DISCLAIMER: I do not own THG and anything you think that aren't mine.
As soon as I step into our cozy home, I see my 12-year old sister, Prim, sitting properly on our sofa and engrossing herself into reading. "Hi Prim," I casually say as I close the door.
"Mom said you have to look presentable tonight. We have guests," she says without looking up from the book she has.
"Guests?" I query, wrinkling my forehead. "Who?" I ask, heading towards the stairs.
"The Sandfords."
I stop at my tracks, taken aback. Then I look at her. "They're here?"
"Yep."
"When are they leaving?" I ask, automatically wishing that they'll be leaving soon. Really soon. Hey, I don't have a problem with Mr. and Mrs. Sandford. My problem is their son.
"As what I've heard, Mr. Sandford is going back to Capitol next week. We all know he's a very busy man," Prim answers, still not taking her eyes off the book. "About Mrs. Sandford and Cato, I don't know. I think they're staying for good."
"What?" I automatically snap, making Prim to finally look at me and give me a suspicious look. "I mean, what? That's awesome." I then fake an excited smile.
She narrows her eyes at me for a moment, scrutinizing me. Finally, she says, "Well you have to get ready for tonight." Then turns back to her book.
"I'm really tired. So...I'ma go to sleep," I tell her as I go upstairs. "Don't wake me up," I add.
I hear her saying something but I don't really mind. I don't wanna be present in whatever gatherings they will be having tonight.
I get inside my room and lock the door, put my bag on the bedside table and change myself into pajamas. I then go to bed and stare at the ceiling, thinking.
I can't believe he's back. I happily thought my getting along with him was so over five years ago.
Lord, why? What have I done? Did I not make enough sufferings? Did I not make enough good deeds?
Actually, me and Cato were childhood friends. Or at least, that's what our parents think. No. Worse. They think we're bestfriends.
But they only think that because I pretend to be nice with him when they are around. But when they're not, he's dead meat. Cos the truth is, ever since the world began, I have always disliked that geek. I mean, whose kid at my age wouldn't dislike him? He's weak, lame, boring, awkward and a total loser. Unfortunately for me, I have to get along with him for my mom. Because sadly, our moms are the best of friends in the whole world. Can you believe their friendship? They married on the same year, on the same day! Why didn't they just marry the same guy as well? No wonder they even chose the same date for their child to be born. Yes. Me and Cato have the same birthdays. And we had celebrated our 12 birthdays together. That's why they expected us to get along well.
Puke.
I close my eyes and try to sleep everything off. I plan not to wake up until that guy is gone. But my plan seems to have its own plan. For I am waken up by a horrible nightmare.
In my dream, I was there in the dining table with my parents, sister and the Sandfords. It was so weird. They were just in their casual clothes, but I was in my mom's red cocktail dress like as if I was attending a formal social event or something. I was so beautiful that I actually looked like a real "lady". While Cato...blah. He'd grown up so tall and really lanky he almost resembled a skeleton. And, he got a lot of pimples. He didn't change. Still a geek. A weirdo. Dorky glasses, braces, and a very messy hair. And because I was so pretty in my mom's red dress, he asked me to marry him.
Dream over.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
"Katniss! Wake up. Everyone's waiting for you."
I hear my mom say.
No way I am going out of this room. There's just no way. Especially when that ugly geek is out there asking me to marry him! You don't understand, but when he wants to marry me, he is really going to marry me. And he'll receive full support from our parents because they'll do just about anything to make him happy because they all love and care for him. Because if he can't have what he wants, he might cry and then he'll get sick because he's such a weak person he always gets sick. And when he's sick, everyone panics.
You know why? Cos he's a baby Sandford. That's what annoy me real most. Even though he is a complete loser and a total wimp, he can get everything he wants. EVERYTHING. And I'm not exaggerating.
I pretend a sleepy moan and with a hoarse voice, I drawl, "I'm sick, mom." Cough. Cough.
"Come on. Katty. I know you just miss Cato as much as he misses you! Aren't you excited to see him again?"
"BLUUUAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!"
"Katniss, are you alright?! Open the door," mom says worriedly, knocking hard.
Ew. Miss him?
"If you won't open it, we'll have the dinner inside. Remember, I have all the duplicate keys in this house. You can't miss the reunion, Katniss. No matter how sick you are."
"Okay, okay! Fine!" I get up crankily and am about to wipe whatever dirt on my face but stop when I suddenly remember about the nightmare.
"Okay! Hurry up!" mom says, then goes downstairs.
In my dream, Cato wanted to marry me. Because I was beautiful.
I have to do the opposite.
I saunter towards my full-length mirror and stare at myself. I have eye-boogers and trace of drool. My face is a little oily, especially my nose. And my hair is a bit messy. Call me disgusting but I am really like this. I'm not one of those beautiful ladies in the movies who still looks so perfectly normal after they wake up.
Anyways, I have to look ugly tonight so Cato won't even think he'll marry me. You see, he likes me. Yes. And it's really disgusting. How do I know that? Well, he just happened to confess it in front of the entire class when we were in the 4th Grade. It was so embarrassing I wanted to kill him. And my classmates and friends were no help. They even made matters worse. They began teasing us, saying that he's my boyfriend. And that my boyfriend is a loser. Of course, it got me really mad. So my bullying of Cato kind of got severe.
Oh well, to turn him off, I won't clean myself. I won't change my pajamas. I then begin messing my hair to the max with the help of a hair-blower and make it really wild-looking. Then I put an eyeliner under my right eye, smudge it to make it look like it's my dark eye bag. Then I apply a darker shade around my left to make it look like I have some sort of a black-eye because I got involved in a fight or something.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
"Coming!" I yell, hurriedly grabbing a black and red marker pen. Facing back the mirror, I blacken my 2 front teeth. Then, I also put some red spots on my face. There. Let's just see if he'll still like me this way. I smirk at my own reflection evilly. Hahaha. I look like some kind of a beaten up witch.
Throwing the pens back on my study table, I stroll towards the door and open it, only to freeze.
There, standing right in front of me, is sardonic blond.