Chapter 3

Hello there. I suppose you know who I am. You don't? Wow, that's a first. I'm rather famous (people would rather use the word infamous though) here at Capitol Academy. Why? Well, I'm Glimmer Jewels, and I'm the unofficial matchmaker of this school.

I pride myself an awful lot on this title. Not only am I the first person to ever have a title like this, I'm freaking awesome at it. I'm always able to successfully match those two certain people together to create the perfect pairing, no matter how different they are. I can tell almost immediately who should be paired together or not. People who wish to stay single always try to stay out of my way, but I know everyone, and I mean everyone. I can practically list every single kid in the school of the top of my head! People usually mistake me for a dumb, preppy slut, but they're wrong.

I love pairing people up on a daily basis, but my most favorite time to do it is Valentine's Day. The holiday of love! Could my job be more fitting for that day or what? Sadly, it only happens once a year, but I try to do the most I can on that specific day. And talking about Valentine's Day, it's coming up soon…

My green eyes pop open the minute my alarm goes off. Valentine's Day! I shoot out of bed like a rocket. I don't have even a second to lose!

In exactly an hour, I'm out of the house. My mother always complains about how I don't do this every other normal day, but I don't care. My matchmaking job beckons, especially today! I board the morning bus with gusto, almost forgetting to pay the bus fare.

I slam the huge doors of Capitol Academy open, scaring a bunch of freshmen nearby. They notice who I am and quickly sprint away, probably recognizing that crazy look in my eyes.

I stride down the hallway, almost empty because it's early in the morning. My eyes dart from side to side, surveying the pickings. Where's Marvel Emerald, that dense shit of a kid?

Ah, there he is: innocently turning his locker's combination. I leap on him, and he screams as I hug his neck tightly.

"Oh Marvel, do you know what today is?" I say sweetly.

He looks nervously at me. "Oh Glimmer, you scared the shit out of me. Yeah, today's Valentine's Day—"

"Yes, it is! And you know what I'm going to do, right~?"

He spins the last number of his lock and it clicks open. "What are you going to do this year?" he asks patiently, used to my freak-out every Valentine's Day. After all, I've been doing this since we first met at Luxury Junior High. I notice that a hint of nervousness lies under his question. I instantly remember his situation with that certain seventh grader.

"I'm going to help you and Rue this year!" I shout, breathing down his neck. He yelps, and he shakes me off, practically throwing me across the hallway. I keep forgetting how strong he actually is, despite his size.

"What the hell!" he yells, his face red. He shrugs off his dark blue jacket and crams it in his locker. "Leave me and Rue alone! I don't care if it's Valentine's Day!"

"Admit it Marvel. You need help with your relationship."

He turns to me with a murderous look. "I thought you didn't approve of our relationship."

I shrug. "You're my best friend," I say. He raises his eyebrows.

"Really," he says, shooting me an "I-don't-believe-you" look.

"Well, you are!" I say defensively. "But also because Rue is adorable! And you skipped class just to be with her in the clinic! Even if your ages aren't exactly right to me, you guys are perfect together!" I let out a whoop, echoing down the empty hallway. A couple kids glance at us, and then quickly shuffle away after they see me.

He turns back to his locker, pulling books out of his black backpack. "Whatever. Just don't humiliate me, all right?"

I smile mischievously. "I can't promise you anything," I say. He turns to me and slams his locker shut.

"Fine, if you must embarrass me, then do it when nobody's looking."

I shrug. "I'll see when the time's right." He walks away quickly, muttering something about finishing homework in the library, but I know that he just doesn't want to talk to me anymore.

"Hey, Glimmer!"

I glance up to see Finn Wayve walking my way. Finn is practically my accomplice in matchmaking. She's not as good as me, but she's handy to go people-watching with. (I don't go as far as stalking people. Yet.) She talks to a lot of people, so she knows a lot of personal information about people that sometimes I don't even know.

"Anything good, yet?" she asks as she gets closer. I shrug.

"Well, I was talking to Marvel about doing something with him and Rue."

She smirks. "We definitely have to do something for them. They're so cute together! But we also have to do something for Finnick and Ms. Cresta."

I raise my eyebrows. Finnick Odair is the swim teacher, and Ms. Cresta is a bio teacher. Practically everyone knows that Odair is going out with Cresta. I've talked with Odair only a couple of times, but he is definitely a smooth talker, and he is hot. I practically fell for him myself, but I managed to restrain myself. I've seen him and Ms. Cresta together only once, and Odair is possibly the sweetest boyfriend ever with her. I've never tried to do anything for teachers before, but it's worth a try. I nod to show Finn my approval.

"Well, I have to go to swim practice, and I'll ask Finnick if he's doing anything for Ms. Cresta tonight. I'll tell you if I see anything else!" Finn waves before walking in the direction of the pool.

I realize I still have my coat and backpack on, so I run to my locker and unpack as fast as I can. I can't waste precious minutes unpacking for long! I shut my locker and walk through the school, keeping my eyes peeled for possible pairings/pairings to help.

I notice that fox-faced sophomore girl from District 5 and her male friend from the same district talking in the hallways. I think they're cute together, but when I tried to pair them up, they resisted every attempt, both always saying they were just "friends" and would always stay that way. I also stopped because I didn't like that sly look the girl always gave me, like she was thinking of all the ways to blackmail me (something she is actually infamous for: blackmail. Honestly, I think she knows the dirt on practically everyone.).

I continue through the school until I come across my sworn nemesis: Katniss Everdeen. I hate her. She's in my year, a junior, and she always seems to outshine me, even though I think she looks like a rat. And on top of that, she recently has had two boys chasing her! (I heard that she finally chose one of them, but infuriatingly, I don't know who.) Even though I'm much better looking than her, I never have any boys chasing after me!

I stop behind her. I know she senses me, but she doesn't turn around, continuing to sort out her locker.

"How do you do it?" I snap, the same question I always ask her whenever we meet.

She turns around slowly, looking bored. "Do what?"

I flip my blonde hair over my shoulder. "You know what!"

She tugs at her trademark braid for a moment, a calculating look in her gray eyes. "I honestly don't know what," she replies.

I glare at her. "Stop messing around! How do you get two boys chasing after you?"

She glances at me before turning around, making it seem like I don't deserve her attention. She is possibly the most annoying person I have met.

I walk away from her, telling myself to calm down. Don't let her ruin your day, I order myself.

I circle around the gigantic school once, and my stormy mood immediately soars when I see Clove Lever and Cato Vincent walking together down the now slightly busy hallway. They are the most adorable pairing ever, and I'm glad to say that it was me that finally made her ask him out. If you ask me, it was long overdue, because practically anyone could see that Cato wanted her.

"Hey, Clove, Cato!" I jump over to them and throw my arms around them. "Today's Valentine's Day!"

"We know that," Cato says gruffly to me. Clove rolls her eyes. "We're not stupid, Glimmer."

My eyes widen. "So you guys are doing something?"

Cato seems to have no reaction, but Clove's face instantly heats up. "No!" she snaps.

I look over at Cato. "Take the initiative here, Cato. Ask her out on a date!"

I almost scream with glee when I see Cato's face redden slightly.

"You two are so dense! Today's Valentine's Day!" I skip away, ignoring Clove and Cato's sighs of relief.

I almost can't pay attention in class, my mind turning over all the possible scenarios I can do to help people with their relationships. As I'm thinking, someone pokes me in the arm.

"Glimmer, you're paired up with me."

I snap back to reality, and the teacher repeats what he supposedly just said: "Glimmer, you're paired up with Peeta."

Peeta? Peeta Mellark? I turn to the person next to me, and I find a stocky boy with blond hair.

"Uh, hi," I stutter. "I'm sorry, what are we doing?"

"We studying the science of love," Peeta says pulling his notebook from his desk behind me and opening it. "We're supposedly to list out all the supposed "symptoms" of love."

I smile. "Well…" I begin, ready to start listing out my "symptoms", and then I notice a sketch of Katniss in his notebook, and small, but obvious, heart next to it.

"You like Katniss?" The question comes from my mouth before I can stop it. I almost flinch at the obvious distaste in my voice.

He looks at me for a moment. "Yes," he murmurs.

I look at him in shock. "I know that you were one of the boys who were after Katniss," I state the obvious.

"Not anymore." By the sound of his tone, I suddenly realize that he's the one that Katniss chose. I turn over this new pairing in my head, and grudgingly discover that this pairing isn't so bad. Peeta's sweetness almost seems to compliment Katniss's stiffness and somewhat sarcasm.

"Well, congrats," I mutter, opening my own notebook. "Are you doing anything with her tonight?"

He shrugs. "She's not into these sort of things."

I whip my head up from my notebook. "What? You guys aren't doing anything on Valentine's Day?"

He nods.

I have to do something for them—not for Katniss, but for Peeta.

"The Finnick and Ms. Cresta situation is done with," Finn tells me proudly as she stands next to my locker. "I helped him make his date with her tonight perfect. Honestly, I can't believe he wasn't going to give her flowers at first."

I nod, murmuring approval as she tells me what advice she gave to him, which included a moonlight walk after the dinner. She's improving in her romance skills. I'm actually a bit surprised at Finnick's clique "romantic dinner with candlelight" with Ms. Cresta. He didn't seem to be the kind of guy who would pull that, but I have to admit, nothing can beat the "romantic dinner" route.

I finally have a free period, so now I can freely think about matchmaking without getting disturbed. Finn has history, so she can't help me with any of my scenarios. I take out my iPod and walk to the library. I would rather go to the student lounge, but during my free period, it's usually a bit rowdy in there, and I need some silence. I push open the wooden doors of the silent library and walk past towering bookshelves to the second level. Almost nobody is on the second level, so I can stare off into space dreamily without getting odd looks.

I sit down at an empty table in the corner and I put my earbuds into my ears. I hit 'shuffle', and the instant the lyrics of the first song burst into my ears, I get a wonderful idea.

"Clove! Clove!" I push through the crowd, insanely excited about my idea after sitting through a class. I shove a path through the usual pre-lunch crowd toward Clove, who is at her locker.

"What," she groans without looking up.

"First, I need Cato." I glance up, and by gosh, I love the timing: Cato is pushing through the crowd.

"Cato!" I wave my arm in the air, and he slowly makes his way toward us. I'm so excited about my idea right now, I'm shaking.

"Cato, Clove has something to say to you." I purposely let a silence descend between us, almost relishing the confused look Clove is giving me, and Cato's expectant look.

"Oh, well," I say after a moment, "she's too shy to say it to you. So I'll say it for her!" I take a couple deep breaths, and then burst out in a screechy voice:

Oh Cato, you're so fine

You're so fine, you blow my mind,

Hey Cato

Hey, hey, hey Cato—

And that's as far as I get into my new rendition of "Hey Mickey" before Clove slaps me hard across the face.

"What the hell!" she shrieks before storming off, her face red. Cato looks at me for a moment, me cradling my throbbing cheek, and then at Clove, who is shoving through the slowly dispersing crowd.

"Did she really make that up?" he asks. I glance up at him, and I almost say "aww" at his adorable pink face.

"Yes, yes," I lie. "She was so embarrassed about it, she almost didn't want to sing it to you in the first place."

He gives me another look, and then he pushes through the crowd in the direction where Clove ran off.

Cato/Clove: check.

I walk through the hallway, my blue hoodie that I always keep in my locker on, obscuring the red mark on my cheek. It's not that serious that I need to get an ice pack for it, but I don't want people asking about it. But alas, it's a sacrifice for love.

I notice Rue Jonquil walking down the hallway, her left arm in an orange cast. Her dad is a teacher in the high school part, so it's not unusual to see her wandering the high school hallways sometimes. The hallway is silent, most of the kids in the cafeteria. She must have library or something for her to be roaming the hallways without getting in trouble.

"Hey Rue!" I call to her. She notices me and slowly walks over.

"Has Marvel done anything with you today?" I ask expectantly, expecting her to already know that today is Valentine's Day.

She shakes her head no. "I actually haven't seen him at all today. Hey, what's with your cheek—?"

"Darn that stupid Marvel!" I curse, interrupting her before she can ask about the cheek. "It's Valentine's Day!"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I was actually looking for him—"

"No! He has to be looking for you!" Rue looks at me confusedly. Before I can explain why, I hear someone walking toward us.

"Glimmer, what the hell are you doing?" I turn around and see Marvel walking toward me. "Stop bothering Rue," he says carefully, realizing that I am still planning on how to improve his relationship with Rue, and possibly asking her about him.

"Marvel, I was looking for you!" Rue walks around me and launches herself onto him. He looks surprised for a moment, and then he wraps his arms around her skinny waist.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he suddenly bursts out and kisses her on the forehead. I almost gape at this. PDA from Marvel Emerald? What has this world come to?

Rue smiles at this and she kisses him on the cheek. "I'll see you later tonight after school," she says and he lets her go. The instant she is out of earshot, Marvel turns toward me. "It's just a casual movie thing. Nothing special," Marvel says to my shocked face.

"Wha… I…"

He smirks. "I never said I wasn't doing anything with her."

I grit my teeth. Marvel has outsmarted me this year.

Marvel/Rue: check?

Now for the Peeta and Katniss situation. I really don't know what to do about that. All I know is that Katniss is really into archery, and Peeta takes after his father, a baker. I pass by the cafeteria, realizing that lunch period is almost over. I almost pass by without noticing the bread display at the snack stand that is always open all day in the cafeteria. I stop, and the idea hits me like a cupid's arrow.

I stand behind a vending machine in the vicinity of Katniss's locker area during my second free period. Acquiring the last item for this idea was risky, but I think it will be worth it. I see Katniss walking down the hallway toward me, toward her locker. I purse my lips in vain to hide the wide smile crossing my face right now.

Katniss steps up to her locker, and with her books in one arm, she turns the red lock on her locker. She seems to be taunting me, slowly turning the dial to rest exactly on the numbers. I grit my teeth. Just open your locker already!

Her lock finally clicks, and she opens her locker. For a moment, she doesn't see it. And then a look of shock crosses her face and she reaches into her locker to take out the item I've carefully made.

It's a slice of the heart bread, decorated with a swirl of cinnamon and raisins. But the most shocking thing about the gift is the arrow (which I almost got caught stealing from the gym) pierced through it, with a note attached. I see her reading the note:

You've captured my heart.

xoxo, Peeta

Okay, now that I think about it, the 'xoxo' part was probably a bit over the edge, but Katniss doesn't seem to suspect any trick of the sort, because her face immediately grows crimson. She slams her locker shut and runs off with the bread, probably to confront Peeta about his "gift". He may deny all he wants, but there's no mistaking his writing. It's another talent I have: being able to copy people's handwriting. It's led to many forged love letters in the past.

Peeta/Katniss: check.

I decide not to take the bus today and walk home. Not only have I spent the last of my meager allowance buying the heart bread, but also because it gives me a chance to silently think about my many achievements today: letting Finn help Finnick with his date with Ms. Cresta, Clove's and Peeta's "gifts", Marvel and Rue…

The thought of not really helping Marvel and Rue makes me uneasy. The "date" just caught me by surprise, okay?

Capitol Academy sits in the middle of the city so I pass many street vendors on my way home. I pass a street vendor selling jewelry. I stop for a moment to take a look. The street vendor tells me that this necklace is on sale; he gestures to a necklace in the front of the table. It's a small necklace: the string is made of woven grass, and the charm is a star (or flower? I can't really tell.) roughly carved from wood. No wonder it's on sale: it's made of such cheap material, no one would want it. Well, maybe people really enamored with greenery would like it—

This thought sends a chill through me. I know a certain someone who likes plants. And that certain someone is currently going out with my best friend. One thought leads to another, and the street vendor has to actually tell me a couple times to let go of him and stop screaming, "What's the price?" or else he's calling the cops.

I'm a lot faster than people would credit me for. Add that to the part that the movie theater is across from town from where I live. So it's not really a surprise when I reach the movie theater just as Marvel is getting off the bus.

"MARVEL!" I shriek, as though he couldn't hear me, even though Marvel has really sharp hearing. He looks up in surprise. He's changed from his school uniform, and he's now dressed in jeans and his dark blue jacket: a charming outfit, but I don't have time to scrutinize it.

"Marvel," I gasp, coming to a stop in front of him. I thrust the pink gift bag that I managed to get out of the street vendor. "Give this to Rue, and say that you bought it. You owe me, though."

He looks at me oddly before reaching for the bag. "What is it?"

"You'll see," I mumble, still catching my breath. "You'll thank me later." He glances at my heaving form for a moment before walking into the movie theater.

I straighten and smile. Marvel/Rue: check for sure.

Note from the author: This is hands-down, my favorite chapter. I should write more for matchmaker!Glimmer in the future. I'm not sure who to write for next, but it's probably going to be Katniss next.