The drive to Minnesota goes by smoothly with the help of the joints I brought. I had been sure to bring as much as I felt comfortable traveling with, I knew nobody there and didn't how easy it'd be to get it there. My liquor shouldn't be a problem, I bought a good quality fake ID earlier in the year. As I got closer, I had thoughts of stopping in my old town, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I stayed in a hotel for a week while I found an apartment. I found a nice one just north of the University. I had gotten a letter with my dorm assignment, but I don't plan on staying in a dorm, especially since I had asked for a single, but got put in a double. If need be I'll pretend to live there while really living here. It's not like they'll be doing bed checks.

I walked through a model apartment, which was lavishly decorated in pink and white. Pictures of babies and puppies littered the wall. The gruff looking landlord that gave the tour looked even more out of place than I felt.

The location could not be beat.

"UMN?" Haymitch asked gruffly.

I nodded.

"We're not a sorority or a frat house here. The rent is due on the first of the month, every month."

"If I wanted to party or be social I would live in the dorm or join a sorority, but I don't so I'm not. And rent won't be a problem."

Paper work written up leases signed and I was set to move in the next Monday.

Freshmen orientation was at the end of June. I walked around the campus with the other freshmen, they all stayed in their little groups. The girls were all trying hard to fit in, and the guys were try to get laid. I didn't stay long, I found Middlebrook Hall where my dorm room was going to be, classrooms and the Quad.

My apartment is on the West Bank and the orientation was on the East Bank. I'll have to cross the river to get to some of my classes.

I had met him the day after I moved in, his apartment is below my next door neighbor, I had been sitting on my balcony, smoking, waiting for my new furniture to arrive.

"Hey, just move in?" He had called up from his balcony.

"Yep. Yesterday."

"Let me know if you need help moving anything, though I bet your boyfriend is here to help."

I almost hadn't answered, I took a few more drags off my cigarette and flicked it into my empty Sugar Free Red Bull can.

"I don't have a boyfriend and I don't need help. Thanks."

I had stood up and went inside, escaping to my apartment.

I run into him later in the hall.

There's no escaping him now. He has another girl with him at least.

"Hey, you're the new girl on level 3?"

"Sure am," I say.

"I'm Gale this is my girlfriend, Madge."

"Katniss."

"We were just on our way up to Gale's for a drink. I was just at the freshmen orientation and really need one. Do you want to join?" Madge asked.

I hesitate. Socializing isn't really my thing… but, drinking is. "Yeah, sure. I went there too. Drinking will help me recover."

"Cool," Gale says, his grey eyes staring at me intensely. I'm not going to worry about it much, he has a girlfriend, a pretty blonde girlfriend.

We enter his apartment, the smell of pot is stale in the air. "Well," I think to myself, "At least there's a chance I'll get a weed connection through this guy."

His furniture is mismatched, an old green recliner and an ugly blue plaid sofa with a scratched up coffee table, a few lawn chairs are folded up and stacked against the wall, and there's two bar stools at the counter top.

I look over at the bong sitting on a shelf and give Gale a pointed look.

"Do you smoke?" He asks, obviously not talking about tobacco.

"Doesn't everybody?" I ask, semi-joking.

We smoke two bowls between the three of us. He's stuff isn't too bad.

"So, where are you from, Katniss. Katniss, I love your name by the way," Madge giggles.

"I was born in St. Cloud but lived in Denver."

"Oh, Gale and I are from Sartell!" Madge is excited about this. Sartell is just a few miles from St. Cloud. "When did you move?"

"When I was 13."

"Oh, which school did you go to?"

"South Junior High."

"OK, let's see, didn't Lacy Garmen go there?" Madge asks Gale and just he shrugs.

"That was a long time ago, I don't know if I'd remember any names," I say. Why didn't I lie, I should have just said, Denver, and leave it at that.

"Well that is so exciting, coming back home to Minnesota after all these years. Oh, I bet Colorado was just beautiful, I've never been but I can just imagine how beautiful it is with those mountains."

"Yep." The conversation goes quiet. I think of a question directed at them will stop them from asking me questions, "So, what are you thinking of studying?" I ask.

"Oh… I'm just going to get all the general classes done and then I'll decide. Gale is at the Dunwoody College for Technology. I was so excited when I got accepted-"

She's cut off by knocks on the door. Gale hops up to get it, he walks back with two guys and a girl. Their eyes all go straight to me.

"This is Katniss, she just moved in, she's going to be a freshmen at UMN too," Madge eagerly tells them, she turns to me, "This is Jo, Tom and Finn. Jo and Finn are going to be starting their 2nd year at UMN."

"Why'd you rent an apartment? You have to live on campus your first year," The girl, Jo said, looking me up and down.

"That's what they say, I'm not going to be staying in the dorms. I don't think I'd be able to stand having to live piled on top of one another."

"Oh, being piled on top of one another's not so bad," Finn tells me with a flirty smile. I smirk at him, "I'll leave that to others." Finn has that handsome "I'm a man-whore" look about him, tan, dark blonde hair with piercingly green eyes.

Tom had brought a bottle of cheap whiskey and a 2L of coke (beverage not powder).

"Who wants a drink?" Tom calls out as if he's the whiskey god. And people cheer…hm.

I take one and start taking long sips. I find out that Tom is going to school with Gale, Finn is gearing more towards a Biology major, and Jo is certain that she's going to be a psychologist. Gale and Tom want to be mechanics and are on their last year of school. Gale got a job here at the apartment as the on-site mechanic and also helps out with minor repairs.

"Who wants to play P n A?" Jo asks. The coffee table is brought to the center of the room and everyone crowds around. As the cards are dealt out Tom produces a blunt from some pocket somewhere on his person, sparks it and passes it around.

I quickly prove to them that I am no amateur. Everyone starts drinking and talking more.

"So Madge we know why you chose the U, but Katniss why did you chose to come back instead of staying in Denver? I get the feeling you're the outsider of your family." Jo, what's her deal? Why the hell is it her business where I go?

"Oh don' start this pysco babble, leave her alone," Gale tells her, "And drink four times." Gale was the V.P. while Jo was what I've always called "serf", which is anyone other than the President, V.P. Secretary, and Treasurer. After that then you start surf 1, surf 2, etc, until asshole, the lowest of the lows.

All those soccer parties really paid off, good training for later in life.

"I bet I already know your story anyways," Jo says with a drunken smirk.

I do my best to look bored as I watch the game, I was Secretary (for now), "Oh yeah?"

"Well lets see, you have Sevens jean's on, a Michael Kors purse, and diamond stud earrings. You are having to pay for a dorm room, but are refusing to stay in it, so instead your parents put you up in your own apartment that costs double what the dorm costs…Yeah, I'm going to have to say you're just spoiled."

Yeah, OK, bitch.

"And that's why I chose Minnesota instead of California or east coast?"

"You are probably just rebelling against mummy and daddy's wishes."

I set my cards down and look at her. "Mummy and Daddy don't have any wishes because they died with my little sister. My only family left is an Uncle. I stayed at his house in Denver for five years and saw him only twice. Once I graduated it was made clear that I wasn't welcome any more. So… The reason why I got an apartment is so that I could have a home, because I didn't want to stay in the dorms for holidays and summers," I practically spit that out at her, "So sorry if I pissed you off because of that. Finish that drink, serf."

The table was quiet. Then Finn said, "Well I think that some weed is needed. Eh, Tom?"

Tom pulled a sack out and loaded the bowl of his pipe.

"Who's turn?" I ask. The game resumes though what ever fun had been there is gone. Yeah, mentioning death usually does kill a party mood.

I didn't see Gale or Madge (who was staying with him until she could move into her dorm) for a little over a week.

I really liked my apartment, it's so much cozier than Uncle's house. It has a long L-shaped kitchen with an island counter top with a bar. I had gotten a small round café table with two chairs pulled up to it. The soft brown leather corner sofa has a matching chair. I have bookshelves throughout the apartment. A small one in my room, holds the long time favorites ranging from Emma to Lord of the Rings trilogy. The small den that has my desk and a chaise in it also has a bookshelf with school books. This is where I put my reference books and where I will put my text books as I get them. All the rest of my books fill two large bookshelves in the living room. I went to the store once to get some basics, mostly consisting of alcohol. I hole up in my apartment, smoking, drinking, reading, and watching the occasional movie. When I'm motivated to be active, I roll out my yoga mat and chose between the different yoga and pilates options on Netflicks.

When my weed stash starts dwindling I make contact with Gale and find that he has some to sell. He tells me he usually will have something to sell.

The summer goes by like a drunken blur, before I know it it's August and I need to go meet my roommate for a dorm room I'm not going to be at.

Clove Andreesen is already in our dorm room when I get there. With faded jeans that barely stay on her skinny hips and a long tie-dyed tank top, I get the feeling that this girl smokes. Maybe has better stuff that Gale.

She brushes her long brown hair out of her blue eyes, "Hey, you must be Katniss Everdeen. I'm Clove Andreesen. Looks like we're going to be party buds."

I give her a smile, "I probably won't be here much though, so you can take over most of my space."

"Shackin up with the boyfriend?" Clove asks knowingly.

"No, I have my own place. I don't think I would fit in with the "rules and regulations" that comes with the dorms."

She laughs, "Oh, don't I know that! I don't plan on following some of them though."

I find her easy to talk to. She'll be a good drinking partner.

We get to talking and then a knock on the bathroom door causes us to pause and look at one another quizzically. Clove opens the door, it's the two girls that we suppose to share the bathroom with. Delly, a bright bubbly blonde offsetted, Gia a fiery looking red head.

"I like to take my showers super early, so I'll probably be done and out before you all wake up. You guys should decide shower times amongst yourself."

No one speaks.

"I'll work mine in around everyone else's," Gia tells her and Clove and I nod in agreement.

Delly plops down on one of the beds, "So I hear that there's going to be a huge party at Delta tonight. Are you guys going?"

Clove and I quickly say, "No."

An awkward conversation follows, where Delly tries to find out how "cool" we were, if we were planning on pledging (gag) and what extracurricular activities we were going to do.

When they finally leave Clove tells me, "I've hear of a good party tonight. Do you want to come?"

Deciding that it could be fun, and that it might be better than re-watching Downton Abbey season 1, I agree.

After some discussion it's decided that after Clove gets changed, will go over to my apartment for a pre-party.

"Holy Shit!" Clove says as she walks around my apartment, "Yeah, I'd chose this over the dorms too."

I offer her a drink, she chooses the whiskey out of my selection. We smoke a joint. Then I start to get ready, I slip on a pair of skinny jeans and a green silk wrap tank top. I toss a pair of beige colored heels towards the door for when we leave. I come back into the living room to see Clove lining up some lines of powder. She looks up.

"Is it cool?" I shrug, I'd never done it before, but I'm not one to judge, it's not like she shooting up, "Want some?"

I move over and sit down next to her before I even really think about it. Then just as if I'm a pro, I use the little straw and snort up a line. Wooo! I feel the disgusting taste dribble down my throat.

For the next hour Clove and I hang out, we listen to music, drink, smoke, and right before we walk out the door Clove gives us each one more line.