A/N: You guys are so awesome! Thank you for all your kind reviews!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.
Chapter Nine
"Peeta, can I talk to you, please?"
Peeta stared at Principal Coin in surprise, not sure about whether she was expecting an answer or was just letting him know that they were going to talk either way. Madge looked taken aback, standing beside Peeta with her mouth hanging open. It was quite a shock, being stopped in the middle of the corridor by the principal, asking to 'talk' to him. It had certainly never happened before. Madge slowly reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Um, o-okay," Peeta stuttered nervously. Coin nodded and started walking down the corridor to her office. Madge turned and quickly pulled him into a hug before he could follow.
"It's probably nothing," she muttered into his arm.
"I hope so," Peeta replied.
"It will be," Madge insisted.
"Are you coming Mr Mellark?" Coin called.
Madge pulled back and hit his arm with a jokey smile. "I'll tell Mr Hadley you're talking to her," she said.
Peeta nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly.
Principal Coin's office felt like it was designed to make students uncomfortable. Or maybe that was just Peeta being paranoid. He stood anxiously by the door and watched Coin sit down at her desk, wondering whether he was supposed to sit down as well or whether she would think he was being rude for just assuming that he could sit down.
"Please, sit," Coin said. Relieved, Peeta did so, perching uneasily at the edge of the chair opposite hers. His heart was pounding, beating his ribcage like a hammer against a wall. He fiddled with his fingers to keep himself calm. What was this about? "There has been many concerns raised recently over how long you actually stay in school after hours."
Peeta's mouth felt as dry as a desert. Who was concerned? Who noticed? "I-I've been taking-"
"Extra Credit Biology, I know," Coin said. She propped her elbows on the edge of her desk and gave him a strange look. "Who else takes these extra credit classes?"
"I-I-It's just m-me." God, he was stuttering like a fool. Was Coin able to see through that? Did his stutter give away that he was hiding something?
"I see," Coin replied. She didn't sound like she believed him. "And these classes are taken by . . . ?"
"Mr Hadley." Even saying his name made Peeta feel like he was giving too much away. Like saying Cato's teacher's title was the same as saying, "He's my kind of sort of boyfriend, Miss!"
Coin nodded, as if this made sense. Peeta didn't see how it couldn't make sense, since Cato was the only Biology teacher in the college so why wouldn't he be the extra credit teacher? Peeta looked past Coin and out the window behind her, where a swallow was perched on a branch. It must be nice to be free like a swallow, with no ties to keep it in place. It could take off and go where-ever it wanted. While he was trapped here in Principal Coin's office.
"You see, Peeta, you're not supposed to be alone with a teacher, even after school hours," Coin explained. "I know there's no possible way you could have known this but as a teacher Mr Hadley is well aware of this rule and I don't understand why he's broken it."
Peeta swallowed, trying to wet his parched throat. It wouldn't work. "W-what are you trying to s-s-say, Miss?" he asked.
Coin lifted her eyebrows. "You tell me," she replied.
His heart felt like it was going to explode, and his stomach was churning so badly he felt sick. Was she expecting him to just answer? Go, 'Oh yeah Miss, we're having a relationship,' with no problem? His hands were trembling now, his fingers jittery and tripping over each other. Peeta decided to just stare at Coin, waiting for her to continue.
"Look Peeta," she finally said, "you're a good kid. Your grades are good and you've never been in trouble. But, and I don't mean this offensively, but you seem to be a very naive boy. Like you wouldn't know if someone was taking . . . advantage of you."
"A-a-advantage?" Cato wasn't taking advantage of him!
"Peeta, I know talking about these things can be difficult but the school has to know if something is going on," Coin insisted. "I know you may not realize it but you're the perfect target for a sexual predator. A bit anxious, innocent, a little bit naive. I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, I'm just trying to do my job and make sure you're safe."
"I am safe," Peeta quickly said. "There's nothing going on, I swear!"
Coin didn't look convinced. "I'm sorry Peeta but the extra credit classes have to stop. Even if there is no funny business going on, they have to end as of now. I don't want to think the worst of Mr Hadley but he is definitely capable of causing a lot of trouble when he wants to." She tilted her head. "Is that a love bite, Mr Mellark?"
Peeta flushed, tugging his coat collar up to cover the hickey Cato gave him. "No," he said. "It's . . . It's just a bruise."
"How in the world did you get a bruise on your neck?" Coin asked.
"I . . . I tripped."
"And fell on your neck?"
Peeta nodded. He knew it didn't sound convincing but he had to keep with it. He just wanted to curl up into a ball and die right there. Coin sighed, still in disbelief, and slid a pamphlet across the desk. "I'd like you to read this," she said. "And if you ever want to talk, my door is always open."
Peeta picked up the pamphlet and frowned. Written across the front in big red letters was:
Have you been sexually harrassed?
Whoa. This was a bit too surreal. He wasn't being sexually harrassed, couldn't Coin see that? Why wouldn't she believe him?
"Okay, thanks Miss Coin," he said, not having the courage to argue. He awkwardly stood up and went to door, glad that this whole ordeal was over.
"Oh, and one more thing," Coin said, haulting him at the door. "I'm arranging for your timetable to be switched."
Peeta turned back around, alarmed. "Why?"
"I'm not saying I don't believe you when you say that nothing is happening but I would be much more comfortable if someone else took you for Biology," Coin explained. "I've arranged for another Biology teacher to come in."
"Mr Hadley won't lose his job, will he?" Peeta asked.
"Oh no, I can't fire him because of a couple of worries. But I do have license to investigate it further," Coin explained. "And if there is even the slightest hint of something going on, then I have full authority to suspend him, which can lead to the permanant loss of his job."
Oh god, Cato couldn't lose his job because of him! Peeta was horrified at the thought. "Okay Miss Coin," he said quietly. "I understand."
Miss Coin smiled. "You're a good kid, Peeta. I'd hate to see you get hurt over something that could be easily solved."
Peeta clenched his fists. You don't understand. If I tell you the truth, your solution would hurt more than the problem does.
~xXx~
Peeta sat on a bench outside the college, the pamphlet clutched in his hands. It didn't make sense. Who had raised the issue about him extra crediting for Cato? Who was concerned about him? Who told Miss Coin that he was always on his own when he was with Cato anyway?
Some of the stuff in the pamphlet was ridiculous. Cato wouldn't do any of this to him! It was all ludicris, some of it even somewhat embarrassing.
By way of example, prohibited conduct that may be considered harassment or discrimination may include unwelcome or inappropriate:
- verbal comments or remarks that are derogatory, sexually suggestive, offensive, threatening, intimidating and/or hostile;
Cato definitely did not do that. He was so keen to keep his mouth shut he actually wrote it on his computer for goodness sake just so that he wasn't going to get himself into trouble!
- physical behaviour such as pats, squeezes, deliberate brushing against someone's body, impending or blocking normal work or movement, unwanted sexual advances, or unwanted touching;
Now that was just silly. Cato was constantly respectful. He never touched Peeta when he was uncomfortable or didn't want it. It wasn't touch him unless given the green light and never, never, touched him inappropriately just because he felt like it.
-visual harassment such as displaying messages, photos, graffti, pictures, cartoons, or drawings, even at one's own work station, that are derogatory, sexually suggestive, offensive, threatening, intimidating and/or hostile;
- written comments or remarks including, email, voicemail, text messages, and posts on online social netwros that are derogatory, sexually suggestive, offensive, threatening, intimidating and/or hostile.
Well, he did write the dream log but he didn't do it with the intention of Peeta seeing it. It was for his own private use which, as creepy as that sounded, wasn't nearly as bad as actually writing it and forcing it down Peeta's throat just to show him that he was doing it in the first place.
The pamphlet was infuriating. Maybe it helped for people who were being sexually harassed but the information proved that Peeta was not being abused by Cato. None of it added up. But if he tried to insist this to Miss Coin, he knew she wouldn't understand. She'd probably think he was being even more naive than she already believed he was.
But what if Cato got into trouble because of their actions? Peeta didn't want to be responsible for Cato losing his job. He didn't feel like he was worth it. He wasn't worth it, really. If they continued . . . whatever was going on between them . . . Then Cato was definitely at risk of losing his job and, in extreme causes, going to jail.
Gathering all his courage, Peeta stood up and made his way to Cato's street as fast as he could. He knew that his teacher wouldn't be home but he went anyway. His heart was pounding again, pumping blood around his body and making him feel sick. He was scared, god knows he was always scared, but he had to try and do this. If it worked, then it meant that things were supposed to continue between them, if it didn't, well, then it didn't. And Peeta would end it.
He didn't know how he came to this decision from reading a sexual harassment harassment pamphlet but he had to know if this was genuine. If what he had with Cato was true or if it was just a fling. Because Peeta didn't want Cato to lose his job over a silly fling.
Cato told him where he hid the spare key, in case of an emergency, and Peeta grabbed it from underneath the plant pot, sticking it into the lock and getting into the house before anyone saw him.
It felt weird being in Cato's house on his own. It was empty and seemed much larger. Like if he spoke, it would echo out. Peeta couldn't stay downstairs too long or he would start rethinking what he was about to do. He went up stairs as quick as he could and locked himself in the bathroom.
Taking deep breaths, he looked at himself in the mirror. He hated how he looked. Skinny, sickly pale and sissy blond. What did Cato even see in him in the first place? Peeta stared at himself for a long time, trying to see what every person who had ever asked him out, Marvel and even Cato himself saw in him. He couldn't see anything other than a plain, boring boy.
But he still had to do this.
Stepping away from the mirror's judging gaze, Peeta shrugged off his cardigan and folded it up. He yanked his shirt over his head, hating the feeling of the cold pricking his skin. He untied his shoe laces and kicked them off, immediately fixing them so they sat on the right side of each other. His hands fumbled with his belt and he shucked his pants off before he rethought it all.
The point of all this? He wanted to see if Cato was going to accept him as he was, inside and out. Because if he wasn't prepared to do that then what was the point? What was the point in Coin changing his timetable and putting Cato's job on the line if their relationship wasn't going to go anywhere anyway?
As soon as he caught sight of himself in the mirror, Peeta cringed and had to get one of his tablets out of his backpack.
Okay, he could do this.
Could he?
~xXx~
Cato slammed the door behind him. God, it had been such an infuriating day. Alma actually had the nerve to move Peeta out of his class just because of some 'concerns' raised by other people. He'd like to meet those concerned people so he could introduce their faces to his fist. Why couldn't people just mind their own business? Why do they involve themselves in things that didn't concern them?
Urgh, Cato was so frustrated. He hadn't seen Peeta all day and missed him terribly. How was he going to survive the days to come knowing that Peeta wasn't going to be in his classroom, keeping him sane? How was he going to survive the rest of the year without him there? Without Peeta all his biology class was was a room packed full of hormonal girls who didn't understand half of what he was saying.
He went upstairs, wanting nothing more than to lie down and try to sort things out in his head. He was about half way up the stairs when he saw the bathroom door open. Whoa, was someone in his house? The door hadn't shown any sign of being broken or damaged, so a thief didn't seem likely. Plus, what sort of thief would go into his bathroom anyway? Well, maybe they wanted his toilet paper with the flowers printed on them . . .
Cato pushed the bathroom door open. A green cardigan, a backpack, a shirt and a pair of pants lay on the floor. Strange, they looked like Peeta's clothes. But Peeta wouldn't strip in an alien environment, he already told him that. It was one of his many idosyncrasies that made up his unbelievably sweet self. Cato looked behind the door and noticed that his dressing gown was gone. Curiouser and curiouser.
He decided to pop his head round Peeta's door, just in case. The probability was that he just left his clothes the last time he was over but it was just a precaution, in case something had happened and Peeta was in trouble, as unlikely as it sounded. Cato didn't want to take any risks.
Out of all the things he thought he'd see, this had never crossed his mind.
Peeta sat against the wall opposite the door, practically drowning in Cato's dressing gown. His head snapped to the door as soon as it opened, his eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Cato didn't know what to say, or do for that matter. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions and he didn't want to assume anything, but he was pretty sure that Peeta wasn't . . . wearing anything under that nightgown.
Because the dressing gown was so big, it pooled at his elbows. His pale shoulders were on show, the ivory skin pebbled from the chill of the room. His legs were bare as well, curled up to his chest with his feet pressing into the carpet. Cato was no expert but unless he was wearing skimpy clothing (which really wasn't Peeta's style) he was naked under there.
"P-Peeta?" Cato asked, confused as to what exactly was going on.
"They wanted to get me to admit to you sexually harassing me," Peeta said. "They said you might lose your job. I don't want you to risk your job for something that might end in a couple of months time, and before we commit to something serious, I need you to see the real me. Every inch of the real me." He slid up the wall so he was standing, his hands trembling as he started to intie the knot keeping the dressing gown tied around him.
"Oh Peeta, you really don't have to-"
"No, I know I don't. I-I want to."
The knot came out and the dressing gown fell.
A/N: There is currently an unmovable tie between two of the stories on my poll so I'm going to alter the settings so you guys can vote one more time for a story. Can you vote for a story that you didn't pick the last time so the results vary a little bit?
Please R&R! :D
