I finish my exams on Friday and when I walk out of the building early I'm in tears. Since I have a PTL I can leave. A PTL stands for Permission to Leave.
We go to Florida tomorrow. Johanna, Finnick, Thresh and Peeta are sleeping over at my place tonight but they don't have a PTL so they have to stay. I stop at McDonalds and get lunch because I'm starved.
"Where's my food?" Dad asks. He's joking.
Whenever I walk in the door with my own food he asks for his is and I say: "At McDonalds."
I eat almost everything but give him my fries because I don't want them. I go upstairs to pack last minute things and end up passing out on the floor.
….a….
When I wake up, the sun is up. I fell asleep when I sun was up, so it's still Friday.
But I grow confused because I look at the clock and it reads eight thirty in the morning.
Oh fuck!
It's eight thirty on Saturday morning! I was supposed to be at the school at five! The bus left two hours ago because we were staying at the school till six.
I am two hours behind them because I fucking slept right through my goddamn alarm.
Oh my god. I call Haymitch because he's the one on the trip.
"Well Sweetheart, deciding to finally get up off your ass, are we?" he asks.
"What do I do?" I ask frantically.
"Is that Katniss?" I hear Johanna in the background. 'Tell her I said she's a fucking ass."
"Johanna said you're a fucking ass."
"Haymitch!" I snarl, standing up. "What do I do?" I demand.
"Well lucky for you," he begins. "The busses are broke down so we haven't gone anywhere yet."
"So I can still come?" I ask hopefully.
"yes." He says. I hang up on him and run for the shower. I don't put on clothes when I get out, I got right to my room and put on a white floral crop top and pull on a see through pink button up tank top and then shredded blue jean shorts and white sandals, run my brush through my hair, roll on deodorant, brush my teeth and spray on sweet pea perfume, toss in every last minute thing in my suitcase and drag it downstairs.
"Can you drive me to school?" I ask Mom.
"I thought you weren't going. That's what you said when I woke you up this morning."
"I don't remember you waking me up. Haymitch said that busses are broke down."
My phone beeps with a text.
Haymitch: better hurry. They just fixed the busses. If you're coming you need to get your ass here. I'm only waiting ten minutes for you.
"Please mom?" I ask.
"Alright, but your driving your car and I'll drive it home," I shout goodbye to Dad and Prim and get in my car after shoving my shit in the back. It's a twenty minute drive and I have to get there in ten.
Mom looks terrified to be driving with me. I pull in the parking lot just as the clock hits eight fifty and I'm going so fast I have to press the emergency break. "You need your license suspended." Mom puts her hand over her heart.
I get out of the car and she gets out the other keys for me car. They're loading the busses. Mom gets out too and helps me bring my suitcase and my back pack to Haymitch. He loads it onto my bus.
"Sit in the very last seat on the right side. Your with Johanna." He says.
"Where's Annie?" I ask.
"She's in front of you." he says.
"Okay," i say.
"Be careful, be smart, smile, make sure to wear lots of sunscreen, use your manners." Mom says. She kisses both my cheeks.
"Okay bye," I reply. I get on the bus I'm riding and walk to the back, sitting down next to Johanna. This bus is stainless steel on the inside and there's enough space to lay your seat back and you have your own seat. There are two seats in each row and they can lay back. That's how you sleep. On the back of each seat there is a button the person behind them pushes to bring out the footrest. There is a cup holder on the side and a tray the lifts up. On the window sill there is an outlet.
"What the fuck happened?" Johanna demands.
"I passed out when I got home yesterday and I didn't wake up till eight." I reply. I watch from the window as my mom says something and points at my car. Haymitch exhales and then she goes to my car and comes back with my wallet, phone and keys. Haymitch locks eyes with me through the window and gestures me forward. I stand up and move back to the front and get off the bus.
"That would have been bad." Mom says.
"Yeah, thanks." I reply. I go back on the bus and then we head off. Haymitch is on the guys bus and we have just the bus driver. My phone beeps with a text.
(727) 881-3411: hey.
Me: who is this?
(727) 881-3411: well I call you Catnip…
Me: Gale?!
(727) 881-3411: yup, listen, I heard from my mom that you were coming to Florida?
Me: yeah, I am.
I save him as a contact.
Gale: well I asked because I want to see you. Do you want to meet up?
Me: I don't know if I can. I'm going to be in Orlando for a week. We're going to Adventure Island for a bit and then we're going to Busch Gardens and then we're going down to Miami, to the everglades.
Gale: oh…do you think that I and my mom and Posy, Vick and Rory can meet you guys at like…Adventure Island and Busch Gardens?
I'm about to reply when Johanna demands, "Who the hell is Gale?"
"Gale's my cousin." I reply.
"Oh, I thought he was your bitch on the side or something." She says. I roll my eyes.
"Don't be an idiot. You know I love Peeta." I dig my earbuds out from my bag and plug them into my phone. I start the song Skyscraper by Demi Lovato and go back to the messages to Gale.
Me: yeah, that sounds good.
Gale: okay, do you have any idea when you guys will be there?
Me: no but Haymitch is the assistant Principle and he's taking us there. You should message him, he knows all the info.
He doesn't message back for a few minutes
Gale: he isn't answering
Me: Okay then, I think you should try Cinna. He's the principle.
Gale: okay
My phone beeps again.
Baby: so what happened?
Me: I fell asleep right when I got home yesterday and I slept all the way through the night
Baby: oh…are you alright?
Me: yeah, why?
Baby: idk…I just worry about you.
Me: well…you don't have to…
Baby: I know…
Why are we acting like this?
Me: are you okay?
Baby: not really…
Me: what's wrong?
Baby: well…
Me: Peeta, what's the matter?
Baby: well…I miss you.
Me: oh...I miss you too.
…a…
Johanna and I are still awake at three in the morning, watching Netflix while using my hotspot.
I drift off.
…a….
Johanna roughly shakes my shoulder. "What?" I mumble.
"I bought you breakfast." She hands me a blueberry muffin and a coffee from 711.
"How much?" I mumble.
"I'm not telling you. You're not paying me back." She says.
"Thanks," I run my hands over my face and take a long drag of the coffee.
"So what does your cousin look like?" she asks. Everyone else is still asleep and she must have gotten the food from the gas station when we stopped for gas.
"Um…" I search for my phone and find I'm lying on it. I go to my camera roll as I eat and scroll through for that picture of Gale Peeta found. I hand her my phone. "That's from when we were like…twelve." I say.
"Damn," she says. "he's fucking hot. Does he have a girlfriend?"
"You have Blight." I remind her.
"I didn't go out with him…" She says. "I'm moving and I'll never see him again anyways." She insists.
"I don't know if he has a girlfriend."
"Well ask him." She says. I sigh and text Gale.
Me: I know your probably sleeping but do you have a girlfriend?
Gale: why? Are you interested?
Me: Gale!
Gale: I'm kidding catnip. No I don't, why?
Me: my best friend wants in your pants.
Gale: nice, what's she look like?
I scroll through my camera roll to find a picture of Johanna and Annie and send it to him.
Me: she's on the right.
Gale: shit, she's hot. Who's with her?
Me: that's my other best friend Annie.
Gale: who's behind her?
I look at the picture and see Finnick in the background with Peeta, both of them photobombing.
Me: the one on the right in the back is Annie's boyfriend Finnick and the one on the left is my boyfriend, Peeta.
Gale: nice, your friend is hot, what's her name?
Johanna is reading everything for me. I'm going to talk her up.
Me: Johanna Mason. She's eighteen.
Gale: nice.
Me: shes got big tits too.
Johanna snickers in my ear.
Gale: Catnip!
"He calls you catnip?" she asks.
"Yeah." I reply.
Me: what! You know and I know and EVERYONE knows that the thing that hooks a guy on the girl is thei tit size.
Gale: good point. What's her size?
"I'm a 32 D." Johanna says.
Me: 32D
Gale: holy shit
Me: yeah. You would like her.
Gale: yeah and her tits.
Me: yeah haha
Gale: tell he I said she's sexy as fuck and that I can't wait to meet her.
Me: I don't have to tell her; she's reading this over my shoulder.
Johanna and I both start laughing hysterically, making sure to be quiet so we don't wake anyone.
Gale: shit…are you serious?
Me: yeah I am.
Gale: oh…hi Johanna
Johanna takes the phone from my hand and I read over my shoulder.
Her: hey Gale.
They keep talking and I end up drifting off to sleep.
….a…..
I can't wait. We're in Florida, in Hamilton. It's only five in the morning right now and we're going to Adventure Island today. We'll get to the hotel at eight.
I've been to Florida multiple times because Haymitch lived in Jacksonville but I never got to go to any of the amusement parks.
I realize I am going to fucking boil because it is probably going to be almost a hundred degrees. I'm in jeans and a long sleeve shirt.
I have outfits in my backpack. I look at the front of the bus. Everyone is awake.
Oh well, I don't really care. I unbuckle and move, crouched in front of Johanna. The three of us are chatting excitedly and they don't question me when I pull my shirt off add pull on a white fringed crop top and short shorts.
I put on flip flops and sit back down.
"Why did you change?" Annie asks.
"Have you guys ever been to Florida in June?" I ask. They both shake their heads.
"I've never been to Florida at all." Johanna says.
"Me too," Annie says.
"Well I have. It's at least ninety degrees outside."
"What?" the girl next to us asks.
"Yes, I'm dead serious. Their winters never hit the thirties and if they do then they don't step out the door."
"How do you know?" She asks.
"My Uncle used to live here." I reply. "It's really humid, too."
Everyone starts changing their clothes. We sit for a while.
I see the sign that says Welcome to Orlando, Florida.
Everyone starts cheering and screaming from excitement.
We drive for about ten more minutes before pulling into a hotel parking lot. The boys' bus, which we have not seen since we left, is already here. I grab all my stuff and stand up. Everyone starts to file out and I see their shocked expressions at the fact that it's hot as balls. I get off and the heat hits me and makes it hard to breathe. Haymitch isn't bothered by the heat at all and it makes me laugh. Peeta taps my shoulder and I turn around and he grins and pulls me into a hug. "Hi." He kisses me.
"Alright people!" Haymitch gets a blow horn. "Fend for yourselves! You all have your passes for Adventure Island! Call a cab! You guys are eighteen, or almost eighteen, you can fend for yourselves! Now let me give you your room stuff! Be back my midnight, if your late your sent home!"
We file up in a line for a while to get our stuff and then we're sent into the hotel with our luggage to the hotel. Haymitch and Cinna definitely made sure I was happy. I'm three floors from Glimmer, Clove or Cato, although I wouldn't mind being with them. Peeta, Finnick and Thresh are across the hall from me, Johanna and Annie. We go our separate ways.
I take a shower first and then I pull on my bathing suit, which is a white strapless pushup top with an anchor right in between my boobs and white and yellow striped bottoms with the stripes looking like rope. I slide shorts and a simple white t-shirt over my suit and put my hair in a braid, put white sunglasses on my head and put on white flip flops and exit the bathroom. Someone knocks on the door and I pull it open and see Haymitch. He walks right into the room. Peeta, Finnick and Thresh are here and everyone is already ready for Adventure Island. "Listen kid." Haymitch says. "You remember my house in Jacksonville?" he asks.
"Yeah," I reply.
"And how I had two cars?" he continues.
"Yeah." I say.
"I kept the house and one car there." He drops car keys in my hands. "If anyone asks, it's a rental. Fuck up my car and your paying for it." He walks out of the room.
"THANK YOU!" I shout after him. "This car is fucking incredible." I say excitedly.
"I texted Gale and told him to go to Adventure Island and he said he's waiting at the gate already."
"Well let's go then!" I stuff the things I need in my backpack and lead everyone out of the hotel.
I search for Haymitch's car and then press panic. It starts beeping and I follow the noise.
Shit, it's his fucking corvette.
"Oh my god." I run my hand down the side of the car.
"Shit." Johanna says.
"Someone is going to have to sit on someone's lap. It seats five and there are six of us.
"Check it out! You can do math!" Johanna says. I punch her arm and get in the car. Annie sits on Finnick's lap and I go on the GPS and start the car, grinning happily when I hear it start up. I can't help but rev the engine as I pull out of the parking lot. I follow the street signs and everything and park the car carefully in the parking lot.
"Does everyone have their passes?" I ask, digging mine out of my bag. Everyone holds them up. I get out and head for the entrance. The line isn't too long. We get in easily.
My phone beeps.
Gale: are you here? Posy is ready to kill because she wants to go and ride Paradise Lagoon.
I'm just about to reply when I see a girl that has dark hair and gray eyes that looks like a Posy much older, last time I saw her she was two and now she's ten. I recognize the three boys and walk over and tap Gale on the shoulder. He stares at me for a second and frowns. "Wait! Holy shit! You're a blond bimbo!" he pulls me into a bone crushing hug, lifting me off the ground.
"Hey! Put me down!" I smack his arm and he releases me.
"Why are you blond?" he asks.
"Because the lady at the salon messed my hair up," I grumble. "And don't call me a blond bimbo!"
"Too late." he says. Aunt Hazelle holds me at arm's length and then hugs me.
"Hi Katniss." She smiles.
"Hi." I smile and hug Rory and Vick and Posy. "Okay, this is Finnick, Thresh, Annie and Johanna, my best friends. And then this is Peeta, my boyfriend." Everyone but Gale looks shocked.
"Hey Johanna," Gale says.
"Hey Gale,"
"Mom can we PLEASE go on Paradise Lagoon now?" Posy asks.
"Alright," Hazelle says. She pulls her three younger ones away, but I stop her and let Rory stay with us, because he's fourteen and doesn't want to be with his even year old brother and his ten year old sister. He looks relieved.
"Where to?" I ask.
"It's hot." Annie says, pulling off her shirt. Johanna strips her shirt and shorts and then so do I. I feel Peeta and Thresh staring at me and Thresh is making me uncomfortable. Finnick is staring at Annie and Gale is staring at Johanna. Rory is just standing there.
"What? Like you guys haven't seen a girl in a bathing suit?" I drop my clothes in my bag.
"I want to go on a ride." Annie says. "Don't they have map things?"
We look around and Peeta walks off to some lady who clearly works here. He asks her something and point at us and she hands him a few maps. I see him say thank you. She nods and he comes back and passes each of us a map.
"I want to go on Runaway rapids." I say.
"Me too," Rory agrees. We all agree to head there. I link hands with Peeta and everyone stands with someone.
"So Catnip," Gale begins.
"What?" I ask.
"Still a virgin?" he asks.
"No bitch," I smack his arm and he feigns pain.
"Ow Catnip, that hurt." He's teasing.
"I'll show you what hurts, asshole." I snap.
"Oh you never change." He snickers.
"Yeah, neither do you." I reply. "I'll bet you've never had a girl touch your dick before." I snap. His face reddens and I laugh, knowing I'm right. "That's what I thought. Well don't worry, Johanna'll fix that for you." the only thing in my hand is my phone; everything else is in my bag.
We stop at the lockers and put our stuff away. I keep my phone since I've got the life proof case. "You know, your gonna pay for saying that." Gale says.
"I'd love to see you try and-" he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder.
"Hey asshole, put me down!" I scream. He ignores me and carries me to the fake beach and drops me in the pool. He holds me underwear and I suck water into my mouth. After about thirty seconds I fake falling unconscious.
"Shit! Catnip," he starts shaking my shoulder. I feel myself transferred to Peeta's arm and Gale is probably right next to me. I spit the water in Gale's face and push him in the pool.
"That water feels good." Finnick jumps in. Soon enough, we're all in the water.
"Oops, sorry Catnip," Gale dives under water for a second and comes back up with my phone.
"Oh, it's not broken." I reply.
"What are you talking about?" he asks.
I show him that it works perfectly fine. He dives under water and comes back up with a photo of himself and I laugh at him.
"Let's all take a picture underwater."
We all dive under and take a goofy picture. I set it as my background and we get out of the pool and head for Runaway Rapids.
….a…..
Thresh and Rory walk alone. Finnick has Annie on his shoulders, Johanna on Gale and me on Peeta. I keep dipping down and taking pictures of the two of us, angling it so the sun is in it too. "Wait, let me see." He begs politely. I scroll through the pictures I've just taken and he stops me multiple times.
"This one is my favorite." He says, pointing to one that the sun shoots rays across, I'm kissing his cheek and my eyes are shut and he's got a big goofy grin on his lips and his are angled towards me. "can you send all of those to me?" he asks hopefully. I smile happily.
"Of course," I kiss his cheek again.
Can feel Thresh's eyes on us; well, on me. Not my face though, my chest.
PEETA'S POV
Okay, this really starting to get on my nerves. Katniss is my girlfriend. She will one day be the mother of my children. She will be my wife. Thresh needs to stop staring at her. It's really starting to piss me off.
He licks his lips and I don't know if I'm going to be able to stay in the same hotel room with him tonight. I want to hit him upside the head. The atmosphere around the eight of us has grown awkward but Thresh is too busy ogling at my girlfriend to notice. I'm glaring at him and my hands are tightly on Katniss's ankles. Gale loudly clears his throat. "Dude, she's got a fucking boyfriend. Look at someone else." Thresh's eyes snap to Gale's eyes, and Gale stops walking and just stares at him with an annoyed expression on his face.
I knew there was something fishy about Thresh. I mean, sure, he has a crush on her but I think he's got a problem with me. "She should be mine because I've liked her since the third grade."
"Look dude, I know your technically our friend, but I don't like you and to be honest, I never have. Stop staring at my fucking girlfriend."
"I never liked you either, Peeta. Katniss should be mine." I really want to hurt him.
"Alright," Gale steps in, setting Johanna down. Finnick sets Annie down, too. "Your fucking weird; back off my damn cousin."
"Fuck you." Thresh replies. "You both are weird and stupid."
"Alright Thresh; stop being a creep towards Kitty."
Thresh punches me in the face and Katniss tumbles off my shoulders. Johanna helps Katniss up but Katniss starts shaking her head but I'm way too pissed off to notice. I punch him back.
KATNISS'S POV
I watch as Peeta and Thresh fight. I knew it was coming. Peeta doesn't like Thresh, although he keeps his thoughts to himself. This is not the place to be doing this; fighting like this. There is a ton of little children running around and this is going to terrify them. Gale and Finnick steps in and Gale wrenches Peeta back and Finnick grabs Thresh. Peeta's pissed beyond words. "She doesn't like you; she doesn't want you. Back the fuck off." He snaps.
"How do you know she doesn't want me?" Thresh demands.
"Thresh, shut the fuck up." Johanna finally says, standing up from her kneeling position next to me and Annie, extending a hand to both of us. "She's got a boyfriend and her tits are not yours to look at. She said you could be friends with her if you weren't fucking creepy but you are creepy. She don't like you; Peeta don't like you; none of us like you. Go the hell away before I break your fucking nose." I sit back down on a bench because I think I bruised my tailbone when I fell. They life proof case broke and it shattered my phones screen and now it's like tiny pieces of glass. It isn't Peeta's fault. If he knew I was going to fall when Thresh punched him, I would have been on the ground.
It hurts worse sitting. I stand back up with my arms crossed tightly across my chest. Thresh isn't leaving like Johanna told him to, instead, he is staring at me.
He makes me feel dirty and I really wish I had more clothing on my body. I slowly move behind Gale and Peeta.
"Alright man, I'm not gonna kill him, you can let me go." Peeta says.
PEETA'S POV
I decide I like Gale. He's a good guy, he protects Katniss and makes her happy and he's nice to Johanna and I can tell she likes him. He releases his hold on me and I turn to face Katniss. She is extremely uncomfortable and I eye her phone, and the case is broken and the screen is literally in her hand, shattered. I take everything from her hand and turn to face Thresh. "See what you did? You're paying to fix this and the case." I snap.
"Hell no I'm not."
"Yeah you are dude. You're a real asshole for knocking Katniss off like that. You hurt her, physically and mentally. You're paying to fix this because you were the one that destroyed it." Gale says.
Yes, I really like Gale Hawthorne.
"Katniss, come on. You know you like me more. I can make you feel good." Thresh says. Eyes turn to Katniss, and when Thresh starts looking at her, she moves behind me. Thresh moves closer to me to get to her and I reach behind me with both hands on her wrists. "Please Katniss?" he begs.
"I don't…stop talking to me. Your making me feel…dirty and I really don't want you around me."
"Hear that, asshole? Get the fuck away. She doesn't want you around her." Johanna says.
"She doesn't know what she's saying." Thresh says. He moves even closer.
KATNISS'S POV
I'm scared of Thresh, I decide. He's big and he's strong. If he gets me alone he can easily taking advantage of me.
I'm actually terrified of Thresh. He looks at me as if I'm a piece of meat and he is a rabid dog that has not eaten in years. He stares at me as if he's imagining me naked.
My imagination takes over.
"Stop running Katniss!" he grabs my arm and roughly shoves me against the wall. He's taken all my clothes and he isn't wearing any. He shoves himself inside of me and I push him and scream for help and cry, but these walls are soundproof. He isn't going to stop until he's certain I'm going to be carrying his baby soon.
Tears sting my eyes. I move my hands into Peeta's and squeeze so tightly I must be cutting off circulation. I bury my head in Peeta's back as tears slide from my eyes and trickle down his back.
PEETA'S POV
I can feel hot tears from Katniss sliding down my back and her hands are clenched tightly around mine. "Thresh, leave." I finally say. He crosses his arms.
"You can't make me." I hear a noise behind me that sounds like a whimper. It's almost inaudible. Gale must hear it too, because he looks behind me and peeks at Katniss.
"Then we will leave. If you follow us we will call the police." Gale snaps. He takes Katniss' right hand and pulls her away. She keeps her head down. Finnick wipes off the tears on my back and him, Annie, Johanna and Rory trail behind us.
….a…..
Katniss won't say why she won't stop crying, but I get to drive the corvette. Haymitch is in the waiting room and he looks at Katniss and then his eyes widen when he sees Rory and Gale. They are his nephews; after all.
"What happened?" he asks.
We all take turns explaining everything. He nods understandingly. "And now she won't stop crying." I add.
"Don't let him touch me." Katniss finally says. She looks up and tears are sliding down her cheeks. "Don't let him get me alone I don't want him to touch me."
She thinks that Thresh is going to rape her. "He won't get you alone Brainless. If he does, kick him in the dick." Johanna says.