You Are The Only Exception
(Chapter 9)
Things haven't changed really since my 18th birthday. Peeta and I have movie nights, and Prim is still going out with Thomas, but my mother has been acting weird. She visits every month, and now since it's April, she is here again. I wake up on Sunday morning and walk downstairs to find her and my father talking. My dad smiles and greets me.
"Good morning, Katniss. You mother wants to talk with you." He says, smiling as he puts a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. Great, I've been trying to avoid her ever since shes been consistent.
"Okay." I say, and start eating my breakfast. My dad walks out, leaving for work while me and my mother sit in an awkward silence as I poke my fork around my plate, not feeling hungry anymore.
"Katniss.." My mother starts and I look up at her to continue, "You're old enough to make decisions, and I know what I did." She says plainly and I look down again. "I just wanted to apologize. I left you when you needed me. And, I'm sorry."
I stand up and nod to her, tears forming in my eyes. "I forgive you, but I'm still upset. You don't even know what I went though?! I had to get a job, I had to make sure Prim wasn't crying every night, let alone me! I had to ask myself if I was the one to blame. But you know what? I don't need you anymore! You keep trying to squeeze your way into my life again. Now that I'm stronger, I don't let my walls down that easy!" Tears fall down my cheeks and I run outside. I run past town, and into the woods and cry. I hear someone calling my name but my mind is to clouded to know where the voice is coming from. I curl up in a ball and sit behind a rock, crying my eyes out.
"Katniss?" Peeta calls out after twenty minutes of me crying behind a rock. I crawl out and see him standing with the sun surrounding him completely. He looks worried, concerned and greets me with a warm smile that warms my heart. He bends down and holds my face in his hands, brushing my tears away.
"Peeta, why is she trying so hard?" I cry, as he holds me, on the forest floor.
"She loves you, Katniss. I know it's hard to move on from what she did, but it's in the past. You can't push her away because of something that happened years ago." He says gently, stroking my hair.
"But it still hurts." I cry, I must sound like a little kid. "Sorry, I'm like this.."
"You can't be strong forever, Katniss. You just have to cry sometimes." He says, making me feel a lot better.
"Thanks, Peeta." I say, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"I think you should go give her a hug. She deserves it." He says, helping me up. I nod to him and we walk to the lake first. I clean my face and Peeta re-braids my messy hair. We walk back, hand in hand to my house. My mother has tear stained cheeks and red eyes on the porch, hugging her knees. I see her just when she sees me. Peeta releases my hand and I run. But not away this time, I run into my mothers arms for the first time since I was little.
"I'm sorry, mom." I say, tears no longer needing to fall. We stand there, for several minutes in eachothers arms.
"I want a relationship with you, honey. I love you." My mother speaks first when we let go.
"I do too, and I love you too mom. I never stopped." I say. She smiles at me and kisses my forehead.
"How about you go over to Peeta's for dinner? Mr. Mellark invited you." She says and walks inside. I barely noticed the sun is setting and Peeta still waiting in the yard.
"Good job, Kat." Peeta says and hugs me.
Later that night, Peeta's family plans to leave for District 4, to visit their cousins, the Odair's. Mr. Mellark and my father decided that I should come along, because the beach is beautiful. Peeta is helping me pack in my room, so we can catch the train by tonight.
"Could you go downstairs and bring up the laundry basket?" I ask Peeta who give me and kiss and leaves the room. I toss my bras and underware into my bag, while blushing. I don't know why I'm blushing. Urgh. Once Peeta comes back, I'm almost all packed. I grab my sweater from the basket when someone grabs me from behind. I jump then notice it's Peeta's arms around me.
"Hello there, beautiful.." I laugh, at his 'sexy' voice.
"Uhm, hi?" I say and squirm out of his arms and toss my pillow at him. We end up having a huge pillow fight, then kissing.
After I'm all packed I give Prim a kiss goodbye. "See you later, little duck." I say as I hug everyone else goodbye. The Mellark family, Jonathan, Ryan, Wheaton, Peeta, and the only non-Mellark, me, pile into their van. Peeta and I sit in the back of the van while Wheaton and Ryan fight over the front. We drive to the train station and board. Wheaton and Ryan sit across from me and Peeta. Mr. Mellark, or Jonathan, is in the other car with our luggage.
"So, Katniss.." Wheaton starts with a huge grin, and I rolls my eyes.
"Yeah?" I say, while Peeta grabs my hand.
"You heard of underware kid?" He laughs and I sit there in confusion as all the Mellark brothers seem to be keeping something from me.
"Wheaton!" Peeta shouts with red cheeks.
"Oh yes, Peeta is the underware kid!" Ryan shouts and Peeta goes silent.
"When he was a kid, I remember he used to run around the bakery in his underware and flour covered all over him. He was captain underware kid." Says the oldest brother, Wheaton.
I can't help but to laugh. I can just imagine a little blond haired boy, in his underware, running around the Mellark bakery. I look to Peeta who is the most red I've ever seen him. I lean over and kiss his cheek which causes him to relax slightly, with his cheeks still red.
"I think that's cute." I whisper in his ear.
After a few more hours of Wheaton and Ryan telling storys of them as kids, we're finally here. It's already day light and I'm exhausted. I grip onto Peeta as he carries me off the train and to their rental car. I fall asleep on Peeta's shoulder and wake up in a bedroom.
The walls are sandy colored, the carpet is white, the lamp is in the shape of a sea shell, and there are pictures of the ocean all over. I sit up and rub my eyes. I look out the window and see the Mellark family and what seems to be the Odairs.
Jonathan and Mr. Odair are sitting in chairs, talking. Wheaton, Ryan, and two other guys their age are all shirtless, playing frisbee on the beach, which I can see from the window. Peeta and from what he's told me, Finnick are shirtless talking and walking around. I just stare at Peeta. He looks so amazing, shirtless, he is actually very tan and he is more muscular than I thought. I also take note of Finnick Odair. He is tall, more taller than Peeta, with bronze hair, sea green eyes, and is exceptionally tan. He is very attractive, but I still think Peeta is more.
I look around and change into my swimsuit, with shorts and a tank top over. I run outside into the sand and look around. Peeta and Finnick come over.
"Katniss, this is Finnick. Finnick, this is my lovely girlfriend, Katniss." Peeta says, as Finnick takes my hand in his and kisses it gently. He winks at me and Peeta laughs.
"He is a flirt, ignore him." He says and I laugh too.
Me and Peeta walk on the beach together until the sun goes down.
A/N: Hey there guys! Sorry for the wait, writers block again! Next chapter should be up soon!
Read and review, please! The next chapter will be more of Finnick and Annie fluff. So I hope you guys stick around! Enjoy this extra long chapter and have a Happy Thanksgiving break!
I love you all and please don't forget to excuse my mistakes,(if any). I love you guys! ~Bekylou4jc xoxox
-I most certainly do not own The Hunger Games or these amazing characters. Just this story,(which is most likely not original)-
