Tuesday morning Katniss woke up still thinking about Peeta. She wondered if he would try to talk to her at school again, and whether he would be there that night to walk her home. She knew she probably shouldn't let him do it—she shouldn't have even let him walk her the night before. But if she was honest with herself, she had to admit she would not turn him down if he offered again. As ashamed of it as she was, she was still afraid to walk home alone.
When Rory showed up to walk Prim to school, Katniss felt a pang of guilt. She had not once thought of Gale and their fight since shortly after he had left the night before. As she watched Prim's face bloom pink when Rory took her books from her, Katniss remembered what Gale had told her before they had starting arguing—that something was going on between their younger siblings. From what she could see, Gale had been right. She trailed behind as they walked to school, observing the way Prim and Rory walked closely together, almost touching. There was a bounce in Prim's step, and her frequent laughter floated through the crisp morning air.
Katniss smiled.
She knew Gale thought they were too young, but Katniss didn't really think it was so bad. Gale was just overprotective of Prim, even when the boy in question was his own little brother. But Prim and Rory had known each other for years—their friendship was almost as old as Katniss and Gale's. And Rory was a good kid. He was trustworthy. Katniss knew he would never intentionally hurt her sister.
And if he made Prim happy, who was she to deny her that? Katniss had decided a long time ago that she would never get married, would never fall in love. But Prim was not like Katniss—it was in her nature to keep her heart open. Katniss wouldn't have it any other way; she didn't want her sister to share her own jaded view of the world. So if Prim fancied herself in love, Katniss was happy for her. And even happier that it was Rory, who she knew would always treat Prim like a queen.
When they reached the schoolyard, Prim tore herself away from Rory to speak to her sister before the first bell rang.
"Katniss, there's something I think I should tell you," she said, pulling her sister over to a corner so they wouldn't be overheard.
"What is it?"
"Rory was asking about your injuries. He asked if I was sure it was just an accident."
Katniss rolled her eyes.
"I'd bet all my money Gale put him up to it," she said. She told her sister about the fight she had had with Gale. "Gale's just using him to try and worm information out of you."
Prim looked at her with sympathetic eyes.
"I'm sorry, Katniss. But I think you did the right thing—Gale has a horrible temper."
"Tell me about it. You didn't tell Rory anything, did you?"
"No, of course not. But I just thought you should know."
"Thanks, Prim. I guess I'll try to talk some sense into Gale again later."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Prim grinned.
"Oh, shut up."
The bell rang.
"Better get to class, Little Duck. Give Rory a kiss for me, okay?"
"Katniss!" Prim cried, embarrassed. Katniss just laughed and tweaked her sister's nose.
"See you later!" she called as she walked away, still chuckling to herself. She was going to have some fun teasing Prim about her new little romance.
Just before she reached the door, Katniss looked up to see a pair of blue eyes watching her from across the yard. When he saw her looking back at him, Peeta smiled and gave a small wave. Unable to help herself, Katniss smiled back before she hurried into the building.
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The rest of the day passed by smoothly. Peeta didn't try to approach her, although she thought she might have seen him looking in her direction a few times. She did her best to avoid his gaze, since there were only two options available to her for a response: she could either give him a smile, or she could give him a glare. Neither choice was appealing, so she avoided looking altogether.
After school Katniss headed to the Market to pick up a few odd and ends before starting her shift at Greasy Sae's. After she had finished her shopping, her eye was caught by a beautiful piece of fabric at the dry goods stall. She ran her fingers over the soft material—the deep blue would exactly match the shade of Prim's eyes, and Prim had a birthday coming up. She checked the price tag and sighed. Maybe she could pick up a few weekend shifts and save up for it.
She was walking away when she saw something that made her gasp. Standing there not ten feet away was Devin.
He hadn't spotted her yet—he was too busy haggling with the butcher. Katniss noticed that he looked horrible; he had not one but two black eyes, and his arm was in a sling. Suddenly he looked up and caught her eye. They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, and then Devin sneered and looked away. He was limping slightly as he walked off.
Katniss realized she had been holding her breath. She felt lightheaded, so she made her way over to a bench where she sank down, shaking. She had always known the odds of running into Devin or Ryland eventually were high, because District Twelve just wasn't that big. But why had it had to happen so soon? She had been having such a good day.
She sat there for nearly ten minutes trying to calm down, but when she realized she was going to be late for work she forced herself to get up and move along.
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Peeta was waiting when her shift ended that night, and she was so glad to see him after what had happened she returned his smile as they started off together. They walked in silence for about ten minutes before Katniss surprised herself by speaking.
"I saw Devin today."
At first she wasn't sure why she was talking to Peeta about this, but then it dawned on her that he was really the only person she could talk to. Gale, her usual confidante, was out of the question. Prim had already been scared enough, she was just too young. And her mother…well, Katniss hadn't really talked to her mother in years.
"You saw Devin?" Peeta asked, his tone angry. "What the hell? I told him to stay away from you!"
"No, no," Katniss said quickly. "Not like that. We just both happened to be at the Market at the same time. It was a coincidence."
"Oh," said Peeta. He looked at her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I think so. It was kind of a shock, but I guess it had to happen sometime."
"Did he see you?"
"Yes."
"Did he do anything?"
"No, he just shot me a nasty look. All he could do, really, in a public place like that."
"If he ever touches you again, I'll kill him, I swear," Peeta said, his voice tight. "I have a mind to go punch his face again a few times just for looking at you."
Katniss was a little taken aback by his vehemence. Peeta had always seemed to her to be such a kind and mild person, it was strange to see this side of him.
"That won't be necessary, Peeta," she said and tried to lighten the mood a little. "I think you worked him over pretty well the first time. He looked like he'd been hit by a train!"
"Yeah, well…he deserved it," Peeta muttered.
"Well, I won't argue with that," Katniss said. "But how did you do it? Fight both of them at the same time, I mean?"
She had been wondering this for days.
"I don't know," Peeta shrugged. "I guess I'd just had more training than them. I'm on the wrestling team, you know."
Katniss nodded. She had known that.
"Plus, I have two older brothers. You don't grow up in a house full of boys without learning how to fight," he laughed. "Especially when you're the baby."
Katniss experienced a moment of disconnect trying to reconcile this tall, broad-shouldered young man beside her with the word baby. She grinned to herself.
"There were other factors, too," Peeta went on thoughtfully, as though he had never considered this question before.
"Like what?" she asked.
"Well, for starters…you had softened them up pretty well for me. They were both already bleeding when I got there."
Katniss laughed. "True. I broke Ryland's nose."
"And did a very nice job of it too, if I may say so," Peeta grinned.
"You may. What else?"
"They were drunk," he said. "That slowed their reflexes just enough to give me an advantage. And, I guess, the fact that I was so angry. When I realized what they were doing…I just saw red."
Katniss didn't say anything to this. She didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry," said Peeta. "Does it bother you to talk about it?"
"No," Katniss answered honestly. "I think it kind of helps, actually." She paused. "I have thanked you for what you did that night, right?"
Peeta laughed again.
"More than amply, I promise."
"Good."
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Every night for the next two weeks, Peeta was waiting for her when she walked out of Greasy Sae's. Like the first night, most of the time they didn't talk. Katniss didn't mind the silence, but she couldn't help wondering what was going on in Peeta's mind.
They never interacted at school, even though they shared two classes and a lunch period. Peeta seemed happy to comply with her unspoken wish to keep their relationship a secret. He didn't impose on her in any way, he simply showed up every night to see her safely home.
She couldn't understand what he was getting out of the arrangement. As time went by, it started to bother her more and more.
Finally, on the Friday night two weeks after their walks had started, Katniss couldn't stand it any longer. They had just turned down her street when she spoke up.
"Peeta, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," he said.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" he asked innocently.
"This," Katniss spread out her hands. "Why do you walk me home every night?"
He looked at her sideways.
"I'm just making sure you get home safely."
Katniss sighed, frustrated.
"I know that. That's not what I'm asking."
"So what are you asking?"
"I'm asking why? Why you? Why me? You don't even know me. Why have you taken on this…responsibility?"
By this time they had reached her house, and Peeta stopped and just looked at her for a minute.
"You really don't know?" he asked quietly.
"No," said Katniss. "If I knew I wouldn't be asking."
He paused, then took a step towards her. He was standing much too close now. He looked into her eyes.
"Katniss…" he breathed, and suddenly his hand was cradling her cheek.
Katniss was frozen in place, held captive by his gaze. Time seemed to slow down, and she could hear her own heart beating. She had time to notice how long and full and blonde his eyelashes were, the freckles scattered sparsely across his nose. He was leaning in. She could feel his breath warm on her face. He was going to kiss her.
She pulled back with a jerk, and time resumed its normal pace.
"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I'm sorry, Peeta. I don't…I don't want to do that. I'm sorry."
She turned and practically ran inside her house. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She could not believe what had just happened.
Quickly, she moved to the window and peeked out from behind the curtain. She was just in time to see Peeta turn and walk away with his hands in his pockets and his head bowed. Katniss felt like crying as she watched him go.
So now she had the answer to her question, and he had the answer to his. And when Monday night came, she knew he would not be there to walk her home again.
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AN: Gah, I always forget to add these. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you for all the kind reviews and alerts and favoriting. Each and every one really means a lot. Please keep reviewing…I love to hear what you all think! And if you have any questions about where the story is going, etc., I'm glad to answer as long as it doesn't give too much away! :)