Chapter 1: Morning of Your Very First Day

My name is Peeta Mellark. I go to Capitol High in a town in southern California called Capitol. Weird, I know. Our county name is weird too. Panem. Nobody questions it though. My family owns the town bakery. I have a loving Dad, a bitch that we call Mom, but somehow my Dad still loves her and oh yeah, my two older brothers, Rhye & Weet. Weird names, I know. Our names are similar to bread names and well it gets kind of anooying but we've gotten over it.

I get along with my brothers of course. My mom likes them but has always kind of disliked me. Yeah she says she 'loves' me but I doubt it. I have heard her say she wishes I had been a girl but she kind of got her wish when I came out to the family at the end of 8th grade, after I had told my best friends of course.. That's when her dislike lessened and honestly that annoyed me but whatever. I'm not even flamboyant at all so I don't see why she got excited since she probably hoped I would be even more girly because honestly I can be a little too gay too function sometimes.

At least that's what my best friend since we were toddlers tells me, Katniss Everdeen. She has always been more of a guy than me being athletic and more into sports than I am but whatever. And I know never to piss her off to the point of wanting to kill me because well, she knows how to use an array of weapons thanks to her many hunting trips with her dad and her neighbors the Hawthorne's. At first I was jealous when that started a few years ago but that was because she got to spend time with one of the town studs, Gale Hawthorne. Every girls wants him and I know I do too. I'm sure there are other guys who want him too but none that I know of. Then again I live in a super small town with only 12 main roads that go around in a circle and the wide avenue we have called Capitol Way that runs through the center of the town and then connects to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). It's pretty weird but you get used to it and besides there's a bunch of little small connecting streets between each avenue so you don't HAVE to use the main road.

Anyway, Gale has become a good friend of both Katniss and I. He used to call her Catpiss when we younger to piss her off. Of course one day it made her cry so he stopped. For a while I thought they would get together and the strange thing is that Gale has never been with a girl and him and Kat never got together so I always have hope for him and me, and that has led to the huge crush I have on him. And sometimes it seems like we could be a couple in the future but then it all falls apart. When I told Gale I was gay he said he was really glad I told him and that his opinion doesn't change about me because he will always love me for who I am. I don't know why but that made me happy. I told Katniss first about me being gay and she said exactly, "Peeta, this isn't really knews to me honestly. I kind of assumed anyway. And I've seen the way you look at Gale when we all hangout." I was shocked I was that obvious. She then went on about how me and Gale would make such a cute couple. She even said she thinks he's gay but I tell her how doubtful it is and she ended the conversation with, "well only time will tell. High school is 4 years of our lives. Get ready."

This was all at the beginning of summer and once I was out to everyone I felt so much happier and no one ever bothered me about it luckily. I've heard the horror stories on TV and the internet. So sad. But our town is very accepting. I mean it's not like I got a megaphone and said "Hey bitches I'm gay!" Though that would have been funny to see everyone faces. Anyway, it was really my loudmouth mom who told everyone by talking to her friends at the salon she goes to and well it spread like wildfire. Like I said, luckily no one is homophobic here, at least not publicly that is.

So this is where my story for you begins. Day 1 of my freshman year at Capitol High. Everyone always knows each other and there's a lot of mixed classes so sometimes you could have a kid of any grade in your class but usually only happen for electives, languages, and math. As I get ready for school I wear some tight khakis that cup my ass well and a tight v-neck to show off my toned figure. I then slip on some cute vans and by the time I'm out the door its already 7:30 and Katniss and Gale are waiting for me since they are my neighbors and what not. We walk the short distance to our bus stop and then hop on the bus for the first time for high school. Katniss, Gale, and I take the bus to school since we live on 12th and it's a far trek to school. We're all the first ones on the bus and we sit in the back. Katniss in her own 2 seater and Gale and I together. Strangely, it was Gale's idea but I didn't question it. Katniss on the other hand couldn't stop smirking at me. After a minute of that I started to blush and Gale looked down at me saying. "Peeta, why are you blushing so much?"

My lame response was, "Oh I guess its sorta hot in here." Katniss just started laughing really hard and the bus driver Ms. Effie Trinket told her to 'shush and have respectable manners on a Capitol High bus'. That made Katniss laugh even harder and even Gale and I started to laugh too. Effie just shook her head. Her weird pink curly hair bouncing at every bump the bus hit. As we pulled up to the only other stop on 12th, a beautiful blonde girl named Madge Undersee entered the bus and sat at the front as she isn't very social to many people, really keeps to herself but she did wave at me and Katniss as we are friendly with her. Madge is the ex-mayors daughter. He now is just a council member but is highly respected. Mr. Undersee also loves to buy my backery's strawberry shortcakes. He claims to have quite a taste for strawberries because he also always orders cakes and cupcakes with strawberries on them. It's kind of weird.

The bus then traveled down 11th and picked up Thresh and Rue. Thresh is a junior this year and Rue is our age. Thresh sat by himself and Rue, seeing us, asked to sit with us and Katniss, being friends with her, said yes and offered her a seat. I never have really gotten to know her but she is a nice girl. The rest of bus trip flew by as we picked up other kids around town. On 7th the bus picks up some other kids and among them, Johanna Mason. She's apparently quite the wild child. She's a junior and plays soccer and well kicks major ass and really knows how to fake an injury from what I hear. She plays the weakling card just to get other teams red carded. Its pretty funny when you think about it. It's even funnier when she scores 3 goals on their asses like 5 minutes later. On 5th we picked up a new girl to town whom no one's has met yet. She looks super shy and judging by the way she looks down and simply just sits down at the nearest empty seat proves it. I don't know her name yet but she resembles a fox in her face so I dub her, Foxface for now. Actually sounds kind of mean of me to say that. Oh well! On 4th, the hottest guy in town and quite possibly in all of America if not the whole world gets on the bus and he's only a sophomore. His name is Finnick Odair. And boy would I love to ride that….anyway he's hot and apparently very straight as he has slept with about the entire female population of Capitol High. Sadly he won't be on this bus too long in the futre since I hear him talking about getting his car soon to Thresh. They don't usually socialize from what I know but they both play on the football team so I guess they bond over that. I don't even realize I'm drooling a little bit until I see a text from Katniss which is weird since she's right near me but I open it obviously.

Katniss: "Peeta stop drooling over Finnick. Gale might get jealous."

Me: "Stfu Catpiss :P"

Katniss: "FUCK YOU PEETA BREAD"

Me: "Ok bye"

It was quite the conversation I must say but anyway I decided to talk to Gale to keep my attention off of that hot stud Finn. Damn the things I would do. Ugh my wandering mind, tisk tisk. The only other people picked up are random people I don't know very well. Most people on 4th and lower either walk or drive so not many get on the last few stops but the bus is always very full.

Next thing I know, we're at school and being sent to orientation in our massive gym. It can hold a lot more people than the amount that are usually in it. In hindsight it's kind of a waste of money but whatever. That's when I see him and his crew. As me and my besties get off the bus I nearly trip on my own feet as I stare at one of the hottest guys in town. Gale is friends with him but has never introduced us. I wonder why. His name is Cato. He stands all cocky at the head of a group of his closest friends; Marvel, Glimmer, and Clove. Marvel is super cute but kinda lanky. He's a lax bro so I don't really pay attention to him. Glimmer is the definition of your blond bimbo. Oh and did I mention she's head cheerleader and sleeps with like every guy but apparently she does it to make Marvel jealous but in turn he does the same. It's like, why can't they just fuck already and be a couple like what the fuck. It actually annoys me. And then Clove. She used to be so sweet but then she didn't grow boobs in middle school and turned into a conniving bitch and yet is still popular. I don't get it. She plays soccer and is the second best player after Johanna but apparently they hate each other.

Now the main show, Cato, is the star quarterback of our team and he's only sophomore just like the rest of them. Cato used to live on 12th and lived across from me but then he moved to 2nd. But that was like 10 years ago. His buff arms, massive pecs, and just overall beautiful looks are too much. His spiked blond hair is so so so cute. But he has to be straight. There's no way in hell. And even if he isn't, he'd never notice me. I keep staring at him as I walk toward the gym with Katniss while Gale leaves us to go talk to…somebody. I'm not sure because I wasn't paying attention. I kept staring at Cato until, holy shit he looked at me. And he winked. Oh my god. I look away and start walking fast until, BOOM. I hit my face into the wall and next thing I know I'm being carried to the nurses office by I think, Katniss? No these are the arms of a man. But I'm too stunned to see well. The last thing I remember seeing is Katniss's mom who works at the school clinic part time putting ice on my forehead and a tall masculine figure sitting in a chair next to the bed I'm on. Then I enter darkness.