A/N: Is everyone liking this story so far? I know it's new but I'd like some feedback and ideas. Send me your awkward prepubescent moments. I've got a lot of kids to work with here so I'm going to have to spread the love around and build up the angst eventually as they grow up. Might even have to skip ahead slightly to keep it interesting.

As always, PLEASE REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

Chapter 2

Gale POV

When I close the door after Payson's visit, I turn around to find Jade at the top of the stairs. "Is he gone?" She asks. "Yes sweetie. He left a box for you. What's going on?" I ask. Jade bounds down the stairs, snatches the box from me and marches right back up the stairs. I stare after her in amazement. How rude. Gavin and Garret whiz by me on their heelies. I hate those shoes. I grab Gavin's arm.

"What's up with your sister?" I ask him. Gavin smiles. "It's gonna cost you Dad. Information is valuable." I smile at him. "Tell me or you're gonna have a steel toe boot hanging out of your ass." That got his attention. "Jade got her period yesterday. Oh, and something happened with Payson but I don't know what. I think Mom knows though." I let Gavin go and he treks off to find his brother.

"Johanna!" I call out. She comes running. "What Gale? What's wrong? You damn near gave me a heart attack. I'm cooking." She's breathless. I approach her and try to keep my voice low so that the kids can't hear me. "What happened that I don't know about? Jade got her period?" She motions for me to follow her with her finger, back into the kitchen.

Johanna pulls her hair back into a ponytail. "Yes, she did Gale. It threw her for a loop. She's coming to terms with it. She had already been given the basics in school and then we had the talk yesterday. I've got it covered."

I clear my throat. "You had the talk, with Jade? As in, the real talk, about boys and sex? How did she take it?" I ask. Jo looks at me."She was fine with it until she had an incident with Payson later in the afternoon. It was really nothing but it got her all upset given all of the information she had just received. She's calming down. It'll be fine." She explains. Now my curiosity is peaked.

"What happened with Payson Jo?" She looks at me. "Let it go Gale." Then she dismisses me.

After dinner, I do what any guy would do. I walk across the street with a six pack of beer and knock on my buddy Peeta's door. Peeta answers. He looks a little apprehensive. "Hey Peet. Let's kick back and have a couple of beers. I need to unwind." He nods and shows me into his study which is kind of like his man cave. We play pool in there and cards. He's got his office desk in there too. It's similar to mine at my house but I have darts and some old video games in mine. We each crack open a beer and Peeta takes the couch opposite me.

Peeta goes first. "I'll tell you what I know if you tell me what you know. You first." He says.

I sigh. "Okay, Jade got her period yesterday for the first time. Johanna handled it. Gave her the talk. Jade was okay with it until something happened with Payson. It got her all upset. She's locked herself in her room. The twins know nothing. Payson brought over a box for Jade, I gave it to her. That's all I know. What I want to know, is what happened between them. Do you know what happened Peet?"

Peeta looks away. "Yeah Gale. He told me this morning. Listen, as a father it's going to sound way worse than it really is or was. Don't jump the gun okay? I mean it. You know my kid. Promise?" He says.

"Jesus Peeta. How bad is it? Don't make me kill your kid." I say.

Peeta clears his throat and sits up. "Jade and Payson were playing go fish in his room and she flung his cards. They started wrestling, like they always do, but somehow when their hands landed, his hand ended up on her breast. He kept apologizing. She just took off and ran home. He didn't know she was going through anything else that contributed to her taking off. He just felt really bad about the whole thing. He made her his first sugar flower today at the bakery and he boxed it for her as an apology. That's all I know."

I look at him. I know what he's saying is true. There's not an ounce of fiction in it. Still, Jade is my baby. What's making this worse is that she's a girl. I can't help but be over protective of her. I look up at Peeta whose trying to gauge my reaction. "So what do I do Peeta? What do I say?" I ask him.

"There's not much you can do buddy. They've always been close. They're either gonna come out on the other side together or their not. We knew this day would come. It's gonna be bumpy ride. Remember their first day of school when Jade popped that girl for getting too close to Payson? I couldn't help but laugh then. I remember the first time he set eyes on her. I mean, they have this weird bond. They're either going to grow together or grow apart. They'll always be family because of us. I think we just need to keep all eyes on them and guide them along the way. It's all a parent can do."

Peeta explains.

I run my fingers through my hair and take a swig from my bottle."You're right Peeta. If I had to pick any guy for Jade, I would pick Payson. I think we just need to wait it out. Personally, I think those two will give us less trouble than the twins and Katy. If Katy falls for one of them, it's going to be World War IV in my house."

We both laugh, knowing that it's true.

Jade POV

When I open the box, I'm floored. Payson made me a rose. I know that it's one of his first because he's been so excited to finally get to work at the bakery and learn how to do them. It looks perfect to me. As if he's been making them his whole life instead of just learning today. I know he feels bad about what happened yesterday. It's not even the actual incident that has me upset. It's not even that I got my period.

It's that a few weeks ago, I noticed Payson for the first time.

Sure, he's my best friend. We're practically family. We've always been together. My yin to his yang. We don't have many other friends between us. We always stick together. Half the time we even hold hands or are touching in some way. That's always been our normal. Then one day, we were horsing around in the woods and something just changed in me. We both had our bow and arrows, we were hunting game. It was dead quiet. I looked at him and the sun caught him in just the right light. He looked so beautiful.

It was like blinders came off of my eyes. I really looked at him. Noticed him and his perfection. His blonde hair and gray eyes. The way the sun caught his lashes. He had grown taller. He was taller than me now. His lip was curled near the bow line, ready to strike. They were pink and slightly puckered. I wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. To press my lips to his.

I snap out of my trance when he lets go of the arrow and it sails into the eye of a rabbit. Perfect shot, just like Aunt Katniss. Payson whoops and hollers. I need to get out of here. I need to make sense of all of these thoughts. I head off towards the fence. Payson calls after me. "Jade! What's wrong? Are you okay?" I raise my hand in the air to let him know that I'm okay and just keep going.

I played it cool after that. Just trying not to think of him that way. It didn't help much. Then yesterday morning, I woke up to discover that I menstruated for the first time. I was freaked out. I called for my mother and she came running. When she saw me on the toilet with bloody underwear, she got all emotional. Her hand went to her mouth and she started sobbing. "Oh, my baby is turning into a woman!" I started crying. I do not need this right now. Please make it stop.

After I took a shower and got cleaned up, my mother gave me a pad to wear. She didn't want me wearing tampons just yet because I'm a virgin and she didn't want me to freak out about having something up my vagina. I think I'm going to die from embarrassment.

My mother sits me down on the bed and starts to brush my hair. "Jade, sweetheart, we have to have a very important conversation right now. It can't wait, now that you've gotten your period. It might be a tad bit uncomfortable to hear what I have to say. Okay?" She asks. I answer her. "Okay Mom."

She begins. "Now that you have your period, you can get pregnant and have a baby. Having a baby is a huge responsibility and should never be taken lightly. Now I know that you know the basics about how babies are made because of your school lessons. What they don't tell you is what it's like to fall in love and lose your head. If you lose your head, and make love with a boy, you could get pregnant if you're not careful. Do you understand what I'm saying so far?" I nod and she continues.

"Falling in love is a wonderful feeling Jade. There is nothing better than caring that deeply for someone and having them care that way about you. With that kind of relationship, comes physical attraction. Basically, you'll think he's hot. You'll probably want to kiss him, hold his hand, touch him. And he'll want to do the same with you. What you have to remember is that you always have to maintain some form of control. Boys always want to go farther and farther. Sometimes they get their way and then they leave you. It's happened. It's important to choose wisely. You're gonna make mistakes. Just don't make any that you can't live with." She continues.

"You're going to start noticing boys soon enough. You'll begin to have crushes and they will on you too. It's a lot to handle all at once. Just remember, choose wisely. Don't kiss every boy that's interested. You're father will murder half of District Twelve if he finds out. Understand?" She takes a deep breath, relieved to have gotten all of that out.

I clear my throat. "Mom, what is I already began noticing a boy but he hasn't noticed me? What do I do then, if I really like him?" I look away from her eyes. "You give him some time sweetie. He would be a fool not to fall for you. Trust me. All good things come to those that wait. Be patient and don't rush it. You're only young once. As you get older, you'll have more questions. I'm always here to answer them baby." She says. She takes my head into her hands and gives me a kiss on my forehead. Then she exits my pink room and heads downstairs. I hear her yelling at the twins. She nearly fell on something they didn't clean up. Katy is in trouble too. They're always together.

I need to get out. I pull on my white sneakers and head down the stairs and across the street to Payson's house. I don't even knock. I just yell a hello to Aunt Katniss and then plow into his room, tossing myself on the bed. Payson laughs. "Hello to you too Jade. What's up?" He asks with that million dollar smile of his. "Ugh I'm bored. Lets play a game or something. Anything. It's been a kooky day so far."

We sit down on the floor and play go fish. He's slaughtering me. After a while I start to get irritated and I tap his cards and they all tumble out of his hands. He smiles at me. "Oh you are so gonna get it now Hawthorn!" He leaps at me and we start wrestling and rolling around on the floor. When we come to a sudden halt, his left hand is on my right breast. We both stare in shock. He doesn't move it. He doesn't squeeze it. It's as if we're both frozen.

The simple act does something to me though. It makes me feel warm. I don't mind it and it scares the daylights out of me. I don't mind Payson touching me like that, in such a private way. What does that say about me? I scoot out from under him and run. I run straight down the carpeted steps and out the door, across the street, up my own carpeted steps, slam my door shut and throw myself on my bed.

I am completely confused. I stay there until I hear him at the door and retrieve my box.

I look out the window later before bed and find that he's staring out looking for me through mine. He puts his hand on his window to hold my hand. I put mine up on the window to mirror his. The past couple of days have been a confusing whirlwind but this I know.

I can't live without Payson Mellark.