Chapter 14
Annie
Why did Katniss take Prim and Haymitch and left? I don't understand that. We're best friends... Or at least I thought we were. I don't know, I just ... I don't understand. Why couldn't Katniss just tell us? I thought we told each other everything. I don't know what I think anymore.
Peeta is depressed, Rory is depressed. Finnick and Gale are trying to cheer everyone up, but that doesn't work as good as I think they thought it would.
Madge and I just continue to walk back to Katniss apartment. I don't know why we do that, maybe we think that she'll show up sometime. I don't know how we think to be honest. "What are we going to do?" I ask Madge as I hook my arm with hers.
"I don't know", she says.
We haven't been able to do much. We go to our works and then we meet our boys and then we go to Katniss apartment. That's how our days looks like. I go to my job as a swim teacher and Madge to her job as a 1st grade teacher.
We walk into the building and walk up the stairs towards Katniss apartment. I take up my key out of my pocket. It's like I take a big stone or something out of my pocket. That's how heavy it feels like. I know it's not really, but with everything that happened, it hurts to have the key in my pocket.
I sigh when I see it.
When we come up to the door I put the key into the lock and switch it. I push down the handle but the door won't open. Did I just lock the door? Is someone already in there? "What?" Madge says and frowns. She tries to open the door but it's definitely locked. "Just try it again", she says to me.
I put the key back in and switch it. I push down the handle and this time it slides open. Immediately when the door opens the smell of cigarettes hits our faces.
"Who the hell is in here?" Madge whispers.
"Why you ask me? I'm out here with you", I hiss back.
We walk slowly inside into the smell. I think I'm going to vomit. I hate the smell of cigarettes. Yuck!
"Wait what's that?" Madge whispers. "Sshh listen".
Sobbing... I think I hear someone sob. "I think it's coming from the bedroom", I whisper.
We walk towards the bedroom. When we look inside we see a boy sitting there on the bed. He has soft pants and I think a hoody with the hood up over his head. He has a frame in one of his hands and a cigarette in the other hand. On the floor beneath him there is about ten or fifteen cigarette ends. "Oh god, Peeta..." Madge says and walks up to him.
I walk up to the window and open it to get air in here. I stick out my head to breathe in the fresh air. I've got a headache because of all this smoke. Ugh. I swear to god, if Finnick ever starts smoking I'm dumping his ass!
I walk up to Peeta and Madge. Madge is trying to get the cigarette out of Peeta's hand, but he won't let it go.
"Madge stop!" Peeta says angrily.
"No Peeta you stop it!" I say. "What is this?" I point at the floor.
"Yeah you don't even smoke!" Madge says patiently.
"I do now", he spits.
That's one thing that has changed about Peeta. He's attitude. He always used to be so kind and warmhearted. Now he's rude to everyone.
"Peeta it's not good for you", I say.
"Neither is drinking, but does it look like I care?" He asks and takes up a hip flask out of his hoody pocket.
Oh god, is he drinking too? Yeah when I think about it he does smell liquid as well. I didn't notice it until now because of the cigarette smell but now when I think about it... Ugh. Peeta has totally flipped.
"Peeta no!" Madge says and smack the flask out of his hand.
It hits the floor and the liquid flows out on the floor. "What the hell Madge!" Peeta shouts angrily and stands up. "Listen to me both of you, this is none of your fucking business what I'm doing! None! Nada! You hear?!"
He's going crazy. I'm sure of it. I mean Madge and I are doing horrible as well, but Peeta... He's a total wreck. I think he's beyond repair now to tell the truth.
"Yes it is", I say. "You're our friend Peeta, of course we care about you and you're about to ruin your life".
I mean what if he becomes a drunk? Ugh I've been around a drunk for years, Katniss uncle Haymitch. He was kind and all of that but he was very irritating and smelled like shit. Peeta can't become like him.
"But I don't care!" Peeta says angrily. "Why can't anyone get that? I'm so sick of being screwed over all the fucking time! Katniss didn't care about me, she played with me and then threw me away!"
Oh god, what is he saying? Katniss loves him. No matter where she might be, I know she loves him.
"That's not true Peeta", Madge says and stands up.
Peeta has almost smoked up the cigarette he's holding. He extinguishes the cigarette on the back of his hand.
"Peeta!" I smack his hand and he lets go of the cigarette.
"What the hell?" He yells.
"I don't care if you get angry, but I'm not going to let you hurt yourself", I yell.
"Oh don't worry miss goody-goody, I won't slice my arms", Peeta says evilly. "But I am going to drink! And I am going to smoke! And if you want to be my friends still, you will just have to accept that!" He bows down and pick up the flask. He rattles it and I hear that it's a few drops in there still. Peeta empties it in his mouth. He walk towards the door. But as he's about to walk out he turns to us. "Oh and it is true, that she never really cared for me, otherwise why would she leave that here?" He asks and points at the frame on the bed where he left it.
He walks out of the room. I look at the frame. It's Peeta and Katniss, leaning their head on each other's foreheads, smiling. It hurt to see it honestly. That photo wasn't taken long ago, maybe a few weeks. And that only explains what certain things can do to a human and turn it into something completely else in a such short time. It's scary.
"This is not going to end well", Madge says, starting to pick up all of the cigarette ends.
"I know, but what are we going to do?" I sigh and sit down onto the bed, taking the frame into my hands, looking at it. "She loves him, so why did she leave him? Why did she leave all of us?"
Madge sighs. "I don't know", she says. "And I know she loves him but I don't know why she left. Maybe something happened".
"Yeah but what?" I ask.