Chapter 9:
Thresh cautiously walked up to the door that the beautiful red head had disappeared into a few minutes before. He had tracked down the fox-faced girl and followed her to her hotel. Yes, it did sound stalker-ish, but it was three in the morning. He would have gone sooner but Brutus wouldn't let them go out and Cato had gotten to the truck before he did and had to wait for the now happy couple to return.
He knocked once and the answered the door almost instantly. She quickly and soundlessly stepped out of her room and out into the hallway, clearly to not disturb her room mate.
Thresh opened his mouth to introduce himself but the girl cut him off before he could. "You're the boy from my fight aren't you?" Thresh sat there, dumbfounded for a second and the red head rolled her emerald eyes. "The one with Sevina" she elaborated, spitting the word out like acid. She had not taken the loss well, especially considering she was undefined before that days events.
"Yeah" Thresh said, nodding slowly as if he was having trouble comprehending her question.
She rolled her eyes again and asked, "What do you want?"
Thresh gulped, pulling on the collar of his hoodie. "I wanted to know your name and maybe get your number" he said sheepishly. The fox like girl cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes.
"Why?"
"When you were fighting Clove I couldn't take my eyes off you. You were just mesmerising and I had to at least know your name."
"And you thought to come to my hotel at 3 in the morning to tell me that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Thresh gave out a long sigh. "Trust me when I say I entended to come way earlier. My trainer wouldn't let me out and then my friend took the truck before I could and I'm sorry."
"Since you apologised I suppose I could tell you my name" she said and Thresh's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "It's Finch, but everyone calls me Foxface."
"Pretty name. I'm Thresh."
"Well, Thresh, I suppose I'll see you at the next tournament."
"Absolutely" he said and she gave him a nod before disappearing into her room.
"C'mon, Clover, gi' me a kiss" Cato begged, sticking out his bottom lip, pouting.
"No, Cato" Clove said, shutting her gym locker and leaning her back against it, facing her boyfriend.
"Why not?" He whined. "I saw you in the halls, like, five times and sat next to you at lunch and you look so pretty today. Well, everyday but today especially. Not to mention seeing you half naked here at the gym" Cato added and Clove rolled her eyes.
"Well, you've seemed to keep it in your pants pretty well so I think you can live without a kiss" Clove said. She broke into uncontrollable giggles when Cato's mouth dropped open. "Keep that closed, baby, you'll catch flies" she joked, patting his cheek and trying to get by him.
Cato put a hand on her waist and kept her in place. "Did you really just say that?" He asked, still surprised. Clove nodded, giggling. "Ok, now I get a kiss" he said and pressed his lips to hers.
"Oh, ewwww. No PDA! Gross guys!" Thresh and Marvel yelled as they walked into the back room to see Cato and Clove kissing. They pulled away and Cato flipped the two boys off.
"Someone's angry" Thresh teased.
"Get out!" Cato yelled and the two boys ran out of the room.
"Where were we?" Clove asked, grabbing the back of Cato's neck and pulling his lips down to hers in a passionate kiss.
"What do you mean your dad doesn't know you're gay?" Clove asked rather loudly in the busy hospital hallway. Their conversation had started like any normal one had, Clove asking how his dad was doing and Gale asking the same about Annie but had somehow made its way to the topic of Gale's straightness.
"Shh!" Gale seethed, placing his hand over the smaller girl's mouth. "If he finds out he'll have a heart attack!" He added, looking around nervously, eyeing nurses, doctors and the family of patience as they walked by them.
Clove rolled her eyes and pulled Gale's hand off her mouth. "No he won't" she said. They were currently standing outside the door of Roger, Gale's father's, room. He was in the hospital because he had a sever heart condition and had to be kept under observation at all times. No one knew yet if he would be able to leave the hospital and return to his normal life yet, but for the time being he was to stay confined to his bed.
"So you're saying I should just walk in there and tell him I'm gay when just yesterday Posy tripped and his heart rate went through the roof?" Gale asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"You're a hypocrite."
"How am I a hypocrite?"
"Annie doesn't know you and Cato are dating and that's been going on for, like, three days" Gale retaliated and Clove's mouth clamped shut. Gale was the only person outside of her family that knew about Annie's condition and even he didn't know the whole story, or any of it really.
"That's different" Clove said, her arms crossing in front of her chest.
"How?"
"It just is."
"You're so full of shit" Gale said, narrowing his eyes at the small girl.
Clove sighed, knowing she was defeated. "Fine, you want me to tell her I will, but if she has an episode you can blame yourself." Gale smirked at her and followed her down to the psychological clinic where Annie spent most of her time.
As soon as they walked through the doors and into the clinic the copper headed girl captured Clove in a hug. "Clovie! I missed you so much!"
"I saw you ten minuets ago, Ann" Clove said, pulling away. "Say hi to Gale" she reminded her. Her manner, like her personality, were the ones of a five year old.
"No!" Annie defied stomping her foot and crossing her arms across her chest, sticking her tongue out at Gale. "I'm not going to talk to that meany!"
"That's ok" Gale said, a childish grin spreading across his face. "I'm just here because Clove wants to tell you something."
Annie's attention turned towards Clove, her sea-green eyes wide. "Annie, do you know what a boyfriend is?" Clove asked, hoping she did so she wouldn't have to explain it.
Annie nodded and then, as if realising something, she gasped and asked, "is Gale your boyfriend?"
Clove and Gale laughed. "No, no, Annie. Gale doesn't like girls, but I'll tell you about that some other time" Clove said. "My boyfriend is another boy named Cato."
"Oh, That's alright as long as you still love me!" Annie exclaimed, hugging Clove once again.
"Annie, It's hard not to love you" Clove said, hugging Annie and pulling away again. "Now, I have to go sign you out and then we'll go, ok?" Clove asked and Annie nodded.
Clove pulled Gale back to where they were standing less than twenty minutes before. "Ok, now you have to tell your dad."
"We never shook on it" Gale said, thinking he outsmarted Clove.
"Get your ass in there and tell your dad you're gay or I will beat your ass" Clove threatened and Gale raised his hands in defence.
"Ok, ok, I'm going" he said and walked inside of the room.
"Hi, Gale, I didn't know you were still here" Clove could hear Mr. Hawthorne say from the other side of the door.
"Yeah" she could hear Gale sigh. "I just needed to tell you something."
"What is it, son?"
Clove grabbed a glass off the nurse's table nearby, pressing it against the door. She knew Gale's reply was going to be almost silent and she needed to hear it. "Dad," Gale said, taking a shuddering breath. "I'm gay."
There was silence for a few minutes and Clove highly considered barging into the room to make sure both men were still alive, but then Mr. Hawthorne spoke. "I'm not going to lie, that was unexpected."
"So... You're ok with it?"
"I don't have much of a choice, son, but if you're sure..." Mr. Hawthorne trailed off.
"I've known for a long time. It took me a while to admit it to myself, but I'm sure" Gale said and that's where Clove left, not wanting to hear the details of their "manly" conversation.
She signed Annie out and Frank picked them up. Soon enough Clove was laying in her room, glad everything turned out ok.
