A/N: Here it is, Ch. 2. Hope you like it. Please Read and Review. (Also I try to edit as much as I can, but I'm not perfect so excuse any typos or grammatical errors I may have missed.)
I don't own The Hunger Games.
I don't realize how fast I am walking until I open the door to Haymitch's house with a slam. He is passed out on the couch in front of his TV, a bottle of god-knows-what still in hand. I waste no time, walking straight to the kitchen and filling a bowl with ice-cold water.
"What in the hell" He says jumping up after I dump its contents.
"Were you planning on telling me that he was coming back?" I scream at him.
"Sweetheart, you are lucky I do not hit women." He tells me.
"Answer my question!" I say throwing the bowl at him.
"I thought the Shrink might have told you. What's it to you anyway? Last time I asked about the boy, you could not wait to change the subject."
His response does nothing but make me even angrier.
How dare he imply that I don't care about Peeta! I feel my face getting hotter and hotter as I fight the urge to punch him.
"You should have told me!" I say punching his wall before I run out his house.
It's morning and I don't know how I got to my room or how long I have been sleeping.
The night before is a blur, which makes me think I dreamt up the whole thing. I realize I'm drenched in sweat; I must've had a nightmare.
There's a sound outside. A shovel scraping against the ground, this sound makes me recall my nightmare and I put my hands to my ears to try to drown it out. But it doesn't stop and I start to think I'm going crazy. I get up from my bed and walk outside to find him again.
He's got a shovel in his hand and is digging holes on the side of my house. I notice a wheelbarrow holding some small pathetic looking bushes.
"Hey" he says and I am frozen again.
It turns out last night wasn't a dream after all. I feel a throbbing pain on my hand and realize it's bruised. I guess punching a hole in Haymitch's wall wasn't a dream either.
"What are you doing?" I ask him.
"I'm planting theseā¦for her" he motions toward the tiny bushes that sit on and it dawns on me that they are rose bushes.
I nod and say nothing more as I walk back inside my house and take shelter in the comfort of my bed again. I feel my body shake with sobs and I wish I could stop them but I can't. I drift back to sleep and when I wake up again I don't know if it's dusk or dawn. I hear movement in the kitchen and assume Greasy Sae is here.
I don't walk downstairs right away. I make my way to the bathroom and stare at my reflection. I look at my scars and tug at my tangled mess of hair. I haven't taken care of myself in a long time. There are big bags under my eyes and my skin looks pale. I turn on the shower and step in. The water feels nice and soothing but the feeling is taken away as soon as I begin to think about Peeta and his primrose bushes. I feel guilty because I've barely said a word to him and he seems to be trying to reach me somehow. When I step out of the shower I brush my hair for the first time since I arrived and put it in a braid. I begin to look a bit like the old Katniss except for the large scars that cover my neck and face now. I wrap my hand because it's still bruised and throbbing, which tells me it may be broken.
When I finally make my way down the stairs I noticed that the TV has been turned on and Greasy Sae's granddaughter is sitting in front of it.
"Hope you don't mind but it was awfully quiet in the house." Greasy Sae tells me when she notices me.
"No, it's fine. Do you know how long I've been sleeping?"
"Well, I tried to wake you up a few times yesterday, but you wouldn't budge"
"So, a day?"
"More or Less," she is making some kind of egg scramble and I notice two loaves of bread on the counter.
"Where did you get this bread?"
"The Mellark boy brought it over last night"
"Oh"
She is eyeing me carefully as she tells me he seemed disappointed I wasn't around, and the guilt I felt earlier comes back. I hope she doesn't notice and I try to change the subject but she won't let me.
"You oughtta tell him thanks"
I only nod but have no intentions of seeking him out. I feel ungrateful and selfish but I simply can't face him again.
"I'm gonna need to take a look at your hand when you're finished with your food." She tells me noticing the bandages.
"It's nothing"
"Nothing? I saw the hole you punch in Haymitch's wall. That hand is probably broken" she tells me as she places a plate of food in front of me.
"You talked to Haymitch?"
"Yeah, he told me you threw a fit"
"I didn't throw a fit" I say irritated.
She doesn't say anything else and I am grateful I don't have to make conversation today.
After she leaves I receive a call from Dr. Aurelius. He encourages me to step out of my house every once in a while, which irks me because I had been trying until a two days ago when I saw Peeta. Now I'm afraid if I go out I'll run into him.
He notices the irritation in my voice and addresses it.
"What's bothering you, Katniss?"
"Nothing" I lie but I know it doesn't convince him.
"I can't help you if you don't tell me"
"Why didn't anyone think to inform me that he was coming back!" I ask sounding angrier than I thought I was.
"You would've known if you bothered to open your mail or answer the phone."
He's right. This is the first time I've talked to him since I came home. I have nothing left to say the rest of the time and for a while we sit there in silence until he finally gives up.
"Time is up, but please try to answer the phone more often, will you?"
I tell him okay and I am about to hang up when I hear him speak again.
"Katniss, you're not the only one who lost everything. You at least have your memories; you know what's real. Peeta is still struggling with what happened to him. Be nice." Is all he says before the line goes dead.
His words linger in my mind for the rest of the day but I still make no effort to see Peeta. I do however, muster the courage to grab my hunting jacket and my bow and go into the woods. I only stay for a few hours; I don't catch anything, partly because I wasn't really trying to, but mostly because my hand is broken and though I'm ignoring the pain, my aim is off significantly.
I notice the lights are on at Peeta's house again and walk into my house quickly because I don't want to risk seeing him. My efforts are pointless because when I think I've dodged an encounter with him I find myself face to face with Peeta Mellark.
He is sitting on the couch playing with Greasy Sae's granddaughter.
I quickly walk to the kitchen where Greasy Sae is busy making dinner.
"What is he doing here?" I ask trying to keep my voice down.
"I invited him over for dinner." She says nonchalantly
"Why?"
She notices the look on my face and I see her become annoyed. She has been so understanding and patient, so it comes as a surprise when she begins to scold me.
"I'm sorry Katniss, but you need to snap out of it. I'm glad you went out today but I guarantee you, you tried your hardest not to feel better. You need to stop that. Life is going on and it's gonna go on whether you like it or not."
She is not shouting but her voice is firm.
"I invited Peeta to dinner today as a thanks for the bread because I knew you weren't going to. Now wipe that scowl off your face and start acting like a grown up."
She's not being harsh; she's being truthful. I know I've been acting childish and selfish. Her words are exactly what I need.
I stand motionless and I feel my palms begin to sweat as I try to think of things to say to Peeta but nothing comes to mind.
Greasy Sae returns her attention to the food she is cooking when we hear her granddaughter scream.
"Grandma, something is wrong!" she yells from the living room.
I forget about the fact that I'm trying to avoid Peeta and follow Greasy into the living room.
Her granddaughter runs to us when we enter the room, she looks scared.
"Grandma what's wrong with him?"she asks.
Peeta is standing in a corner, frozen. His pupils are so wide I can barely tell his eyes are blue; his jaw is clenched and it almost looks as if he is in pain. He is having a flashback.
"Peeta?" I finally manage to say his name out loud.
