Brutus approached Enobaria in the hallway, just before first period started. He hadn't spoken to her after the game during the weekend, since she left just as soon as she got there. "Hey, I thought you didn't like football."

"I don't," Enobaria said. "I went for other reasons."

"Which would be?" Brutus was curious to see what stupid excuse Enobaria would make up. He knew she went to the game to see him.

"None of your business." Enobaria tried to move past him, but he was blocking her way. "Can you move?"

"Not until you agree to go out with me, again," Brutus said.

"Is that your approach for everything? You're never going to get what you want by playing it that way," Enobaria warned him.

"Why won't you go out with me? We went out once, what's the harm?" Brutus asked.

"I'm not interested." Enobaria managed to move past him.

"Come on! How come you're the only girl who's said no?" Brutus asked. "What's wrong with you? Are you mental or something?"

Enobaria finally lost her cool. She turned around. "Well, I'm sorry I'm the only girl in this school not throwing myself at you!" She turned around and continued to walk.

"Well, maybe if you didn't pull away from people so much, guys would actually like you!" Brutus said back. His consequence: a well-deserved slap on the cheek in front of everyone in the hallway.

"Don't ever assume you know me," Enobaria warned him before turning and walking away.

All eyes were on Brutus. "What are you all looking at!?" He walked away, touching his red cheek that would soon turn into a bruise. He walked into the History classroom and sat down, slamming his fist on the desk.

Gale, along with Finnick, Marvel, Clove, Cato, and Glimmer walked over to him. "That looks youchie," Cato noted.

"Care to explain how you earned that?" Clove asked.

"I kinda pissed off Enobaria in the hallway," Brutus replied. "I asked her out and she refused, again. I got mad and things were said and now I have a red cheek."

"I'll get you an ice-pack from the nurse's office." Glimmer walked out of the classroom, not even bothering to ask for Haymitch's permission since he was passed out on the desk.

"Something tells me that the date was just because of the favor," Finnick concluded. "I told you it was a bad idea."

"Shut it," Brutus snapped at Finnick.

"I hope you're ready to lose $350 bucks," Finnick said.

"I am," Brutus said. "I can't do it; she's not going to let me in."

"You're giving up? That easily?" Cato asked. "Brutus, you haven't even gotten to first base with her."

"Well, I can't get her to go out with me if she won't agree to go out on a date with me," Brutus reminded him.

Glimmer came back and she carefully placed the ice-pack on Brutus's cheek. "That's going to bruise up pretty soon."

"No need to remind me," Brutus said.

"Dude, don't give up just yet. There's still hope," Marvel tried to keep some hope. "You have to apologize for whatever you said so that she'll be on good terms with you. You knew she's hard to get from the beginning."

"What did you say, once you think of it?" Clove asked.

"She started it! She said, 'Well, I'm sorry I'm the only girl in this school not throwing myself at you!' And then I said, 'Well, maybe if you didn't pull away from people so much, guys would actually like you!'"

"You didn't." Finnick was in shock from what Brutus said to Enobaria. "Good luck on apologizing."

The bell rang and they headed to second period. All through second and third period, Brutus was thinking of ways to apologize to Enobaria. He was blocked. He thought of flowers, chocolate, letters. No, Enobaria wasn't going to like any of that; she wasn't like any of the other girls.

He needed to do something different; something special.

XXX

A few days after the little incident with Brutus in the hallways, Enobaria was sitting on her bed, working on a homework assignment that was due the next day. She heard rocks being thrown at her window; but she ignored the noise. She knew it was Brutus; but she decided to ignore the noise.

Once it was too much, Enobaria stood up and headed to her window. He'd probably break her window if he kept on throwing rocks.

"What do you want!" Enobaria shouted to Brutus.

"I came to apologize!" Brutus replied from her front lawn. Enobaria snorted and walked away. "Wait! Just hear me out!"

She walked back to her window. "You've got three minutes. The clock is ticking."

Brutus stepped back to reveal flowers that formed the word, 'Sorry'. He had an expecting look on his face, hoping she'd forgive him.

"Really? Flowers? You thought you could just buy my apology like that?"

"What do you want me to do? I'm very sorry about what I said about you a couple days ago. I shouldn't of have said that; I don't even know you that well… I also would have apologized a couple days sooner, but I was thinking of a way to apologize."

"You just had to say that," Enobaria said.

"What? I didn't hear you that well," Brutus told her.

"I said that you just had to say that! You didn't have to bring those flowers and make that grand gesture!"

Brutus should have known. He knew Enobaria was different from other girls. She wasn't into grand gestures and boys buying her chocolates and flowers. She actually considered that to be pretty shallow and cliché.

"Do you forgive me?" Brutus asked.

"Fine, I forgive you." Enobaria didn't even know why she was forgiving Brutus. Maybe it was because she was feeling lonely and she wanted some company other than her uncle and aunt. "But this doesn't change anything; I'm still not going out on a date with you."

"Then friends?" Brutus asked, hoping she'd at least let him be her friend.

"Friends. Now get out of here before I call security."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

Brutus ran to his car and quickly drove away. What did Enobaria feel? A sense of relief? Comfort? Didn't matter. Once she was sure he was gone, she went downstairs, collected the flowers, headed to the kitchen, and put the flowers in a vase with water.

She smiled.