Girl with the Braids in her Hair

Freshman Year: Winter

Katniss shivered, reaching down to zip her jacket. Snow was lightly falling, the air still cold enough for it stick to the ground.

"I hate snow in February," she muttered. She looked over at the thin, short dark haired girl who was finishing up the quickly diminishing cigarette.

"It's still winter," Johanna pointed out.

"Doesn't mean that I'm not tired of it. I start looking for the green now, for dandelions, for anything...I need spring."

"Dandelions?" Johanna scoffed.

"It's something my dad said."

Johanna nodded, dropping the cigarette onto the ground. "Well, it's still winter which means we need to go in, have some hot chocolate, cheese buns...you name it."

Katniss stared at the bakery in front of them. "I'm not really hungry."

"Kat...no. No, what is the point of me having a father who is a multimillionaire logger company owner, whatever you want to call him, if I can't treat my best friend to the most amazing hot chocolate and cheese buns in the world?" Johanna linked her arm through Katniss'. "We deserve it."

"Cheese buns?" Katniss cocked her eyebrows skeptically.

"Yes. This bakery makes the best. Didn't you notice all of the sweets that I inhaled during finals? All of them were from here."

"No." Katniss grunted as Johanna led them inside. "I was too busy trying to pass my exams so I could keep my scholarship."

"Well, you passed. It's second semester, and I think we deserve a treat, plus, they have really good cinnamon buns here too."

Katniss inhaled. It smelled like fresh warm bread, cinnamon, and the sweet overtones of chocolate. There was a row of tables lined up next to the window, almost all of them full with college students and young families quietly talking. There were some pink and red flowers set up, and small hearts dotted the wall, reminding Katniss that Valentine's Day was soon approaching.

"It looks like we missed the late morning rush." Johanna leaned over the counter. "I don't see anybody."

"I'm sure they'll be right out."

"There's a bell. I'll just-"

The side door banged open. Peeta walked in, lugging a one hundred pound bag of flour over his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I'll be right back," he called out to them before making his way to the kitchens. "I promise!"

Johanna raised her eyebrows and grinned. "I wouldn't mind being that sack of flour that he's carrying about."

Katniss shook her head, and turned her attention to the row of cinnamon buns that were behind the glass.

Peeta wiped the excess flour on his jeans, and pushed the door open with his hip. He froze. Katniss was on the other side of the counter. He blinked, shaking his head. "Katniss," he murmured.

She looked up, confusion visible on her face. "Yes?"

"Oh." Johanna's eyes darted between the two of them. "Oh, y'all know each other?"

Katniss shook her head. "No."

"Yes." Peeta chuckled self consciously. "I mean, we ran into each other at a party at Tech last fall. It wasn't-"

"Oh!" Katniss' eyes widened in recognition. "But, where's your cane? I thought..." She blushed. "Oh, god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Cane? What's she talking about?" Johanna asked.

"Oh, I..." Peeta patted his left leg. "It's fake. I sometimes need a cane when I've been on my feet for too long. I'll probably need it after today."

"Oh. How did you lose your leg?"

"Johanna!" Katniss gritted out.

Peeta glanced at her. "No, it's okay. I was in a car accident my senior year of high school. I got pinned under the car, and...you can guess the rest."

"I'm sorry," Katniss blurted out.

He smiled. "No, really, I'm okay. So, what can I get y'all?"

"Two hot chocolates, two cinnamon buns, and two cheese buns." Johanna grinned. "Katniss here doesn't believe me about the cheese buns here."

"Ah." Peeta nodded. "You know, I have a fresh batch of cheese buns that need to be taken out. Do you want to wait for them?"

"The hotter the better," Johanna replied. She slapped the money down on the counter. "We'll be at the table in the corner. C'mon, Kat." She dragged Katniss roughly enough that Katniss nearly tripped over the edge of her boots.

Peeta stumbled back into the kitchen, breathing heavily as he tried to slow his heartbeat.

"What's wrong?"

Peeta whipped his head up. "Oh. Nothing, Dad. I just...I was going to take out the cheese buns."

"Okay." His father stared at him for a moment before turning his attention back to the dough that was rolled out on the work table.

"Oh, and actually...could you maybe, um, take over the register for a bit?"

"Peeta!"


"So, who's bread boy? What's his name?" Johanna whispered.

"The guy?" Katniss nodded over at the counter. "I don't know! I remember him now. I was at a frat party at Tech with Gale, and Gale literally crashed into the poor guy, knocked his cane over. I felt so bad for him and Gale was being..." she rolled her eyes.

"Well, one leg or not, I'd do bread boy."

Katniss shook her head.

Johanna bit her lip. "I didn't want to ask you, but...have you even seen or talked to Gale since...you know, that whole incident?"

"Oh, you mean since I found out that he was seeing and sleeping with Madge the same time as me at Christmas break?" Katniss' eyes darkened. "No. He's tried to call me, e-mail me, but I just haven't responded to anything and I haven't been back to Tech since December. It was hard enough seeing him at home."

"Good." Johanna nodded, satisfied. "Maybe then you can hook up with bread boy here."

"Jo!"

"I'll do it if you won't. He has one leg, and he can lift that huge bag of flour. Boy must have skills."

Peeta carefully placed their tray on the table. He set the hot chocolates in front of them, and plated the cinnamon and cheese buns.

"Bread boy...sit," Johanna ordered, pulling out the extra chair.

He smirked. "Bread boy?"

"I don't know your name. You work in a bakery, thus, I'm calling you bread boy."

Peeta nodded, smiling as he joined them. "Peeta. My name is Peeta."

"Peeta," Johanna repeated. "You work with bread, and your name is Peeta. That's, like...a sign or something."

"Well, my parents own this bakery, so..."

"Oh!" Katniss exclaimed. She blushed, and focused on the cheese bun.

"I come home sometimes on the weekend from Blacksburg. I help them out when my older brothers can't...or won't. I think I enjoy it more than they do." He swallowed nervously. "So, you two go to UVA?"

"Yeah, yes. I am Katniss' amazing roommate. I'm from the west, so this is all new to me," Johanna replied.

"And, how's your boyfriend?" he asked, turning his attention to Katniss.

She glanced up. "What boyfriend?"

"Oh, the...the...the guy at the party. The one who-" he stuttered.

"Oh, him," Johanna cut him off. "Katniss is done with Gale. Gale was just taking advantage of their friendship anyways."

Peeta gave Katniss a small smile. "Oh. I...I think I understand."

"Well, moving on!" Johanna clapped her hands. "Peeta, what are your plans for tonight? Are you going back to Tech?"

"No. I actually was planning to stay here till Sunday night. I was thinking about driving into Richmond and seeing some friends from VCU."

"No, I have a much better plan." Johanna grinned. "You need to come out with me and Katniss tonight. One of our friends is having a little party at her apartment, and there's going to be drinks and um, you know, stuff might-"

"You don't have to come," Katniss quickly told him.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Peeta?" Johanna asked.

"I...no. I dated a girl from Sweet Briar, but it ended last month."

"Perfect! Look, Valentine's Day is coming up, and I think if you met someone tonight...that might mean you'll spend Valentine's Day fucking, instead of being all lonely."

"I-I...well, I mean," he stammered.

Johanna grabbed a pen from her purse and scribbled out something on the napkin. "This is the address of our dorm and room number. Be there at eight."

Peeta looked at Katniss. "Are you going?"

"Yes. Jo thinks I don't get out enough, so whenever she gets a chance, she makes me."

"Well, if you'll be there...I'll come," he told her. He smiled as he watched Katniss' cheeks turn red. "I have to go. I have to...I have to put some more things in the oven. How do you like the cheese buns?"

"I didn't know that cheese buns could be this good. They're amazing," Katniss replied.

"I'm glad." He stood up, and pushed the chair back in. "I made them myself."

Johanna gaped. "Seriously, Katniss, you need to go for that or I may not be able to stop myself from having a one night stand with him."


Peeta paused at the beginning of the hallway. The napkin was half soaked by his sweat, causing the words to run together. He adjusted the collar of his black leather jacket, and pulled the edges down over his plain white t-shirt before he walked towards their door. He swallowed, knocking lightly, and exhaled as Katniss opened it.

"Hey," he whispered. He let his eyes traverse over her body. She was wearing a tight black tank top, skinny jeans, and worn out thigh high boots. Her hair was done in a braid that rest over her shoulder, the tip perfectly aligned with her breast.

"You showed up," she said, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Are you surprised?"

"I don't know, I...I know how Jo can be. I didn't think that you would have been really interested in coming." She opened the door wider to let him in.

"Here." He handed her a small bag. "For you."

"What is it?"

"Cheese buns. I made you another batch."

Katniss smiled, and her cheeks were tinged with pink. "Thank you. Really." She peered in, gently inhaling. "They smell amazing." She opened the mini fridge that was next to the television and tightly wrapped the bag up before placing them in.

"Is that Peeta I hear?!" Johanna exclaimed from inside the closet.

"Yes. Yes, you were right. He did show up," Katniss replied.

Johanna came bumbling out. "Peeta! I'm so glad you're here. I need a man's opinion of something. What do you think of my shirt?" She spun around, showing off every inch of the tight red corset. "You like?"

"It's, ahem, it's very nice," Peeta croaked.

"Well, I do have another option." Johanna unsnapped the back of the corset, letting it drop to the floor, leaving her topless. She reached for a black top, and turned around to face him. "I have this one as well. It's backless."

Katniss reddened, and focused on looking through her purse.

"Oh, um, either shirt...either shirt would be fine," Peeta managed to get out, internally cursing himself as he felt his pants tighten.

"Okay." Johanna momentarily pressed against him, before slipping the black shirt on. "I was trying to convince Katniss to wear this one because I think she has good boobs. Don't you think so, Peeta? Don't you think Katniss has good boobs?"

"JO!" Katniss exclaimed. She pulled her leather jacket on. "We need to go. Get your coat on."

Stop thinking about Katniss' boobs, Peeta mentally chided himself. Stop thinking about what Johanna's boobs look like too. Stop.

He cleared his throat. "I can take us. My car is parked right in front of your dorm."

"Oh, good." Johanna made an exaggerated wipe of her brow. "I was planning to drink a lot tonight, so..."

They headed down the stairs and out to the parking lot. Peeta unlocked his red sedan, and Johanna slid in the front next to him. "Oh, my god!" she screeched, picking up his cane that was resting on the seat. "This is awesome! You should totally pimpify this up!"

Peeta peered at Katniss through the rear view mirror, and gave her a small smile. "So...where are we going?"


Jo straddled the tall blonde on the couch, moaning loudly as their tongues darted in and out of each others mouths.

Katniss was flushed, her skin red from dancing with some of the girls from her psychology class. She laughed, and looked at at the balcony. Peeta was standing there, a small drink in his hand as the snow fell around him.

She grabbed her jacket and pulled the glass door open. "What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Oh, I..." he smiled at her, "I wanted to watch the snow fall."

Katniss stood next to him. "It is really pretty." She chuckled wryly. "I wanted to apologize for earlier, for Jo and for Jo taking her clothes off like that."

"Well, I would be wrong if I said I minded seeing them. You know, her boobs," Peeta replied.

"Of course not." Katniss nodded. "What about me?" she asked, the drinks she had earlier in the evening prodding her forward. "Should I flash you mine too for one more set tonight?"

"I..." He breathed out. "I wouldn't mind."

Katniss blushed, shaking her head furiously. "I don't think I'm drunk enough for that. I don't think I would ever be."

Peeta finished off the rest of his beer. "Too bad."

"Maybe if I did a lot of shots or something."

"Where are you from, Katniss?" he asked, the mood suddenly shifting.

"Panem. It's...it's a small town along the border of Kentucky and West Virginia. There's nothing there really."

"I've never heard of it."

"Yeah, it's really small. Gale's from there too. I've known him...my whole life." Katniss looked out at the lights. "My dad died when I was eleven. Gale's dad died too, they were miners and...they got stuck with about thirty others when it collapsed."

"Oh. Oh, god I'm so sorry," Peeta said softly.

"My mom's a nurse and she got a settlement from the mining company. It was made into a big thing, the president of the company, Mr. Snow came and presented us with a check and Gale's mom got one too, and..." Katniss played with the end of her braid. "So, she and Hazelle, that's Gale's mom, they bought this duplex together so that way there would always be someone to watch us kids. Me and my younger sister, Gale and his siblings..."

"Oh, so...you and Gale?" he asked hesitantly.

Katniss laughed. "It's always been me and Gale. He and I would go out to the woods on Sundays and hunt, and get some extra food for us and our neighbors. He always said that I only smiled in the woods." She looked at Peeta. "He was wrong."

"You hunted?"

"I have skills with a bow and arrow. I never really liked guns, so...Gale did, and he set the traps and we just worked well together...until we didn't."

"Give me your number," he blurted out.

"What?" Katniss grinned.

"Your phone number, your e-mail...anything." He scrambled around in his jacket pocket for a pen and paper.

"I don't have a cell phone. I can't afford it, but," she scribbled on the paper, "here's my e-mail and my phone number for my dorm room." Katniss handed it back to him. "I'm not good on the phone though. I never know what to say."

"You weren't like any other teenage girl talking on the phone?" Peeta teased.

"I'm not very good at making friends," she said quietly.

Peeta nodded, and glanced back towards the apartment. "Um, I think we should probably check on Jo."

"Why? Wha..." Katniss groaned. "Not again."

Johanna was in the process of taking all her clothes off, dancing around the furniture. Katniss ran in, yanking Johanna's shirt back down. "I think we need to go home now, and get you settled down."

"KATNISS!" Johanna screamed, wrapping her arms around her. "You are amazing. I am so glad I met you. You are my family, Kat. I don't have anybody else who cares about me like you do. My family doesn't care."

"That's not true, Jo," Katniss whispered. "You're not alone."

"But, I am." Johanna looked into Katniss' eyes. "I'm alone without you." She glanced over at Peeta, waiting. "And, bread boy! Oh, I love the bread boy!" She scampered over and began to grind herself against his crotch. "I wonder just how big your...baguette is." Johanna burst out giggling.

"Okay." Peeta bent down, lifting her till she was slung over his shoulder. "Got everything?" he asked Katniss.

She held up their bags. "Yep."

"Katniss, I think Peeta is like a cave man!" Johanna exclaimed. "Big, hunky southern cave man. A little short though...why are you short, Peeta?"

He unlocked the car, and gently placed her in. "Just lucky I guess."

"I'm going to sit next to her, just in case," Katniss muttered, rolling all the windows down.

They drove in silence for a few minutes. "Kat...Kat..." Johanna whimpered.

"What? What's wrong?" Katniss asked.

"Oh, I'm going to be sick."

"Oh, god." Katniss pushed Johanna forward till her head was hanging out of the window. "Don't get sick in Peeta's car!"

Peeta winced as he heard her vomit. "Is she okay?"

"Well, at least she didn't throw up in your car," Katniss groaned.

He quickly found a parking space, and opened the door for them. "Do you need help?"

"No. I've witnessed a lot of stuff with people coming to see my mother like this, and I've been through this before with Johanna. There's nothing you can do." She smiled. "Thank you, though. I had fun. I mean, I didn't flash you or anything-"

"There's always next time," he finished. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to throw her down onto a bed, and feel her under him, or see her on top of him. His leg ached, and he grimaced as he hobbled back to the car.

"Goodnight, Peeta!" Katniss called out.

He waved, and flashed her a grin. "Goodnight."


Peeta grunted, fastening the prosthetic on before reaching for his cane. His thigh muscles were sore, and he eagerly sighed in relief as he settled down on his computer chair. The leather jacket from the night before was draped over, and he rummaged through the pockets looking for the slip of paper with Katniss' email address.

"Shit," he muttered. Peeta grasped a loose slip of paper, the smile fading as he saw the smudged letters. "Oh, shit. Oh, fucking hell...fuck. Fuck!"

A/N: Yeah, that was pretty horrible of me...wasn't it? But there was a bit of flirting and what not...right? ;)