So, this is my first story. Please don't kill me if you don't like it, but totes tell me what you think. Before you ask, yes, interesting things WILL happen between a couple of the characters, but not until later. I don't own any characters blah blah blah. Have fun!
Chapter 1: Straightjacket
Peeta Mellark is not popular. He's not overly confident, but he has a way with words. Many people might say that's what they like about him, but they'd be lying. If most people were perfectly honest, they'd be able to outright admit that Peeta is hot. His defined muscles, barely tanned skin, and cute face come together to make one of the finest human beings at Panem High. Despite being extremely attractive, Peeta stays with the almost unattractive Katniss Everdeen. He walks through the halls every day, like he's just another faceless shadow. This is the life of Peeta Mellark.
Peeta walks into the crowded hallway, kids pushing and shoving their way toward the last class of the day. He stops in front of a group of lockers and turns a dial, the black metal clicking easily under his nimble fingers. When it pops open, he quickly reaches in pulls out a book, while somehow simultaneously shoving two or three books back in. He carefully closes the locker door, startled to find a girl on the other side. Wears a small leather jacket, a pair of camo pants, and her hair in the same single braid she wears every day. A small gasp escapes his lips before he sighs and smiles at her. She smiles back and places a small kiss on his lips. Katniss Everdeen is her name, and she's been going out with Peeta for the past few months. Peeta blushes slightly at the contact before allowing Katniss to weave her fingers in between his. "How are you? I feel like I haven't seen you all day." Her voice is stale and scratchy, like she's been yelling all day. He'll never tell, but this annoys Peeta to the biggest extent. If he had one complaint about her, that would be it.
"It has been all day." He'd avoided her at lunch. Something inside Peeta was telling him to move on, move away, and get away from her as soon as possible. But they were still juniors, and it'd probably be another year before he'd have the smallest hope of getting away from her. For now, he continues to smile at her, nod at her questions and remarks. Lucky for Peeta, Katniss isn't much of a talker, so they often spend nights on the phone or days in school in silence. Peeta looks forward, watching the other kids pass as Katniss tells the story of a young freshman she'd met in class Rue. Suddenly, Peeta is on the floor, something very heavy has hit him, and he turns his head quickly to see it. There, standing above him is Cato Weigh. Cato stands just a little above Peeta, tight fitting shirt showing off every bulging muscle that strains against it. The tall blond boy Peeta has attempted to avoid more than Katniss. He smiles and laughs and high-fives his friend Marvel as the walk away. Katniss has her hands on him before Peeta can even think, and soon he's standing up right again, still somehow able to think. "Don't pay him any attention, Peeta." That voice again. He knew it was meant to be for comfort, but even her softest tone is one of hard scratches and deep pitch. "Just one more year of avoiding him, right?" She smiles and nods, interlocking their fingers once more. Soon, they arrive at Peeta's last and least favorite class, Gym.
Katniss leads them to stop in front of the door, and stares him right in the eye. "Don't cause too much trouble, ok?" She means it in a teasing way, but nothing about the situation is a joke. Although Peeta has tried to avoid him most of his high school career, Cato still somehow found a way to get the same gym class, and has made it a point to make it hell every day. Peeta walks into the locker room to change, catching glimpses of the other boys and a few of his friends as they pass. He finds a comfortable spot in the back and begins changing. He lifts his shirt high over his head, revealing his flat stomach. All the years of lifting heavy flour sacks at his dad's bakery were finally paying off. Peeta runs a hand through his dirty blond hair, attempting to calm his nerves when the banging of a locker pulls him back into reality. Cato has found his way over to Peeta, Marvel standing directly behind him. At this moment, Peeta wondered why Marvel followed Cato around. He couldn't be that great a friend, and Marvel wasn't bad looking, so it wasn't with girlfriend help. Then, Peeta sighed, perfectly aware as to why they were there. "What do you want, Cato?" Peeta is secretly hoping he can talk his way out of the situation, but it's never worked before. Hell, it's worth another shot. "Awe, c'mon Mellark. You know I can't let you outta here without inflicting some kind of pain." Cato pops his knuckles loudly, some kind of cheap attempt to scare and intimidate Peeta. "But why? Why me? What is your big problem? Do you have some kind of crush on me or something?"
It was supposed to sound like a joke, like something friends would say, but before Peeta can finish the sentence, Cato is pinning him against the wall. Their bare chests press against one another as Cato's arms flex to meet Peeta in place. "What the fuck did you just say to me Mellark?" Cato's breath is hot against Peeta's cheek, his face turned slightly to the side in a sad attempt at avoiding direct contact with the taller boy. A hand appears on Cato's shoulder and almost rips him away from Peeta, the sudden loss of contact almost shocking him. It's Coach Haymitch Abernathy. "What in the hell is going on here?" The boy's teacher roars at them, his voice full of venom and spite. Cato stammers to get words out, but it's no use, they seem to get caught in his throat anyway. "You know what? I don't even care. You're always causing trouble Cato, detention for the both of you." Haymitch turns rapidly to point at Peeta. "That means you, Peeta. Today, after school, I want to see this locker room spotless before you leave here!" Before either boy can disagree, Haymitch is guiding out the rest of the boys to begin lessons in the gym. Cato gives Marvel a nod and they begin to depart, Cato stopping for a split second to flip Peeta off. Peeta sighs to himself and slumps down on a bench. How will he survive a whole detention period with a boy that hates his guts?