Author's Note: Hey all! I was on a country kick while writing this chapter so if you were wondering about the tone of this chapter, the following two songs definitely influenced it: Striking Matches – When the Right One Comes Along and Lee Brice – Hard To Love. As always, thank you so much for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! Please keep them coming and I might just post the next chapter before Christmas!

Disclaimer:This fanfic is rated 'M' for language and sexual content. I do not own any of the characters or the Hunger Games.


Chapter 7: The Hangover

"What time did you get home last night?"

I try to force my eyelids open and see Prim sitting on the edge of my bed with a glass of water and what I think is an extra strength Advil. No regular strength for me, I definitely need the extra strength after the night I had. I swear Prim's a god sent at times like these. I'm surprised that my head doesn't feel too bad really but my body, now that's another story. I feel like I slept all night with a shoe sticking into my rib cage Oh wait. I fish underneath me and pull out my shoe from underneath me. Huh, well that explains that.

"Nice," Prim giggles.

I look do a blurry once over of my room. I remember walking home with Johanna but I can't seem to find her anywhere. Just as I'm about to ask, Prim answer my question as if reading my mind.

"Don't worry, she's in my bed. I found her passed out face first in the living room rug so I moved her to my bed about an hour ago."

"Thanks," I say with a hoarse voice. I pop the magic pill into my mouth and down the glass of water in two gulps. Ah, that feels…slightly better.

"I'm not sure when we got home. Around two maybe? Why? Did we wake you?" She shakes her head and stares at me with a smirk on her face as if she's waiting for me to continue.

"What?" I raise my eyebrows annoyingly and hope that the tone of my voice will wipe the smug look off her face.

"So, how did it go?"

Just because my head isn't pounding doesn't mean that it's clear enough to piece together all that happened last night. I'll need at least a day to piece that all together. It also doesn't mean that I'm about to discuss it with my little sister.

"It was fine," I say while propping myself up on my elbows. "I think I drank a little more than I expected, but overall it was fun I guess." I can sense that she's not satisfied with my answer and that I'm going to have to give her something more in order to get her to drop the subject.

"We talked. It was nice." She doesn't need to know what happened after we talked. I'd rather not relive it myself anyways.

"Uh huh." She sounds unimpressed by my lame answer. "How nice? Nice like how his behind looks in his tight jeans? Nice like his chiseled jawline? Nice like the bulge in his…"

"PRIM!" I throw a pillow at her and she goes crashing off the bed ass over teakettle. I'm worried for a split second until I hear her muffled laugh on the floor. "You can leave anytime now!" I screech. She crawls out of my room still laughing as I throw another pillow at her.

I need to brush my teeth, my mouth feels like a train wreck. I drag my sorry butt into the bathroom and grab for my toothbrush. I stare at myself in the mirror while brushing my teeth and notice a faint red mark on my wrist. Oh yeah, Cato. I wonder what happened to him after we left the party. Actually, I could really care less. He's still the same cocky bastard from high school. Some people never change I guess.

I find Johanna still fast asleep in Prim's bed a few minutes later. She still has on a face full of makeup from the night before and she looks uncomfortable, like her jeans are digging into her or something. Maybe she's got a shoe in her rib cage too. I try to sneak out to let her sleep a bit more but I ram my foot into the leg of Prim's desk on my way out.

"FUCK!" I hear Johanna rustle around in the sheets.

"Morning to you too," she mutters in a croaky voice. "Thanks for the wake up call."

"Go back to bed," I whimper while trying to hop out of the room on one leg. I think my toe is turning purple. Ew.

"Don't have to tell me twice." She's out like a light before I make it to the door.


Johanna doesn't get up until well after noon, but no one really minds. She stumbles into the kitchen and opens the fridge in desperate need of water I'm sure. I toss her the bottle of Advil from the table and she misses it completely causing her to fall on her ass with a load thud. She flops down on the floor and sprawls out with a moan.

"Just leave me here and pretend I'm part of the floor."

I laugh and lay down next to her on the cool floor. It feels surprisingly refreshing and comfortable given my current state. I turn to face Johanna and she looks like she's passed out already again.

Johanna transferred to our school in seventh grade. I couldn't imagine transferring schools at that age. Everyone pretty much has their set cliques by then. She's originally from the west coast so you'd think she'd be one of those tanned, busty blondes that wears cut off jean shorts and tank tops everywhere. Instead, she showed up here on her first day of school with spiky purple hair sporting ripped jeans and a t-shirt with a skull with a fist through it. Let's just say Delly and her friends weren't first in line at the welcoming committee.

Johanna lived with her aunt and uncle for those first few years. I eventually learned that her dad traveled internationally for work quite a lot and her mom died when she was really young. She was alone most of her childhood while mostly under the care of nannies so her dad felt that she needed more family interaction and shipped her off here to live with her only living relatives. I didn't talk to her that much at first or even really pay attention to her until grade ten.

Finnick was having a pool party and she strolled in with a bottle of whisky that she stole from her uncle's liquor cabinet. Some guys were trying to dare me into jumping off the roof of Finnick's house into the pool. Little did they know that Finnick and I had been doing this stunt since we were ten, so I accepted the challenge no problem. She followed me up to the roof to get a better view I think but just as I was about to run into cannonball off the edge, Johanna punched me in the stomach and I fell like a bag of potatoes.

"That's what it'll feel like when you belly flop off the roof brainless. I just saved you the trouble." I remember her laughing her head off for schooling me and just staring up at her in bewilderment trying to catch my breath. She just laughed again and pulled me to my feet. "Here, drink this." I downed the glass of whisky and it burned my throat like hell. "My name's Johanna. I'm your new best friend." I laughed and shook my head. And that was that.


My shoulder blades are starting to feel sore from all the pressure from the tile floor but I can't really bring myself to move. I close my eyes and hope to catch a few more zzz's before Johanna wakes up again. Just as I'm about to doze off, I hear Johanna snort as she startles herself awake.

"Shit," she exclaims, "we need to get my truck." She rubs the sleep out of her eyes while yawning dramatically. "Fuuuuuuck. I can't move. Can you just roll me there?"

"Good luck with that. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here on this floor."

"Come on. Please? You were the one who dragged us out of there in the first place." She sits up and kicks me in shin.

"Ow! What was that for?" I'm sure that will bruise later so I'll just add that to my ongoing list of injuries. "Oh shut up, you were in no condition to drive last night anyways. You kept telling me we had to turn left at every intersection to get home. You'd still be going in circles around Finnick's house if it wasn't for me."

"Fine fine. How about we get my truck and maybe get something to eat along the way? I get my ride and you get to fill your pie. Sound good?"

"Tempting." I frown in response to her trying to use my only weakness to her advantage.

"I'll fucking pay then, just to sweeten the deal."

"Fine."


I stumble back to my room and throw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweats that have been sitting on my floor for who knows how long. My sunglasses are sitting on my desk so I grab those too, it looks to be pretty nice out thankfully. By the time I get back to the kitchen, Johanna's sitting face down on the table twirling her keys on her hand.

"OK, let's do this," I say while sliding into my flip flops. A loud sigh is the only response I get from Johanna before I pull her off the table and towards the door.

I was right. It's an absolutely gorgeous day out and the fresh air is doing wonders for my body let alone my mood. The sun is shining a little too brightly for my liking, good thing I brought my shades along. It's pretty quiet out, but I guess it is Sunday so everyone's probably either having lunch after church or still in bed sleeping off the night before.

"So…are we gonna talk about what went down last night? Or am I still pretending that I didn't see anything."

"Well that depends, what do you think you saw exactly?"

"Hmmm, let's see. After Madge came running in freaking out, all I was able to get out of her was Cato, you, and help. By the time I grabbed Finnick and we got there, all I saw was Cato rolling around on the ground cursing about his balls so I can only assume someone sacked him, and then bread boy was holding your hand. Well, at least he was until we got closer, then you snatched it back and started screaming at him. Sound about right? Feel free to jump in here anytime now. You know, set the record straight and tell me what really happened."

"I kneed him," I reply flatly. "I didn't sack him."

"Well isn't that a relief," she sighs dramatically. "Hopefully that's the only action that dick got last night. I'm sure the rumor mill will be eating that shit up later. Who knows, by tomorrow you'll have given him the most intense hand job that he was out of commission for the rest of the night."

"Great, just what I need for my reputation."

"Whatever, I'm glad you were there though." Her voice takes on a more serious tone as she moves her sunglasses from her head to her face. "You know how Madge gets when she's wasted."

I do all too well. Madge has always been a light weight which has unfortunately also earned her a bit of a reputation for putting out while under the influence. She very rarely follows through though which has gotten her into a few sticky situations before, but nothing like last night.

"Yeah, me too. It was just…bad timing…for me that is." Bad timing is the story of my life when it comes to guys.

"So yeah, what happened there? I remember looking out a few times and seeing you two all cozy up in the gazebo. I had to direct a few drunkards in the other direction so that you wouldn't be interrupted. I guess Madge and Cato slipped under my radar."

"Am I supposed to thank you?" I ask maybe a bit too coldly. "I didn't know I needed to be helped."

"There it is again!" She shoves me and I almost fall off the sidewalk. "What's with the defensiveness? I've never known you to be one for so much drama. What's wrong with a little help once in a while anyways? Would it really kill you?"

A car honks as it goes by, I'm not sure if it was someone I know or if it was because I almost fell into oncoming traffic but it makes me jump. Johanna gives the car the finger as we resume walking. As much as the fresh air and the walking are doing for my body, my head is still swimming with so many emotions that I don't know how to start to sort them out.

"Sorry. I don't know what's up with me," I sigh. "It's like, ever since I left for school things didn't seem to get easier. They just seemed to get more complicated. There was no more black and white, so much grey area. Am I making any sense?"

"Um…maybe? Uh…no…not really. Are we talking about life in general or relationships?"

"Fuck, I don't know. Both?" I stop and stretch my shin on a tree. All this walking while recovering from a hangover maybe wasn't the best idea for my aching muscles. Maybe if I just start rambling something coherent will eventually come out. Sometimes this is how I figure things out, I just keep gabbing until things start to make sense.

"OK, let's start with relationships then." Johanna interjects. "Why are they so complicated? Correction, why do you make them so complicated?"

"Well, with Peeta last night is a perfect example. Things were going great and I was really having a good time and then the second he tries to help me, fuck, stand up for me, I throw everything back in his face." I still remember his wounded look when I yelled at him. It was a mixture of hurt and confusion. "I don't know why I blew up at him, honestly. In my head I was like, shit, why did I even open my mouth. Nothing good ever comes of that. I can't even blame the alcohol. I wasn't even that drunk anymore. I don't know where all that anger came from but it wasn't directed to him at all. It's like he was just caught in the line of fire, in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I don't get it. He likes you and I'm more than certain you feel something for him, even if you can't admit it to yourself yet. So why fight it? Just let it happen."

"It's not that easy –-"

"Well why the hell not!" she shouts. "For fucks sake Katniss! Just go with your gut for once and tell your mind to take the backseat!"

"I can't just turn off my brain, and I can't help it. It's like I'm trained to ruin things before they even have a chance to start. That sounds fucked up, doesn't it?" Of course it does, who in their right mind does that?

"Wow, someone must have really done a number on you to make you talk like that." She shakes her head as if she's disappointed in me, or my attitude more like it. "Well maybe that's a sign then. You know, maybe this isn't the right time to be starting anything serious."

Hmmm. She might be right. This year was pretty shitty in the relationship department so maybe I just need to take a break all together and be alone for awhile. Bu then why does the thought of being alone make me feel so…shitty. "I don't think it's that I'm not ready to be in a relationship, I think I'm just sick of the bullshit that comes with it. Why do I always seem to attract the wrong type of guy?"

"What? Like who?" she asks. It's then I realize that I've never really let Johanna in on my recent relationship attempts. I suck as a best friend.

"Uh, let's see…there was The Stalker…The Couch Dweller…The Mooch…oh and of course Gale, I don't really have a nickname for him yet. Too soon I think."

"Gale? As in Gale Hawthorne?" The way she says his name makes me cringe. "Shit, you never said anything about him! Details, I need fucking details! Way to go Everdeen! I never knew you had it in you! I heard he's like a god in the sack -"

"Uh, I wouldn't be so sure." I cut her off before she can divulge into any hearsay about Gale's extra curricular activities. "Things aren't always what they're built-up to be Johanna."

"Fine then, I can sense that you're not going to give me anything to write home about." I'm glad she's decided to drop the subject as I'm not in the mood to talk about Gale. "So, then what's wrong with Peeta?"

"What do you mean what's wrong with him?" What kind of a question is that? Nothing. There's absolutely nothing wrong with him. "Uh…nothing?"

"Exactly, you just proved your own theory wrong. Peeta's more than just attracted to you and I may not be the best at this match making shit but how can he be anything else but right for you? So yeah, maybe you had to kiss a few frogs before finding Prince Charming, or before noticing him at least. Who cares?"

We come upon a park that I remember playing in when I was little. I motion for Johanna to follow me as I lead her across the street. There's a large water fountain in the middle that we used to swim in after dark. We never got caught and I'm sure no one cared anyway but I always felt like such a bad ass when we did. We sit on the edge of the fountain and I wipe the sweat starting to bead along my hairline.

"Do you really believe in that kind of stuff?" I dip my hand in the water and it's cool and refreshing. "Not the whole Prince Charming thing but you know, that there's really someone out there in the world that you're meant to be with?"

"If I had known we were going to get all serious and shit I should have called in for backup." He sarcastic tone isn't lost on me so I splash her with fountain water which even though feels nice and cool; it's kind of slimy. Ew, there's too much algae growing in here. Johanna looks thoroughly unimpressed but her face softens and she continues, "Seriously though? Yeah, I think I do."

I've never really had a conversation like this with Johanna. We've always steered away from the topics that we knew made the other uncomfortable. Well, come to think of it, I mainly steered away from certain topics; she just always followed my lead and never probed too much.

"Then…how do you know when...you know, the right one comes along?"

Johanna sits silent for a minute. I can tell by the concentration on her face that she really wants to give me an honest answer.

"Well I can't say from experience, but I would like to think that there's something, something that just happens when you know, it happens. Like a spark or something that makes you think 'Hey, this is new'."

I'd like to think I know what she's talking about but I honestly haven't got a clue. I've never felt something like that for someone. Nope, pretty sure there hasn't been any sparks before. Is that a bad thing?

"Let's keep walking," Johanna stands and pulls me up. I get lost in my thoughts again as we stroll into the downtown area. Being Sunday in a small town, most of the shops are closed but there are a select few open so the sidewalks aren't completely void of life.

Johanna clears her throat and breaks my train of thought. "I also don't think you'll find it if you go looking for it. I think one day, when the moments right and you least expect it, it'll just happen. But that's just what I think. For all I know, I'm talking out of my ass. So maybe I'm not the most reliable source out there, you know broken family and all so it's not like I've had good role models for that kind of shit either."

Well at least she still has a positive outlook on relationships. I feel as though I'm still tainted by the bitterness of my past failures. Maybe she's right though. Maybe it'll just happen when I least expect it, or maybe it's already happened and I've just chosen not to see it. Fuck. Finnick's right. I'm pretty dense for a so called smart person.

"I think I know what you're getting at. Even if Peeta may be, as you say, the right one for me, I think that ship may have sailed already. He probably doesn't even want to see my sorry face again after my behavior last night." I keep replaying the awful scene in my head trying to imagine how the night should have ended. I'm just torturing myself now.

"Psshhh! Just a minor setback Everdeen, that's all."

"That's all? You were fucking there! You saw what I did, the look on his face. I might as well have kicked a little puppy. Oh god I'm a horrible person. I really do need help and I really need to apologize to him." I stop in my tracks and hang my head back and close my eyes.

"You know, you sure haven't lost your ability to over react." Johanna nudges my shoulder to keep me moving.

"Thanks. So I've heard. Come on, if our roles were reversed, you wouldn't have done the same thing."

She taps her pointer finger to her chin like she's mulling it over in her head.

"You're right, I wouldn't have. I would have sent Cato to the ER instead if it had been me. So yeah, I guess you're right about that one."

I roll my eyes at her, "You're not helping the situation."

"For fucks sake Katniss! How much more help do you need? I can't hold your hand through everything!"

I haven't been paying attention to where we are since my body has been on autopilot. I look up and see the familiar blue and white stripes of the patio umbrellas. Shit. I start to panic. "What are we doing here?"

"You said it yourself, you need help. Plus I said we would get something to eat. So here we are! Now go apologize!" She pushes me towards the entrance and I come face to face with the big white letters printed across the door, Mellark's Bakery.

"Shit Johanna! If I had known that we were going to come here, I would have…" I trail off as I glance at my reflection in the front window and cringe. Ugh, I look like hell in my white tee, baggy grey sweats, and flip flops. Couldn't I have picked something a little more…flattering?

"You would have what? Dressed for the occasion? Fucking relax. He's probably not even working today," she says with a smirk.

I hope to God she's right. I push open the door and a little bell rings signaling my presence.

Well, here goes nothing.