, that is a possibility." I smiled with satisfaction. The Gus reference. But then he continued. "What's your name?"
I hesitated for a while, before realizing that I really wanted to get to know him more. "Katniss."
"Your full name," he persisted. Oh, he was good with the references.
"Katniss Everdeen," I told him.
He tilted his name as he said, "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I love it."
I started to blush. "Thank you. I was named after the katniss flower. My dad grew up in the wilderness and memorized all of the edible plants. He loves all of his nature knowledge, you know?"
He smirked and nodded. "I get it, Katniss. Do you like nature?"
"Of course!" I exclaimed as if it was obvious. "It's so relaxing. I especially love that forest just a few miles away. It's so pretty."
His face lit up. "Oh yeah! I went camping there with my brothers a couple times! It's a really nice forest."
"Yeah," I smiled and nodded. Then, I realized something. "Wait. I never got your name."
"Oh right!" he exclaimed. "My name's Peeta. Before you comment, I know I'm named after the bread. So are my brothers. So, don't judge me."
In all honesty, I didn't even realize that in the first place. Peeta? Like pita bread? "Sounds cool. I don't really mind it. In fact, I really like it."
His eyes started to sparkle. "Really? It's not a turn off despite all of my hotness?"
I laughed and said, "Of course not. Now let's go to Starbucks."
His eyes lightened even more as I said that. "You really want to go with me?"
"As long as you don't screw it up." That time, I smirked, and Peeta shook his head.
"Okay, okay, I'll try to not screw it up," he laughed. I smiled, and he took my hand as he kissed my cheek and we went to Starbucks. On the way, I asked him about his brothers, and he told me that he would tell me on our second date (and I quirked my eyebrow and said that he shouldn't hope, and he said all of my efforts to keep him away was going to fail). Also, it turned out that we go to the same school, him being a grade ahead of me, which we both found coincidental and cool.
He opened the door for me as we walked into Starbucks, and I couldn't stop my smile from forming on my face. We both ordered iced tea (oddly enough, both of us aren't huge fans of coffee) and talked the entire time. Being with him was just so amazing. I could already see the future with him, and no matter how creepy that sounded, it was true. I knew right then and there that we would be together forever (even though we weren't dating yet).
At the end, he held out a piece of paper and a pen.
"Number?"
I nodded and wrote it down for him. "You know, I find it kind of strange that you just carry around a piece of paper and a pen with you."
He laughed. "I guess I kept it there for a reason, didn't I? Like an insanely beautiful girl?"
I shook my head and laughed. "You are such a psychic, Peeta, aren't you?"
He nodded. "You know me."
We both laughed, and I handed him back the pen and paper with my phone number on it. He smiled, and we said our goodbyes. Once he was out of sight, I put in my earbuds. Timber boomed in my ears, but the only thing on my mind was Peeta.
I couldn't wait to see what our infinity would be like.
Peeta: Hey there Katniss
Katniss: Who r u?
Peeta: Its Peeta
Katniss: O hey Peeta :) how u doin?
Peeta: Good i havent seen u around in skool
Katniss: Ive been feeling sick so im staying home
Peeta: Bummer but we will have another date later rite? ;)
Katniss: Of course ;)
"Katniss!" my mom called.
I groaned. I had a huge fever, and even though I was as energetic as the Energizer bunny, I still wasn't allowed in school because of that fever. It wasn't like I was sneezing or anything; actually, I didn't think what I had was contagious. And yet I still had to miss an entire week of school. It really sucked that the one time I actually wanted to go to school, I couldn't because I was sick. I just wanted to see Peeta again and talk to him. Was that so much to ask?
"What, mom?" I yelled back at her.
"Madge is here with your homework!" she yelled. Immediately, I jumped out of my blanket and ran downstairs. Even though I saw Madge every single day after the school day ended since I was sick, it was the highlight of my day. All I really did at home was reread The Fault In My Stars at least a billion times (well, and homework after Madge dropped it off).
When I looked at the door, the blonde started to squeal and immediately ran to me and hugged me. That was usual for her. In public, she was closed off and shy, but in private, she could pass of as Delly Cartwright, the most popular girl and cheerleader in our school.
"Hey there Katniss!" she yipped.
I chuckled slightly and then scowled. I hated hugs. "Madge, please let me go," I said as kindly as I could. When I felt her shake her head, I added, "You know I'm sick, right?"
She let go of me and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You're lucky I care for you."
I laughed and said, "I know you do." I led her to the living room, and we both sat down on the couch. She took off her backpack and opened it, looking through it. Then, she handed me a worksheet.
"All we really have is math homework," she told me. I scanned through it. Trigonometry. Perfect. How fun. "Mrs. Ivan also almost gave us LA homework, but we convinced her not to."
I rolled my eyes at the mention of her. I absolutely hated her perkiness. "How did you guys convince her? She's very persistent."
"As persistent as you," she muttered. I shot her my classic glare, and she looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry! But we lied to her and said that we had so many tests tomorrow."
I laughed. "She is so gullible that it's pathetic."
She laughed as well. "I know right? It's so sad."
I nodded at that. "Yeah. But are you done now? I would like to read TFIOS in peace now, please."
She smirked. "You know, I already have all of the answers copied down," she trailed off, feigning innocence. "I was going to let you copy them down, but now I'm rethinking that..."
I glared at her and snatched her backpack away from her. "Give. Me. Your. Homework."
She laughed and nodded, handing me her completed homework. "I know you so well," she sing-songed, smiling widely.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I shook my head as I copied down the answers. "Don't rub it in."
She nodded and watched me intently as I copied down the answers. I really hated trigonometry. There was no point in learning about trigonometry. 'When would we need this in daily life?' I would always ask myself. It wasn't like we would need the sine of 38 degrees anytime in our lives.
"Oh, yeah!" Madge exclaimed, as if she just remembered something. "This guy was looking for you. He introduced himself as... Peter?"
My eyes widened a little, and I tried my best to cover it up. Peeta was looking for me? Seriously? "It's Peeta, Madge," I corrected. "Not Peter."
"Peeta," Madge repeated after me loudly, as if she was reminding herself to remember it. "Okay, Peeta. But he was seriously looking for you." She paused, looking straight at me and smirking. "Care to explain?"
"No," I answered hastily, hoping that my face wasn't as red as a tomato at that moment.
"Too bad," Madge persisted. "Because you are going to tell me either way."
She smirked, and I felt the urge to scowl at her. She was as persistent as I was, and I really hated that at times.
She was still staring at me, completely unfazed from the scowl, and I sighed. "Okay, fine. You know when you went on that swim meet with Johanna, Annie, and Finn?"
She nodded. "Yeah, of course. We won. So?"
"Well," I continued, "I watched The Fault In Our Stars that day and-"
"Do you know how obsessed you are with that?" Madge interrupted at me.
I scowled at her. "You wanted me to tell you why Peeta was asking for me, and I was going to tell you, but you're just interrupting me! Maybe I shouldn't tell you after all..."
Madge raised her hands up in defense and exclaimed, "Sorry! Sorry! Please continue, please."
I rolled my eyes playfully and smirked. "Fine. So, when I went out of the theater, we bumped into each other, literally. Then we started talking, and one thing led to another, and we were at Starbucks and I was giving him my number."
"Awww!" Madge squealed, hugging me. "How cute!"
I scowled. She absolutely loved anything to do with love, and I would of thought that she already gotten enough from her relationship with my neighbor Gale (maybe that was the reason why she always volunteered to visit my house...), but of course not. "Please, Madge, get off of me."
She did reluctantly and asked me, "So he was looking for you because of that?"
I shrugged. "I guess," I answered. "But, I mean, he knows that I'm sick right now. Why would he ask you guys?"
"Maybe because he's worried about you," she answered and then looked at her beige watch. "But, look, Katniss, I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you, Madge."
The blonde went to my door and left, and in came another blonde: my sister, Prim. She ran to hug me, and then we went to eat mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner.
Katniss: So i herd u were looking 4 me? ;)
Peeta: I havnt seen u since starbucks :( im just worried 4 u :(
Katniss: U no im sick
Peeta: I no im just so worried i no this is really soon but i care so much bout u
Katniss: Dont worry ok?
Peeta: Its been 2 weeks!
Katniss: Im going 2 the doctor 2morro ill talk 2 u then ok?
Peeta: Ok... i wish u luck
Katniss: Thx :)
"Katniss Everdeen? The doctor is ready to see you."
I nodded as I stood up. My mom trailed behind me while my dad and Prim stayed behind. Oddly enough, I wasn't that scared. Doctors never really scared me. Same with dentists and orthodontists. We were paying them to help us, right? So it wasn't really a big deal to me.
We walked in the hospital room. I sat on the hospital bed while my mom sat on a chair next to it. I yawned.
"You ready Katniss?" my mom asked me.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."
We sat in silence after that. I looked around the appeasing room. It was filled with brightly colored drawings and awards for the doctor. It was like every typical hospital room I had seen.
"Hi there Ms. Everdeen," the doctor walked in and smiled at me. He looked like he was in his late 40s or early 50s. He was shaved and had a few white hairs here and there. "What brings you here today?"
"I have a fever," I said emotionlessly.
He nodded and wrote that down on his clipboard. "For how long?"
"Two weeks," I said blandly. I could already hear my mom scolding me because I had no politeness in my voice.
"Okay," he nodded, writing that down as he did. "We will take your temperature first, and then we will have a check up, okay?"
I nodded, smirking slightly as I said Hazel and Gus' always. "Okay."
He then took my temperature with a thermometer, which turned out to be an astonishing 101.3 degrees. Then, he measured my height and weight: 5'7" and 120 pounds respectively. After that, he did the usual check up. I obeyed semi-willingly.
But, when he took a good look at my neck, he asked, "Do you know why your lymph nodes are swollen?"
I shook my head. I didn't even know what lymph nodes were.
"You have an infection," he told me. "Let me prescribe some antibiotics for you."
My mom nodded. "Okay," she said. I honestly completely forgot she was there.
He wrote some more stuff on his clipboard, and then ripped out a page and gave it to my mom. "Go to the pharmacy. You will need to take one pill once before every meal. Sound good?"
I nodded. "Sounds good."
"If you're not feeling better by a week, please come back," he told me. "Now you are cleared."
My mom smiled graciously at him. "Thank you, doctor."
He smiled back. "You're very welcome. I hope you feel better soon!"
I held back a scowl as my mom and I left the hospital room. Of course he would hope so.
My mom then leaned into me to whisper, "Katniss! Could you be any more rude to him?!"
I held back a smirk and what I was about to answer "Maybe." and instead said, "I know, I'm sorry, mother. It will not happen again."
She didn't seem pleased with my answer, and with all honesty, I didn't really care. I thought she knew me by then. Not being rude would be weird for me.
Whatever, I thought to myself. It's not that big of a deal anyways.
Peeta: How did the doctors appointment go?
Katniss: Good :) he prescribed antibiotics said i had an infection
Peeta: Is it serious?
Katniss: I would hope not
Peeta: I would hope not as well
Katniss: U no how cute u r when ur so worried 4 me ;)
Peeta: Well what would i b if i wasnt worried 4 u? ;)
Katniss: I dont really no XD
Peeta: Exactly ;) r u free anytime soon?
Katniss: Im free all day 2morro if u want 2 hang ;)
Peeta: Of course i want 2 hang how bout we meet up at the capitol at 7?
Katniss: Sounds good but isnt the capitol expensive?
Peeta: I can and will pay dont worry :)
Katniss: Whatever ;)
Peeta: C ya then and make sure 2 wear a cute dress!
Katniss: Only if u wear a nice suit!
I went to the door to open it, but then my mom stopped me.
"Katniss!" she exclaimed, standing up. "Where are you going? And with a dress like that?"
I looked down at my dress self-consciously. It was a red dress - a bold choice, I knew that already, but I really liked it and it seemed to fit the occasion. It was long and elegant, and whenever I turned, it looked like flames were burning me up, even though I was stronger than that. I hoped, however, that Peeta would notice the metaphor and everything I put into that dress. I wasn't the biggest fan of dressing up and putting on a gown, but I'd do it for Peeta. Plus I took out my typical braid and left my dark brown hair in its natural curls. I even put on some mascara, eye liner, lip gloss, and concealer. But I wouldn't put on heels just yet for the blond; there was a reason I was wearing red flats instead of red high heels or stilettos.
"Does it matter to you?" I snapped, scowling at her.
"Of course it does!" she yelled at me. "No normal person just gets dressed up for no reason at all!"
"Who said I was normal?" I smirked at her; she growled.
"Come on, Viola, let her leave," my dad aided me, looking straight at my mom but smiling at me as well. "She's been cooped up in this place for two weeks; let her have fun!"
"Not in that attire!" my mom shrieks, motioning to my fancy dress. "Please, Katniss, change."
"No," I crossed my arms, being stubborn.
My mom scoffed and demanded, "Then please tell me where you're going."
I shook my head. I didn't really want to tell my mom that I was heading to The Capitol, the most prestigious restaurant in town, with an older boy that she had never met. I was pretty sure that if I did, my mom's head would probably explode. And that did not seem like a good sight.
"Come on, mom!" I whined. "Let me go!"
"Yeah, let her go!" Prim backed me up. "She's probably going to meet up with some cute boy! Don't be the one messing with her love life!"
At that, I scowled at my younger sister; she winked back. I probably spoke - err, thought - too soon. Of course she would be the one to assume that I was going to hang out with a boy (which was admittedly true). It was Prim for God's sake; she was much more of a romantic than Madge! And she was even seeing Gale's little brother Rory!
My mom rolled her eyes, but then realization hit her. She asked, "Katniss, are you really seeing a boy?"
"What?!" I pretended to be shocked and feigned offense. "Of course not! Why would you guys assume such a thing?!"
"Well, it seemed like it," Prim muttered, obviously disappointed that the reason I was dressed up so nicely was not because of a boy.
"Seriously. Madge is inviting me for dinner at The Capitol," I fibbed right through my teeth and lips. "It's supposed to be a celebration for the swim meet victory a couple weeks ago. They just invited me because I'm so close to the majority of the people on the swim team."
My mom nodded and noted, "Well, basically everyone you hang out with is on the swim team..."
"And Madge's dad is the mayor," I added. "He has the money to buy all of us a four-course meal at the Capitol."
My dad's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Then why didn't you join as well?" he asked.
"I can't swim to save my life," I rolled my eyes. "You know that."
"Well, I do," Prim said, raising her hand.
I groaned and looked straight at my mom. "Mom, just, can I please go? Please?" I asked and begged.
She sighed and smiled, saying, "Fine. Have fun."
I beamed at her and exclaimed, "Thanks! Goodbye! Love you guys!" before leaving. I then walked to the bus station. It was only a few blocks away, and besides, it went straight to the Capitol. It was about ten stops or so, but since the bus fare was pretty cheap, I didn't really care. It would of probably taken longer if I took a taxi instead.
Once I got to the bus stop, I took out my phone and called Madge. After a few rings, she picked up.
"Hello?"
"Madge, just in case my mom or dad calls you, your dad paid for me and the swim team to have dinner at the Capitol," I told her.
"What?" she exclaimed in confusion.
"Long story," I stated. "Just please?"
I could practically see Madge smirking on the other line as she asked, "Is this about Peeta?"
I sighed. I knew that lying to her wouldn't help anything, so I told the truth. "Yes, yes this is about Peeta. He's taking me to the Capitol for dinner. Just please, don't tell anyone."
"Can I at least tell Jo?" Madge pleaded. "And Annie?"
"No," I answered harshly. "This has to be a secret for now. I can't believe I'm even trusting you about this and telling you all of this."
"Okay, okay, I won't tell anyone. I promise," she promised.
"Good," I smirked, and after that, the line went blank. She must of hung up. Hopefully she'd keep her promise... I sighed just as the bus pulled up to me at the bus stop. I fakely smiled as I handed the bus driver a few bucks. Then I sat down and looked out the window, sending glares and scowls to any that looked at me and my fancy get up.
I really hoped at that moment that everything would be worth it.
Peeta: Im here :) where r u?
Katniss: Still on the bus only a couple stops away
Peeta: Ok i cant wait :)
Katniss: Same 2 u
Peeta: These 2 weeks hav been the longest 2 weeks of my life
Katniss: Well now u get 2 c me in a fancy dress ;)
Peeta: I no 4 a fact that i will not regret this :)
Katniss: I hope i wont either
Peeta: O trust me u wont :)
I got off the bus to see Peeta, and my mouth just dropped to the ground.
He looked absolutely amazing.
He was wearing a full on tux with a red tie, and it just looked amazing on him. It brought out his flawed but perfect body and his chizzled cheekbones and wow... I couldn't form coherent thoughts. All that was going through my head at the moment was the fact that I loved him in a tux. He should definitely wear one more often.
His gaze finally caught mine, his sapphire blue color meeting my dull, boring, and bland gray color, and his jaw dropped as much - if not, more - than mine.
"Wow, Katniss," he finally breathed out. "You look absolutely amazing."
I shook my head and motioned to him. "You look absolutely amazing."
He shook his head at that. "You know I'm not kidding."
I smirked and said, "I would hope that you weren't."
He laughed as well and linked my arm up with his. "Shall we?"
I nodded and smiled. "We shall."
We walked into the restaurant, and at first glance, it did not look like I thought it would. It was filled with staff with flamboyant hairstyles and makeup. However, at least the furniture was classy; everything was white. However, that only brought out the staff's hideous wardrobe. I suddenly felt like I was overdressed.
The girl who greeted us had orange fake eyelashes, purple dyed eyebrows, and a white afro. "Hi there. How many?"
"Reservation for two under Mellark," Peeta said smoothly, as if he wasn't fazed by the colorful scheme she had on.
She looked down at her screen and nodded. "I got you two. Follow me." She got out two menus, and we followed her to a secluded table for two. Once she set down the menus, she smiled at us. "You two lovebirds have a good meal."
I opened my mouth to object, but then quickly closed it. I should probably get used to that... Peeta chanted a quick, "We will!" before we both sat down. We both opened the menu, and I scanned it. Wow the food looks so good and expensive...
"I feel bad, you know," I said abruptly. When Peeta shot me a confused look, I clarified and continued with, "You didn't have to take me here; you never have. I mean, it's great here and all, but it must be expensive."
Peeta shrugged it off, dismissing it with a hand. "Don't worry about the cost. My bakery supplies this restaurant with all of its bread, so we get free meals."
I tilted my head. That explains the ease that he donned when we first came in... "Do you come here often?"
He shook his head. "Not really. The last time that I came here was for my mom's birthday three years ago."
"Has this place changed a bit?" I asked him.
He shook his head and chuckled. "Not really."
I laughed as well. "Well, that's good, I guess."
He shrugged, still laughing. "Maybe. I'm not so sure."
I nodded, adding, "Same here."
"Hi there," the waitress approached us. She had long pink hair, bold purple lipstick, with rhinestones all over her pale skin. "Are you guys ready to order?"
Peeta nodded and said, "We'll both get risotto and fettuccine alfredo with clam to split."
She nodded and took our menus, smiling at us; her lipstick was emphasized because of that. Peeta and I laughed nervously. I looked down at my knees, but Peeta kept staring at me. I started to blush.
"Why are you staring at me?" I quoted The Fault In Our Stars.
He smirked and quoted, "Because you're beautiful."
I laughed. "We're never going to stop quoting The Fault In Our Stars."
He laughed and nodded at that. "Yep. That's never going to happen."
I laughed. "You know, my friends make fun of me for how much I love The Fault In Our Stars."
"Well," he started, smiling, "they are missing something absolutely amazing."
I nodded. "I know right! They're missing the most beautiful story ever!"
He laughed and said, "You look absolutely stunning today. Have I told you that already?"
I nodded and said, "Yes. Twice, in fact."
He sighed and shook his head at his own stupidity, which honestly, if he said out loud, I would counter automatically. "You're just so beautiful. Every girl must envy you."
I shook my head. "My friends are prettier than me."
"You're wrong," he shook his head, which was starting to become a pattern. "You're so much prettier than them."
I smiled. "You're just saying that."
"Oh, trust me," he smiled at me. "I'm not just saying that."
I blushed yet again. Our food came, and I immediately went for both at once. They both tasted absolutely amazing; maybe I could put up with the annoying get up all of the staff donned just so then I could taste this food again. Peeta laughed as he grabbed some food too. The two dishes were finished a few minutes later.
"It's a good life, Girl on Fire," Peeta smiled at me. At first, I was confused at the nickname. But, then I remembered my dress, and I smiled internally. Girl on Fire. It really suited me, and I really loved the nickname. The idea and the concept were just brilliant.
"It's a good life," I smiled back; I then wiped my face with a cloth, some of my makeup smearing. I looked at the napkin with disdain. Oh great. That's just great.
Peeta sighed as he declared, "Katniss, I am absolutely in love with you."
I blinked a few times as what he had just said sunk into my brain. He just declared he loved me. He just declared he loved me!
"Peeta..." I trailed off.
"I am," he persisted, looking directly at me and my flushed cheeks, and I started to realize that the reason we worked was because of our stubbornness. "I am in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."
I shook my head at that. "Peeta..." I trailed off again. Then my eyebrows furrowed and I felt a faint smile creep up on me. "Did you memorize that entire speech?"
"Of course," Peeta stated. "I mean, only you would understand how significant that whole monologue was to Hazel. I just had to do it for you."
I shook my head, looking down. My blush was still evidently on my face. But then I became serious as I realized something. "Do you believe that we will become Gus and Hazel?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't think so. But I want to have just as an amazing infinity as they did."
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, same here. We'll have an amazing infinity."
He smiled as he rose his hand and said, "Check, please."
Peeta: *attachment*
Peeta: Thought ud like it as a little memento 4 wat happened 2day :)
Katniss: A picture of our food? Was that really necessary?
Peeta: Of course ;)
Katniss: Y r we texting each other if were right next 2 each other?
Peeta: I dont no mayb u shud tlk 2 me
Katniss: Okay
Peeta: Okay
Katniss: Sorry
I got off my phone and turned to Peeta, who placed his arm around me and smirked. Then, I snuggled into him; I could feel his slightly toned chest under my head. His warmth felt so amazing, and I didn't want to leave.
"Aren't the stars so beautiful?" he said to me. I looked up at the stars. They were shining brighter than they usually were. At least, I thought so. I didn't usually pay attention to the brightness of the stars; I just noticed that they're there.
I nodded slightly, his chest rubbing on my head again. "Yeah. They're absolutely stunning today."
He nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You can even see the Little Dipper!"
I squinted my eyes and looked more closely to see the Little Dipper and the North Star shining brightly. I sighed as I stared into the night sky. "I really should pay attention to the night sky more."
"The night sky is always awfully beautiful," Peeta fawned. "I stare at it with appreciation every single day. You can't really hate it. It's just so beautiful, and it never ceases to not relax my heart, my body, my soul."
I looked at him with complete shock. "I never expected those words to slip through your mouth."
"And you never expected me to like TFIOS and to watch it alone and not have been forced by a girlfriend," Peeta said teasingly, smirking. "You know, you should really stop judging me. I'm much less predictable than you believe."
I shook my head and smiled. "I know, I know, Peeta."
He smiled at that, and after a few seconds of silence, he asked, "Do you know where our stars are?"
I looked at him as if he was crazy, insane. "Our stars?"
"Why, of course," he answered. "I say it's those two stars over there." He pointed at two bright stars that seemed to be getting brighter each second we looked at them.
I nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. They're really pretty."
"I agree. That's why I chose them, after all," he said cockily.
I laughed. "Well, they're good ones," I complimented.
"I know," he smirked cockily.
I rolled my eyes playfully. "Stop being so cocky," I demanded.
He then kissed me on the cheek. Not once, but twice. I felt myself blush immediately afterwards. The kisses sent sparks through my body; they felt absolutely amazing.
He shook his head guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
I cut him off by kissing him, this time on the lips. He was shocked at first, but then he kissed back. We kissed for what felt like eternity, and it felt like bliss. I felt infinite at that moment, and that was all that mattered, right? We break the kiss, and we both beamed.
"Wow," we both said in unison. We then both laughed.
"You know, maybe we should have faith in our stars," Peeta smiled. "I mean, we just kissed under them."
I nodded and smiled, looking up at the two bright stars. "Have faith in our stars," I said while smiling, determined.
Katniss: Im walking home now
Peeta: I miss u already
Katniss: I miss u more
Peeta: 2nite was soooooo much fun :)
Katniss: I agree :)
Peeta: Can i hav another kiss? ;)
Katniss: :3
Peeta: Thank u :)
Katniss: No prob :)
When I got back home that day, the first question came from my mom. Luckily Madge had kept her promise and told my mom that her dad was hosting the dinner at the Capitol. My mom asked how Mr. Undersee was doing, and I told her that he was doing great.
I went back to my room, and Prim asked me where I really was. I sighed.
"At the dinner, Prim," I said, exasperated. "Like I previously told you. Remember?"
"That's not what I heard," she sing-songed. Then she inquired, "Were you at a dance?"
"What?! Of course not!" I exclaimed. "I absolutely hate dances."
"Mmhmm," Prim said in disbelief. But, it stopped there. Prim left my room and left me alone to change from my fiery red dress to a gray t-shirt and green sweatpants as I let myself fall asleep.
The next day, my dad commented that I looked thinner than usual. I checked my weight: 110 pounds, as opposed to the 125 I had just a few days ago. I sighed as I looked at my weight. I was eating normally; in fact, the day before, I was completely stuffed from all the delicious food from the Capitol. So what let my body lose 15 pounds?
However, the day after that, I was super tired and had such bad coughing fits. My chest really hurt and I could barely move. Of course, I didn't tell my family about that, either. I didn't want them to worry about me. A week after that, I barely ate; I felt full only after a few crackers. In my free time, I always spent it on my bed sleeping. My parents and Prim would always joke that I was too tired out from school, but I never had the heart to tell them what was really going on, so I just let them keep assuming that it was because of my school. My belly was growing even if I didn't eat, and my fever was still evident. And the lymph nodes on my neck never swollen down. The antibiotics weren't working, I determined. It made me so annoyed that I was still sick.
When, two days after all of that, I had trouble breathing to the point where I almost collapsed, my parents called 911. I was sent to the emergency room, where they made me breath back to normal (for the most part, at least). A few minutes after my breathing was restored, the doctor told me that he was going to do some tests on me. I responded with, "Okay."
"But first we're going to ask you some questions," the doctor continued. "They're really short. I just want to know any symptoms you've experienced."
I sighed, looking around the somewhat vacant room. My parents and Prim were probably in the waiting room waiting to see how I was doing and if I was getting better. Since they weren't in the room, I didn't feel like I had to lie to make them reassured. So, I told the truth: "I've had a fever for about a month now."
The doctor nodded, writing that on his clipboard as he quirked an eyebrow. "And?"
"I've been losing weight," I continued. "I can barely eat, but my stomach is growing nonstop nonetheless. I cough a whole lot; I have had too many coughing fits in the last two weeks that I can't keep track. Sometimes it even hurts when I breath. I guess I've been experiencing a whole lot of chest pain. And I had trouble breathing today; that was why I was sent here, after all." I chuckled a little bit, smiling, before continuing. "Also, my lymph nodes," I turned my head to him, "you know, the ones on your neck," I turned my head back to its original position, "they're not going down one bit. I've been previously prescribed antibiotics because my doctor thought I had an infection, but I don't think that's the case anymore."
I let all of that cascade out of my mouth like a waterfall. I just couldn't stop myself. It was all of the torture I had to put up with so then my family would feel as if I was okay. All I really needed was my family to be happy. And I was supplying that to them. What was so bad about that?
"Okay," he nodded, scribbling all of that down. Then, he looked up at me, meeting my gaze. He had mossy green eyes, pale skin, and snow white hair. "We're going to conduct the tests now, okay?"
I nodded, having faith in my star. "Okay."
"Good luck," he paused to look at my name on the clipboard, reading it for a split-second, "Katniss Everdeen. May the odds be ever in your favor."
I nodded as I was led into another room. I had to change into a hospital gown and lie down on a different hospital bed. This one was much more comfortable than the last one.
The same doctor and another nurse walked in. The doctor gave me a cream. He commanded, "Rub this all over your neck." I did as he said, relieved that I had enough energy to still tie my braid. "Okay. It'll numb the area. We're going to cut you skin and remove a small part of the lymph node inside your neck so then we can look at it more closely. Is that okay with you?"
I nodded. I watched as the doctor took out a medical knife and sighed. His green eyes looked straight into my gray ones.
"This may hurt a little bit. Be brave."
I blinked a few times, trying to ready myself for the pain. If I was going to go through with this, I wanted to go through it without showing any signs of fear. I wanted to show them that I was strong enough to deal with this. I wanted to show that I was truly the Girl on Fire.
It hurt, but not as much as I expected it to.
Peeta: Katniss?
Peeta: Where were u 2day?
Peeta: U werent at skool
Peeta: Katniss?
Peeta: R u there?
Peeta: U ok?
Peeta: I luv u
Once the tests finished, my parents drove me home. The drive back home was in complete silence. The only reason I was silent was because of the fear, the fear that I had contracted some horrible disease that was fatal. I was pretty sure that the rest of my family was thinking about that as well.
We got back home; everyone immediately separated. I went up to my green-donned room and lied down on my bed. My chest started to hurt, and I rolled my eyes to the back of my head in an attempt to ignore the pain. Why did I have to deal with this? Why did I have to suffer so much with the fear laying in my head that I may be dying every second that passed?
I sighed and coughed as I grabbed my phone. I turned it on and looked at the screen. Seven unread texts from Peeta. Oh crap. Oops.
I read each and every one of them one by one. I found myself blushing more and more as I kept reading them on my dim phone screen. By the last one, I was full-out flushed. I let myself try to relax by taking deep breaths (but I stopped once I realized that started to cause me to lose my breath). After a few minutes, when I believed that I wasn't blushing anymore, I called Peeta.
He answered automatically.
"Katniss, Katniss, Katniss!" he exclaimed hastily; he seemed panicked. "Are you okay? Where were you? I missed you so much."
"Woah, woah, woah, chill, Peeta!" I chuckled at how worried he was. "Don't worry, I'm absolutely fine."
He laughed as well and said, "I'm so sorry, Katniss. I was just so worried for you. When I didn't see you... I don't know. I was just expecting the worst."
"Don't you have faith in our stars?" I asked teasingly.
He laughed at that and said, "I probably should. Anyways, where were you today?"
I bit my lip, sighing softly. I was debating whether I should tell him what really happened or not. I didn't want him to think I was turning into Hazel or anything; I didn't even know if I was truly sick or not. I didn't want him worrying about me. After seeing how he reacted to me not showing up to school, I wasn't really sure if I really wanted to tell him. And how my family reacted... The entire drive back to our house was completely silent, and that was saying something about my normally talkative family.
Peeta took my silence as an answer and asked, "How sick are you?"
I sighed and told him the truth. "I have no idea."
I could practically see his blond eyebrows furrow. "What do you mean 'I have no idea'?"
I sighed and admitted, "I had trouble breathing when I woke up this morning, so my parents called 911. When I got there, I regained my breathing and then they did some tests on me."
"What kind of tests?" Peeta asked.
"They cut my skin on my neck and took out a small part of my lymph node," I told him, explaining to him.
"What's a lymph node?" Peeta asked. "I've never heard of it in my life, and here you are telling me it nonchalantly as if you've known it all of your life."
I started to laugh. "Don't worry, I don't know what a lymph node is either," I told him. "All I know is that they become swollen because of an infection, and that because my doctor told me it."
He laughed at his stupidity (but, if he pointed it out, I would automatically reject it) and asked, still laughing, "Why did you say that so nonchalantly then?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm just used to it."
He laughed but then suddenly became serious and asked, "What if you really are sick, Girl on Fire? I'm really scared right now."
"So am I," I admitted. "But, if I am really sick to the point where I might die, I will survive this. I will win. I will fight for my parents, for Prim, for all of my friends, and you. Definitely you."
We stayed silent for a while. I really didn't want to deal with this. I really didn't want to seem weak either. Because I wasn't. I wasn't weak at all.
Peeta sighed and then said, "What if we had a 'Free Day'?"
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "'Free Day'?"
"Yeah!" Peeta said optimistically. "A 'Free Day'! If you are sick, I want you to have one day where you can just have fun and forget about everything. So, why don't we just have it?"
"Umm," I pressed my lips together. Did I really want to do this? It did seem fun though; what was I going to lose? I then nodded, determined. "Definitely. Let's do it."
"Awesome!" Peeta exclaimed happily. "How about tomorrow? Does tomorrow sound good to you?"
I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see me. "Sounds good."
"Awesome," Peeta said, this time much more calmly. Then, I heard a few screams. After a while, he said into the phone, "I have to go now, Katniss. I'm sorry. Goodbye."
"Goodbye," I said, before the line went blank. I then plopped down into my bed and snuggled into it, clearing out my thoughts and letting my tiredness take over me.
Peeta: U ready?
Katniss: Im ready
Peeta: Same here :)
For the first time in a long time, I opened my bedroom door and went out. I was really excited for the Free Day that Peeta and I were having. At first, admittedly, I wasn't very excited. But I got more and more excited as time elapsed. And at the moment, I was excited as heck.
As I walked through the living room,I caught the attention of my mom and my dad. My mom stopped me.
"Hey, Katniss, we should maybe talk about what's going on," my mom told me.
I sighed in exasperation. "Can we not right now? I'm going to meet up with someone."
"Who?" my mom asked stubbornly.
"Does that matter to you?" I snapped, scowling. "I just really want to go."
My mom sighed in defeat and started whispering to my dad. I was about to leave, but then my mom snapped, "Don't even think about it." I rolled my eyes as they kept whispering. I felt that what was going on was totally not necessary. I just wanted to leave, and they were just stopping me! They were taking away a human right!
After a while, my dad said, "Look, Katniss, we're just scared for you."
I refrained myself from rolling my eyes. Like I didn't already hear that ten times... "I know that, dad. I'm scared, too. I just want to use my time before the news comes wisely, you know, so then in case I'm sick I don't have to feel like I didn't spend my time wisely. I don't do pop culture, but... YOLO. I've got to live life right now."
My parents both nodded slowly at that, and my dad said, "I know, Katniss. I'm sorry; I know we shouldn't take up your precious time like this."
"It's fine, I just-" I started, but then I started to cry. I didn't know why exactly I started to cry; I just did. The tears came rushing out of my eyes and trailed down my cheeks. Immediately, my mom and dad took me into a hug, and instinctively, I hugged back. I really couldn't stop myself. I just let my body take over and let it do what it wanted to do.
Prim came into the living room, and seeing all of us hugging, joined the hug as well. We stayed like that for a minute or so before separating. Once Prim saw my tear-stained face, she launched herself into another hug.
"I'm so sorry, Katniss," she said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I forced myself to smile. "It's not your fault. Don't apologize."
She broke the hug and nodded. "Okay."
"I should be the one apologizing," I admitted sheepishly. Then, I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that."
"It's okay, Katniss," my dad said. "We all have our moments."
"And besides," my mom added, "I know it's really hard for you right now. Even though you weren't diagnosed or anything yet, I know it's on your mind a lot. Just remember that we're always here for you, okay?"
I nodded. Okay meant always. "Okay."
We then hugged once more.
Katniss: Sorry 4 the delay im coming out rite now
Peeta: Im right in front of ur house
I looked up from my phone to see a black convertible with Peeta inside it. We both beamed at the sight of one another. I ran into Peeta's convertible and then we both hugged each other tightly. Even though we saw each other two days ago, I already missed him like crazy.
"Hey, Girl on Fire," Peeta smiled at me. He then leaned in for a kiss, and I closed the gap between us. The sparks were flying through the air like there was no tomorrow.
Once we broke apart, I smirked and said, "Hey to you too, Boy With The Bread."
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you really calling me that now?"
I nodded and said, "You really thought that I would forget about your bakery background? Not with that name of yours!"
He laughed and said, "I honestly hoped you wouldn't." He then pecked my forehead and then looked up straight and started driving. I smiled as I felt the wind rush through me. It felt amazing.
And then a question popped into my head, and I spoke it: "Where are we going exactly?"
Peeta stopped at a stop sign and then turned to me, smirking. "You'll see," he answered vaguely. Oh I see what he did there...
"Tell me!" I exclaimed as he started driving again. "Please?" I begged. I looked over to the blond, who just shook his head. "You know, if you don't tell me, I won't kiss you for the rest of the day."
"But that doesn't mean I can't kiss you," he smirked. I felt my cheeks go red at that.
"I hate surprises," I told him harshly, crossing my arms and pouting.
"Well too bad," Peeta smirked, "because I absolutely love keeping secrets."
"Oh shut up!" I exclaimed. Peeta only laughed at that, and I looked out of the window, feigning anger. I really wanted to know what he wanted to tell me, but he just didn't want to tell me?! Only because he loved to keep secrets?! This wait better be worth it...
After a few minutes, I felt ourselves park at a busy street. Pedestrians were all around with shopping bags and smiles. It made sense since it was a Saturday, but I really wanted it just to be the two of us.
Once Peeta parked, he opened his door and got out. Then, he opened mine and said, "Ready, m'lady?"
I smiled. He never failed to make me smile. "Ready."
We got out and started walking. I allowed him to lead the way since I had never been here before. I then started to wonder to myself, How had I never been here before? It was a pretty street with small cafes and boutiques all around. It would seem as if it was really hard to miss in a small town like the one I was living in...
Peeta then stopped right in front of a boutique called The Arena. I looked at him strangely, but then he gave me a reassuring smile.
"Trust me," he told me. "The boutique is better than it looks."
"The Arena?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Are you really sure about that?"
He nodded. "Yeah, totally. My cousin always comes here. Trust me, you'll love it."
He started to go in, but then I stopped him by grabbing his arm and saying, "Does she have good taste?"
"She has a taste similar to yours," Peeta admitted. "Come on, let's go."
I scoffed and relented. "Fine." Peeta then led me in, and I had to admit, the clothes were amazing. I never expected a boutique to sell clothes that I actually liked!
After I grabbed a couple of green tees, Peeta chuckled and said, "I think you really like this place."
I nodded in response to that. "I'll never forget the name of this boutique."
He chuckled and said cockily, "I told you you'd love it here."
I glared jokingly and said, "Oh shut up." We both laughed at that, and after five minutes, I had grabbed 10 tees, 3 sweatpants, a pair of beige shorts, and a pair of dark blue jeans. I smiled at all of the adorable clothes.
"These are all so cute!" I exclaimed.
"I never thought you would say that sentence," Peeta admitted, smirking.
"Well, I just did," I smirked back.
He looked at my arms filled with clothes and raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to buy all of those?" he asked.
I scoffed and said, "Of course not. Are you serious? That would be so much money."
His eyebrow raised more. "Then what are you planning to do with them? Do you still want them?"
"Of course I want them," I told him. "But it's too much. I was planning on doing something else."
"What?" he asked me, looking slightly amused.
I smirked as I passed him my phone. "We are going to take pictures of me in these clothes."
I started to walk over to the dressing room. He trailed behind me. Eventually, we found a room. I walked in, and Peeta walked in behind me.
"Peeta, get out!" I exclaimed while smiling.
He pouted. "Aw." He then went out and sat down on the bench. I then changed into the clothes that I found first: a gray t-shirt with the word 'try' on it in black and capital letters and the pair of dark blue jeans. Then, I walked out.
"Peeta, take the picture," I told him. He didn't move for a while. "Peeta!" I exclaimed, trying to get his attention. "Can you please take the picture?!"
He shook his head and said calmly, "I'm sorry, Katniss. It's just, do you know how stunning you look?"
I blushed and then shook my head. "Peeta, right now, that's not necessary. Can you please take the picture?"
He smirked and held up my phone, taking a picture. "You know, a picture lasts forever."
I smiled as I walked back into the dressing room and changed into different clothes. Then, I went outside to let Peeta take a picture. Every single time I went out, he was gaping at me. The cycle repeated so many times that I lost count. It was actually really fun, and I hoped Peeta didn't mind tagging along as a guy when a girl was going shopping.
Once we were finished, I left the dressing room with all of the clothes in it. Peeta handed me back my phone, and I scrolled through my photos. They weren't that bad. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we left the boutique. We then walked on the street for a minute until we stopped at a small restaurant called Town & Seam.
I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion. "Town & Seam? What does that mean?"
Peeta turned to me. "Questioning the name again, aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow teasingly, and I nodded. "The owners named it that because they wanted to have both the rich and the poor come to this restaurant. Back where they used to live, it was divided into two places. Town was where the merchants and rich people lived. Seam was where people lived in poverty."
My mouth formed an 'o'. "Oh. I guess that makes sense."
He nodded. "Yeah. They got their wish, though. The place is so busy that they're thinking of expanding. But that would mean that they would have to change their location. So right now, they're kind of deal-locked. They can't decide."
"Oh. Well, that sucks," I said.
"Yeah," Peeta nodded. "I really don't want them to leave here. It's so close to my family's bakery, and I just love to come here."
I nodded, and then a question came to my head. So, I asked it. "Do you know the owners well?"
"Decently well," he said. "I go over there a whole lot, so they've gotten to know me."
I nodded as he led me in. He definitely wasn't lying when he said it was really busy. It was packed with so many people that I was starting to get squished. Plus it was really loud from all of the people talking. I started to feel smaller and smaller by the second.
"Are we staying here?" I asked him, feeling self-conscious.
He shook his head. "No. I didn't think you would want to stay here for long, so I decided that we would just get take-out."
I nodded and sighed in relief. I was relieved that he knew that this wasn't my scene. I sat down at a table while he went to order. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food here, including Peeta, so I supposed that it was good food.
After a few minutes of awkwardly looking around, Peeta finally came back with a bag filled with food. I didn't see, however, what food were in the bag.
"You ready?" he smiled at me; I nodded. "Good. Let's go."
We then left the busy restaurant. I honestly felt relieved once I took in the peaceful atmosphere of the street. We then started to walk again. After a minute, we stopped by another place.
"Trust me," Peeta laughed. "This is the last place."
I looked up. The sign said Mellark's. Immediately, I beamed. "This is your family's bakery!"
He nodded, beaming as well. "Yep. This is it. You wanna come in?"
I nodded hastily."Of course!" I then ran into the bakery. It was nice and cozy, just like I would expect a family bakery to be like. There were a few wooden tables and chairs; there were cakes set up all around. I smiled. "This looks absolutely amazing, Peeta."
"Thank you," he smiled back, kissing my forehead. I blushed after he did that. "Now, come on. I want to get you something."
He disappeared into the back, and then I watched as an older man who looked to be in his 40s came out. Oh. That must be his father. His father smiled at me.
"Hi there," he said politely. "Do you need anything?"
I shook my head and smiled politely. "No, I don't think so. Peeta's getting something for me."
He nodded and then asked, "Is your name by any chance Katniss?" I nodded, and he beamed. "Oh my Lord you are so gorgeous!"
"Thank you," I said politely.
"And nice!" he exclaimed. "Peeta, this girl's a keeper!" he shouted into the back.
As if on cue, Peeta appeared with another bag and took my hand, saying, "I know she is. Now, come on, Katniss. Let's go before my dad embarrasses me more."
I laughed as Peeta led me out. Then, we walked over to his car. He started the engine and then started driving. I growled at the silence. I knew he wanted to keep where we were going a secret, and I really hated that.
"Where are we going?" I asked with a slight whining tone. He just stayed silent to that. I growled some more and exclaimed with fury, "Please tell me!"
"Why should I?" he finally spoke. I stayed silent to that. I honestly didn't have a very good response. I just huffed, crossing my arms. He chuckled.
"Just a few more minutes and we're there," he told me.
I nodded, internally not accepting that. "Okay."
He smirked and said, "Okay."
He was right, though. After a few minutes, we parked. I looked around to see a beautiful lake and a meadow of grass. I smiled. He remembered.
"You remembered that I loved nature," I said.
He smiled at me and pecked my cheek, to which I blushed. "How could I forget?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I laughed as he grabbed the two bags and went out of the door. I went out of the convertible as well. We sat in the meadow of grass, looking at the shimmering lake. It was all so gorgeous.
"Thank you, Peeta," I smiled at him, grabbing the first thing my hands could reach from one of the bags. I took it out to see a sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap. I unwrapped the plastic wrap and took out the sandwich from it.
Peeta did the same thing and held up his sandwich. "Cheers?"
I smiled and tapped my sandwich to his. "Cheers." We both then took a bite out of it. The sandwich tasted absolutely amazing. I never thought I would be saying that about a sandwich, but everything in the sandwich was just perfection. It made for a harmonious taste inside my mouth.
"This is so good!" I exclaimed, chomping down the sandwich. It was finished after a few seconds.
He laughed and said, "I told you! Their food is absolutely amazing! That's why they're so busy!"
I nodded. "I get it now. I get it completely. And I would totally go to that crowded place again just for another one of these sandwiches."
He nodded and laughed, handing me another sandwich. I automatically munched it down. The sandwiches were just so good! I loved the taste of them.
After two more sandwiches, I finally felt full. Peeta ate the same amount of sandwiches I did, and we were left with none. He predicted really well. He then passed me the other bag, and I looked inside it to see what was in it. Cheese buns. I smiled as I immediately grabbed one.
"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed. "I love cheese buns!"
"I brought two of them just for you," Peeta told me.
My eyebrows furrowed. "How about you?"
He shook his head. "I can get them as much as I want. It's you that I need to spoil."
I laughed, looking at the lake. It looked beautiful with the sunset. Peeta wrapped his arm around me, and I took a bite into the cheese bun. There was no need to say that it was pure perfection.
"This is amazing," I said, trying my best to be calm. "Thank you."
"No problem," he said, and I finished the cheese bun and grabbed the second one. Peeta smiled. "You know, I really love the sunset. It's so beautiful. Especially the orange. Sunset orange is my favorite color."
I nodded, holding my cheese bun as I looked at the beautiful sunset and how it shined on the lake. And with Peeta's arm around me, I really wanted this moment to never end.
Peeta: Can u send me the pics of u?
Katniss: Y?
Peeta: Cuz i really want them :)
Katniss: *attachments*
Peeta: Thx :)
Katniss: No prob :)
The scariest moment of my life was when my dad got the call. The doctor was on the line, saying that they have the results and that we should go immediately since the news was something that he wanted to tell us to our faces. I didn't know what to expect. Either it was really good news or really bad news. And I was definitely not hoping for the latter.
The entire drive there was silent, just like the ride back from the hospital when I took the test. Prim was clinging onto me for dear life. My heart kept dropping and dropping as we got closer and closer to the hospital. My fingers started to cross. I needed all of the luck I could get.
We walked in, and the receptionist told us to go into the big room. We filed into there one by one. The doctor was already there, looking at us sternly.
"Hi there," he said. We all mumbled hi's back. "Let's talk about the results," he continued. We nodded and sat down.
"Just tell us now. The suspense has been killing us." My mom took a deep breath before continuing. "Is she sick?"
He nodded, and all of my hopes dropped. My heart was in my stomach at the time. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was sick? I was really sick? I felt horrible.
We were silent for a few minutes. I was just letting it sink in; I just really couldn't believe it. Was this really happening to me? I was hoping not. I pinched myself, just in case this was just some sick and twisted nightmare I was having. But, to no avail; I was wide awake, and this was really happening to me.
Prim was the first to speak. She asked, "What does she have?"
"Lymphoma," the doctor answered. "A type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system contains white blood cells which are part of the immune system."
Cancer. I had cancer.I heard of lymphoma before, but I never knew what it actually was. But now that I did... I just really couldn't believe I had it.
"Is it serious?" my dad asked.
The doctor turned to him. "It's stage 1, so no. However, we would like to start chemo right away, if you don't mind."
"We don't mind," my dad said. "We just want our daughter to be okay."
"My grandfather had lymphoma," my mom added. "Maybe that's how she got it." I held in a scowl to that. Luck was definitely not on my side.
"If you want her to begin today, we can start right now," the doctor continued.
"We want her to start today," my mom, dad, and Prim said in unison.
"Okay then." The doctor didn't seem thrown off at all. "Good luck, Katniss Everdeen. May the odds be ever in your favor."
At that moment, I hoped so. I really hoped so.
Peeta: U ok katniss?
Katniss: Hi there! Its not katniss right now its her little sister prim!
Peeta: Hi prim :) wheres ur sister?
Katniss: In chemo
Peeta: In wat?
Katniss: Chemo she has lymphoma :(
Peeta: O... Im so sorry
Katniss: Its fine i no she will get through it
Peeta: ya shes strong
Katniss: Btw i always new that katniss was dating a boy and now u just confirmed it! Yay!
Peeta: ;)
I was so tired. The chemotherapy was making me so tired, and I vomited 3 times already that day. Plus, my hair was falling out, and at the moment, I had a fistful filled with my dark brown hair. I was tired and cranky, the worst combination out there.
The doctor wasn't allowing any visitors, so I couldn't see any of my friends, Prim, my mom, my dad, and most importantly, Peeta. I wanted to see him most of all because I knew he was worried and I just wanted to talk to him once more. If I died, the last time I would of talked to him would be the Free Day we had. And I didn't want that.
So when the doctor walked in, I hoped that it would be to tell me that I was allowed to have visitors. But, of course he wasn't. Instead, he was holding something for me. He handed it to me, and I took a good look at it. Katniss's Scrapbook, adorned with rhinestones and glitter. Of course Prim would choose that for me.
"They wanted me to give this to you," he told me.
My eyebrows furrowed. "Who were they?"
He shrugged and responded, "Too many people. I know your family was there, but so were a bunch of people your age. I guess they were your friends?"
I shrugged, betting that they were. "Maybe. Probably. I hope so."
The doctor nodded and left the room. I flipped open the scrapbook.
The first page that I saw was filled with a bunch of signatures from my teachers. I found it sweet that they cared. I flipped the page.
The next page was the one from my mom. She apologized for the fact that I may have inherited the lymphoma from my great-grandfather and said that she would take my place if she could. There were a bunch of baby pictures of me and a selfie of me and her.
Then came the one from my dad. My dad basically listed every single one of his fond memories with him and I together. Most of the pictures of my dad and I were stuff that my mom and Prim would of never threatened to do, like archery. I loved archery. My dad and I would go to the archery range every single weekend to arch.
Prim's was filled with our selfies. Prim also referenced many songs and put in so many song lyrics. She also told me she wanted a huge hug and added that Rory wished me the best. I wished them the best, too.
Madge's had no pictures. Instead, she wrote out this huge essay of every single moment that we had together and included a timeline for all of our special memories (for example, when we met in first grade and we never talked but always felt comfort around each other).
Johanna's had no photos, too, and instead was filled with things that she hated about me, like how I was always so brainless about everything and how I would take all of her ice water on a really hot day. But she said that I was her friend either way and that I should survive because she needed revenge. She was still my friend too.
Annie's basically stated that I couldn't leave them because I would miss all of the exciting things that every girl was looking forward to, like college, getting drunk, and her wedding day. It was covered with our selfies as well.
Gale's had one picture of us at the archery range (he was an archer as well!) and only said that I was the only neighbor of his that he actually liked. The rest was blank. That was so Gale. Plain and simple and blunt.
Finnick's had a bunch of pictures of us and said that since I saw him, I was already blessed (to which I thought, oh that cocky jerk). But then he said that he missed me and that I needed to get better.
Peeta's was last, but most definitely not the least. All the pictures were of me from the Free Day not exactly shopping spree that he took of me while I was trying on all of the clothes. He wrote with in cursive "The Girl on Fire + The Boy With The Bread". I then started reading the tree quotes and realized it was from the book we bonded over.
"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I'm in love with you."
"What else? She is so beautiful. You don't get tired of looking at her. You never worry if she is smarter than you: You know she is. She is funny without ever being mean. I love her. I am so lucky to love her."
"But, Katniss, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful."
For the first time in a while, I cried out tears of joy.
Katniss: This is prim katniss wants 2 say thank u 4 the scrapbook
Peeta: No prob :) tell her that she means the world 2 me and that i hope that shes better
I was lying in bed when the doctor walked in. I immediately tried to sit up some more for him. Hopefully he would finally say that I could leave this place once and for all.
But, instead, he broke my heart by saying, "We underestimated your cancer."
I stayed silent for a few moments, before finally choking something out. "What?"
"It's spread," he told me. "It's spread to your lungs. And, even worse, the cancer is not responding to the chemotherapy very much. We're going to have to attempt a different approach."
"Okay," I said. "What are you going to do?"
"First, we're going to have surgery to remove the tumor," the doctor explained; it seemed like he already had to explain it at least ten times before me. "Then we're going to have to do radiation."
"Okay," I said. "When is it?
"Tomorrow," he answered to me. "If you need anything, tell me. I'm going to go now. Goodbye." He waved to me.
"Bye," I left and closed the door. However, somehow, when he did, suddenly, I couldn't breathe anymore. I started to panic. Was it the cancer? Was it the cancer not allowing me to breath?
Frantically, I looked for the button I was supposed to press when I needed help. But, somehow, I couldn't find it. Did it just disappear?
I wasn't very good with holding my breath; that was Annie's, Johanna's, and Finnick's specialties, not mine. So, when I felt myself dozing off, I could only think as I held onto the last few seconds.
I never wanted to leave my family.
I never wanted to leave my friends.
I never wanted to leave Peeta.
But I had to.
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
-Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
So two weeks ago on Friday, TFIOS came out. And then last Friday I had graduation. And today I have a school dance on a cruise going to the Statue of Liberty. I thought of this idea literally right after I saw TFIOS and thought, "Why not?" So this oneshot was born.
I hope you guys enjoyed. I did a lot of research to try to make this as accurate as possible, and I hope it is. If you guys did enjoy, please make sure to leave a review and favorite. And also follow me for more Everlark modern AUs!
