"Piece of shit" I spat. Glimmer glided down off of Cato's body and their lips parted slowly. I closed my eyes slowly and asked God if this was a dream. I begged I was imagining something. I reopened and Cato's face was staring at mine. Shocked. I shook my head slowly and tried to breath. Although it wasn't going so smoothly. Cato didn't know what to say, he shook his head and tried to take a step towards me, I was fifty metres away but I still skidded a step back from his body. He dropped his head in shame and looked back up to my eyes pleading. I don't understand. Why would he? How could he? I get why Glimmer would do it. She hated me. But Cato hated her. And then he started kissing her? Why would he? I ran my hair through my hair and shook my body. Glimmer smirked at me and giggled and walked off with Clove in a catwalk stride. Cato took another step towards me.
"Stay away from me." I said. A low whisper but he heard it like it was the last words I'd ever say to him. I hoped they were. Fuck you. I mouthed at him and he understood that pretty damn well too. Cato shook his head again and tried to plead with his eyes. I walked around the closet building and threw up, around the corner into the bin.
"Katniss, I.." Cato pressed when he came around the corner and lifted my braid out of the bin.
"Leave me alone, Cato! I want nothing to do with you anymore." I screamed at first but finished my last sentence in a cool, cold voice. Cato looked deeply hurt and I felt pleasure from that. I wanted him to feel bad. I wanted him to apologise until I figured out what I wanted. I don't date cheaters. But it's not that, it's that I can't trust him. I can't trust anyone. Now I don't want to. My eyes welled up but I demanded them not to come.
You are strong, Katniss. Come on. Believe it. You don't need anyone to depend on. You are independent. I replayed the words that Peeta said to me before I went into the Games.
Boys will not make you cry, Katniss. Men are simply not worth the tears. Those were the words Mum said to me and I had a crush in preschool, on a guy who pushed me over.
My eyes turned dark towards Cato's and I flicked my braid out of his hand and walked past him. I told myself that I have to stop ditching school. So I impatiently sat through the rest of my classes for the day and looked out the window towards the forest and tapped my body in my chair, irritably sat in my chair and wished to go have a run and clear my head. I twitched my body and kept flexing my back muscles as I waited to the final bell to ring.
"Katniss, would you like to help me with dinner?" Effie asked as I skidded down the stairs in a tight black shirt, my exercise shorts, and my runners.
"I'm not hungry, I'm going for a run." I growled and ran out the door.
"Katniss!" Effie yelled and ran out the door after me, cafeful not to slip over on her heels. "Are you okay?" She asked sincerely.
"Good as gold." I spoke and turned my back to her and ran off.
I didn't even know where I was running while I jumped, ran and crawled from all places around Hunger Heights. I didn't realise I was in the forest until I nearly tripped over a branch on the ground. I run to think. So think. Cato. Kissing Glimmer. Rolling through my head, I kept picturing them. Swat it out of my head.
President Snow. Consequences. What will they be? When will they come? Screw that bastard.
Run faster, Katniss. I sprinted past the trees and jumped over all the barriers stopping my way. I loved the way the wind flew past my skin, sending shivers up my spine. I felt the beads of sweat form on the back of my neck and around my face and body. Faster, Katniss, faster. I listened to my head and tried to quicken my pace. I couldn't get any faster than the speed I was now. I couldn't even see the shapes of the trees anymore, all I could see was blurs flying past me. I stayed like that until the thoughts of Cato and Glimmer and President Snow came flooding into my head.
Stop, Katniss, stop. I halted to a stop and kept rolling my feet over to a slow walk. I wiped the sweat from my face and neck and stretched my arms around. I stopped and held myself up by putting all my weight from my hands weighing down on my knees.
I heard a low growl behind me and froze. No, please, dear god, no. I slowly turned my body around and came face to face with a wolf. It growled furiously at me and I stood there like a helpless deer. Run, Katniss. Now! My mind commanded me. My body flew into action and my legs turned me around and ran away. I was wrong. My body could go much faster. I was running so fast, I thought I was just going in circles. The wolf trailed slow behind, barking loudly. You're strong, Katniss. Keep going. I kept my speed up to scratch and I didn't know where I was going. I was probably heading myself deeper into the forest. I turned my head slightly to catch a sneaky glimpse of the animal. He was still on my tail but while I wasn't looking where I was going, I tripped over a log and fell deep.
I thought I might be falling off some sort of cliff or rolling down a hill. I didn't know where or what was going to happen to me until I was dropped into deep, clear blue, warm water. The water was well over my head and I didn't make the effort to climb my way to the surface. I floated in the water and let my body run out of breath. I used to love to swim. When I originally lived in Hunger Heights, I had a pool at my house. My dad used to love to swim with me. Some days, we pretended I was a mermaid. We'd splash around and throw me in the air and I would pretend to sing and dance. The flashback that played in my head was slowly going away. My breath got shorter and my vision got darker.
Don't go, Dad. Don't leave.
He smiled at the 6 year old in the water and slowly faded out of my head. The last thing I felt was my body drifting to the surface.
"Jesus Christ. Breathe, Katniss." I heard faintly. I felt a pair of warm lips touch mine and I felt air surface and push into my body. I choked up and pushed half my body up and watched water pour quickly out of my mouth. I coughed hard but quickly turned when I felt a hand on my back. I shot myself up to see my ex-boyfriend sitting on the ground, clothes drenched and hair soaked.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I gasped and held my cold body. Cato sighed loudly and stood slowly to his feet.
"Just saving your life." He rolled his eyes. I wiped my mouth with my wet sleeve.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Thinking. What were you doing running in the forest?" Cato smirked at me, looking at my ruined ipod laying on the ground.
"I went for a run. Needed to clear my head. I've had a lot on my mind. Which you would know about, ay?" I blew at him. I felt my pulse rise and my anger flooding through to my head.
"Katniss..Don't.." Cato begun.
"Don't what? Don't get angry? Don't tell the truth? Don't kiss someone else? Oh don't worry about that last one, you already took care of that for the both of us, right babe?" I smirked evilly and walked past him.
"You never let me in. I could never get through to you." Cato whispered. I stopped on my heel and slowly turned back to him.
"And it's a good thing I never did. Or imagine how hurt I would be right now."
Hello beautiful readers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know this one and last one weren't very long. But I've had alot on my mind this week so I apologise very much. Please review and tell me what you want to happen next. I love your thoughts. Thanks for reading and keep it coming!