Katniss' POV


Song of the Moment: Don't Stop Believing by Journey

I walked through the hallway.

It was packed with strange faces: people that I had never seen in my life. It was awkward to say the least; walking around while staring at the new surroundings wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I hated that my mom and dad had to divorce. My dad took Prim while my mom got a job promotion.

And guess who she just wanted to drag along?

I wondered why she would want to take me. She never cared much about me; the most that she had done for me was to give me food, water and shelter. I guess she would rather take care of the older kid than the younger. Which made sense, since she didn't really care for us in the first place. The older the kid, the less the taking-care-of. (if that even made sense, I had never been good with words)

I finally found the principal's office, and I walked in awkwardly. A man who looked like he was in his fifties turned and smiled at me.

"Oh, Katniss Everdeen, correct? Welcome, welcome!"

I was instantly turned off by his over-enthusiasm, so I remained stoic.

"Um, thanks."

"Please, sit, sit!" he motioned to a chair that looked very comfy. I didn't hesitate to sit down in it.

He leaned over closer to me. "Katniss, Katniss, I hope you have a great time here."

I nodded at him, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Here's your schedule," he handed a piece of paper to me, and I took it. "Your homeroom is with Mrs. Danderoff, the Spanish and Dance teacher."

Immediately my ears perked up to that, but he stopped talking. So, I decided to speak.

"Thank you," I said politely, getting up to leave.

But, of course, he stopped me.

"Oh, and Katniss? What made you choose this school?"

I didn't turn back to look at him. I knew I couldn't tell him why I originally felt compelled to come to this school. So I fibbed.

"It just looked interesting."


Song of the Moment: What The Hell by Avril Lavigne

I was five years old when I first became obsessed with dancing.

Okay, I wouldn't call it obsessed. It was a hobby. A hobby that I really loved doing.

Maybe I was obsessed.

But it was fun. Whenever music started to play, I felt like dancing. It was a weird sensation. But, music let my guard down, and I could just dance how I wanted to dance. People had told me that I was good at dancing; I chose not to believe them. I wasn't good; it was just a stress reliever.

I was originally intrigued by this school by its dance room. It was donned with mirrors all around, with a balancing beam and wood floor that made it easy to glide around. It looked amazing. And when I saw it, I knew I had to go to this school.

But I was starting to regret it. This school was much too cliquey for my taste. All of the classrooms were divided: populars in the back, troublemakers in the corners, geeks front and center. I didn't really want to sit anywhere, because everywhere that I could've chose would've brought me out as an outsider. But, finally, I decided to in front of a blond boy.

And during the entire class, I could feel his gaze piercing through me.

It was the most annoying thing ever. I hated when people stared at me. Any attention brought to me from complete strangers didn't make me feel accepted; in fact, if anything, it made me feel violated.

But after five minutes, I found myself turning around to scold him about it.

"STOP STARING AT ME, OKAY?!"

His blue eyes - so cerulean that they looked almost synthetic - widened a little, before he looked away. I heard the entire class start to chatter about me, and my cheeks flared up in embarrassment. I tried to sink into my seat, but of course, that didn't make me invisible. There was more attention on me than when he was staring at me, and oh how I hated attention from complete strangers.

I just stayed silent for the rest of the class.


Song of the Moment: Remember The Name by Fort Minor

I was absolutely ecstatic when I read what class I had for last period that day.

It was Dance, and I couldn't be any better.

It was on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for half of a semester, and it was a class whose grade was based on how much one improved. It bothered me how the class was at the gym instead of the dance room (there was a reason that was there, right?), but I guess I got used to it.

At first I wanted to show off how amazing I was at dancing, but when I looked at my class, I second guessed it.

Almost everyone wanted to show off: from the geeks to the populars. It annoyed me heavily that EVERYONE wanted to showcase their non-existent dance skills. I scoffed at the sight.

My teacher, Mrs. Danderoff, then threw out something that I was NOT expecting.

"You guys are getting partners."

Partners? PARTNERS?! I hated dancing with other people, let alone a guy partner that I actually have to respond to (at least by dancing). I hated that idea. Especially since I didn't even know the names for more than half of them.

She had already assigned our partners, and she was announcing them one by one. I tuned out until I heard my name.

"Katniss Everdeen, you are with Peeta Mellark."

I nodded to myself to remember the name. After a few minutes, everyone dispersed to meet with their partners. I watched as everyone partnered up with their designated partner until I only see one left.

No.

Not him.

Not the guy I had yelled at during first period.

At that point, I sent my best death glare to Mrs. Danderoff, whoever she thought she was.

If looks could kill...

He approached me. "Hi. I'm Peeta Mellark." He had a tentative tone in his voice, probably present because of my previous lash on him. He held out his hand for me to shake it.

I just stared at it, not knowing what else to do.

Eventually, he put his arms to his sides awkwardly.

"Okay, we will be learning a dance to Thriller by Michael Jackson first," Mrs. Danderoff called. "First, I want you and your partner to get into closed position. Girls, put your right hand into your partner's left hand. Boys, your other hand should go on the girl's waist. No higher, no lower." Another blond seemed to be disappointed - I couldn't tell whether he was joking or not. "Girls, your other hand should go on his shoulder. I don't think anyone could mess that up." She paused for a minute, looking around at our class. "Except for Glimmer."

I did as she told. Of course, I had to be the first one since Peeta was too hesitant to do anything. I placed my left hand on his shoulder, and he placed his on my waist: not too high, not too low.

It was awkwardly silent. I didn't want it to be like that the entire class. He was my partner; it was at least nicer to be courteous. And besides, I didn't have any friends yet.

I took a deep breath and did the unthinkable: apologize. "Look, I'm sorry about this morning. It was wrong for me to do that."

"It's okay," he shrugged. Nothing else.

Nothing.

I gave up. I tried to clear up the tension, but obviously, that didn't work out too well. I wasn't very good with words; anything who knew me well would know that very well about me.

Admittedly, the Thriller choreography was pretty good; my teacher wasn't half bad at her job.

But as soon as that bell rang, I walked straight out of that room.


Song of the Moment: What You Waiting For? by Gwen Stefani

The hour after school was the part I enjoyed the most about school.

All after school stuff only lasted a hour because of security issues (sport games were an exception, and the only one that I knew of). Therefore, after the hour was finished, one would have fifteen minutes to get out of the school building before someone kicked them out.

And since no one really uses the dance room, I would be the only one occupying it for the entire hour.

It shocked me how no one actually used the room. It was in such pristine condition; I would expect it to be used very often by its quality. But, obviously not.

However, I liked that I was the only one dancing. Like I said before, I hated dancing with other people. Less creativity in my opinion.

I looked at the mini-speaker in the room. It was able to connect with my phone, so all of my favorite songs were playing. Well, one of them. Usually, I liked to only play one song per day to let the creative juices flowing on that song. Then, I would try to perfect my moves on that song for an hour, until I felt that I have the best choreography that I can.

Counting Stars by One Republic started playing. I found myself dancing to the beat. As it kept repeating over and over again, I perfected my moves until I was completely satisfied. Then, I kept dancing that choreography until I heard an announcement.

"It is 4:30. You have fifteen minutes to leave until the building closes and we kick you out. Thank you."

I wasn't mad at all when I packed my pointe shoes and left the building.


Song of the Moment: The Monster by Eminem and Rihanna

It was slightly uncomfortable dancing with him.

We stayed silent for the majority of the class, and even thought I considered silence a virtue, I was starting to get annoyed by it.

Especially since his cerulean orbs were staring right into my gray ones, as if he was trying to read my soul.

I was paying attention to the teacher most of the time. That, and I was trying to not dance good. What was the point when there was already half of the class attempting to show off their non-existent talent?

And then I heard Mrs. Danderoff call our names. "Katniss, Peeta, can you come up here for a moment?"

Peeta and I nervously walked up. I was trying to ignore everyone's murmurs. "That girl is so lucky to dance with hottie Peeta!" "Ooh, I wonder what the new girl did wrong." "I mean, look at her! She's probably the worst one here!"

"You guys don't seem to be getting the choreography," she stated. "Would you like me to help?"

"Yes please," Peeta answered quickly, smiling sheepishly. "I'm not a good dancer."

"Well then you should be happy that your grade is based off of improvement," she joked. "Both of you, closed position."

We both did as she told us to, bringing our arms together. I felt everyone's eyes on us, and I felt uncomfortable with the added attention. She then motioned for us to dance, but when I did the right move, he did the wrong one, and vise versa. We both laughed whenever we messed up, and I had to admit, I was finally feeling comfortable dancing with Peeta. It didn't feel as awkward anymore.

"Okay, that's enough," Mrs. Danderoff said as we messed up for what seemed like the hundredth time. "You guys can go back now. Thank you."

She shuddered once her back was to us, and we both snickered. I smiled, knowing that everyone thought that we were hopeless when it came to dancing. We went to the back of the gym.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Peeta smiled.

"Not really," I smirked. "I think we gave them a show."

"A hilarious show," he chuckled.

We both fell into an easygoing conversation. It was the first time I truly felt accepted at that school. And it felt nice.


Song of the Moment: Eyes Open by Taylor Swift

I walked into the dance room.

That place was my sanctuary. It was the place I was most looking forward to during the school day (or technically after, considering the school day has already ended). I loved dancing, and since my mom never really cared where I was, I spent the entire hour in there after every school day. I don't think anyone minded, either. In fact, I thought that I was doing them a favor, since I was actually using the dance room for its purpose.

I plugged in my phone and went with the first song I heard: Harlem by New Politics. I found myself popping to the fast and happy beat. It was a fun song; I had always enjoyed listening to it.

I went through my usual routine for about a half hour, until I heard applause.

For me.

I looked up to see Peeta. He started to approach me. "You know, you're a really good dancer."

I shied away from him, hiding myself in my long, dark brown hair. "Um, thanks."

"You're better than our entire class," he walked up to me until we were suitably close for a conversation. "If only they were as good as you; Mrs. Danderoff wouldn't have to yell at us."

"It sickens me how much everyone tries to show off," I found myself smiling and laughing a little. "It's kind of stupid, in my opinion."

"I believe the same thing," Peeta smiled back. "They don't even know how talentless they are."

I smiled and laughed with Peeta. It shocked me. Peeta was my dance partner, and someone I barely spoke to outside of Dance class. He had a contagious smile, something that I had wished I had for a long time. Prim had a contagious smile, too. The two blonds had their way with smiles.

But then I reverted back into my emotionless self. "How long were you watching?"

He shrugged. "About a half hour."

My eyes widened. A half hour? He was watching me this entire time?! How did I not notice? "Could you please leave now? I have to get back to dancing."

He smirked. "Actually, I have a deal to propose, if you don't mind."

"Please, get out," I reiterated, turning away from him.

He turned me around. "Katniss, just listen to me, please."

I sighed in defeat. "Fine. Go ahead."

He smiled. "You know how I suck at dancing, right?" I nodded. Who wouldn't realize that? "How about you teach me how to dance?"

I tilted my head, pretending to ponder about his proposal. "What do I get in return?"

"My parents own a bakery. I work there after school almost every day. I can get you whatever pastries you want," he smiled, looking into my eyes. "What do you think?"

I loved the idea automatically. I loved bakeries. Pastries were my favorite type of food, if it counted as one. I was especially in love with cheese buns; my dad would often have to refrain me from eating more than my weight. "Do you make cheese buns?"

He smirked. "They're my specialty."


Song of the Moment: Everybody Dance Now by C+C Music Factory

"Are you guys ready for the dance-off? Everyone who wants to, stay where you are. Everyone who doesn't want to, sit on the bleachers."

It was the last class for Dance, and admittedly, I was going to miss it. It seemed to pass by so fast, and my dance tutoring sessions with Peeta seemed to pass by even faster. Why did time fly by so fast while I'm dancing? Every other time, it felt so slow.

"Do you want to compete?" Peeta asked. "We don't have to, only if you want to."

One tutoring session, Peeta asked why I don't dance the same way in class. I told him that my pet peeve was when everyone was trying to show off, and I didn't want to be like that. He understood, and we both still danced horribly. Peeta was improving greatly, though. I was proud of him.

"I would prefer not to, if that's okay with you," I told him.

He nodded. "Okay."

We both walked to the bleachers. We were the only ones who decided to not be in the dance-off. We sat at the last row, and Alone Together by Fall Out Boy started playing. I loved this song, and Peeta and I were singing to the song while making fun of everyone who was trying to dance.

"Look and Clove and Cato! They're dancing like robots!"

"I don't think that Brutus and Enobaria know that this isn't a dance-off for chickens."

"I swear one of Marvel's hands is on her butt while the other one's squeezing her boob."

"Glimmer is twerking like Miley Cyrus!"

We both laughed, singing a little bit more, before the song changed to Timber by Pitbull and Ke$ha. I started to sing Ke$ha's part, while Peeta attempted to rap. We both chuckled, before Peeta stared into my eyes.

"You know, you're a great singer."

I blushed, before stopping and turning my head straight. "Thanks."

We fell into silence once again. It was actually a really comfortable silence, not the ones that we had at the beginning of the school year. Admittedly, Peeta was really good-looking. The blond hair, cerulean eyes, toned body... Plus he was really kind, strong, smart, caring, such a great artist and can cook. I could understand how girls could have a crush on him; he was a full package, practically perfect.

But we were just friends. Dance partners, at the most. He did not like me.

And I did not like him.


Song of the Moment: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri

I walked into homeroom as soon as the bell rung.

It was the beginning of the second semester, and I had already gotten 4 tardies. One more, and it would had been an afternoon spent in detention instead of the dance room. Peeta's tutoring sessions had stopped after the dance-off, and the room felt empty without him. It was nice to have it to myself (because I could focus on my own choreography), but having Peeta there was nice, too. That, and I really loved his cheese buns. They were like heaven.

I opened my math binder to complete the homework that I never had finished - err, started. I hated math, and I never had really enjoyed it. Especially after they decided to add letters into it. Math after that became more confusing - and annoying.

Mrs. Danderoff was taking attendance - lucky for me. She didn't like it whenever we did homework during homeroom. I never understood why.

After she was finished, she tried to scream over us to get our attention.

"You guys! Listen up!"

The majority of us got quiet, but a few of the populars kept talking. She knew that they were talking, I could tell, but she ignored tem and kept going.

"I know that a lot of you guys liked my Dance class," she started. "I thought that, since you guys are graduating this year, that we could have a dance section during the ceremony."

Everyone started cheering, and I rolled my eyes. Perfect. I had to sit through a show filled with show-offs. Not how I wanted to spend my graduation ceremony.

"Tryouts are two weeks from now. If you want more information, take the handouts at the door," she looked at the door. "Meanwhile, class is going to start in a minute or two, so you guys better start cleaning up your mess, MARVEL."

"Hmm?" he looked up at Mrs. Danderoff. He was in the middle of cutting something, and left a bunch of small shards of paper on the table and carpet surrounding it.

She rolled her eyes. "Never mind."

I quickly scribbled down the last answer to the question, before flinging my binder closed and stuffing it in my backpack. I zipped it up, and as if on cue, the bell rang.

Great. Math was next period.


Song of the Moment: Fireflies by Owl City

"Katniss, what is the answer to question 32?"

"What?" I sprung up. Admittedly, I dozed off during math class. It wasn't my fault that the subject was insanely boring.

"The answer to question 32," he reiterated, before looking pointedly at me. "You did the classwork, right?"

"Yes, of course," I fumbled through the textbook, and immediately, I was confused at what the question was saying. It looked like complete jibberish.

And then, the bell saved me.

I let out a breath of relief I didn't even know I was holding. I stuffed everything into my backpack as my teacher called me out.

"Please don't fall asleep in my class, Katniss."

I nodded at him, but inside my head, I was smirking. No promises. I walked out of the room and went to my locker. Quickly, I took out my Geography binder.

"Ahem."

I turned around to see Peeta. What did he need from me?

"Hey Peeta," I smiled politely. "What do you need?"

He slid his hands into his back pockets. "I was thinking of trying out for the graduation dance, and I was hoping that you would help me."

I quirked an eyebrow unbelievingly. "You want to try out for the graduation dance?"

"Yeah," he smiled sheepishly. "You helped me so much in getting an A for Dance. If I could have just one more dance session, I may have a shot." He looked at my with puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

At that point, all I was thinking about was the cheese buns. "You make me a batch of those cheese buns, and you got yourself a session."

He was trying to stay emotionless, but I knew that he was happy and giddy on the inside. "Perfect."


Song of the Moment: Remember When by Chris Wallace

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I thought I had taught him how to dance. Apparently not. His dance skills had regressed since about a month ago, when I last tutored him. No matter how good-looking he was, it was appalling. And his looks didn't make the dancing any better.

"So?" He finally stopped, and I let out a sigh in relief. "What do you think?"

"Um..." How was I supposed to break it to him easily?

"Okay, I know, my dancing is horrendous," he admitted. "This is why I need your help."

"Obviously," I commented. "Here, let me show you a few moves."

The first song that started playing was Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood. I danced to the beat, looking at myself in the mirror to try to have the best dance moves possible. Sometimes my gaze would divert to Peeta, who looked completely awed. Every time I saw his face, I smirked to myself.

When the song finished, I turned to Peeta. "How was that?"

"Great." But the voice that answered me did not belong to Peeta.

It belonged to Mrs. Danderoff.

"Hi, Mrs. Danderoff," Peeta greeted politely.

"Hello Peeta," she responded courteously. She then turned to me. "Katniss, that was amazing. I didn't know you could dance like that."

I smiled sheepishly. "Not a lot of people do."

She smiled back. "You should try out for the graduation dance. I'm pretty sure you'd get in."

I shook my head. "No thank you. I'm not interested."

Her face fell. "Well, that's a shame. You're such a talent. I guess I'll see you two later."

She started to walk out of the room, and I didn't know whether it was the guilt or the longing to dance in front of an audience, but I surprised both Peeta and Mrs. Danderoff by speaking up.

"I'll audition."


Song of the Moment: Watch Me by Bella Thorne and Zendaya

Probably the only reason why I felt safe at the tryouts was because Peeta was dancing with me.

There were about 60 couples, and Mrs. Danderoff was trying to condense it to only 10. We had to dance a set routine to Another One Bites The Dust by Queen repeatedly, and no matter how much I loved the song, it was getting annoying. And Mrs. Danderoff was taking forever to choose.

And then finally, she was done.

I was shocked that Peeta and I were still in the running. Peeta messed up a couple times, but besides that, he was doing well. Luckily, he was a fast rememberer, and he was able to regain his dancing skills. He wasn't doing bad at all.

But then, what I heard shocked me.

"Now, we are doing solos to determine the final 16. Who would like to go first?"

"Katniss would!"

Instinctively, I glared at Clove (who was the one who suggested I'd go first), before Peeta grabbed my shoulders.

"You don't have to go first, if you don't want to," he tried to soothe me, and I had to admit, it made me feel a little better. But my mind was already made up.

"It's okay," I said. His eyes went wide. "I'll do it."

"Good luck," he smiled at me, releasing my shoulders.

I went up to the middle of the gym, and All Night by Icona Pop started playing. Immediately, I smiled, letting myself flow with the energetic, techno beat. I felt my heart beat faster and faster from the adrenaline rush. After a couple minutes, the song stopped, and I had to stop myself mid-motion. I felt my cheeks start to flare, and I awkwardly sped-walked to Peeta.

He smiled. "Katniss, you were amazing up there."

I smirked, seeing everyone's shocked reaction at my dancing. "Thank you."

A few strangers went to dance, and after what felt like eternity, Peeta finally went up to dance.

He was mediocre up there; I had seen way better dance there, but I definitely saw way worse up there as well. I just crossed my fingers that Peeta would get in. I'd rather him get in than me.

Once the last person finished dancing, Mrs. Danderoff called out, "Results come out tomorrow on the bulletin board."

I actually could not wait.


Song of the Moment: I'm So Excited by The Pointer Sisters

"You got in!" I cheered.

"So did you!" Peeta exclaimed.

The paper stapled on the bulletin board had both our names on it, and we could not be any happier.

But then he did the unthinkable.

He kissed me.

It was about five seconds long. But was it weird that I actually enjoyed it? I shook my head. I couldn't have enjoyed it.

But I gave up. I knew I enjoyed it. A lot.

Once he broke away, he immediately looked apologetic.

"Oh my gosh, Katniss, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

I shocked both him and myself as I interrupted him by kissing him again.


Song of the Moment: I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston

I tried to smooth out my black dress.

It was finally graduation, and even though this should be a momentous time for me, I was scared. Yes, I, Katniss Everdeen, was scared. I didn't know exactly why, but I was. I couldn't put a finger on it.

I looked at myself in the mirror once more as Peeta approached me.

"You ready to dance?"

I kept my gaze on the mirror. "I don't know."

"You scared?"

"Yeah."

He hugged me from my back. "Katniss, you are such a talented dancer. You don't have to worry."

I looked at him in the eye, finally realizing what I was so scared about. "What will happen after this?"

Peeta looked confused. "Huh?"

"With us," I clarified. "We're going to college, Peeta. Aren't you at least a little bit scared?"

I saw him nod slightly. "I guess. But, you shouldn't have to worry. You're going to Harvard, I'm going to Georgetown. It's only a train ride away."

I tilted my head. "True, but-"

He interrupted me with a kiss, which I felt myself melt into as I kissed him back. After a few seconds, he pulled away.

"Katniss, just live in now, okay? Seize the moment?"

All I could do was nod as we were beckoned on the stage to dance. We both had fun dancing; we fell into the beat and didn't worry too much about choreography.

We got a standing ovation.


So this was thought of when I heard that there were tryouts for a dance show at my school. I don't know whether I should audition or not... I love to dance but I don't think any of my friends are going to audition... Plus I'm the new girl and unpopular... The place is going to be filled with populars. Honestly, I'm really scared to try out.

The Song of the Moment thing should be explained. I was trying to summarize that portion of the writing in a song, but obviously, I didn't do such an amazing job. I hope you don't mind.

Also, I would like to thank everyone for the positive feedback for January 24. It means so much to me that you guys liked the oneshot :)

Right now, I am working on a Everlark drabble. Should be up ASAP.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or any of the songs I mentioned before (which were a lot XD).

Thank you all for reading. Please favorite, review and follow me. I'll see you guys later :)