I finally get home after what felt like one of the longest days of my life. I smell dinner cooking as I walk in and Prim rushes over to me and hugs me.
"Hey," I say smiling, Prim can always make me smile, " thanks little duck I needed that."
"How was school?" Mum asks from the kitchen I look up at her and roll my eyes and she smiles. "That bad?" she asks and I nod and she giggles.
"How was your day Prim?" I ask as she sits down to her homework.
"It was good but I have lots of homework already." She complains I smile and grab myself some water.
"Have you got any homework?" Mum asks I shake my head smiling.
"Strangely no but I do need to start thinking about something to do for my history of Panem project." I say.
"Are they still doing that? I remember doing that when I was your age. My partner and I did a model of the Capitol. Who are you partnered with, Madge?"
"No Madge isn't in my class I have been paired with Peeta."
"Peeta, Peeta Mellark the bakers son?" Mum questions.
"Yes do you know him?" I ask frowning and sitting down. Mum blushes slightly.
"I know his father, went to school together." She says looking down at the counter top avoiding my eyes.
"Oh right," I say and she turns to face me.
"Go wash up for dinner, it will be five minutes."
I stand up and I get changed and wash my hands. I sit back down again at the table and Prim skips in.
"I am so hungry." She says as mum puts a plate down for her. She brings over a pot filled with stew and my stomach rumbles.
After a delicious dinner and helping Prim with her homework I have a quick shower and get changed for bed. I climb under my cool sheets and I set my alarm. I close my eyes and quickly fall asleep my dreams are filled with dazzling smiles and bright blue eyes. My alarm startles me awake indecently quickly and I roll out of bed and quickly get dressed. I hear mum and Prim chatting while I brush my teeth. I enter the kitchen and am greeted sweetly by Prim and I take my toast and say goodbye.
I'm under the tree again and munching my toast when I see Cato, both his eyes are and impressive purple and I can't help but laugh. I quickly stop when he spots me and I curse myself as he storms over to me angrily. I groan and I quickly stand up.
"Something funny Neverclean?" He says and I back away shaking my head, oh how I hate that nickname. I slip on a tree root and bash my head on the tree painfully. He stands threateningly close and I have to turn my face away. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you Neverclean. You never know when accident's might happen." He whispers in my ear making my body tense.
"CATO!" I hear someone yell and Cato is shoved roughly away from me. I am shaking slightly Cato's words chilling me to the bone. I open my eyes and see Peeta standing in front of me.
"Don't make me break your nose this time." Peeta says through his teeth, Cato chuckles but backs off no amount of bruising covering the flash of worry that flashed on his face. I stare at him and he looks at Peeta then his cold eyes lock with mine.
"Accident's happen." He says and Peeta steps towards him threateningly.
"Leave!" He says through his teeth again and Cato turns and walks away. Peeta turns to me his jaw set in an angry line but concern shining through his eyes.
"You didn't need to do that." I say my voice sounding shaky and weak, I am so embarrassed. "It was my own fault I laughed at him."
"Are you ok?" He asks ignoring my ramblings. I nod my head and it throbs. I put my hand where it hurts and I feel something sticky I look at my hand and there is blood. Peeta's eyes widen and I try to hide my hand but he grabs it. His jaw clenches and I swear I hear his teeth grinding.
"It's fine." I say and he breathes through his nose and pulls me behind him and into the school building. "Peeta, I'm…" He turns and glares at me and I shut up. He pulls me into the school office and stands me by a wall and he looks around.
"Where is the nurse?" He asks the receptionist in a snappy voice which makes her penciled on eyebrows raise.
"She is not here until noon." She says looking over her glasses at Peeta he groans, his jaw tight again.
"Peeta…" I start to say but he silences me again with a look.
"Do you have a first aid kit?" He says looking back at the receptionist.
"It is in the nurses office but you shouldn't go in…" The receptionist calls after Peeta but he ignores her and walks into the nurses office without permission. The receptionist looks at me frowning and I give her a little shrug and she looks back at her computer screen. Peeta comes back out of the room with a little metal dish and a green first aid box he backs me up and sits me down on a chair and sits down next to me clicking open the box.
"Can you please move your braid out of the way for me?" He asks pulling on a pair of gloves. I do as he asks and turn from him slightly so he can see the cut; he sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth.
"Is it bad?" I ask turning back round worry clear in my voice.
"There is quite a bit of blood but it probably look worse than it is. Now turn around." I frown at his bossiness.
"Have you done this before?" I ask and he looks at me his eyebrows high.
"You forget who my mother is." He says and I turn around unable to think of a good response so I opt for silence and Peeta just chuckles.
It was not secret at school that Peeta and his brothers had all fallen victim to their mother very short temper. Peeta had to have a week off school when he was eleven after receiving a beating form her so severe he was hospitalized. Well he was sent to my mother. Luckily for him this was before my father died and mum was no use to anyone. I remember it vividly.
"That is the third game you have one tonight." dadsaid as he shuffled the cards with a grumpy face and I laughed. There was a loud bang on the front door and I sprang up an rushed to it. I opened it up and Mr Mellark was there covered in blood and holding Peeta in his shacking arms.
"Katniss is your mother in?" He asked his voice shaky and I nodded my eyes still on Peeta, his head was bloody and he was unconscious and he was covered in bruises.
"Mummy!" I yelled and I heard my dad crashing through the living room.
"Katniss what... Alex oh my god what the hell happened?" Dad said shoving me inside, "Lavender get in here now!" Dad yelled and mum rushed into the room.
"Oh my goodness! What happened Alex?"
"She, she just didn't stop." He said and mum nodded and exchanged a look with my father and he picked me up and carried me into my room. I listened as my mother treated him and told Mr Mellark how lucky he was not to be dead an how he had suffered a few broken ribs and he would need to be in bed untill he felt up to moving as his head would be painful for a long time.
I gasp as Peeta wipes over the cut saving me from my horrible memory."Sorry," he says in a low voice and I shiver slightly as his fingers brush down the side of my neck making me blush. "Did I hurt you?" He asks.
"No." I say my voice low and husky, how embarrassing. I clear my throat and he starts to gently clean the cut and it stings.
"Thank goodness it is only a little cut." He says and I smile he removes the pad and blows lightly on the cut, instantly my skin prickles and I shiver again and I feel my skin erupt with goose bumps. "Feel better?" He asks his voice still low making my heart flutter slightly. I nod and let go of my braid and turn back to face him.
"Thank you." I say and he smiles as he pulls off the gloves.
"No problem." He says. We stare at each other and he frowns a little.
"You two get back to class if you are done." The receptionist says poking her head out of her office and we both jump he quickly jumps up and cleans away after himself and I get up my head feeling a little tender and he comes back over to me.
"You sure you are ok? You look a little pale." He asks taking up my bag.
"I am fine, I can carry that." I say and he smiles at me and walks off taking my bag with him. I follow after him and shake my head. I just don't get him.
"Where have you two been?" The teacher asks through narrowed eyes as we enter the class ten minutes late.
"The nurses office Miss we needed to use the first aid." Peeta says as we sit down.
"Both of you?" She asks looking unconvinced.
"Peeta had to fix me up the nurse is not in until this afternoon." I say making the whole room still. I never normally talk in a classroom full of people, I smile at Peeta as the teacher closes her mouth and accepts our story.
The morning is quick and during break I sit at my tree again and I sigh when my sunlight is blocked out again.
"Now I know you are stalking me." I say looking up and seeing Peeta he smiles and sits down.
"I promise I am not I just don't like sitting on my own." He says and I roll my eyes, "How's the head?"
"Sore." I say touching the back of my head lightly and I feel a little bump.
"You should go and see the nurse when she is in."
"No I am ok really plus I have Gym next and it's my favorite class."
"Really, I didn't know that." Peeta says his eyes brows raising and vanishing under his hair.
"Why would you?" I say frowning slightly trying not to smile.
"Well as your stalker I should… I'm kidding!" he says quickly and I narrow my eyes at him. "I'm kidding honestly, why'd you like it so much?"
"I get to do archery." I say with a shrug. "I like to climb too and I like cross country, it's good for practice for…" I stop myself and he smiles, why am I telling him all this?
"For?" He asks sitting forward and I know from his expression that he knows the answer.
"For hunting." I say and he chuckles.
"Of course but why would you need to climb though?"
"Element of surprise. Also it is useful for getting away from wild dogs." I say with a little smile. He grins and nods his head and the bell rings. We both stand up and walk towards the gym building together.
"Can you show me how to shoot?" he asks as he holds the door open for me.
"That's what the teachers are for." I say as I pass him.
"I know but these guys are not the professionals and I mean proper shooting like hunting."
"I don't know, I don't exactly do it for fun."
"I know that but I would like to learn you know for my family." He says and I stop and stare at him. I rely on selling my game to his family and if Peeta was to start hunting for them I would lose a lot of money and Prim would lose out.
"I can't, I need to sell…"
"Oh no I mean anything I catch, if anything, you can sell. It could be our little secret." He says in a hushed voice and I just stare at him.
"I… I will think about it." I sat frowning.
"That's all I ask." He says and he turns into the noisy boys changing room and I stare at the door. I am not sure how Gale would feel about bringing a "Rich boy" along on one of our hunts. I shudder at the thought and head to the changing room to get changed.
I walk quickly onto the schools game fields and make a beeline to the archery area. I grab a bow and a sheath of arrows and head to the farthest away target. I raise my bow and line up my shot, I loose my arrow and it slams into the bull's eye. I smile and line up another shot and look around, I spot Peeta running past me on the track and he waves. My fingers slip on the string and I let go of the arrow and it lands on the ground ten feet away from me and he stops running and laughs. I stomp over to the arrow and walk back to my line and I fire angrily at the target and it hits the bull's eye again. I hear clapping and Peeta is smiling. I cannot help but smile and take a little bow and he starts running again still laughing. The rest of the class goes by too quick as it always does when I am enjoying myself. I tag along at the back of the class as we head back into to get changed and I notice Peeta walking ahead of me by himself. I frown at this; I wonder if he has stopped talking to all of his friends? I wonder why then realize they have probably stopped talking to him after he hit Cato. Cato is definitely the leader of the group nobody ever stood up to him. Well nobody did until Peeta punched him the other day. He would have not done that before well maybe he would have but he would have got a lot worse than a cut lip before. Before the summer if Peeta had hit Cato I reckon Cato would have broke Peeta in two but now, well now Peeta was definitely bigger than Cato now. I stare at him as he walks a head of me and I find myself staring at his butt as he enters the building. I blush and let out a little laugh and the girl who was walking in front of me turns and looks at me a scared look on her face. I just stare at her and she quickens her pace.
I get changed and head towards lunch, I am very hungry and even the little sandwich I have in my bag seems appealing to me right now. I sit in my normal seat and pull out my lunch and Madge skips over to me smiling.
"How are you? I heard about earlier, that Cato is a real piece of work." She says scowling in his direction, "Who ever gave him those black eyes is a hero."
"It was Peeta." I say taking a bite of my sandwich, nope the sandwich was not as good as I had hoped.
"Peeta, really, why?" Madge asks her eyebrows raised and I shrug. "I thought they were friends?" she adds.
"Apparently not."
"Aww look at him," Madge says looking over my shoulder and I turn to see what she is looking at. "He looks lonely." Peeta is sat at a small table on his own and I turn back to face Madge who is smiling annoyingly at me. "I'll invite him over."
"No!" I say but she ignores me and stands up.
"Peeta!" She yells making everyone stop what they are doing and look at her.
"Madge!" I hiss through my teeth.
"Oh hush Katniss. Come and join us." She says and I hear a chair scrape and Madge sits back down grinning at me.
"You are a nightmare!" I hiss at her.
"Hi." Peeta says as he sits down next to me.
"Hi." I say before taking a huge bit of my apple, Madge looks betewwn us and smiles.
"So what are you sitting over there all on your own?" Madge asks ad I widen my eyes at her threateningly and she sticks her tongue out.
"Well I don't talk to them anymore." He says nodding to his old group of friends.
"I see, what happened to your lip?" She probes.
"Madge for god sake!" I say and she ignores me.
"I got in a fight."
"With Cato?"
"Yeah."
"That was brave of you, he is very strong." She muses. Peeta shrugs.
"I don't like fighting," he says, "I'd rather talk things through but Cato talks with his fists so…"
"Looks like you can handle him though. He is in a horrible state."
"I have two older brothers, I have has a bit of experience with avoiding being hit."
"Why did you fight?"
"That is none of your business." I say scowling at Madge.
"You have a lot of questions." Peeta says with humor on his voice.
"I am just curious is all." She says innocently.
"Well he… I… we just had a disagreement." Peeta says glancing at me then down at his food.
"About?" Madge asks, she is always so bloody nosey! I try to kick her under the table but I hit my toe on the chair leg, Madge smiles at me evilly.
"Nothing in particular." Peeta says picking at his cheese bun.
"You nearly broke his nose over "Nothing in particular", it must be a girl?" Peeta blushes slightly.
"That's enough Madge. It really is none of our business." I say getting up. They both stare at me and I stomp off throwing my half eaten lunch in the bin as I pass, I will regret that later. I don't know why Madge's interrogation of Peeta bothered me but it really did. He probably wanted to sit on his own but then he was called out to in a room and interrogated by my annoying friend. I decide to sit in an empty cubicle in the girls' bathroom for the rest of lunch but I am not left alone for very long at all.
"Katniss," Madge says quietly as she enters and I sigh. She knocks on my door. "I know you are there I heard you sigh!" She says and I can tell she is trying not to laugh.
"Go away!" I say and she chuckles.
"Are you having a temper tantrum?" She asks and I stand up and flush the toilet and open the door.
"If you really must know I was peeing." I lie.
"What ever Katniss." She says and I push past her to the sinks and wash my hands. "What is up with you? You are moodier than usual." She says looking at me in the mirror.
"Nothing," I say and she raises her eyebrows, "I have a head ache."
"Well go to the nurse." She says.
"I am not dying, I will be fine." She rolls her eyes.
"You are in a special mood today. Peeta was worried about you but I explained that you are always this hostile."
"What? I am not, why would you tell him that?" I say angrily. She just stares at me her eyes narrowed slightly and a small smile playing on her lips.
"Interesting?" She says in a little voice.