Chapter 4
That evening I sit at the counter working on homework. I glance over at the clock on the wall realizing there's only about an hour left til I can close. I know I should start on the mixes but I continue working on my History essay.
The bell over the door jingles loudly and I look up to see who's intruded on my solitude, my eyes going wide.
"Katniss, what are you, uh, doing here?" I close the book and push it aside.
"Just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop in." She ventured a timid smile, all the while her eyes sweeping the bakery's storefront.
Katniss hasn't been in here for a long while now. When she was younger, she'd sometimes come in with her father. Back then, I'd continue my task at hand, but it seemed as if I could feel her: her proximity, her eyes on me, all the while surreptitiously throwing glances her way. I remember how she used to love the cheese buns.
Reminded of that, I turn and pull out two cheese buns from the case, just a few hours old. I place one in front of her on the counter and dig into mine.
Her brows furrow for a moment, and then she beamed , a brilliant happy smile. "You remembered?"
I swallowed, then replied placidly. "Of course. These were your favorites, I believe."
"Yeah," she answered softly, then took a bite, her eyes closing.
"Oh," she groaned. "These are so much better than I remembered!" Her lids then rose, giving her a shocked expression.
I laughed as I rose. "Sit down, don't just stand there all evening." She pulled the other stool out from beneath the counter and dropped down into it beside mine.
I returned from the stockroom and set two glasses of cold water on the counter in front of us.
"I didn't come for a meal" she grumbled half-halfheartedly, taking a drink.
"Well I was getting hungry and I don't know about you but I can't eat without something to drink." I finished my water and set the glass back down. "More?" I asked, nodding my head back to the glass case.
"No, no. Thanks. But I could use a refill on this." She raised her glass.
"Sure, no thing." I eased off the stool.
"I didn't say I couldn't get it, just saying I could use a refill. Let me." She grabbed my glass off the counter and took off through the archway into the back.
"I can do it myself." I called out to her, a flash of anger in my voice.
"Didn't say you couldn't." she replied placidly, as the water ran from the tap in the sink.
"Yeah, well I don't like people doing things for me like I can't."
"Maybe I was just trying to be nice back." She deposited my glass in front of me quite forcefully, causing the water to nearly spill over. "How much for the bread?" She began digging into her pocket.
"Nothing! I was just sharing my dinner with you. I'm not asking for your money."
"Oh, so you can do something nice for no reason, but I'm not allowed? Because maybe I'm not missing part of my leg?" Her eyes, angry and fierce, shot daggers into me. She threw herself down in the other stool again, scraping it loudly along the floor.
No one had ever said anything like that to me. They always tiptoed around my leg, acting as if it I was completely incapable of doing anything for myself all the while refusing to even acknowledge the missing limb. Unless it was their ammo to use against me, like Trenton and his two idiot friends.
I didn't know how to respond, so I just shot her a dirty look, my face begging to blush furiously.
"Just cause you're leg's a little different doesn't mean you aren't able to do everything someone else can. And just cause someone else does something for you doesn't necessarily mean they don't think you can do if yourself." She casually took a sip of her water. I scowled into mine.
"Point taken, I guess."
"Good. So what's that you're working on?" She pulled my book to her, acting as if our little tiff hadn't just happened. "Ugh, I hate that class so bad. Like the past isn't still happening. Same thing's been going on for the past fifty years. The citizen's haven't got anything and Snow's got the rest."
We spent the rest of the hour just rambling about various inconsequential things: mostly just gossiping about a few eccentric people around the District and stupid school matters.
"Look at the time!" She jumped out of her stool. "I gotta get home, Prim's gonna kill me!" I quickly stood up.
"Well, thanks for stopping by. It was...fun." I stammered, absently scratching the back of my head, mussing up my already erratic hair.
"It was. We'll have to do it again sometime." She eased toward the door, slowly. "See ya Monday." She pushed against the door, halfway across the thresh hold. "Say, what time do you usually leave for school?"
"Bout 7:25, why?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"I thought maybe, you know since we're friends and all, we could walk together. See ya then."
I found I couldn't find the words to respond, my tongue felt thick and dry.
I ended up staying a little later than usual, finishing up the mixes and wiping down all the counters. I absently washed our glasses, dried them and put them away, then finally locked the door and breezed up the stairs. I don't think my feet actually touched the carpet at all.
Somehow, I'd went from not speaking to, to being friends with Katniss in two days. And I really couldn't tell you how it even happened. My face stretched in a wide grin as I eased off to sleep.
Chapter 5
Monday arrived, finally, and I found myself waiting idly at the corner of the bakery. My mother shot me several scowls through the front windows but I turned my back on her to stare down the lane toward her house. Katniss was running, her braid bouncing furiously behind her, her books balanced precariously in her arms.
"Sorry. I'm. Late." She gasped between words.
"Breathe. It's okay." I pushed a sweaty lock of hair from her cheek behind her ear. Her face was read and she was sweating profusely. She pulled the neck of her shirt up and mopped her face.
We started walking and for a few minutes we shared a tense silence. I was wracking my brain with something, anything, to talk about.
"So, where will we be going?" Katniss asked, glancing over at me.
I pulled a strange face at her. "Uh, to school?"
"Well no shit!" She burst out laughing, stooped over at the waist.
"You're the one that asked." I grumpily bit out. I stopped and waited for her to either explain herself or start walking again.
"I meant this summer, Peeta." She wiped wearily at her eyes, her laughter subsiding to giggles. I just rolled my eyes, it wasn't that funny.
"We're going to District 9. A couple of years ago they lost most of their grain to drought and doubled up on the planting. Now they they need all the help they can get to bring in the harvests." We resumed walking.
"How do you know? When I signed up they said they didn't know."
"Let me guess, you talked to Principal Abernathy, right?"
"Yeah, so ?"
"I'm thinking he was probably in a hurry to go drink his lunch. I talked to Ms. Trinket, the guidance counselor."
"You know, I think those two have a thing going on!" She scrunched up her nose at the idea.
"Me too." I replied with a chuckle. "Still, I don't see how he would be able to stand her horrific clothes..."
"And that hair!" She laughed, deep in her throat. "I had never seen blue hair until she came along."
"I know right? Maybe being wasted all the time, he's used to seeing imaginary things and thinks it's not real."
We laughed all the way to school, recounting all the horrible clothes and hair styles we've seen Effie wearing.
As we walked through the front door, Katniss grabbed my arm and pulled me to the left. "We've got a few minutes, walk with me to my locker."
"Uh, sure." I followed her to the end of the hall. I stood there idly while she rummaged around, pulling out odds and ends. I got several odd looks from people passing through. Finally she shut her locker.
"Do you need to get something from yours?" She gestured to the books in my hand.
"Uh, yea." I turned to walk off when she bumped my shoulder with hers, falling in line with me.
"Well jeez, run off without me." I blushed and muttered a sorry.
"So, I was thinking, what days are you off from the bakery?"
"Uh, I dunno. Why?" I gazed at her from the corner of my eye.
"Well, I blow at math and you're really good. So I was thinking maybe you could come over one night and we could study. Or maybe I could come to your place."
"Uh, no. No, not my place!"
"Ooookay." She said slowly, elongating her o.
"It's just that my mom isn't too keen on visitors. But I could come over to your place."
"Well, when are you off?" She pulled a stray thread from the collar of my shirt.
"You know, I dunno. I've never really taken too many days off. But I could get my dad to come in one evening, after we slow down. I bet he would." I ran my hand through the back of my hair absently.
"Good. How bout tomorrow?" She stopped and I realized we were at my locker. I slowly turned the dial on the lock, and eased the door open.
"Well, let me make sure before I say definitely, but how about probably?" I pulled out a few things and pushed in the books I had been carrying.
She peered around my shoulder and made a face. "Eww. You need to clean that out. How do you find anything?"
oOoOoO
Since Katniss and I don't share any classes this semester I wouldn't see her again until lunch. I stood patiently in the line, my thoughts in la la land when I was shoved roughly from behind.
"What the fuck?" I bellowed out as I regained my footing. I turned. "Oh of course, it's you!" I yelled at Trenton. "Fuck off, man!"
"You fucking make me, twerp!" He came at me again, hands up to shove me.
The anger in me that's been building over the years finally exploded. "Fuck you!" I screamed and swung my right fist as hard as I could, connecting solidly to his nose. I could hear the crunch of it.
Trenton crumpled gracelessly to the floor, mewling in pain. "My nose, my fucking nose. You bastard! You broke my damn nose!"
"Serves you right, you pussy!" Katniss exclaimed from behind me. I turned in surprise. I was shaking.
"Easy there," she said quietly, so no one but me would hear as she pulled up at my side.
Trenton pulled himself up from the floor. "You're fucking dead Mellark!" He threatened.
"Yeah? Come back here! I'll kick your ass some more." I called out as he stumbled down the hall, looking for the nurse presumably.
"I'm so proud of you!" Katniss exclaimed. She pulled herself up on my shoulder and planted a light kiss on my cheek. "Now let's eat, I'm starving."
I turned, suddenly aware of the hundred of eyes on my. Every kid in the cafeteria was staring at me as if I had two heads. "What?" I asked hatefully, to no one in particular, then joined Katniss in line. Suddenly I felt ravenous.
oOoOoOo
"So how do you know I'm so wonderful at math?" I asked around a mouthful of spaghetti.
"Eww, really? Swallow first." She mumbled around her own bite. Her eyes laughing at me.
"Go on, answer the question," I repeated, swallowing roughly.
"Well, because last semester you aced the hell out of it, and I doubt you suddenly got stupid over the summer. And because you're good at all your classes." She dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
"Not true, I suck at History." I pulled a long swig of my water.
"Oh, no, what, only got an A minus? Dude, we all suck at history cause Ms. Coin hates everybody." She smirked.
"Smart ass." I laughed. "So, where's Madge?" I asked looking around the room.
"Eh, she's not here today. I guess being the mayor's daughter means you can skip whenever you feel like it. Must be nice."
"So, what's it like working in the bakery?" She took another bite.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Good, I guess. It's just something I've always done, since I can remember."
"Well, do you like doing it?"
"Well, yeah. I love working at the bakery. Someday, I'm gonna run it on my own, I hope."
"That sounds cool. What about your folks?"
I really didn't feel like getting into the whole story, not yet. So I just glossed over it. "When I turn eighteen, they're supposed to move to 4. Then it'll be mine." I smiled at the thought of watching the train zoom off into the distance taking them with it, hopefully never to return again.
"What about you? What do you have planned for the future?" I've always wondered what Katniss had in store for herself after we graduate.
"Honestly, I dunno. I used to hunt with my father before, and since he died I go out several times a week, mostly to keep some food on the table. But I really don't know what I'll do next year. I just...there's nothing that I can imagine wanting to do for the rest of my life." We didn't say it, but the mines hung in the air between us.
That's usually where the kids with no future prospects ended up going after graduation. The life of a miner is back breaking and full of bitterness for the most part. My mind drifted to Kalen and I wondered how he was doing.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." I didn't know what else to say. Well, no, that's not true. What I really wanted to say was 'Marry me, and I'll take care of you. We can work at the bakery together and you'll never have to worry about another thing, as long as you live.' Yeah, that wouldn't freak her out or anything.
And odd vibe hung in the air between us before we were proverbially saved by the bell.
oOoOoOo
After school, Katniss and I once again, walked home together.
"So, do you have any more questions about this summer?" I asked. I remember the weeks leading up to my first trip. I was a ball of nerves and fear.
"Uh, no, I think I pretty much got it: we'll board a train to 9, then work there for the summer, then come home."
"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist." I fell back into silence.
"So, I think you did an awesome job in the caf today." When I looked over at he, she was smiling brightly.
"Yeah, well. I don't feel like it was so awesome." My mouth fell into a grimace.
"That guy's a total dick. He deserved that and more." A scowl ran across her face.
"Yeah, just cause he deserves it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. It's like I stooped to his level or something." Living in a household like mine, I hate violence of any kind and the screaming and yelling that always accompanies it.
"I get ya, but I still think you did a good thing. Guys like that only know one thing: kicking asses or getting theirs kicked. Now he'll leave you alone." She sounded confident but I wasn't so sure. I had a feeling it was far from over. I didn't say anything.
We walked along for a few more minutes.
"Can I ask you a question? And if you don't wanna answer, you don't have to." My stomach lurched. Statements like that always lead to fun conversations.
"I guess." I said softly.
"So, what happened to make you lose your leg?" Her voice was gentle.
I looked down, studying my scuffed and worn sneakers; my favorite shoes. I absently ran a hand through my hair. "I uh, well. One of the ovens fell on me. On my leg, I mean. The ovens are about two feet up on a concrete platform, and one of the legs broke on the oven and I was the lucky one standing there when it came down."
Remembering that day: the pain and the screaming and the intense heat that made me feel as if I was going to combust any second, made my chest feel tight and my head feel a little dizzy. "Let's sit down for a second." I eased down to the grass before I had all the words out. I regulated my breathing, in and out, in and out.
"I got burned too, on my other leg, but the way the oven fell on my right one it couldn't be saved." I continued breathing slowly.
"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it. I'm sorry I asked." She began rubbing small circles into my back with one hand and took my left with her other.
"No, it's just... Sometimes it's overwhelming. And actually, you're the first one to ever ask me about it." Now my mind was concentrating on the feeling of Katniss's hand on my back. She was so close I could smell her: a mix of shampoo and something soft like baby lotion. I instinctively leaned slightly closer and inhaled. She let go of my hand and placed it on my shoulder, smiling gently.
I stared deep into her eyes, those mysterious gray orbs that have haunted me for years. She licked her bottom lip and my gaze fell onto her mouth. I wanted to kiss her so badly.
And then a loud noise, someone clearing their throat, brought me back to reality. I looked up and saw Principal Abernathy standing over us.
"Peeta, isn't there a better place you can find, rather than making out on the side of the street?" He cocked an eyebrow at us.
I jumped up from the ground, quick as a flash. "Uh, Principal Abernathy. We, uh, we weren't doing anything. Just talking." Katniss rose up and brushed herself off.
"Sure, sure kid." He laughed, mostly to himself, then smiled. "You're a good kid, Peeta. You too, Everdeen. But next time, find a park bench. Or hell, better yet, a comfy couch. Now those are fun." He waggled his eyebrows at us. I glanced over at Katniss, my face flaming, and she made an eww face. Neither of us wanted to imagine Haymitch Abernathy spending time with a girl on a couch.
He wandered off, or rather staggered, and we started for home again.
"Thanks for telling me about your accident."
"I don't mind." Suddenly I didn't seem so anxious thinking about it.
She bumped my shoulder with hers and I bumped her right back.
oOoOoOo
That night I asked dad if he'd take over my shift for me about 5 the next day. He promised me he'd do it, but my mother just scowled at me. I avoided her gaze.
I had been formulating a plan in my head since my discussion with Katniss earlier that day about our future plans. I threw myself down on the bed, running the idea around in my head.
Theoretically, when I took over, I'd be able to hire anyone I wanted. So it would only be right to hire someone with some experience. If Katniss had experience then she'd be the perfect candidate. If she started working here with me now then she'd have experience. It sounded fool proof to me. And then she'd have a job when we graduated since she'd already be working here. Brilliance!
Even though we were slow to steady in the evenings I could still use the help. Someone to man the counter while I made mixes or finished filling an order. Someone to help share the clean up. Even just having someone to talk to would be nice since some nights it could get pretty lonely.
Now I just had to convince my mother it was a good idea and I was no fool. My father wouldn't have a say in the matter.
But I don't know if Katniss would even want to work here. I huffed loudly then turned over to face the window. I like to keep it open at night and I gazed out into the dark, breathing in the cool evening air.
I guess there's only one way to find out: ask. But I frankly didn't know who to ask first: my mother or Katniss. I let sleep take me over, rather than keep ruminating the matter any further.