The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me.
Wildflower
Peeta first saw her on a crowded train platform. He had just gotten off his phone with his mother. She had yelled at him for not visiting his Aunt who had lost her son six months ago. His cousin had gone sailing with his friends when the boat capsized.
Frustrated, he hung up on her and looked around to see if any train was in sight. That's when he saw her. The dark haired girl wobbled precariously close to the platform edge. She was obviously drunk. The braid that hung down her back swayed as she did.
The beeping of the train caused him to turn away from her for a moment. Then the beeping continued.
Oh shit.
Looking over at the girl, he saw that she was falling forward towards the oncoming train.
Peeta ran towards the drunken girl, dropping his book bag to the ground as he did. Just as the train reached the platform, he pulled her away.
His first look from Katniss Everdeen was not a pleasant one. She sneered at him and her grey eyes pierced his own terrified blue ones. She wrestled her arm away from him.
"You wanna die?"
Then she walked drunkenly into the train.
Turning around to get his bag, he saw that it had disappeared.
Peeta sat in the same train car as the girl. She stood next to the door when it opened at the next station and a little old lady came into the train. It was crowded, so the woman had no place to sit. He was about to stand when—
"YOU!" She looked at a teenage boy who sat in the reserved seating for seniors. "Get off the seat and give it to the woman."
The boy scoffed at her. "Whatever."
She didn't hesitate to yank the boy by the hair and toss him to ground. The older woman looked at her gratefully and a little warily.
"Bitch!" The boy stared up at her from where he was sprawled. Walking over to him, she delivered a swift kick to his stomach before she walked past Peeta.
God, she terrified him.
Later, Peeta watched her as she laid her weary head against the pole that she held. Standing up, he walked to where she stood and their eyes met again.
"Do you want to take my seat?" he asked.
The girl looked at him tiredly before laying her head against his chest. "I don't feel well, Sweetheart."
Sweetheart?
"You better get your girl out of this train, boy," the old man sitting across from them growled. "If she throws up, I'm calling security."
And that was how Peeta ended up in the middle of nowhere carrying a strange girl through the streets.
Peeta spent what little money he had to get a room at the motel. He was pretty sure that that the management was going to call the cops. He was a guy carrying an unconscious girl to a room. Who wouldn't find that suspicious?
Managing to unlock the door with one hand, he kicked it to widen the opening and walked in. She was light, but he had walked for blocks. Now he was exhausted.
Tossing her onto the bed, he sat on the floor next to her. She remained asleep during the whole ordeal. Occasionally, she would sigh or mumble.
Peeta turned to get a real look at her. She was petite and slim. Her red tank showed off a tiny bit of cleavage, though he found that he preferred her lack of breasts. Peeta was more fascinated with the skin that was exposed from above the neckline of the tank. It looked soft and he found himself almost reaching to caress the skin with his fingers. She was pretty; her face was heart-shaped and her nose small. He moved his face close to her lips. They were rosy and curved into a small smile.
He was never so fascinated with the opposite sex. Peeta occasionally went on dates, but they were all the same. Blond and pale like him. This girl was the opposite. He wanted to memorize every line and curve that made her. His hand reached for her braid and he felt the tip of it. Soft.
Peeta reached over to the ID bracelet on her wrist. It was rose gold and it reminded him of someone, but he couldn't place it. Looking at the inscription, he finally learned her name: Katniss.
Grabbing his phone, he stood up and looked down at her sleeping form. He went to the restroom and filled a glass with water to put on the bedside table. Peeta had enough money to take a bus home. If she woke up and found him there, he was sure that she would go ballistic.
"Goodnight, Katniss," he said before he walked out of the room.
RING!
Peeta opened his eyes and reached for his phone. "Hello?"
"WHO'S THIS?!"
"Who's this?" he replied groggily.
"This is Katniss Everdeen and you took my phone."
Peeta sat up. He knew it looked different but he was so tired that he didn't bother to care. His ears were still ringing from his parents' lecture.
"Are you still there?" She was annoyed.
"Yes."
"The Beanery on 9th. Be there in an hour."
Then she hung up.
Getting up, Peeta quickly snuck into the bathroom and washed his face. He needed to get out before his parents started with the lectures. They believed in his potential, but his grades didn't reflect it. They responded to this by telling him that he hadn't found a way to bring out this so-called potential. He, on the other hand, felt that they believed in something that was obviously not there.
He couldn't deal with them. Not with the thought of having to see Katniss Everdeen. This time she would be sober.
An hour later, he sat in the Beanery, waiting.
Katniss followed a few minutes after. She was wearing a green shift dress and her hair was down this time. He could see that she was hung over because she wore aviator sunglasses and only took them off once she sat across from him. Her grey eyes were bloodshot.
"My phone." Katniss held out her hand and he promptly placed it in her palm. She placed her elbows on the table. "What's your name?"
"Peeta."
"Peeta what?"
"Peeta Mellark."
"What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a student."
"Are you smart?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"It's the kind of question that you should answer," Katniss snarled. "Never mind. You're probably stupid."
Peeta glowered at her. Who the hell did she think she was? "Can I have my phone?"
"After you buy me a drink." She signaled the waitress. "I'll have a coffee-black." Katniss looked over at him. "You?"
"A Toffee Latte."
BANG! Both Peeta and the waitress jumped when her fist hit the table.
"You wanna die?" Katniss glared at him and then gave the waitress a smile. "He'll have a coffee, too." The waitress met his eyes quickly before walking away.
Peeta looked at her. When she wasn't frowning or frothing at the mouth, Katniss was actually quite beautiful. He watched her until the waitress came back and placed our cups on the table. Katniss stared back at him from behind her cup.
Placing it back down, she handed him his phone. "I'll see you on Friday."
Then she stood up and walked out of the café.
Did she just say Friday?
One Week Later
Peeta silenced his phone as he sat in class. She had been texting him since they'd met. A lot of the messages were incoherent and he knew that she was probably drinking. What had happened to make her this way?
Her other texts were little stories that she wrote. Her latest one starred her as an assassin saving him from a gang of drug lords. The stories only further convinced him that she was insane.
"Psst!" He turned to look at his friend, Cato. "Are you going to see that girl?"
"No."
"She's pretty, right?" Marvel, his other friend, asked.
"That doesn't make up for being a nut."
The door opened and she walked in. His teacher stopped and they talked briefly. Katniss gave him a smile and walked over. What the hell was she playing at?
Peeta looked at her outfit: A yellow dress and white cardigan- an outfit to trick everyone.
Peeta knew better.
Sitting in front of Peeta, she paid no attention to him. It was like they were strangers.
Turning to Cato and Marvel, he mouthed 'That's her'.
Her hand shot up. "Can we take a break?"
Miss Trinket looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Sounds like a wonderful idea. Take fifteen minutes." Katniss didn't look back as she stood up with the rest of the class and marched over to Miss Trinket.
Maybe if he avoided her for the rest of the class, she would just go away.
"She's beautiful." Cato eyed her appreciatively as she walked out.
"You couldn't possibly understand," Peeta told him.
"Peeta," Miss Trinket called him as people began to seat back down a few minutes later.
He walked to the front and she gave him a sympathetic smile.
"You're excused for today," Miss Trinket said.
Peeta looked at her for a moment. What had she done?
"Thank you." He went to the door.
"Peeta?"
He turned to Miss Trinket. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Make an honest woman out of her, won't you?"
The class didn't try to hold back their laughter.
Peeta walked out into the hallway and found her there, waiting. She smiled at him and it didn't matter anymore that she would probably strangle him one day.
"What did you tell her?"
"That I was pregnant, going to an appointment and you were the father."
"Did you like my story?"
"The one about the assassins?"
"Yes."
"It's not realistic," Peeta told her. "You should write a love story."
She made a face. "Like what? Like 'Titanic' or something?"
"That was romantic."
"Yes, because it's really romantic to die frozen in the water when my girlfriend could have moved over on the floating door so I could live. If it were up to me, I would have made up another ending."
"Like what?"
"In the end, Zombie Jack would have grabbed the old woman and pulled her into the sea with him."
Taking his hand, she led him into a bar. Peeta tried not to think about the softness of her hand as they walked in. The bar was dark with a fire burning in the stone fireplace in the back of the room. Soft jazz played through the speakers.
As they sat at a table, the waiter walked over.
"Patron," she stated and then looked at Peeta. "You?"
That was a trick question. She was going to yell at him again.
"Patron?"
BANG!
Her and that damn fist.
"Wanna die?" She scowled and he felt her eyes burn at him. "He'll have water." The waiter nodded before he shot Peeta a sympathetic look.
"Why do you drink so much?" he asked.
It was the first time that he actually saw a semblance of emotion on her face. Her grey eyes glittered in the dim bar and she looked away.
"I broke up with my boyfriend," she told him quietly. "It happened the day that you helped me on the train; I drink so I can forget him."
"Why don't you call him?" Peeta tried to ignore the sinking feeling inside him. He should have known better. A pretty girl like her would never go for some good-for-nothing student like him.
"Because he doesn't want me anymore, he wants me to move on," Katniss replied and then she began to cry. Then Peeta realized something else.
She was an ugly crier.
The waiter returned with his water and a shot of Patron for her. Katniss snatched the glass from the waiter and downed it quickly.
"Just leave the bottle."
The waiter didn't hesitate and placed it on the table before they could change their minds. She refilled the glass and downed another shot. Then again, and again. When she looked at Peeta again, her eyes were glazed.
"You remind me of him."
Then her head hit the table.
He put her on the bed gently this time. They had been kicked out of the bar after she passed out.
Luckily, they were in a busier district of town and he had a found a motel easily. It wasn't the nicest place, but it was clean. This time, he didn't sit on the floor. Peeta sat with his back against the wall on the bed and watched her sleep.
Sometimes she thrashed and he would run a hand through her hair to calm her down. He wanted to find a way to cheer her up. He wanted her to smile. Right before she had passed out and behind the fogginess of too much to drink, Peeta had seen an unbearable sadness in her eyes. He understood suddenly why she drank; she wanted to drown it.
In spite of her erratic behavior, he had become fond of her.
Katniss shifted and her head found its way to his lap. He looked down at her peaceful face and smoothed her hair.
Peeta wanted to cure her pain.
It was her birthday.
Peeta held her hand as they walked into the amusement park. She once remarked that she had only gone once but liked it. He couldn't believe how easy it was to hold her hand or get used to her in his life.
His parents saw the change in him. He was more confident because Katniss didn't like wimps. His teachers even said that his grades had improved. Katniss didn't like stupidity.
And Peeta liked her. Her smiles were rare, but they could change the outlook of his day for him. He even liked her stupid stories and how she changed the ending of movies when they didn't please her.
"What are we doing here?" she asked.
"You said you liked this place."
"When?"
He looked at her for a moment. "Two weeks ago?"
"Oh."
"What's wrong?" he asked. They stopped and he looked over her. She was in a tight pair of jeans, cowboy boots and a simple white tank.
"My feet hurt. I'm breaking in these boots."
"Do you want to sit?" Katniss nodded and he found them a bench. After they sat, she yanked the boots off. "Why did you wear them?"
She pouted. "I wanted to look pretty for you."
"You're always pretty to me," he replied.
"Switch shoes with me."
"What?"
"Switch. Shoes. With. Me." Katniss told him and rolled her eyes. "You're so slow. Hurry now, let's switch."
Peeta grumbled but took off his sneakers. She tossed the boots to his side. Peeta slipped them on and though they were a little more pointed than he liked, but they weren't uncomfortable. He tucked his jeans into them.
He started to notice that his toes were being crushed as they walked. People stared at the tassels on them. Walking was so painful.
Katniss grabbed his hand and gave him a smile. She looked happier now that she wasn't wearing the boots. They began to run.
Pain, horrible pain. His feet were on fire.
"Let's go on that!" She pointed and he looked up at the ride.
"No."
Katniss turned to him, her lips in a thin line. His body froze, there was nowhere to run.
"You wanna die?"
"What do you think would happen if this ride stops working and releases all the seat belts?" he asked as they as ascended.
"We would die," Katniss replied easily. The couple next to them cringed.
The ride was one of those sudden drop rides. Peeta hated them. This one also happened to spin as it dropped. He hated that, too.
Katniss made him forget all this with a simple, conniving smile.
"Why do you say shit like that?" he asked her.
"Because it's the truth," she replied. "Do you want me to lie to you just to make you feel better?"
"Well—no but I'd like a little sympathy," he told her.
"Why should I feel sorry for you?" she replied. "You have a beautiful girl who you can take out."
Peeta made a face at her. "Who are you talking about?"
She punched him in the arm. "Sarcasm doesn't suit you."
"Katniss?"
"Hmm?" She looked down. Everything looked tiny from where they were.
"Will you hold my hand?"
"No."
They reached the top and Peeta prepared for the drop. Gripping the handle bars, he closed his eyes and waited.
Minutes passed. Nothing.
He opened his eyes when he heard a whimper. It was from the girl to his left; Peeta watches as her boyfriend takes her hand. Peeta turned to look over at Katniss. She stared at the far ground below.
"Katniss?"
"You ever wonder what would happen if you didn't have the restraint?" she asked as she looked down. "If you fell, do you think you could fly?"
Peeta realized that her issues were far greater than he thought. This was more than a break-up for her.
"Katniss." She looked up when she heard the tone in his voice; it was as sad as she felt. "I'm scared."
"Take my hand." She held it out as they looked at one another. They're both scared, but of different things.
He took it without a thought.
"You should sing," she told him. "I can tell you're nervous. Your hand is sweaty." Katniss doesn't let go of his hand, however.
"Okay." He took a deep breath.
"Sing loud. I'm starting to get nervous, too."
"Let her cry, for she's a lady
Let her dream, for she's a child
Let the rain fall down upon her
She's a free and gentle flower, growing wild…"
Hours later, they found themselves back on the ground. By then, the video of his warbled voice was all over the internet.
Part Two
Her parents hated him.
Katniss and Peeta sat next to one another in the living room of her house. He had met her younger sister, Primrose, earlier. She was sweet, blond and blue eyed like him. Peeta could tell that Katniss loved her more than anyone else. Even herself.
"You're a student?" her father asked.
"Yes, sir." Peeta folded his hands nervously.
"What do you plan to do with your life?"
"I haven't thought about it yet," he replied. "For now, I'm working at my father's bakery."
Her mother came in with a bottle of bourbon and set it in front of her husband. He poured himself a shot and swallowed it quickly. In seconds, he was out.
Like father, like daughter.
Katniss walked him out soon after. She wouldn't look at him.
Peeta knew that it was over.
As he walked out to their large driveway, he overheard her arguing with her mother.
"You don't understand him," Katniss reasoned. "He's kind and he cares about me. Peeta doesn't care that I don't do things the way every other girl does. You worry so much about me being lost and maybe I've found my way—with him."
"I just don't want it to be like last time," her mother replied. "You really got hurt. I don't think that you're over it."
There's a silence. He felt horrible for listening, but Katniss had never been so impassioned. It gave him a small thrill to know that he had something to do with it.
"I don't think I ever will forget about him," Katniss said. "I'm trying. Every day, Peeta makes me remember that I'm still here and that he wouldn't want me to be sad. I think he would've liked Peeta."
Peeta smiled to himself. She cared about him.
However, she stopped calling soon after.
Peeta walked into the hallway of her college. She told him to come. It was their 100th Day Anniversary.
She asked him to bring a dandelion. They weren't easy to find in the city, but he had driven out of it and found a field of them. Then he had scoured the field until he found the perfect one, strong stemmed and bursting full of yellow.
Peeta stood in front of the door of the room where she said to meet him. He turned the knob, walked in and closed the door quietly. When he turned, Peeta saw that he was not alone.
He was in an auditorium, an auditorium full of girls. They murmured as they stared at him.
Looking around, Peeta tried to find her face in crowd. He hoped that the gesture meant that they could start over.
Or she had tricked him again.
As he begun to plan his quick exit, he heard it. The beginning notes of a familiar song. She asked him once what his favorite tune was, and he had answered Pachebel's Canon.
Turning to look at the stage, Peeta found her at the piano. She was playing the Canon—for him.
He was hypnotized. Taking the dandelion from the portable cooler, Peeta went to her. His eyes never left her form as she played. She was even wearing his favorite color, a burnt orange fabric made into a dress. She looked like the sunset.
Walking up the stairs to the stage, he moved past her and turned to wait until she was finished. When she stopped, Katniss turned and walked towards him. He watched as her skirt swayed and it looked like flames moving against her in a gentle flicker.
Stopping in front of him, Katniss looked up and he held out the dandelion. Their eyes never strayed from one another as she took the delicate yellow flower.
She smiled and the world blurred around him.
He was a goner.
Her father demanded that they break up.
It had been weeks since he heard from her. Now he was meeting her at a restaurant downtown.
Walking in, he found her right away. She was in the same dress that she wore when she played for him. However, she was not alone. Katniss waved him over.
"Peeta, this is Thresh," she told him and Peeta looked over to the dark-skinned man. He was handsome and well-dressed, while Peeta looked like he just stepped off a subway train. His pants were wrinkled and he subconsciously tried to smooth them as he sat down in-between the two. "He's my date."
"Oh." At this point, however, he was used to her, but her actions didn't hurt any less.
"I'm going to use the restroom." With that, she stood and walked away, leaving Peeta with her date.
What the hell?
When Katniss returned, Peeta was gone. Her blind date, however, remained. She had hoped that Peeta would drive him away somehow.
"Where did Peeta go?" she asked as she sat down.
Thresh gave her a kindly smile. "He excused himself, a few minutes after you went to the restroom."
Katniss tried to smile but failed miserably. "Did he say anything before he left?"
"He gave me some advice," Thresh told her. "He said to make sure that you don't drink Patron because you will pass out. Be strong enough to carry you if you do. Drink my coffee black. If your feet hurt, switch shoes with you. Sing to you if you're ever scared. Listen to all your stories. On our 100th day together, give you a dandelion-"
She ran out before he finished.
Peeta sat on the train. It had been a cruel joke that she played. While he had finally and foolishly fallen in love with her, Peeta couldn't do it anymore. He didn't want to hurt anymore.
He promised himself he wouldn't answer her texts or phone calls, or even her angry e-mails.
That all flew out the window when she stepped into the train. He stood up when she walked into the car and Katniss was in his arms in seconds.
He held her tight. She smelled like everything he loved in the world. He could feel her heart racing against his chest.
When he pulled away, Peeta already knew what she was going to say.
"It's over, isn't it?" he asked.
She looked up at him, her expression unreadable. "Yes."
Peeta pulled her into his arms again. "We'll write letters to each other. So we'll remember."
"Okay," she whispered and he could tell that she wanted to cry.
They met on top of a mountain that she told him about. He remembered that he used to go there with his cousin. That was a long time ago, before he was a ne'er do well. Before he met a girl who changed his life, who changed him. She was already there when he walked up with the box.
"Hi," he managed to say.
"Hi." She wore a long coat. It was way too big for her and he knew that it belonged to the boy; the one who had broken her.
He pulled his letter from his pocket and deposited into the box. She did the same and he closed it. Together they knelt in front of the gnarled tree and buried their time capsule. In two years, they would come back and open it together. They would read the letters and see if they felt the same, if they were the same.
"You see that hill over there?" Katniss pointed across. "I'm going to go over there. Stand on the ledge over here and I'll stand there. See if you can hear what I'm saying."
Katniss cupped her hands together. He seemed tiny from where she stood.
"Can you hear me?" She looked across at Peeta who waved at her. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I can't forget!" The wind blew against her wet face. "I can't help it!"
She cried into her hands as he called out her name.
Overtime
Two years.
He had studied hard at school and had just graduated. His parents were proud. He was going to New York in two months to work.
In the end, however, it had all been for her. She had started it.
When they separated, he had written a chronicle about their relationship to help him get over the pain. It had a thousand hits in one day on his blog and steadily climbed. Then he was contacted about writing a screenplay for it to be turned into a movie. He would be going to New York in two months to finalize negotiations for it.
He was surprised, however, that Katniss never contacted him. He figured that she would've had an opinion on him writing about their relationship.
Peeta had a feeling that she wouldn't show up. He still hoped, however. He dug up their time capsule alone. Finding her letter on top, he opened it carefully.
Peeta,
How are you? I hope you are doing well. First off, I wanted you to know that my time with you was one of the happiest times in my life.
I don't know if you realized it, but the boy I was with passed away. The day I met you was his death anniversary. I told you that you reminded me of him. I met him on the train just like I met you. We fell in love quickly and planned our future under this tree. When he died, I was devastated.
I even made you do things for me like him. The dandelion? He did that for me.
That's where the similarities ended. The more I got to know you, the more I realized that you weren't the same person. In spite of that, I began to like you. I felt guilty for it. I couldn't understand how you had made such an impression on me in such a short time.
After I met you, I came to this tree and I asked him for help. I asked him to relieve my guilt. Now I know, he introduced us. He didn't want me to be sad. I often met with his mother and she would tell me the same thing.
In spite of this, I couldn't help it. I felt guilty for falling in love with you.
In the end, I knew I had to let you go. I had to get over him alone. I needed to be better for you—for myself.
Be happy, be safe. I hope that I'm with you as you read this.
-Katniss
Peeta looked around. He was alone.
"Katniss!" The dark-haired woman called out from across the restaurant. Katniss smiled as she crossed over to her. They hugged and the older woman cupped her cheeks. "You're grown more beautiful, darling!"
"Thanks," she replied. Sitting down, Katniss looked at the woman across from her. She was skinnier but the brightness in her eyes had begun to come back.
"How was New York?"
"It was good," Katniss said to her. "NYU was a nice escape for me. How are you?"
"I have my good days and my bad days," the woman replied. "Were you able to contact your friend?"
She shook her head. "His number has changed. I don't blame him, though. I missed our meeting."
"It's not your fault." The woman took her hand and Katniss looked at the ID bracelet on her wrist. It was the same one that he had given Katniss. "Flight delays because of snow can't be avoided."
"I know. You would've liked him. They didn't look alike but they definitely acted the same. They even looked at me the same way."
"If it's meant to be, it will work out."
Katniss nodded in agreement. She would continue her search for Peeta Mellark tomorrow.
They sat in companionable silence for a moment reflecting on the memory of a boy from long ago. Katniss's first love and the woman's eldest son. Now, Katniss thought about him with love and fondness. There was no more pain; she had learned to let him go.
"Aunt Hazelle!" A voice called out behind her. Katniss felt the hair in the back of her neck rise.
It was him.
Peeta rushed towards his aunt and she threw her arms around him. "You bad boy! You never came to visit me even though your train used to pass through my neighborhood!"
"I know, I know…I'm glad I got to come to see you before I left."
He turned to introduce himself to the person sitting across from his Aunt.
It was her.
"I wanted to introduce you to Peeta a long time ago," Hazelle told Katniss. "Isn't he cute? Both he and Gale use to play together when they were kids before my sister moved across town. They were birds of a feather. They don't look alike, but sometimes I would mistake one for the other. Same mannerisms and everything! I thought that he might have been able to help you, but he kept getting out of it." She swatted Peeta on the arm.
Katniss wiped her eyes quickly, but the tears came anyway.
"You're going to New York, right?" Hazelle said as Peeta sat next to her.
"Yes, just for a bit…but I'm thinking about getting out of it."
"Take Katniss out before you do, won't you?" Hazelle urged her nephew. "I think you'll be good for her."
The two looked at one another and Katniss slowly smiled as she looked into the familiar blue.
"Should I bring a dandelion?" he asked Katniss.
Katniss shook her head and wiped her eyes again.
"Just bring yourself. That's enough. You're enough."
"Do you two know each other?" Hazelle asked with a smile.
She couldn't see their joined hands under the table.
FIN
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