A/N: So… OVER 100 FOLLOWS! Thank you all! I can't believe that this little story I couldn't get out of my head ended up being read by so many people. I love you all, my little Everlark shippers! Keep reading! Drama ahead hehehe.
Katniss' POV
"Peeta, relax. You're biting your nails again." I say, making a feeble attempt to get him to stop. He just looks at me then down at his hand before resuming the coping habit. Currently Peeta, Rye, Mark, Matt and I are sitting in the lawyer's office, waiting for Mr. Gloss to make his way into the room. After the divorce Matt insisted we pressed charges. I was more than happy to, but Peeta on the other hand was a bit more apprehensive. As much as he should despise the soil that woman walks on, she's his mother. Of course he hates doing something that hurts her. Well, I could care less. The hate she has bestowed on all of these wonderful men is undeserved and cruel. She can go rot in Hell.
"The lady's right. Put your hand down and act like a man." Rye retorts.
"Fuck you." Peeta spits. I sharply turn my head and glare at him.
"Peeta, don't. That's childish." I say. Peeta sits up a bit straighter and flushes before nodding. "You're right. Sorry, man. Stress, I guess." He says apologetically. Rye nods and turns back to the smartphone in his hand. The room falls silent once again. A few minutes go by and just as I am about to ask Matt a question, Mr. Gloss waltzes in the room.
"Good afternoon Mellark clan and…" he trails off, looking at me to finish his statement with my name.
"Katniss Everdeen." I say. He nods and smiles. Mr. Gloss is a very young man, probably a year or two older than I. He is tall with a buzz cut. He's not built like Peeta, where Peeta is a tad shorter but has much more muscle, he is taller with less muscle.
"What a beautiful name for a beautiful lady." He says. This grabs Peeta's attention. I feel the slight blush creep onto my face and before I can thank him, Peeta speaks. "Yes, what a beautiful girlfriend I have." He spits, stressing the word girlfriend. I would think to scold Peeta for being so jealous, but this over-protective, commanding Peeta is turning me the fuck on.
Mr. Gloss' demeanor changes quickly at Peeta's assertive tone and he gets on with business, forgetting the exchange that just took place.
"Well, looking over all of your paperwork, I can pin her. There's not only hospital records but statements from neighbors that say they have seen and heard her abuse; both verbal and physical. None of you will need to testify, not unless you wish otherwise."
The air in the room suddenly becomes much more breathable. A weight has been lifted from everyone's shoulders.
"Thank you, Mr. Gloss. None of us wish to testify, but if need be we will. Please, let us know if you need any of us." Matt says. He looks around the room at all of us, looking for reassurance on his statement. The four subtle smiles he receives answers his inquiries.
"Alright, Mr. Mellark. That's all for today, I'll keep you all posted." Mr. Gloss says, shaking everyone's hands. When he gets to me, his hand lingers a second longer than need be and it doesn't go unnoticed by all of the Mellark men.
I pull back my hand and make for the door, Matt trailing me with the rest behind him. I'm the first one out of the room.
No one dares speak a word to me when we are all walking out to our respective vehicles. For some unknown reason, I just got extremely angry, although I am not sure why. They can all see it. Something's off, though. I can feel it. Someone is hiding something.
Once I get to my car, I fling inside, slamming the door and go to start the car when my car door suddenly opens. Peeta is standing there, arms crossed over his chest, just looking at me. This fuels my sudden rage.
"Can I help you?" I practically seethe. His eyes widen in surprise but quickly return to normal. He is obviously trying to stay on my good side.
"Well, yes. Care to tell me why all of a sudden you went from sweet, blushing Katniss to pissed-the-fuck-off Katniss?" he asks. When he said my name, his voice quavered just enough to give me my response.
"You're hiding something." I mutter. His arms drop to their sides and his mouth goes agape, just a bit.
After a minute, he regains his composure and responds. "W-what?" he asks, obviously frazzled.
"You heard me, Peeta. You're hiding something. I don't know what but I can tell. Don't deny it. The way you got all assertive towards Gloss when he complimented me, the way you flushed when I told you to not be so childish. That's not you. I'm not fucking stupid. Tell me what you're hiding." I reprimand. I have no idea where all of that came from and by the looks of it, neither does Peeta. He knows I know, though. That's what counts.
Peeta sighs a bit and shifts on his feet. He's nervous. Oh god, this can't be good.
"Katniss, before I tell you, you need to promise to hear me out. I'm so, so sorry, Katniss. I never meant to do it…" he trails off. Now, I know this is going to be bad. Really bad.
"Spit it out." I say under my breath. I can just barely manage an audible murmur. What he says next makes my heart shatter into a million tiny, unfixable shards.
"I… I kissed Glimmer. But really, she kissed me. Katniss, I am so, so sorry. I'm also so fucking stupid. Hear me out." He says, letting me take in the information.
He kissed his ex. He's dating me. We've been together for 7 months. He cheated on me. He has done the one thing he promised he would never do. He's lied and broken my heart.
I remain silent. The rest of the Mellarks evacuated as soon as they reached their cars. What am I supposed to do? The man I love has betrayed me in the worst way possible.
I feel the single tear stream down my face and see Peeta's lips moving but I'm not hearing a single word he's saying. Without thinking, I reach forward and close my door, locking all of the doors in the process. I snap out of the daze I'm in when Peeta starts banging on my window, begging me to listen. I can't though. I can't do that. Looking ahead, feeling the now steady stream of tears rolling down my cheeks, I put my car in reverse and pull out of the parking lot. I look in my rear-view mirror to see Peeta standing right where I left him, eyes turning red from unshed tears, silently murmuring my name.
It takes me about 40 minutes to get home since the lawyers office was a decent distance away, but when I do, I'm relieved. Peeta hasn't gotten home yet and I will only need to be here for all of 10 minutes. It's Thursday and I have work. My heart may be shattered, but I still have a living to make, with or without Peeta.
I get out of my car and walk into the large house.
"Hey, Brainless. You're home." Jo says. I look at her just once and she's at my side, being as comforting as she can. "You look like shit and you've obviously been crying. What happened? Where's Peeta?" she asks. I visibly cringe at his name and she notices. She quickly grabs my arm and leads me up into Madge's room, where she is sitting on her bed reading a book.
"Oh! Hey Katn- oh my god, are you okay?" she says. Still not saying a word, Jo closes the door behind us and leads me to sit on the bed with the both of them. Once seated, I just lose it. Any composure I had is gone. The tears flow steadily and my two best girl friends are there to catch all of my tears.
"What happened?" Jo asks softly. I know I have to explain and explain quickly. I have a schedule to keep.
"Pe- uh, He, didn't explain any further than that he… he kissed Glimmer." I stutter out. I have managed to hold back the tears and look strong. The look on Johanna's and Madge's faces is one of pure anger.
"He did WHAT?" Johanna says. "How could he do that? He knows the shit you have been through! That bastard. I'm going to skin him alive and the chop his ba-"
Johanna gets interrupted by Madge. "Hold on a sec. Are we sure that's what happened? That doesn't seem like him…"
I shrug and get up.
"I need to think. Madge, we have work in 20. I'm leaving here in 10, with or without you so meet me at my car if you're coming. I'm not sitting in this house any longer than I have to." I say and make my way upstairs.
I quickly splash cold water on my face and change into my work clothes. I re-braid my hair and make my way out to my car. When I get there, Madge is sitting in the passenger seat.
The ride to work is silent and I'm thankful. I really need to think though how I am going to handle my situation. The term 'I love you' obviously holds little meaning to Peeta.
When we get to work we both get out and head for the back door. Right before I am about to enter, she pulls me into a tight hug and says, "It'll all be okay."
I smile ever so slightly and go in to start a long, long night.
"Yo, hit me with 4 Jack-apples!" someone from the end of the bar yells. I nod towards them and go to pour the drinks. I have been working for a good 6 hours now and the bar has really filled up. Jo and Finn came in a while ago to keep me company and help me keep my mind off things. Jo told Finn what happened so I guess that's why they're here.
I finish my latest round of drinks and take a second to breathe.
"Kat, go sing." Johanna says. I reply with a flat, "No."
Johanna persists. "It's Thursday, aka karaoke. Go sit at that keyboard and sing your feelings out. You'll feel a hell of a lot better."
I consider her argument. Whenever I used to be really sad, I'd sing. It'd help me clear my head, give me a fresh perspective. Maybe I should.
"Fine." I say and make my way over to the shit stage. A few people clap and cheer as I walk, but I ignore them. I turn off the scummy music that was playing on the stereo and turn the keyboard on. I sit down and close my eyes. My subconscious has me playing the song before I can realize what I am actually doing.
Man, it's been a long day
Stuck thinking about it, driving on the freeway
Wondering if I really tried everything I could
Not knowing if I should try a little harder
Oh, but I'm scared to death
That there may not be another one like this
And I confess, that I'm only holding on by a thin, thin thread
You're kicking the curb 'cause I never heard
The words that I needed so bad
And you're kicking the dirt 'cause you never gave me
The things that I needed to have
I'm so sad, sad
I feel the first few silent tears escape my eyes, but I let them fall. The bar has fallen silent. But I'm not stopping. I'm up here to sing away my feelings and sing away is what I'll do.
Man, it's been a long night
Just sitting here, trying not to look back
Still looking at the road we never drove on
And wondering if the one I chose was the right one
Oh, but I'm scared to death
That there may not be another one like this
And I confess, that I'm only holding on by a thin, thing thread
You're kicking the curb 'cause I never heard
The words that I needed so bad
And you're kicking the dirt 'cause you never gave me
The things that I needed to have
I'm so sad, sad
I'm so sad, so sad
Oh, but I'm scared to death
That there may not be another one like this
And I confess, that I'm only holding on by a thin, thing thread
You're kicking the curb 'cause I never heard
The words that I needed so bad
And you're kicking the dirt 'cause you never gave me
The things that I needed to have
And you're kicking the curb 'cause I never heard
The words that I needed so bad
I'm so sad, so sad
By the time I finish the song, you could hear a pin drop in the bar. Every set of eyes is on me in that place. I wipe my now tear stained cheeks off and go to head back over to the bar when my eyes lock onto a set of blue eyes that completely and utterly crush me. He heard me sing, I know it. And he knows exactly what I meant by that song.
Before someone does something stupid, I run off stage and out to the back room, hoping to hide out for a while.
I'm almost to the back room when I hear someone's heavy footsteps directly behind me.
A/N: I'M SORRY FOR THE DRAMA. But I love it. I hate seeing them fight like this it honestly makes me sad, but it needs to happen. One, this story needed it and two, this is crucial to the plot. You'll see why soon enough. FOLLOW and REVIEW!