All rights to Suzanne Collins.

Please read the bottom author note(:

"And I don't care what they say about you, baby

They don't know what you've been through

And trust me, I could be the one to treat you like a lady

Let me see what's underneath, all I need is you."

—Bad Reputation, Shawn Mendes

Chapter One

Peeta

Peeta woke to the sound of his alarm going off. It was still early in the morning, the sun barely rising, but that was just fine for him. As the son of a baker he was used to getting up early.

He sat up in his bed and looked around his new bedroom. Boxes were still lined up against the walls with the belongings he had brought from Carolina. At least his clothes were unpacked, he thought. He still had his books and painting supplies in a box next to a spotless desk. He had to order that during the weekend.

Downstairs he could hear his father preparing breakfast. His brother, Andrew, was up too, talking with their dad. His oldest brother, Nate, had stayed in Carolina to finish college but had promised his father and brothers he would come visit as soon as he could.

It had only been a few days since they had come to the town of Panem, in the outskirts of New York, and got settled down in their new home, but Peeta missed his brother dearly; even though he didn't saw Nate daily or weekly back then, the reassurance of him being close was enough. Now he was so far away.

Peeta stood up lazily and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed nervously. Today he was starting his first day on Panem High School. It wasn't enough to say he was nervous as fuck. You would think that someone as socially skilled as Peeta could easily make friends, but that didn't take the fear away.

He took a long, nice shower and threw on a pair of worn out jeans and his dark orange hoodie. In the kitchen, his father was organizing some paperwork on the island in the middle of the room as he sipped on his coffee.

Bannock Mellark had once lived here, in Panem, when he was teenager, but left for college to Carolina. Peeta's grandparents had a bakery here, and Mr. Mellark wanted to reopen it as soon as possible. The only goal he had in mind when he left for college was to study something that could help the family business thrive. And he succeeded: The Mellark Bakery was sort of a famous business in Carolina, with a line so long that it took over part of the street.

"Good morning, son." He greeted.

"Hi, Dad." Peeta buttered a toast that rested on the counter. "Where's Andrew?"

"He already left. He had to check something with the school principal, so he left early." His Dad raised his eyes to his son briefly. "Are you ready for your first day?"

"I'm a little nervous." Peeta admitted and then bit the last piece of toast.

"I'm sure you'll do great. Just be your good self."

Peeta wanted to roll his eyes to the advice of his dad, the one he gave them for almost every occasion, but smiled instead.

After another few minutes of chatting with his dad, he realized it was time for him to leave. He still had to pick up his locker and schedule information, so he brushed his teeth and said goodbye to his father before exiting the house and walking to school. It wasn't far (thank God) but he didn't want to risk anything.

When he reached the parking lot a few students were already there, gathered in small groups, some with their books open and writing on notebooks, others just chatting or listening to music. No one paid much attention as he passed and he was thankful for it.

When Peeta reached the principal's office, a woman in a pink tailored suit was waiting for him.

"Oh, you must be Peeta." She smiled widely. "I'm Effie Trinket, the principal's assistant. I assume you're here for schedule and locker information."

"Yes, Mrs. Trinket."

She handed him a paper sheet after rummaging through her drawers and a group of books for different subjects. "Here's all you need to know. Your father already filled all the other paperwork a couple of days ago so you should be all set."

"Thank you."

Peeta left the office, walked to the hall and leaned against the wall. He examined his schedule. They all seemed pretty ordinary high school subjects. Then he looked at his locker number. Mrs. Trinket was even nice enough to write with purple ink where he could find his locker, so he wouldn't have to look stupid as he wandered through the halls.

It was next to the Chemistry lab, and he happily put all the books inside except for the math one; it was his first class. He was looking for a pen inside his backpack when he heard some noise to his left. Peeta peeked through the door of his open locker to find something —or rather someone— that made his insides turn.

Olive skin, legs that seemed to go on for miles, the tightest pair of black shorts he had seen in all his teen years, a black tank top, exposing the straps of a red lacy bra, a single dark braid thrown over a shoulder and a golden pin on the girl's leather bag.

Around him, all the boys' heads turned to stare at her exposed skin. Many where whispering about her, others were not as discreet and voiced their thought out loud. The girl didn't seem to mind, in fact, Peeta could swear she was smirking over the attention.

The bell rang, catching everyone's attention. Students raced to their classrooms pushing past Peeta, the girl with the braid had melted with the crowd. He could barley figure out the way to the math's classroom, and made it just in time before the teacher arrived.

His mouth went dry when he realized that the girl in the braid was in this class and the seat behind her was the only one available. He quickly sat down as the teacher started writing something in the board with a white chalk. It was a woman with perfect grey hair and perfect clothes. Her calligraphy seemed perfect too.

"Peeta Mellark, right?"

It took him a moment to realize the teacher was talking to him. He cleared his throat.

"Yes."

"I'm Mrs. Coin, the math's teacher, and I—"

She was interrupted by a banging on the classroom door. It was Mrs. Trinket, holding a paper in her hands, her pink lips pursed. "Ms. Everdeen?"

The girl with the braid raised her head and smiled fake and sweetly at the assistant. "Yes?"

"You have a… note from Principal Abernathy."

The girl stood up and pulled the hem of her shorts down, that barely reached mid-thigh, clearly on purpose. As she made her way over to Effie she made sure the whole class was staring at the soft swaying of her hips. Peeta gulped.

Effie handed her the paper and looked into her eyes. "Listen this time, Katniss. Mr. Abernathy is getting tired of sending you these." And she closed the door behind her.

It was nice to know the girl's name, Peeta thought. Katniss. A name like no other.

Coin returned to the board and started the lesson, but Peeta barely paid attention to it. All he could set his eyes on was the girl sitting in front of him.

Oh boy, was he screwed.

A/N:

Hey! So, this is the first chapter of this fanfic, a little short but it's just an introduction. I really hope you enjoy it, as I'm really excited to write this for you! I haven't been this exicted to post something in a very long time(:

This fanfic was heavily inspired by the song featured at the beginning, Bad Reputation by Shawn Mendes. It's a great song, you should check it out.

Excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes. English is not my first language. That's why I'm looking for a beta, preferably in THG fandom, likes grammar, with TONS of patience and that is willing to explain how the whole beta thing works. I've never had one! So if you're interested or know someone who can help, please review or PM me. XD

I don't know if you knew but I had another Everlark fanfic posted here, but I removed it because it needed serious corrections. Let's hope I can get to finish this one.

Please leave me a review with your thoughts(:

—Lynn.