Katniss wipes the drops of sweat from her forehead with a towel. Coach West always works the team super hard and makes them push themselves to the best of their abilities. She is a very hard coach but she always wants her players to understand their mistakes that they can benefit from them. Coach West was tall, fit, dark haired, brown eyed, and mocha skinned. She was as tough as nails but despite a hard exteriors has a quite kind manner. She lives alone with a husband that is in the Air Forces and no children.

She threw her long, dark brown braid over her shoulder then proceeds to pick up her duffle bag and book bag to throw them over her shoulder after tossing her used towel into the towel bin.

"Hey, good job, Kat." A voice said as someone placed their hand on her shoulder. This voice and hand belonged to Madge Undersee. She is the mayor's daughter and one of Katniss' only friends. Madge is very pretty girl of average height with beautiful, curls of blonde hair accompanied by azure, blue eyes. Her skin is a little on the pale and her five foot five frame is petite and curvy. Madge knows she is not the best player on the team but that doesn't stop her trying to be better and Katniss admires her for that.

Katniss smiles genuinely at Madge. "Thanks, Madge. You did really good too."

The blonde girl chuckles and rubs her left arm. "Oh, Katniss you're just saying that. I fell eight times today. I'll have to go home and do some serious icing on… well, on everything."

Katniss' lips spread across her face and she let out a small laugh. "Well, that's three less times than yesterday." Katniss teases playfully as she brought her hand up to Madge's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze of encouragement.

Did she mention Madge was also quite clumsy?

Madge herself laughs at her own unsteadiness and Katniss removes her hand. As they make their way to the student parking lot, they pass the football and baseball fields. Panem High School's colors consist of white, gold, and black, therefore, bleachers, stands or lines making up the fields are combination any of these three colors. Their mascot is a panther. An animal that is swift and cunning.

Katniss liked their mascot. She thought panthers were silent, graceful, and powerful creatures so she was happy she didn't go to a school where they had to chant something as strange as "go rams."

A loud, pitched whistle broke through the air suddenly and stopped Madge and Katniss (but mostly Madge's) in their chatty steps. They turn their heads toward the occupied football field only to find the bare, straining, and muscled back of this year's varsity football team.

"Push harder, Hawthorne! Put your back into it, Miller!" Barks Haymitch Abernathy. Coach Abernathy has been the coach of Panem's football team since anyone can remember. Coach Abernathy has always worked them 'pretty damn hard' in practice. According to Gale at least. Which is a good thing in this way. It was good keeoing in mind that Coach Abernathy was sober enough to coach them properly is a good thing all on its own. Coach Abernathy has recently vowed to try decreasing his drinking enough to coach them even better this year. Try.

From where Madge and Katniss stood, they can clearly see the team was divided into twos in the bold, hot sun rays. There are no clouds leaving the sun's rays to beat down on the players and the field. Gale, Katniss closest friend since childhood, was partnered with Rue's boyfriend Thresh Miller. Thresh may be huge and intimidating, but he is as harmless as a baby calf. His dark mocha skin was stretched over firm, built muscles and flesh. Rue is another friend of Katniss', but more an acquaintance. She is shorter than the average girl, only five foot and a half. So standing next to Thresh made her look tiny with her curly mass of hair and small, thin frame. But he always seems to care for her as if she were going to break if he held her too tight or knocked into her the wrong way.

And the pairings continue to carry on, like Rory Hawthorne, Gale's younger brother was partnered with a guy named Thom Anderson. Both are a year younger than Katniss and Madge, but were pulled up because Haymitch saw potential in them.

Katniss' eye flit over the large group of boys pushing the two-man sleds until they land on a very popular player of the team.

Peeta Mellark.

The running back of the team.

Her eyes find the muscles he had obviously developed more since junior high and the chiseled abs she can't take her eyes off for some reason. But the most stunning feature Peeta Mellark possessed are his bright, stunning eyes so blue they are almost unreal. His mess of blonde curls stick to his forehead as sweat pours off him profusely glistening in the sun, as he pushes his body to the max.

"Katniss!" Madge's voice practically yells breaking her out of the trance Peeta has placed her in by the mere sight of him.

Katniss jumps slightly as she was brought back into her reality. She turns her head to her right only to see Madge smirking at her, arms folded right under her breasts. Katniss' cheeks flush bright red and she tears her eyes away from the youngest Mellark boy, determined to not look back.

"Someone catch your eye?" Madge teased with a knowing smirk.

The brunette's mouth gaped and she began to stammer and stutter. "Wh-What? No! I-I was just... I mean I was..."

Madge only chuckles and shakes her head. But Katniss cheeks still remain aflame. Her best friend nudges her playfully. "Let's take a look shall we?"

Madge looks over the side and into the fenced in field and down on the sweating players of the team. "Mr. Mellark catch your eye?" Madge teases.

"Don't be ridiculous, Madge. I don't like him. I mean, he's lived a few houses down from me ever since I can rememeber! And we aren't even friends. I mean we've talked, but not much. Plus, I... I..." Katniss sighs. "There's just no way I can even bring myself to talk to him. I just don't think I could do it."

Madge sighs to herself with a small smile on her lips. "Oh, Katniss, hasn't anyone ever told you that you are a terrible liar?"

"Oh yeah. But I mean we all know that right?" Came the deep voice from behind Katniss.

Katniss spun around to face the one and only Gale Hawthorne, a smirk on his lips and his arms crossed over his naked chest, showing he had heard everything she had just said. Had time really passed by that quickly? Groaning and rolling her eyes, Katniss face palmed and made her self look up at that damned Hawthorne boy. She glowers at him.

"So," He begins slyly with a smirk on his face like that of a snake. "You got a thing for Mellark, eh?"

"I-"

"Hold that thought and let me grab my shit and we'll take this on the car ride home!" Gale yells over his shoulder as he runs toward the boys locker rooms.

And as the girls head to Gale's truck, with a smirk on Madge's lips and still a slightly faded blush on Katniss', she could only think one thing.

This is going to be a long ride.

xXx

Summary: Star volley ball player, Katniss Everdeen, of Panem High has run into her biggest challenge yet. Peeta Mellark. Star running back of the Panem Panthers. Blue-eyed, blonde, curly haired Peeta Mellark. Well, this is going to be an interesting junior year at Panem High School. Modern AU.

AN: I think this is something I am very dedicated to. I love the idea of both Katniss and Peeta being a sports player. And I am not against Nerd!Katniss/Peeta, (THOSE ARE ADORABLE!) but I just want to try this! I hope you enjoy this! ~If I Were A Slytherin

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OCs

Rating: M

Setting: High School. Modern AU.