Things were going extremely well that night. Too well, Clove knew. Something undesirable was bound to happen, because that's how the universe worked. She knew that better than anyone else.

But while she was talking to Luke, she couldn't help but feel like tonight would be an exception. She cursed herself mentally for the weird, girly feeling that was starting to seep into her gut. This wasn't how she was supposed to feel, especially not in the presence of her ex-boyfriend.

Still, she couldn't help but relish in the niceness of the moment. It was the eighteenth birthday of one of her best friends, Glimmer and her friends hadn't tormented her yet, and even Cato Weston hadn't made an appearance.

Well, that was what she thought until she saw, of course, Cato himself walking towards them, beer in hand.

"Hey guuuys," Cato drawled, stopping in front of the two, wearing black dress pants, a black dress shirt and a gunmetal grey suit jacket. Clove glared at Cato, suspecting traces of intoxication. Little did she know, however, that Cato was about as sober as drunk got. It took a lot for the big guy to feel much of anything when it came to alcohol. "What's up, Clover?" he grinned, and Clove could only roll her eyes.

"Luke, this is Cato Weston," Clove said, turning to her ex-boyfriend as Cato stuck his hand out. "And Cato, this is Luke Maximillian."

"What's up, man," Luke said coolly, flashing his own grin. For some reason, Cato felt the anger rising up in him when Luke seemed much too smug for his liking. How was the guy around Clove with such comfort? "New here?"

Cato nodded, keeping his posture confident. "From Manhattan to this hellhole." Clove tried not to roll her eyes once more. Only the spoiled, arrogant and pretentious asshole that was Cato Weston would call the Hamptons a hellhole.

Luke, on the other hand, chuckled. "It's not that bad," he attempted to justify, then put on a boyish grin. "At least not this side of it since you do have the prettier girls." He winked at Clove, who shoved his arm lightly in protest over the cheesy compliment. There was something distinctly different about her attempt at conveying annoyance, though. It was certainly different from the way she groaned at Cato's comments, and he took much notice to that. "Anyway. I'll let you two alone for a little bit, gonna go grab a drink. Clove, you need one?" She shook her head, rejecting the offer.

As Luke walked away, Clove instantly returned her infuriated glare at Cato. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What are you talking about? Figured I'd introduce myself to Mr. State Champion," Cato replied smugly, feigning innocence.

"How did you know…" she trailed off, realizing there was only one way Cato would know about Luke. Her eyes scanned the crowd before they landed on Peeta and Gale outside of the window on the deck, the two failing to look like they weren't watching. Clove smiled sarcastically at them, giving a fake wave before putting all her fingers down but her middle.

Cato let out an amused laugh. "I'm sorry, was I… interrupting something between you two?" he asked suggestively.

"Hmm, you're funny," Clove shot back. "And what if you were, anyway? Not that it's any of your business."

Cato shrugged, unfazed. "I do what I want," he said arrogantly, before taking another drink of his beer. "Having a dry night?" He asked, holding up his bottle.

"Beer tastes like shit," Clove replied simply.

"Always the buzzkill, aren't you," Cato commented and Clove shot him another look.

"Better than being a shitfaced mess," she pointed out.

Cato laughed and shook his head in amusement. "You don't have to be shitfaced to be drunk," he countered. He did have a point. "Besides. Maybe that's pretty boy's type."

Clove raised an eyebrow. "Pretty boy? You're one to talk."

"I'm just saying," Cato shrugged, glancing at the kitchen. He spotted Luke, standing as he talked to Glimmer, who was dressed in a tight, nude-colored dress that night. She was running a finger on Luke's chest flirtatiously while the tall boy held a drink in one hand and kept his other hand in his pocket. Normally, Cato would have been possessive. After all, Glimmer had been his toy for a few weeks now. "Looks like he's enjoying your sister dearest."

"What?" Clove turned to where Cato was looking as she watched her stepsister toy around with Luke. Her face turned even more pale than it usually was, and her jaw dropped only in the slightest before she tried to recollect herself. Pull it together, Clove.

"You wanna make them jealous?" Cato asked suggestively, slowly stepping towards her before she looked back in his direction.

It took Clove a few seconds to register Cato's question as she turned around. "What are you talk-" she started to say, but was interrupted by the touch of Cato's hands to her cheeks and the collision of their lips.

Clove instantly tensed up, her body unable to follow her mind's loud orders to pull away. The petrified state of Clove did not go unnoticed to Cato, who took advantage of the absence of her protest and the slight part of her lips for his tongue to make an entrance. His hands found her loose curls, and his fingers ran through the strands before they lingered down her arms. As he enjoyed the taste of her lips in what seemed like hours, he laced his fingers with hers knowing full well that her first instinct afterwards would be physical aggression-a punch or a slap, he learned, was her go-to gesture.

As he pulled away finally with a smirk, he took a look at her expression, predicting one of absolute loathing.

He found the anger that he'd expected, but he could have sworn he could see traces of fear and vulnerability.

From the deck, Jacqueline and Katniss had found Gale and Marvel, who were having alcohol over mindless chatter. "Hey guys, what's up?" Katniss asked, mounting herself on the deck railing beside Peeta as she held a bottle of hard lemonade.

"Aren't you the DD?" Peeta asked, spotting her drink.

Katniss laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think there's a chance of Clove getting drunk."

"Speaking of Clove," Gale interjected. "Luke Maximillian was talking to her earlier. The douche has returned."

Jacqueline laughed. "He wasn't that bad," she protested, scanning the crowd for either Clove or her ridiculously attractive ex boyfriend. "And, anyway, how could he not talk to her when she looked like... oh my god." She stopped, her eyes widening when she spotted was going on in the living room.

"What?" Peeta asked, following Jacqueline's gaze, his jaw dropping. "Either I'm really, really drunk or Clove is... making out with Cato? And guys, I swear, I've only had like, two beers."

Gale and Katniss instantly turned to where the other two were looking, Katniss almost choking on her drink and Gale in utter shock. "What the... fuck?" Gale muttered the words that was on all four minds.

Cato felt Clove's hand tear away from his, presumably about to raise it to strike, and he quickly grabbed onto her wrist, keeping it still. His face was still inches from hers, close enough to hold a soft conversation unheard by anyone's attention that they'd caught. A good portion of the room had seen the kiss, surprised too by both parties involved. "Before you punch me," he said in a hoarse whisper. "Your lover's staring. You should think about thanking me instead."

Clove regained her venom at the sound of Cato's words, and narrowed her eyes. "Thank you? You want me to thank you? Half the room probably thinks I'm a whore now," she hissed.

Cato smirked. "Or just someone who made out with an extremely attractive guy."

Clove rolled her eyes at his arrogance before hearing Luke's voice. "Clove?" he asked, and she quickly retrieved her hands from Cato's grasp, straightening her hair out with her palms. "Did I... interrupt something? I didn't know you guys were dating." He turned and shot an apologetic glance at Cato. "Sorry, man."

"We're not," Clove corrected him quickly, before realizing she would have to further explain herself. "We're just... Uhm..." She could see Cato's smirk growing wider and much more smug, wanting to jump at him and beat his skull into a pulp.

"Tell me what's going on here, Clover," another voice emerged, this one belonging to a Glimmer with a hand on her hip, infuriated by the scene she just witnessed. "Do explain to all of us what just happened, especially the part where you were making out with my boyfriend."

Cato's smirk immediately disappeared. "Boyfriend? Hold on one minute. What the fuck?" he said, interrupting the attention to Clove.

Glimmer instantly reddened at Cato's reaction, faking a smile at both Luke and Cato. "Cato, honey, I think you've had a little much to drink," she said sweetly, and ironically with a slight slur in her voice.

Luke's face turned to one full of confusion, and he cleared his throat. "Uhh... well. I'm just gonna go.. because. Well. I just gotta go." He turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the front entrance as Clove stood for a few seconds, trying to take in the events that had just unfolded in front of her.

Upon realizing that Luke was walking away with a completely wrong misconception, she started to go after him in a hurried walk. "Luke, wait," she protested, as she passed the front door and called out his name while he descended down the long front steps of the Lilly beach mansion.

He turned around. "What the hell is going on, Clove?" he asked. "We break up because you decided we're going too damn fast for you and now you're onto making out with your sister's boyfriend."

"Luke, it's not that. It's... It's complicated. And Cato..." she said, stumbling on her words. How was she supposed to convey "I'm not dating the guy who wants to screw every girl but I made out with him to make you jealous, except I didn't have a choice really"?

"Forget it, Clove," Luke said, shaking his head as he continued down the steps and took his keys out of his pocket, not willing to look back despite whatever Clove said.

But she didn't say anything. She stood there, frozen once more, before she sat down on the front steps and took a few deep breaths, controlling any release of tears. She was Clove Kensington. She had gone through way too much on her own to let it make her cry.

"You want to explain yourself?" A seething Glimmer asked Cato, her arms crossed.

Cato shrugged. "Doesn't need an explanation."

"I told you we were supposed to be exclusive, on the first day of school, Cato," Glimmer hissed.

Cato raised an eyebrow, not recalling at all when she would have said such an absurd statement and why he didn't protest. And then he remembered. He was a little occupied. "I don't do commitments, princess," he grumbled.

"Ugh, whatever. Have fun getting laid tonight," she spat back. "It's too bad my stepsister's a psycho prude." She turned around on her heel and started walking away.

Cato rolled his eyes. "Glimmer, come on," he groaned.

"Clove, are you alright?" A familiar voice asked, and Clove turned around. "Looked like a mess from what I saw." Jacqueline plopped down beside her.

"Long story," Clove mumbled, not wanting to explain the whole thing right then.

"Fair enough," Jacqueline shrugged. "What was it like kissing Cato?" she asked playfully, with a grin on her face. "I mean, you didn't pull away and I swear we were staring at you for a good three minutes."

Clove groaned. "That wasn't my choice," she protested, and sighed. "The ever so generous Cato Weston decided that I needed to make Luke jealous so he kind of invaded my mouth."

Jacqueline let out a laugh over Clove's description of the event. "So Cato voluntarily kissed you?" she asked.

"I think you're missing the point here, Fox," Clove replied stubbornly. "As in, where I involuntarily made out with Captain Asshole in front of a good portion of the student population."

Her best friend shook her red head stubbornly. "No no no, Clove Isabelle, I think you're the one missing the point," she chortled. "Cato Weston kissed you. In front of everyone. Including his girlfriend... or whatever the hell she is."

"Your point?" Clove asked, rolling her eyes and almost cringing at the recollection of the memory.

"He's interested in you, Clove. Enough to abandon Glimmer at least, for those ten minutes," Jacqueline replied simply. "Clove. You know I'm never wrong about people. Everyone's like an open book."

"Whatever," Clove muttered, stubbornly ignoring Jacqueline's spotless record when it came to people-reading. Did she want Jacqueline to be right? It was either Cato Weston was genuinely interested, or she was just another game to him.

She didn't know what was worse.

A/N: I know, I know, this update is long overdue. So sorry! Anyway, how'd you like the chapter? (: Thoughts? Questions? Comments? What did you like? What did you dislike? TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT. I love seeing gigantic reviews. Well, I like seeing all reviews in general. Follow me on tumblr! "compliclato" or my ask blog, "ask-marvizzle".

selcy-morimoto: Good question, haha. I mostly just sit around and just come up with them out of the blue. I can't really say they're from a specific source.

Guest - terrific insight. You'll learn that Glimmer is a lot more deep as an antagonist than she comes off to be, in time. I like where you're headed though (: As for the outfits, I don't know if I'd go as far as Polyvoring them, but I do enjoy creating outfits in my head because I am HUGE on fashion.

Thank you all for all of the positive feedback! I love you guys, keep reading and reviewing!

- Rina