Welcome to my new story!

Please tell me how you like it!

I stare out the window, tapping my fingers on my knees rhythmically. I just want to go home. I don't want to move in with Uncle Haymitch, I don't want to go to school.

I just want my normal life back.

I don't want to move to Wildwood, New Jersey, a beach town on the East Coast. I don't want to start school in the middle of the year, with a bunch of kids who have been going to school together for ten years already.

I just want to go home.

The car pulls up to my uncle's beach house. I pull my headphones out and shove them in my bag. I slide out of the car and my twelve year old sister, Prim, follows me. Uncle Haymitch sits on the front porch, a glass in hand. He's already drunk.

I don't even greet him, I just walk into his home. Prim gives him a hug. Haymitch grabs our suitcases that hold our meager belongings and he sets them down. "How's it going, sweetheart?" he asks me.

I roll my eyes. "Which one's my room?" I ask.

"End of that hallway," Haymitch says. He points down a hallway. There's a door on the left wall, a bathroom, and there's a door at the end of the hallway, my bedroom. "If you want, after you're settled in, we can go to the pier."

"Can you go to the pier drunk?" I snap venomously.

"That's where people go to get drunk, sweetheart," Haymitch says.

I roll my eyes again. "I think we should just rest tonight, Uncle Haymitch," Prim says. "Katniss is kind of cranky."

I scoff and grab my suitcase, going into my bedroom. It's tiny, with a desk, dresser, and a bed. There's a tiny TV on top of the dresser. I close the door and look out the window. My view is of the ocean and I can see the pier. Down on the ocean, there's a group of kids who look about my age. There's a large, blonde boy all over a tiny girl with brown hair. Another tall, brunette guy is kissing a girl with blonde hair. There's two boys sitting with them, one with dark skin and the other with light skin. The boy with light skin looks extremely attractive. In fact, I find myself craning my neck for a better view. The only thing I can see is his toned back and his shaggy blonde hair. He turns his head and I can see his blue eyes. And then, he's looking directly at me. His blue eyes into my gray ones. He smiles a little and nods at me. I snap back to reality and pull my curtain closed.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

The next morning, I wake up early to shower. I braid my hair and dress before going into the kitchen. There's a box of stale Cheerios and a carton of expired milk on the table. Haymitch is sitting in his bathrobe, mixing vodka into his coffee.

"Getting an early start?" I snap.

He looks up at me and rolls his eyes. "This whole fathering thing is going to get old fast."

I slam the Cheerios down on the table. "You're not my father."

Haymitch looks up at me for a long time. "I'm sorry about your dad, kid. He was a great guy. I would know. He was my brother."

That's when I remember. I didn't just lose a father. Haymitch lost a brother.

I nod. "I think I'll take Prim out for breakfast. I don't want any of this." Haymitch nods and goes into his wallet, handing me a twenty.

"Keep the change."

I nod and go get Prim. We stop at the McDonald's down the road and after, we head to the school. It's a K-12 school, so I drop her off in the elementary school section before heading to the high school section. I walk into the office. The woman behind the counter has fake blonde hair and bright pink lips.

"Excuse me," I say.

She looks up. "Oh, hello," she says. "How can I help you?"

"I'm new here, I'm looking for my schedule," I say.

"Are you Katniss Everdeen?" she asks.

I nod. "Well, welcome to Wildwood High School," she says. "I'm Miss Trinket. If you ever have any questions, come see me. Here's your schedule. Your first class is science. You have it with Mr. Waters – his classroom is down the stairs on the left."

I nod. "Thank you." I go down the stairs and Mr. Waters room is the first on the left. I walk inside and Mr. Waters introduced himself and gave me an empty seat. I sat down and students started filing in. And then I saw him.

The boy from the beach.

He looks at me for a long moment and I find myself staring back. Eventually, he takes the seat next to mine. "Hi," he says.

"Hi," I say.

"You're new here," he says.

"Thanks for the newsflash," I snap.

He smiles. "I'm Peeta."

"That's great."

He doesn't even falter. "Did I see you yesterday in the window? That means you moved in with Mr. Abernathy, right? Are you related to him, or something?"

"You ask a lot of questions," I say.

He grins. "I'm just curious. And you're new here. You need to make friends."

"I don't need friends," I say.

He shrugs. "Okay. But you want friends, don't you?"

"Doesn't make a difference to me," I say.

He looks at me, surprised. "I have never met anyone like you before," he says. "There is nobody around here like you."

I look at him pointedly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're independent," Peeta says. "Self-sufficient, it seems. We don't have anyone like that here." He pauses. "I like that."

I turn away from him. "I'm Katniss. And I am the girl you saw in the window."

He grins. "Well, Katniss. Do you want to be my lab partner?"

"Your what?"

"Lab partner," he says. "You know, we do labs together?"

"Labs?"

"Experiments," he laughs. "Have you never been to school?"

"I've always been homeschooled," I say.

"Wow, really?" Peeta says. "That's so cool! I always wanted to be homeschooled. Me and my brothers would've killed each other, though."

"I liked it," I say.

"Well, this just means you have to be my lab partner," Peeta says. "I need to fill you in on how school actually works."

I shrug. "Fine."

He smiles. "So, why are you suddenly starting school? If you've been homeschooled all your life."

"Me and my sister just moved in with our uncle," I say.

"Mr. Abernathy?" he asks.

"We normally just call him Uncle Haymitch," I say. Peeta laughs. He has a deep, hearty laugh.

I like it.

"So, why'd you move in with him?"

I turn away from him and don't respond. Luckily, Mr. Waters walks in and assigns what Peeta called a lab. He says that since the new quarter just started, we could pick new lab partners. Peeta turns to me and nods.

Peeta shows me the lab station. He pulls out all the supplies will need and starts setting it up. "So," he says, fiddling with a Bunsen burner, "I would assume that something happened to your parents. Since you're moving in with your uncle." I don't answer. "I'm sorry. About your parents. And for bringing it up. I mean, when my mom died, I didn't like it when people brought it up."

"Your mom died?" I ask.

He nods. "When I was twelve. Car accident."

"I'm sorry," I say.

He shrugs. "I have my brothers and my dad."

I nod. He finishes setting up whatever he's doing in silence. "My dad died," I say. "Car accident."

He looks up at me. His blue eyes are beautiful even through safety glasses. "Really?" he asks.

I nod. "It happened about a month ago."

"I'm so sorry," he says softly. "What about your mom?"

"You should call her mental rehabilitation center and find out," I say.

He nods. "I'm sorry. I really am. I know how it feels."

I nod. He begins mixing chemicals and doesn't ask for my help once. I just watch. Eventually, he stops and puts a mixture on the Bunsen burner. "This one will take a while to heat," Peeta says.

I nod. "You know what I said about not wanting friends?" I say.

He nods.

"Um, well, I mean, if you wanted to be my friend, I guess I wouldn't object," I say sheepishly. I don't know where it comes from, but I don't regret it.

Peeta grins. "I'd love to be your friend, Katniss."

I smile for the first time in our entire exchange. Maybe public school wouldn't be so bad.

What do you think? Please tell me! :)