It's Going Down

My name is Katniss Everdeen and I live a boring life as a college freshman. I came to Duke University in the fall and since then not much has happened. I got a new roommate, Johanna Mason, but that was about as exciting as it's gotten, at least until now. My classmate from high school Delly Cartwright also came to Duke and she has been bugging Johanna and I to take a trip with her for spring break. Delly would never tell us exactly where she wanted to go but after she told us that her dad would pay for the trip we couldn't really refuse going.

Johanna and I are both at Duke on scholarships so we spend most of our time in the library studying, whereas Delly is all about the social part of college, partying every weekend, drinking out of Solo cups and playing endless games of Beer Pong. With that in mind I guess it's my fault for thinking she wouldn't take us to the most popular Spring Break destination in the United States: Panama City Beach, Florida. And that's where you'll find me now, arriving at our extravagant beachfront hotel and unloading Delly's little white Mazda that we drove all the way here from North Carolina. We woke up before the sun was up this morning and loaded into the car and began our trip. Between the three of us the 10-hour drive was easy since we took turns driving but by the end of it we were all exhausted.

You would think that driving all that way would be the cause of our exhaustion, but no, it was Delly's music rule. Whoever is driving, gets to pick the music. In theory, this wasn't really a problem when Johanna or I were driving, we both like the same kind of music but when Delly was driving we were forced to listen to, as she put it, "music to get us into the spirit of PCB". Delly's playlist included everything from Pitbull, Ke$ha, and Jason Derulo to Britney Spears, Spice Girls, and the soundtrack to Wicked. The first few hours of her driving weren't too bad. I could read, and Johanna is pretty good at tuning out things she doesn't want to hear. But it wasn't until Johanna or I would start driving did it get unbearable. When I would drive I would put on Mumford & Sons or Old Crow Medicine Show, calming bluegrass, but after about 20 minutes of my music Delly would insist that she was good to drive and that she could take over. I knew she just wanted to listen to her music again so I gave into her whining and let her music play. Johanna wasn't so easily swayed when it came to her music. When she drove, Johanna played her music so loud that she couldn't hear Delly's complaints. And when Delly would try to turn down the volume, Johanna would slap Delly's hand off the radio. This made for some very tense miles. It became very clear that Johanna did NOT want to be on this trip but I also knew that she came for me.

Johanna and I had gotten close as roommates and as friends throughout the school year. We are both pre-med students and the coursework is intense so we established a strong bond through complaining about our professors and the life of a pre-med student. We have different goals with our pre-med dreams, I want to be a doctor in a hospital, my mom is a nurse back home and watching her over the years inspired me to help those around me. Johanna wants to be a researcher only, no human contact other than what's necessary. So even though she really doesn't like hanging around people she doesn't know or like, Johanna came to Florida because she knew I'd need someone to hang out with when Delly abandon's us for this first frat boy that walks her way.

Now that we have finally arrived and survived the drive, Delly has checked us into our room and as we ride the elevator up to our floor she begins to lie out the plans for the week. "Right now I wouldn't mind taking a nap but after that I insist we head to the beach. We can grab food from the hotel café downstairs and take it out for a beach picnic. How does that sound, girls?" Delly asks and Johanna and I just grunt our agreement because we are too tired to even speak. As soon as we get to our room Johanna and I crash on one of the Queen sized beds and sleep for what seemed like days but in reality was more like an hour and a half. When I woke up from the nap I looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 4:30pm. I decided now would be a good time to slip into the bathroom and freshen up a bit and put on my bikini. Delly insisted that Johanna and I each get new bathing suits even though mine was a perfectly fine one piece. I slip on my new bikini and almost shriek at the image in the mirror, as I don't even recognize myself. It's a stringy little thing with some crazy "tribal print" as Delly put it. As I exit the bathroom I see that Delly is all set to go out to the beach and Johanna is waiting for the bathroom herself. "Ow ow!" Delly shouts. "Look at you Kat. I told you that bikini would look fabulous on you!"

We make our way out of the hotel, sandwiches in hand, and head toward the beach. I look to the right and see a fairly empty spot on the sand. "Let's head over here. There seems to be less action." I say to the other two. Delly gives me a face that tells me she wants to be near the other people so with a sigh but without protest I follow her toward the water. When we finally reach a spot Delly deems acceptable I spread my towel out on the sand, sit down and begin eating my sandwich. Johanna follows suit but it's Delly who wanders off toward a group of young men playing Frisbee a few feet away from us. I just shake my head at Johanna and we both silently agree to stay put and relax.

I lay under the afternoon sun for a while before realizing I'm terribly thirsty. I look around to see if there are any shops nearby where I can buy some water. A little ways down the beach is a small surf shop that looks to still be open. I nudge Johanna and ask "Hey I'm going to that shop over there to get a drink, do you want anything?" She just shakes her head no at me and returns to her position on the sand. I have learned in our time as roommates that Johanna is not much of a talker. If she can answer a question with a facial expression or a nod of the head she is much happier than having to give a long-winded explanation.

Once I get to the front door of the shop I notice two guys about my age working the counter. I walk through the door and find the cooler with the soda and water, grab two bottles of water, one for now and one for later, and head to the counter to pay. The one guy is tall and lean, like a swimmer, with golden wavy hair and a huge grin on his face. I can see he has a trident tattooed on his peck, as he is not wearing a shirt. The other boy has sort of curly blonde hair and is a little shorter but is more muscular in build. The blonde guy steps up to help me check out while the tall one heads to the back of the shop. "Find everything ok?" the blonde one asks me. I look at him to respond but I get caught up in staring at his bright eyes. They are so enticing that I can't seem to figure out how to say "yes". He just looks at me and grins, rings up the two waters and tells me "That'll be 8 dollars." Without breaking eye contact I hand him a 10-dollar bill. "I'm Peeta," he tells me out of blue. "Katniss" is all I can say. He takes the money from my hand and chuckles. "Well it's nice to meet you Katniss. Tell me, are you here on spring break?" he asks and all I can think about is how gorgeous his eyes are. Suddenly I realize he asked me a question and break out of my trance. "Yeah. Not exactly my kind of thing but hey, I'm here" I say nervously. "Same here." Peeta begins, "My roommate, Finnick," he says as he gestures to the tall wavy golden haired guy "his dad owns this shop and we come by to help out during the busy season." He pauses probably hoping I say something but I stand speechless, distracted again by his handsomeness. "Hey, if you're not doing anything tonight, the shop is sponsoring a beach party but it's pretty exclusive. I could put your name on the list, but only if you promise to come" says Peeta as he gives me a little wink, or at least I think it was a wink. I'm still dumbfounded by his eyes that I don't know what's real anymore. "Sure, I guess. Can I bring my two friends? I know at least one of them would be pretty disappointed if I went to a party without her." I ask Peeta. He replies with a smile and says "Of course. I'll put Katniss plus two." "Ok. Uh." I stammer feeling my face heat up with embarrassment. "Guess I'll see you tonight." I start to leave and as I'm just walking out the front door I hear Peeta shout "10 o'clock Katniss, see you then."

When I got back to our spot on the beach and told Johanna and Delly about the party we've been invited to Delly demanded that we go back to the hotel room to get ready. As we are getting dressed I quickly realize that I don't have anything to wear for a party, only beachwear and t-shirts. Delly insists on me borrowing one of her many sundresses so I pick the one that is the least revealing. It is a strapless one with a faint floral print on a navy background. I slip the dress over my bikini because Delly said that parties like these tend to have a "swimming element." I begin redoing my signature braid but again Delly insists that I wear it down. She has a terrible habit of insisting on things that really don't concern her. But I comply with her request and wear my long wavy brown hair down my back. I step into the bathroom for one quick check and I find myself scrutinizing over every inch of my appearance. Why isn't my hair as smooth and pretty as Delly's blonde mane? My face is too round. This dress looks ridiculous on me. Then I stop and ask myself, why do I care? Am I flustered over how I look because I know Peeta will be there? That is what's ridiculous, not my appearance. "I look great," I tell myself out loud and from behind me I hear Johanna say in her surly, sarcastic voice "Yeah you do." I look over my shoulder to see her standing in the doorframe smirking at me. "So what, can't a girl look good? This is spring break after all" I defend. Johanna just rolls her eyes and walks away. She was smart to bring a maxi dress of her own so she didn't get roped into wearing one of Delly's tiny things.

As we are getting ready to go to the beach party, Delly reaches into her suitcase and pulls out a bottle of tequila. "Where on earth did you get that?!" I shout. "Some girls in Sigma Alpha Tau bought it for me" replied Delly. "They said that every girl's first spring break trip isn't complete without some Patron." This is not a good idea, I think to myself. We are only 19. We could get into some serious trouble if someone finds out we're drinking. Johanna doesn't seem to mind the illegality of it all and grabs the bottle from Delly's dainty grip, opens the bottle and takes a quick swig. She looks to me and says under her breath, "If I'm going to have to be at this party with Peppy McSunshine over here I might as well be wasted." I smile knowingly at Johanna. She proceeds to take two more gulps then hands the bottle back to Delly whose mouth is still hanging open. Delly takes the bottle, grabs a cup from the desk, pours herself some tequila and begins sipping. She hands the bottle to me but I hesitate. I don't feel right drinking underage. "God, Kat, it's spring break. Have some fun dammit!" squeals Delly. "Yeah Kat. It's spring break. Have some fun," says Johanna, sarcastically. I submit and just like Johanna take a swig straight from the bottle. It's sour and tastes like what imagine jet fuel tastes like. I somehow manage to swallow the liquid. Delly and Johanna both giggle at my struggle. "C'mon Kat, we better get going or we will miss all the fun" Delly says as she takes Johanna and I by our hands and leads us out the door of our room.

We get to the lobby of the hotel and one of the bellhop boys whistles in our direction and I'm sure it's for Delly. "Looking good girls. Especially you, blue." I look around at the three of us, still arm in arm, and I notice that I'm the only one wearing blue, so the boy meant me. Delly giggles and leans into my ear as we leave the lobby and says, "He's right you know. You do look great." And for the first time since I've known Delly I can really tell she is being sincere.

As soon as we get down the beach I see a line that's formed alongside a long string of velvet ropes. "Wow," I say, "I guess this is pretty exclusive." Suddenly I see the other guy from the surf shop is working the line, letting people in or turning them away. I tell the girls, "Stay here for a second, I'm going to find out what's happening. I'll wave you over in a minute." I walk straight up to the wavy haired guy with my new found liquid confidence and say "Hi I'm Katniss, and I'm on the list. Peeta invited me." He grins widely at me and gives me a little wink. "Of course he did. I remember you; you're the girl from the shop who barely spoke. Looks like we came out of our shell now didn't we?" I raise my eyebrow in a quizzical manner to him and say, "So are we getting in or not? Peeta told me I could bring my two friends." As I mention Johanna and Delly I gesture to them to come over. "Yes you are on the list and so are they." He says with a condescending smile. When Delly and Johanna reach us the guy sticks out his hand to Johanna first and says "Hi there, I'm Finnick. Katniss here has gotten you guys into the most exclusive beach party PCB has ever known." He drops Johanna's hand but doesn't offer one to Delly and I can tell that she is takes personal offense to this because her face is scrunched up like a squirrel. I giggle a little at her without her hearing. "Let me know if I can get you ladies anything" Finnick croons, "especially you, legs." He says with a wink and grin to Johanna. Johanna is taken aback by this gesture I can tell because she hardly ever gets hit on and she never knows how to handle it. "Uh. Ok. Finnick? Ok." Johanna mumbles as we make our way into the party.

Delly, still upset about Finnick not paying attention to her, huffs right over to the bar. Johanna and I in tow follow right behind her. I don't know what she's doing at the bar because we can't buy any drinks. Just before she gets to the counter, Delly stops short and turns to us, "Ok girls, we have the ladies at Sigma Alpha Tau for these." She reaches into her little pink clutch bag and pulls out three IDs…three fake IDs, each with a new name and age and our pictures. She shoves the IDs in our hands and scurries away so we can't protest. I look at mine, Shimmer Blight, my new identity. I look at Johanna and she seems to think this isn't such a bad idea because she walks right up to the counter and orders a drink. When the bartender asked for her ID, she handed over the fake one and he barely looked at it. Huh. Must be a spring break thing not to care about underage drinking. So following Johanna's lead I walk up to the same guy and order a margarita. This time he doesn't even ask for my ID, he just begins to make the drink. He hands me my drink, and as I go to pay I feel someone come up from behind me and say "Oh no, your money is no good here, cutie." I turn around to find that Peeta is standing dangerously close to me in his rust orange board shorts and a tank top. He's grinning his crooked grin and hands the bartender some cash. "I didn't think you would come Katniss. I honestly thought you were playing me earlier." While Peeta is talking I take note of his lips and how they are a little thin but still very supple, especially his bottom lip. He notices me staring at his mouth and says, "Hey Katniss, my eyes are up…" and as soon as he says "here" he takes hold of my chin and gently glides it upwards so our eyes meet. There is some serious tension even I can feel it. I want to say something but I can't seem to find the words. However, Johanna who is still standing right next to me does, "Good work, Kat" she says while nudging me in the ribs. "Oh yeah. This is my roommate, Johanna." I introduce Johanna and Peeta to each other and Peeta chimes in with "Oh yeah, you're the one Finnick told me to look out for, with the legs." Johanna again is stunned into silence by Peeta's quip about her looks. She really doesn't get hit on, like ever. Not that she isn't pretty; she's just kind of intimidating to guys.

Johanna all of a sudden walks away from Peeta and I and the two of us are stuck there by the bar, not saying a word. I sometimes forget how awkward I can be. Peeta doesn't seem to mind standing in silence. I sip my margarita to occupy my mouth. Peeta is just standing there smiling at me like he knows something I don't. I finally work up the nerve to speak. I open my mouth but before I can say anything Peeta chirps up "Wanna dance?" "I don't dance, really." I say uneasily, and it's the truth. The last time I danced was when I was a flower girl in my neighbors wedding, when I was five. "Aw c'mon. Everyone dances."

Peeta says and grabs the drink from my hand, sets it on the counter of the bar. He takes a hold of my hand and leads me toward the dance floor. As soon as we reach the hard dance floor the song Timber by Pitbull comes on. I let out a little laugh and Peeta turns to me and asks "What's wrong with this song?" I tell him how I spent most of my drive down to PCB listening to this song. "It's like it's following me." I say with a smile. "Well I say we try and forget about your drive down here and just focus on now" Peeta tells me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. With my hand still in his grasp he spins me onto the dance floor. We begin dancing facing each other. Well I'm not sure you could call my bobbing up and down with my hands at my sides dancing but I must admit that I was having a good time. Peeta tried to get me to loosen up by making goofy faces at me. Sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes all while flailing his arms about like a goon. Then he starts singing along with Timber, well less singing and more rapping. "Swing your partner round and round. End of the night it's going down. One more shot, another round. End of the night it's going down." He raps over the loud thumping of the bass. I join in by badly singing Ke$ha's part, "It's going down, I'm yelling timber. You better move, you better dance. Let's make a night you won't remember. I'll be the one you won't forget." I laugh at our antics and he once again grabs my hand but this time as he spins me he doesn't spin me all the way around but rather stops so my back is facing him. He moves closer to me and places his hands on my hips. I'm startled a bit by this but quickly relax when I feel his chest press against my back. I place my hands on his hands at my hips. His hands are strong and calloused like he works with them a lot. He moves his hands a bit to intertwine our fingers together. He begins to guide my hips in a side-to-side motion, but not just side to side, in a circle too almost. Then it dawns on me, we are grinding. I've never done this before. Like I said the last time I had danced I was five. I've seen kids my age do this ever since I would go to the dances in middle school. Then I didn't understand the appeal to dancing like this when I was younger, but I get it now. I feel all flustered being this close to Peeta that a little shiver rolls up my spine. Peeta leans into my right ear and asks, "You ok?" I reply a breathy "Yes." I don't know how I know this but I know he is grinning right now. I can feel it. Timber quickly ends and transitions into another heavy bass dance song, this time I think by Rhianna. Before I know it Peeta has turned me around so now I'm facing him and we are extremely close, my legs straddling one of his. This reminds me of the way they dance in that movie Dirty Dancing. I kind of feel like Baby right now and Peeta is Johnny, teaching me how to dance this new way. Taking it slowly at first, swaying my hips back and forth with the motion of his hips and hands. He takes my right hand and places it behind his neck and pulls me closer. Our faces are almost touching now. He moves my hips more sensually now. No longer am I guided by his hands but rather by the sweet, slow movement of his hips.

Songs play one after another and I lose count as to how many have played in the time I've been dancing with Peeta. He doesn't seem to notice or care either. We are so lost in each other that we didn't even notice they changed DJs. As we are dancing Peeta leans into my ear and says "The surf shop should be empty right now, wanna get out of here?" It takes me a second to realize what he is asking me but as soon as it clicks I reply with another breathy "yes." Peeta grabs my right hand from behind his neck, leans in and whispers, "Follow me."

We hurry from the dance floor to the sand and hop the red velvet rope. Without the lights of the party we sneak away into the night and up the beach. "Just a little bit further" Peeta says hushed. Then suddenly we are at the door to the shop and before we even open the door Peeta spins me around and throws me against the door. Then he's there, hands propped on the door on either side of my head. "Can I kiss you yet?" he pants. I smile and before I can answer he slams into me. His mouth on mine. His lips are soft, softer than I would imagine, but they feel so good on mine. He pulls me away from the door and wraps his arms tight around me. He tastes like beer and somehow salty, like he'd just been in the water. He presses his lips harder into mine; I slowly part my lips to let him in. Peeta presses his tongue into my mouth gently but with determination, as if he is going to continue kissing me whether I like it or not, and boy do I like it. I take in the taste of him with a soft, sweet moan. He breaks the kiss but not completely from my lips. "Let's get inside before anyone sees us," he tells me. He reaches above the doorframe and pulls down the spare keys and unlocks the door. Peeta shoves me inside the shop and he is laughing. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but when you came in today all I could think about was kissing you. And when you left, I couldn't stop thinking about kissing you." He gushes his feelings to me as we stand in the front of the store. "I'm glad I came to the party," I say with a smile.

Peeta shuts the door and takes both of my hands in his. He strokes his thumbs against the tops of my hands and begins to lead me further into the shop. He stops and pulls me into him, close against his chest. I look into his bright, beautiful eyes and it feels like they are shining into this darkened shop. He slowly leans down, kisses the tip of my nose. It makes me smile, it's like I've known Peeta my whole life I'm so comfortable around him now. Before I couldn't even get two words out but now, I can't imagine feeling anything but at peace around him. Peeta slowly caresses my lips with his, sweetly pulling on my bottom lip. This kiss is fueling the fire that swells from my heart to my center. I never knew that one move, tugging on my lip, would get me going this hard. I nearly lose my balance as my knees go weak. Luckily Peeta has me wrapped in his arms again, and he begins moving us behind the counter. We stumble across the floor, never leaving each other's lips. He pushes me against the counter and swiftly lifts me so I'm sitting on the edge. This breaks our passionate kisses, but it gives me another chance to take in his perfect eyes and face. His jaw line strong and proud, his lips pleading for mine.

Peeta slowly begins to lift up the skirt of my dress. I look at him in somewhat surprise. I didn't think this would happen. But I'm kind of glad it is. He looks up at me and I can tell his eyes are pleading with mine for permission. I simply nod and he lifts the dress up all the way to expose my bikini bottoms that I had forgotten I was wearing. Peeta slowly tugs at the strings on the sides of my bikini until the knots come undone. The front of the bikini falls open and exposes me. I immediately press my legs together out of embarrassment. I've never done anything beyond kissing with a guy so this is a new experience for me. But I'm not scared, just a bit shy I guess. Peeta places his coarse hands on my knees, looks up into my eyes and smiles a soft sheepish grin. And somehow I know this is new for him too so I nod again to let him know I'm okay. More than okay. He leans in and kisses me sweetly and softly again and my heart nearly flies out of my chest.

The next thing Peeta does is a bit of a shock to me. He slowly gets down on his knees so he is eye level with my exposed center. I slide a little closer to the edge so I can see him there on the ground. Peeta places his hands on my knees and slowly slides my legs apart. He plants soft kisses along the inside of my right thigh, then along the inside of my left. But when he gets to the end of my left thigh he doesn't stop kissing, he continues to kiss me in my center. The sensation makes my toes curl and sends chills up my spine. I've never felt anything so wonderful. He continues kissing me and sliding his tongue around my sweet wet center. "Oh Peeta. Don't stop that. Please." I moan. And he doesn't, he instead finds my sweet spot with the tip of his tongue and circles it over, and over. That almost sends me sweet relief from the tension I feel building in my base. Suddenly Peeta gets up from his position on the floor and as he does so he removes his board shorts exposing his member. Fully erect and throbbing it startles me a bit, but I think I play it cool because I'm still reeling from the tension in my center.

Aching for more I whisper "Peeta, please." He leans in and kisses me deeply and fast. He pulls me off the countertop and I wrap my legs around his waist. I can feel his member pressing against my bottom and I so badly want to know the feeling of him inside me. Peeta doesn't carry me far, just over to the wall at the end of the counter. He props me up against the wall and positions himself at my entrance. "God, Katniss, you are so wet. Fuck." Slowly he pushes into me and the sensation of him inside me is painful but in a deeply pleasurable way. I've never felt so filled in my entire life. "Fuck!" I shout. "Shhh, someone will hear you." Peeta scolds. "You're so tight Katniss. Fuck me." Somehow still holding me up against the wall, Peeta begins thrusting in and out of me. A moan slips through my lips as I feel the tension building again but this time at a more rapid pace. "Faster, Peeta. Please" I hiss through my gritted teeth. I can't tell if he is going faster but all of a sudden I feel my relief swell and rush through my body like waves crashing against the sand. Over and over, crashing in my body. "Fuck!" Peeta shouts as I feel him explode within my center. Our bodies shudder against each other as our orgasms flow. Slowly Peeta reclaims himself and places me back on my feet. I nearly fall because my knees are so weak but luckily, strong and able Peeta is there to catch me before I hit the ground. He pulls me up to eye level once more, and kisses my nose.

I walk over to my spot on the counter to gather my bikini bottoms. I tie them back on as Peeta returns his board shorts to their place on his slender hips. Once order has been restored to our appearances, Peeta walks to me, takes my hand in his and we walk out the door of the shop together, fingers intertwined just as our bodies were a few moments ago. Peeta turns and locks the door behind us and we walk back up the beach toward the party.

Once we reach the dance floor we look to each other one last time. "This will definitely be a night I never forget" Peeta tells me then kisses me on the cheek. We part ways and I walk toward the bar where I spot Johanna downing another drink. "Where were you?" Johanna slurs as I approach her. "Well hello to you too, drunky. Let's get you back to the room." I spot Delly on the dance floor with a guy dancing, and signal to her that we are headed back.

As Johanna and I walk back across the beach towards our hotel passing the darkened surf shop I can help but grin widely as I remember Peeta's and my clandestine adventure. Peeta was right. I will never forget this night.