It was strange how quickly these two had bonded. Gale and Myka felt as if they had been best friends their whole lives. They wanted to comfort each other, understanding the depression and hurt they'd felt every day. It was something their other friends couldn't understand, not even Katniss or Finnick. They'd meant well with good intentions, but no matter how much they tried to comfort them in their times of pain, it would only upset them further. This destructive behavior they both possessed loved company, calming them, making them realize they weren't alone.
Well, that's what they believed anyway. It could also have a little something to do with all the alcohol and pot they've consumed. They must have shared half a pack of cigarettes, three blunts, and an entire bottle of booze in the few hours they'd been hanging out. Needless to say, they felt great.
"We should get out of here." Myka says, lazily tossing his hand in the air, his cigarette producing a blue smoke in a spiraling mess. He looks over at Gale, turning his head to his right where Gale is laying down right next to him on the black sheets of his bed.
"Why?" Gale huffs. "We've got everything we could possibly need right here."
Myka considers this. He wouldn't mind just laying around in his room with Gale, drinking and smoking, but he'd had an idea, and he knew Gale would love it. "Thresh and Domi invited me over to jam with them. You play guitar, right? You should come. Domi would love to see you." He smirks.
"What? Really?" the excitement in his voice is beyond obvious. Playing music with his new best friend and the girl of his dreams is only something he dreamt about. "Wait, how do you know she likes me?"
Chuckling, Myka shakes his head in amusement. Gale was pretty clueless, wasn't he? "In Cinna's class… we were talking and you came up. We noticed you staring at her a couple times. I asked if it bothered her and she said no and that she'd kinda had a thing for you for a while now. So are we going?"
The grin on Gale's face is so wide and cheesy, it's almost disturbing. Gale never smiles. The thought of hanging out with her makes his cheeks redden. "I have to stop and grab my guitar from home, if that's cool."
"Let's go then!" Myka practically yells, snapping up from the bed and running towards his black guitar leaning against the wall. He places his favorite toy into its case, tossing the strap over his shoulder as he heads back to the bed, pulling Gale from his comfortable position lying down on the bed.
Without a moment's hesitation, they both scurry down the stairs, skipping steps on the way down until they reach the main entrance of the complex. They take off to the jeep and jump inside, the car starting with a screech as they make their way to Gale's house. Luckily, Gale doesn't live too far, about a ten to fifteen minute drive. If he had to drive any further, he might have been arrested if they'd been pulled over, still drunk and high. Myka waits in the jeep while Gale heads inside the house, ignoring his mother on the way to his bedroom to retrieve his guitar. Before he reaches the door to leave, she calls out for him.
"Gale, where are you going?" she asks. Gale rolls his eyes at her, noticing her tall, bulky boyfriend by her side. He hated David; the man had no right to be here. If his mother was going to choose him over her own son, then he didn't need to be here. He ignores her and continues towards the door. David races over to the door, blocking Gale's path, infuriating him.
"Move out of my way." Gale grunts through gritted teeth.
"Your mother asked you a question." He says flatly. David had grown to love Hazelle, and it was unbearable seeing how Gale was killing her with his defiance. Rory and Vick inconspicuously stand by the hallway, watching from a distance. They were curious about the commotion.
"Move- the fuck- out of- my way!" he yells, shoving the man against the door.
"Look at you- you're drunk! Go to your room and sleep it off. We'll talk about it when you're sober." He holds onto Gale's arm, pulling him away from the door and towards the hallway. Gale snaps, losing all control. He throws a shaky, closed fist at David's eye, yanking his arm away and running towards the door. He stops in front of his mother, glaring at her.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Mom? If he touches me again I swear I'll kill him!" The shouting it so loud, it scares Rory and Vick, cowering behind the hallway frame.
Hazelle feels the tension in the air. This is exactly what she was trying to avoid. She reaches out to touch his face, but he jumps back before she can touch him. "Gale, baby, please stop this."
"Don't touch me! Just leave me the fuck alone." He says, walking towards the door again.
David has snapped out of his shock, angry that Gale had just punched him in the face. He grabs the angry teenager by the collar, pulling him back. "Don't talk to your mother that way! Can't you see that she's worried about you? Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you, boy!"
That does it. Gale starts swinging as hard and as fast as he can manage, attempting to get out of David's hold. "You're not my father! Let me the fuck go! Let me go!" but David is bigger and stronger than he is, holding his arms behind his back. "You piece of shit! Let me go! I said let me go, asshole!"
David pulls him towards his room, effortlessly tossing him to his bed and slamming the door shut and locking it. While Gale was out, he and Hazelle had installed the lock on the outside of his door. They knew it was only a matter of time before Gale would get like this and eventually hurt someone. They couldn't risk him getting into an accident or accidently hurting his younger brothers. They agreed only to keep the door locked until he calmed down.
Gale pounds on the door, throwing his fists and body into it to try and break the lock free. How dare they? "Fuck you!" he shouts. "When I get out of here, I'm going to fucking kill you! You hear me? You're dead! You're fucking dead, you son of a bitch!"
In the jeep, Myka can hear shouting and screaming, but none of the words are coherent. He suspects Gale is in trouble and makes his way out of the truck, quietly following the direction of the noise. Eventually, he makes his way to a bedroom window where he can see Gale pounding on a door, livid and fuming. He taps on the glass gently, waiting for Gale to notice him. It takes a moment, but Gale finally does. He walks over to the window and quietly opens the window just far enough to exchange whispers with Myka.
"Pack your stuff." Myka says. "You're staying with me for a while."
Nodding in agreement, Gale slams his palms against the door a couple more times to let his mother and David know he's still angry with them. He quickly shoves some clothing into a backpack and hands it to Myka, who takes his belongings to the jeep. When he makes his way back, Gale has already packed the remainder of his clothes and laptop into a small suitcase that he hands over to Myka so he can crawl out of the window. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of leaving a note.
They quickly scamper to the jeep, tossing the luggage inside and start the ignition, driving off as fast as he can. They drive for several minutes when Gale finally breaks the silence. "Can we jam with them some other time? I don't feel like it anymore."
"I don't either. Want to head back to my place?" Myka asks softly, easing the tension.
"Yeah," he answers shortly. It was all he needed to hear.
Turning the car around, Gale drives back to the apartment complex, his state of pleasure completely gone. He's tired and just wants to go to bed. He parks the jeep in the same spot as before, grabbing his things while Myka lends a helping hand without asking. They walk back up the stairs and back into the bedroom. Myka points at the dresser next to the bed. "You can put your things in there. I only use the top shelf. The other three are yours."
"Thanks." Gale mutters, the exhaustion starting to take over.
Myka notices the slump of his shoulders, the heavy eyes. "Lay down for a bit. I'm just going to take care of something at work. Beck and Max won't bother you. Help yourself to whatever. There's food in the fridge and pantry, but if you don't feel like leaving the room, there's a small portable fridge with a couple things in it under the desk."
Gale nods his head then crashes into the soft pillows, his energy having been spent. He instantly falls asleep. Myka slips on a black sweater and walks out of the room, quietly shutting it behind him. He writes a note for Beck and Max in case they make it back before he does. The last thing anyone needed was the shock of a stranger sleeping in their apartment.
As he makes his way down the stairs, he focuses on his feet to prevent from slipping on them. He doesn't notice the body in front of him and they accidently collide, harshly bumping into each other. "Ow!" the other body says as they both rub their own heads. The voice is so familiar… Myka looks up to see who he had bumped into and notices the familiar sea-green eyes and auburn hair.
"Finnick? What are you doing here?" Myka asks, eyebrows raised in shock.
The tall, charismatic teenager beams at him. "I was looking for you."
Katniss has called Gale's cell phone seven times now, worried and wondering where he was. She hopes that he had just forgotten his cell phone and that he wasn't in any sort of trouble. He'd been getting himself into all sorts of havoc lately. Sometimes it was just very hard to deal with. She needed to know that he was at least okay.
Dialing another number, she hears the line ring twice before someone answers. "Hello?"
"Hey, Peeta, I'm so sorry if I'm bugging you right now, but I was wondering if Gale was with you." She says with the smallest hint of panic in her voice. Peeta can tell she's upset.
"I haven't seen him since gym. He left with the new guy, but I don't know where they went. Are you okay?" If there was anyone he didn't want to see upset, it was Katniss. He hopes she's alright.
"Oh. I tried calling him a couple times, but he never answered or got back to me. I guess I'm just worried. Sorry for bugging you." She apologizes.
"What? You could never bother me, Katniss. Do you want to come over? We can watch a movie or something." Peeta offers. He wants to keep her distracted until Gale calls her back.
It's the perfect idea. "That sounds great! I'll be over in… fifteen minutes?"
"Perfect. See you soon, Katniss," Peeta smiles. She already sounded better.
"Thanks, Peeta. Bye!" The cell phone makes a click sound and they both hang up.
Peeta decides to check around his room to make sure it looks decent for company. He always keeps a clean, neat room, the bed always made, belongings organized tidily. It wasn't that he had obsessive compulsive disorder, but he liked to make sure his room always looked nice in case there was ever unexpected company. That and it was a lot easier to find everything he needed if he was in a hurry. His older brother, whom left for college, taught him that.
Thinking about what Katniss might like to watch, Peeta looks through his collection of movies. It's a big enough compilation that they shouldn't have any problems finding one they would both enjoy. She'd want to be as distracted as possible if she was really worried about Gale. Maybe this would be a good time to talk about what's been going on with him as well. He was really looking to get some advice, or at least just talk about all the things on his mind. He was worried about Tice and how things would turn out for him at school. The last thing he wants is to have a repeat of circumstances from his last school, but it was beginning to look inevitable. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide his sexual orientation from everyone forever, people would eventually catch on.
He was lucky to have Cato jump in during gym to defend him, but something told him that it wouldn't be the last time something like that would happen. Speaking of Cato, it was driving him mad trying to figure out what was going on with that kid. Is Cato straight? Gay? Does he like him? Was it a casual thing like it seemed to be with Finnick? No, that kiss seemed much more meaningful than Finnick's quick peck, but he also got so defensive when Tice called him out about being gay, threatening him. Did it mean he was trying to protect Peeta's secret? Or maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever it was, Peeta couldn't get his head around it.
This is all too confusing. He can't wait to talk to Katniss about all of this. She was patient and understanding. She'd know what to do, or at least what to say to make him feel better. Who knows? But then… maybe it would be best just to ask Cato about it himself. Cato is, after all, the only one that could honestly tell him what his intentions are.
An energetic German Shepard races out into the backyard through his doggy door. Though sweet to his masters and family, the dog was trained to attack any unfamiliar people that might want to break into the house. As a child, Cato didn't stay here very often, but he'd been around often enough to earn the shepard's trust. It wasn't until he was about thirteen or so that he really started visiting his uncle's house regularly. He would come over all the time with his best friend Gale so they could be rebellious together, drinking beer and watching porn in one of the rooms his uncle had set up specifically for Cato and his friends to enjoy. It was the ultimate frat boy getaway. And at that age, it was the coolest place to be.
Cato's aunt and uncle couldn't have children of their own. One day, when he was about twelve, they adopted a quiet little boy about his age with pale skin, black hair, and intense yellow-green eyes. Cato had only seen him a couple of times, but grew to hate the mysterious boy when he'd taken all of his uncle's attention away from him. His dad was always busy, and his uncle treated him more like a son than his own father. When Myka came into the picture, his uncle stopped paying attention to him. He'd occasionally stay over and Myka and his uncle would either be out together or hanging out all the time.
Things took a toll when his aunt was arrested for child abuse and attempted murder. Cato was there the night it all took place. He had been sleeping soundly in one of the guest rooms when he heard his aunt screaming. He remembers jolting out of bed and running to the hallway where he saw Myka opening a window, trying to get out. His aunt had screamed "Stop him!" and Cato had slammed the glass back, smashing Myka's fingers in the windowsill and trapping him in place as he let out a cry of pain. His aunt shot twice, the first bullet missed and pierced the wall, only inches away from Myka's head. The second bullet pierced him in the back of the shoulder blade. Cato had stood there, shocked, and watched as Myka began to lose consciousness.
Before the police arrived, his uncle ran down the hall and started shouting at his aunt. "You stupid bitch, you just shot our foster child! How the fuck are we supposed to explain that to the police?"
The color drained from her face when she realized the severity of her situation. They both look at Cato, who's terrified and doesn't understand what had just happened. Why did she shoot him? "I thought he was a robber." She says flatly. Cato's uncle looks at her, then at Cato, then back at her and nods his head. When an ambulance took Myka away and the police escorted his aunt out in handcuffs, his uncle explained everything to him.
Suddenly, there's a knock on the door and Cato opens it to reveal Gloss with a suit in his hand. It's a stunning black-on-black with a silver tie, perfect for the masquerade party. "Thanks, Gloss." He says, accepting the wardrobe from his friend. He opens the door wider, inviting him inside.
Sounding almost like a giddy school girl, Gloss says "This party is going to rock so hard, man! Who are you taking?"
Cato shrugs his shoulders, not really interested in the couple's aspect of the party. "Why? Who are you taking?"
"I was thinking about asking that chick in our history class, the one with the nice rack." Gloss smirks. He'd had a crush on her for a while now.
"Who, the Spanish chick?" Cato inquires. "Dude, I hate to break it to ya, but I think she's already got a boyfriend."
"What? How do you know?" Gloss asks, suddenly anxious.
"I think I saw it on her FaceBook." Cato explains.
The news bums Gloss out, but he has to know for sure. "Would your uncle mind if I used his computer? I just want to see for myself."
"Do whatever you want. Upstairs, first and only door on the left," Cato says, pointing up the stairs. He still needed to water the plants before doing anything else, wanting to be finished with his task work already. Gloss nods his head then ascends up the crème colored carpet stairs until he reaches the top. He enters the room, the door had already been open, and takes a seat at the dark oak desk in front of the computer. He turns it on and logs into his FaceBook and does a quick search for the girl in his class. When he finds her page, he clicks on it and reads her status, "In A Relationship." Damn it! He slams his wrists on the keyboard, frustrated with the results. The computer jolts and a stream of folders pop up. Oops. He hadn't meant to slam the keyboard that hard.
He closes the folders one by one, noticing the different photos that keep popping up. There are photos from a beach house, another folder with pictures from a cruise, another from a Hawaiian vacation, one from a wedding, and the last folder- whoa!
He'd hit the jackpot. Revenge is oh so sweet!