Recap: Johanna Mason, my friend, is making out with my ex-boyfriend right after he got out of jail. This should be fun.
For a second, I can't move. All the bad things he's done to me flash before my eyes, and all I can think is how much I don't want Jo to get hurt either. She has no family, has been in foster care since she was twelve, and neglected by her foster parents. She has put up a very thick wall and has only let Finnick in.
Finnick of all people.
When I snap back to reality, I realize Peeta is staring at me, waiting for me to react, as well as Finnick. Instead of thinking before acting like a rational person might do, I storm out the bakery door and walk straight up to them. Johanna's hand is knotted up in Gale's hair, and Gale's hand is resting on the small of her back slowly inching its way down. I stand there until I've had enough, and then I walk right in the middle of them both, my head breaking their lips. Johanna stumbles backward, and Gale is just standing there dumbstruck. For a moment, I'm afraid he'll also do something irrational like hit me – or Jo. But he just stands there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"Katniss what the hell?" he finally chokes out. Seriously? That's his fantastic first words he says back to me? Maybe a 'Hey Katniss, sorry for making out with your best friend,' would have been a little better.
"What the hell? You're 'what the hell'-ing me? I should ask you the same question! What the hell Gale?" I ask with sarcasm lacing my voice.
"Well, you obviously hate me, and trust me, the feeling is mutual, but you don't need to get all jealous now that I'm with someone else." Again, what the hell? He thinks I'm jealous?
"I'm not jealous!" I shout back.
Johanna finally decides to join in and say something.
"You two broke up! It's only fair!" she yells back. What happened to not dating your friend's ex-boyfriend? Does that not apply because he went to jail? I think not.
"It's not like this is something new Katniss! Or were you that oblivious all along?" I let Gale's words sink in. 'Not like this is something new,' echoes around in my head. It finally clicks – Gale was cheating on me with Johanna Mason.
The world slows down a little. I think back to all those times he canceled the plans we had, the coming home drunk, when he would 'accidentally' run into Jo and they would hug for a little too long, or when his lips would sometimes taste like cherry chapstick and liquor. I can't believe she would do this to me. Was this whole thing a lie? When she would sleepover, or we'd go to parties… was everything fake?
I blink back tears that should not be shed in front of either of them, and head back inside and slam the door. Johanna calls something that I don't quite catch, and I don't bother to look back. I head straight for the back room and when I see a head of messy blonde curls, I run straight into his arms. I don't even bother thinking about all the flour and frosting on his apron, all I want is to smell cinnamon and dill, and to be enveloped in his strong arms. He starts to sooth my hair and I let myself melt a little. I lay my head on his shoulder, and he places his cheek on my hair. I hear soft footsteps coming from the entrance to the back, and I see Prim standing there looking solemn as ever. Once she realizes that I want to be left alone with Peeta, she quickly backs out and heads to Finn. I let one tear, and one tear only to slide down my cheek. Once I take a shaky breath and squeeze my eyelids shut to keep the rest from falling, Peeta mumbles a question.
"What did Gale say?" he asks.
"'What the hell Katniss?'" I try to mimic his voice.
"After that?" he urges on. I really don't want to talk about this.
"He…he said that he's been dating Jo the whole time and that I was oblivious."
"Oh my gosh Kat, I had no idea." He pulls me impossibly closer, and decides to go for the hair again. It's actually extremely calming.
"How could I be so stupid?" I whisper just loud enough for him to catch.
"You weren't stupid at all. I promise. You just didn't want to run away, and you were a little… distracted… by other things." By which he means abuse. I guess it's true. Maybe that's why he did it, abused me, so he would blind me from the fact that he had two girls at once. Gosh, I was a real idiot. I think I'm more mad at myself right now than anyone else. Gale did his job nicely. He should get a trophy with '#1 Abuser 2013' written on it. Maybe I'll buy one for him.
I pull away from Peeta and whisper goodbye and leave the bakery with Prim. I'm so sick of this crap. With my mom never home, and an ex-abusive boyfriend who has been secretly cheating on you with your so called "friend", who just got out of jail, life seems to be weighing down on me. And still only Peeta and the cop knew about Gale's bad side. Someone should really tell the rest of my friends… but what they don't know won't hurt them. I decide to just not tell them, and try to cover up whatever happened with a fake smile, like I did before.
Prim and I walk inside, and sitting on the kitchen table is some take-out Chinese that has a little note that says to preheat it. I tell Prim to warm it up herself, because I'm far too exhausted to even use the microwave.
I shuffle to my room, pull out the first pair of pajama pants I see, and throw them on carelessly. I take out my phone and headphones and put on some sort of emo-rock station on Pandora. I jump on my bed with a thump, and lay down. These songs are annoying me. Skip. This one is too happy. Skip. I hate this band. Skip. This is mine and Gale's song. Change stations. Well, this station is alright, until it plays 'Hey There Delilah'. I instantaneously think of Peeta humming this morning. Was that only today? The chorus picks up, and I hear a light pitter patter on my window – rain. I laugh at the irony of the situation. Like a stupid cliché movie, I'm sitting here reminiscing on bad times, listening to music, all well there's rain beating down on my window. Gosh, does it really have to rain this hard? I want to scream at the clouds right now, as well as everyone else in the world. I freaking hate rain! Why must it be rain? I throw a pillow across the room in frustration of the annoying liquid. You know what else is annoying? Delly Cartwright. She just had to ask Peeta out! They're probably on their date right now! I would call him, and tell him to come over, but no… he's with Delly! Why is she so happy all the time? I text Peeta anyways, and say that I want him to come over. He soon texts back and tells me the obvious; 'with Delly'. Damn you Delly Cartwright. I text Peeta again, and tell him that I'm mad at him.
He never responds.
About a half hour later, rain still pouring, I start hearing thumping against my window. I get out of my bed, and look out my window. There, standing in jeans, a hoodie, and a beanie, is Peeta Mellark, throwing rocks at my window in the pouring rain. Despite the fact that I told him I was mad, I can't help but to laugh. I open it up, and I realize he's singing to One Direction.
"Katniss you light up my world like nobody else! The way that you're wearing flannel pajamas gets me overwhelmed! And when you laugh at my ass it ain't hard to tell, you-o-o-o-o you're not actually mad at me!" He shouts from the ground. I'm practically peeing my pants right now. "Kaaaaatniiis! Can I come in now? It's really cold and I just serenaded you! Come on!" he whines. I rush downstairs careful not to wake Prim this time. I open the door and there waiting is my wet best friend. He's got a goofy smile on his face and his messy blonde curls peeking out beneath his hat.
"You're a dork you know that?" I ask with a chuckle.
"But I'm your dork." He walks in and pulls me in a giant hug lifting my toes off the ground. He kisses me on the cheek and puts me back down. In this moment, I have no idea how I could ever be mad at him.
"I'm going to take you somewhere." He announces.
"Where are we going?" I begin to scribble a note telling Prim I left with Peeta, in case she gets up and worries.
"The Hob. Like always." A smile creeps on my lips as a grab my coat and Peeta's hand and we run into the rain.
We're running down the sidewalk because Peeta had to park the car down the block. It's about ten-thirty, and the street lights are illuminating the slippery sidewalks. We're both laughing the whole time. I keep yelling about how he's an idiot, and we should have parked closer, but he insists "It takes the fun out of it."
He dramatically stops in the middle of the sidewalks and shouts, "Kat! I need to ask you something!"
I'm laughing harder than ever, and I feel a six pack coming on. "What? Can we just go? I'm so wet! If you didn't know it's raining!"
"It's important!"
"What?" I ask through fits of laughter.
"Do you know… The Muffin Man?" He asks in mock seriousness.
"NO! It's cold! Let's go!" I grab his hand and sprint down the street pulling him along.
When we get to the restaurant, we request a booth, and sit down. I'm sure my hair is a mess, and my clothes are soaking, and my face is red as a tomato from sprinting down the sidewalk. We're still both laughing and out of breath. A young waitress probably our age approaches our table and asks what we want to drink. Once she leaves, I start out a conversation.
"So… how was your… uh… date?" I ask awkwardly.
"Oh yeah… It was alright." He says a little unsure. "Delly was really happy, but I think of her more of a sister, you know?" I nod my head, but am slightly confused. Am I considered "a sister" to him? If we ever did go out – wait what? Since when did I think about Peeta and me dating? Alright then.
We continue to talk for a while. Laughing, joking, and being ourselves. We leave the restaurant, and it turns out the clouds cleared up, and the stars are now visible. We both look up at the same time. We walk our way to the car hand in hand, randomly gazing at the sky tonight.
Once we get there, Peeta suggests, "Why don't we go to the meadow?"
"That sounds good."
We arrive and get out of the car and lay down in the grass. I rest my head on Peeta's shoulder, and stare up.
"You ever think things will get better?" I ask.
"Eventually. It has to get worse before it gets better." He sounds a million years old when he says this.
"I'm just so done."
"Me too. But we've got each other in this whacked up world we call life." I look over at his face, and he gives me a slight smile. I have no idea what takes over me, but I lean in ever so slowly, and press my lips against his. I feel a warmth grow from my lips to my toes, and I know I will not be the first to pull away. But when the time comes, he leans his forehead against mine and unmistakably whispers three little words. The words that scare me more than death. Three words that mean so much, and can be taken for granted.
"I love you."
AN: WOW! A lot happened in this chapter! Tell me what you thought! And always, I don't own THG.