Hello to Hollie and friends of Hollie, if you are possibly reading this :) (I know Hollie is, but I don't know about friend[s] of Hollie.)

Huminihumini – Thank you! [less than three] And I don't know, maybe ;) Also, perhaps Riegan will get jealous. We'll see xD

Who am I kidding? Of course he'll get jealous.

The Hunger Games are not mine! :)

This time I really am having a girls day, I promise. To ensure this, Elli has invited two more girls from our class: Sal, and Trisha. The three of us have decided to go District Twelve's movie theater, which isn't a good one. It's a kind of co-op theater, because the seats are mostly old couches and chaises and whatnot. It's also the old pool building, just remade to be a cinema. (The new pool is right beside it.) The theater has all the new releases when they come out, so we make do with what we've got. The movie we watched was a romantic comedy, and it was funny, but I think the other girls appreciated it more than it deserved. The protagonists were obviously very good-looking.

"They didn't have awesome chemistry, though," Sal comments thoughtfully, as we walk out the theater. I'm walking backwards, because we can't all fit on the sidewalk in one line.

Elli laughs. "They're married, Sal. With like, five kids."

I snicker. "Oh, how things go in the Capitol..." Because that is where most of our movies come from. Entertainment for Panem comes from there. "It must suck for the kids."

"Yeah, well." Elli just shrugs. Suddenly, they all open their mouths to tell me something, but -

I bump into someone, and I gasp and hop forwards, turning around. "Sorry, I'm such a klutz -" I begin to say, but my sentence gets cut off in surprise. I'm not sure why I'm so surprised.

The boy's about as tall as Riegan and Finn, so he's – Fifteen? Sixteen? Maybe a tall fourteen? And he's every bit as handsome as Finn (and fine, Riegan). Except... different. He doesn't have the small-town boy look that Riegan and Finn both have – his clothes look expensive, I guess. He looks like a male model or super famous person, but not really. And maybe he looks different 'cause his hair's all wet – probably just came from the pool. He's accompanied by four little kids – three boys and a girl – and two familiar-looking parents. I apologize profusely again. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have been walking backwards..."

He laughs. My stomach does little weird flip-flops. "It's okay, really." His family gives me an amused look, and then they walk onward, giving a little wave.

When they're out of earshot, Trisha and Elli burst into giggles. I say, embarrassed, "It wasn't that bad!"

Elli shakes her head, still snickering. "It's not that. He's handsome." I roll my eyes, and try to find a retort, but I can't think of anything.

"Did you notice? Those guys looked so familiar, but they're not from Twelve," says Sal distractedly.

I frown and nod. "Yeah, I thought so, too."

...

"Everything on the list, and just the list."

Lira said this very firmly to Riegan, Finn, and me. We tend to wreak havoc no matter where we went, and probably, we could go to the grocery store looking for eggs and milk, and then come home with a birthday card and dog food. I'm gripping the little list firmly, trying to keep my mind set on the groceries, and just the groceries, but it's not working well.

Finn reaches around me and pokes Riegan's rib. He has a little spasm and jumps out of the way, and then tries to get me. I squeal. "No!" I say firmly. This, of course, just brings on more poking.

"Give in to the pokes, Tara!" yells Riegan, attracting the looks of several other people on the road.

I shake my head and say defiantly, "No, I won't!" He growls at me jokingly and they both run after me. Laughing, I burst into a sprint toward the grocery store.

And – for the second time in a week, I bump into someone. Same person, too.

"Whoa!"

I look up and gasp. "Oh, geez, again? Sorry. I really need to look where I'm going."

He smiles and shrugs. "No problem." He's alone this time.

Riegan and Finn catch up. Finn gives me one last, for good measure, and I jump out of the way, bumping into both Riegan and this new guy. I blush. "Sorry." I point at Finn. "'Twas his fault."

"Right. Of course it was," says Finn innocently.

I look up to the other guy. "I am sorry; we really need to stop meeting like this..."

New Guy laughs, and I feel that mysterious stomach-flipping again. "It's fine." He seems to be waiting to say something else, but then he doesn't say anything.

"Um, so. Where are you from?" I ask conversationally. "I know you're not from around here."

"Uh, well, I'm from the Capitol, officially," he replies, "but I haven't stayed in one place for more than one month at a time."

"... wh -" I gasp. "Your parents! They starred in that movie!"

He grins wryly and nods. "That's them."

"So, you're only in Twelve for a while?" I ask.

"No. They've decided to put down some roots since I'm turning sixteen this year; they let me choose where we're going to live from now on," he replies.

Riegan bursts in. "Sorry, but, um, who are you?"

"My name's Felix," he replies jovially.

"Finn," says Finn, just as friendly, "I'm from Four."

"And I'm Tara," I reply, smiling. "Welcome to Twelve, by the way."

"Tara and Finn," repeats Felix, and he realizes something. "Kids of … Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen. Annie Cresta, Finnick Odair?"

"Annie Odair," corrects Finn, the same time I say, "Katniss Mellark."

Felix smiles a little. "Oh-kay... and you?" He looks to Riegan.

"Riegan Hawthorne," he replies, and then continues to say: "District Two represent, son of Gale Hawthorne. Best friend of Miss Tara Mellark. And those are the best of my titles." He slings his arm around my shoulder. "But that last one is the best."

I smile up at him. Felix looks curious. "Bestfriend?"

Riegan and I both laugh. Riegan nods, while I say, "Yeah – no, we're not dating."

"- despite popular opinion," Riegan finishes dryly.

"Oh," is all Felix says. There's a small silence, now, and at the same time, Felix and I try to fill it. He starts asking about what school is like in Twelve, and I ask whereabouts he's staying. Grinning sheepishly, I motion for him to go ahead with his question. "Nah, my question wasn't that important; what were you asking?"

"Where are you staying?" I ask.

"I'm in the Victor's Village, actually," he tells me with a smile. "So, I guess we're neighbors."

Of course. Movie star parents – why would they live in town? The village has been occupied, at most, by three families, but then Father and Mother got married and they moved into Mother's house. So now just two houses are occupied; most of District Twelve aren't willing to fork out the money for a house like that. It's also pretty uncomfortable for most of them."Oh, Tara, that must be why there were lights on down the street," says Finn, "last night."

"We got in just after midnight." Felix nods. "Which one's your place?"

"Number Two," I reply. "White picket fence. Primroses and weeping willows. Yours?"

"Mom chose Six; 'cause she was born in District Six," he says.

I try and come up with the mental image of the Victor's Village in my mind. "Six..."

"Oh," says Riegan, "the one that Katniss planted the snowdrop trees and the honeysuckle in; it's down near the brook. Remember?"

"Oh!" I grin. "That's a great garden."

"Your mom just goes around planting flowers in the empty houses?" Felix raises a brow.

"My mom has a lot of time on her hands."

"I see..." Felix smiles a little.

I gasp. "Oh, gosh – the groceries! Lira's going to start wondering where we are..." I begin to pull Finn and Riegan into the store. "It was nice to meet you, Felix! We'll see you in the village."

When we're inside, and I'm pushing a cart resolutely down the aisles, Finn pokes me once more. "Finn," I say through gritted teeth, "really?"

He asks, "So... he your type?"

"Finn Odair!" I cry. "No, he is not."

"Tell me, honestly," he says, pulling ahead of me and stopping the cart. He looks me right in the eye. "Look me in the eye and tell me you are not attracted to this new guy."

I feel suddenly very aware of Riegan by my side, and I am about to respond... but then I just shake my head. I determinedly push the cart forward. Riegan holds me back, and I'm forced to stop. "So, you do like him."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement. I shake my head. "I barely know him."

"What's your point?"

"The point is, I can't like somebody just because I bumped into him – literally – a couple times." I shake my head. "Boys, you're being ridiculous. Can we just -"

Riegan's grip on me tightens. "Tara."

I sigh and look up at him. Right into his eyes. "No, I don't like him, okay, Riegan?"

His look hardens: his eyes narrow and he grits his teeth. He asks, "Cross your heart and hope to die?" Must be serious – he usually takes my word for things.

I draw an "X" over my heart and then hold my right hand up. "Cross my heart, and hope to die."

"Okay." He gives me one last (doubtful?) look before letting go of me, slowly, and allowing me to push the cart on.

...

"Oh, look who's back."

"We got held up," says Riegan, pushing ahead of his mother, dropping the grocery bags in the foyer. Lira looks surprised as he all but stomps into the house. He does look fairly disgruntled. She gives us a questioning look.

"Riegan's just jealous because Tara has a new boy in her life who's just as friendly as he is," says Finn. I really hope there wasn't any double meaning to that.

Riegan's face momentarily appears back in the foyer. "Shut up."

"Who?" asks Lira, looking amused at her son.

He goes on into the house, and we follow. "Some new guy named – whoa."

There, sitting on my family's sectional – Felix and his family. I giggle and walk up to stand beside Riegan. I whisper to him so that nobody else can hear, "Awkward."

"Shut up," he mutters.

"Nice to see you guys again," says Felix, giving us a little half wave.

"You've met the Domitillas?" Mother raises a brow.

I nod. "Yeah. I bumped into Felix a few times..."

Both Felix and Riegan stifle snorts; for some reason, this throws me off. Father, Mother, Gale, Lira, and Annie don't bother asking why. Father continues, "Well, have you met everyone else?"

"No; not officially."

"Well, then. This is Vitus, and Caelina – you watched their movie with the girls a few days ago, didn't you?" says Father, totally casual.

I nod. "Nice to meet you." They say it the same time I do.

"And then this is Antonius, Cassian, Marcus -" the brothers, "- and Sabina." The sister, the youngest. They all look the same, but all exotic. They all have strawberry blonde hair and perfect figures and porcelain faces. They don't fit in with my family, who all look homely. At least, they look homely to me.

"And everyone, this is my daughter, Tara – and then Gale and Lira's son, Riegan, and Annie's: Finn," Father finishes.

Sabina wriggles out of her dad's arms and goes right up to me. "I'm six."

I smile. "That's cool."

"How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen," I reply.

"My brothers are fifteen, twelve, ten, and eight," Sabina announces. I decide that I like her. She looks to Riegan. "How old are you?" Finn comes up behind us just then.

"I'm turning sixteen this year," Riegan replies, a little stiffly. I give him a slight nudge, wondering why he's acting kind of coolly.

"My brother is, too!" says Sabina enthusiastically. "When's your birthday?"

"In September..."

"My brother's is, too!"

Felix looks up, now. "When's your birthday, Riegan?"

Riegan seems to be in a pretty crabby mood, which is unusual for him. "The seventeenth." He looks at him suspiciously. "Yours?"

"Just the day after," Felix says, amused.

"Oh!" I exclaim happily. I grab Riegan's arm and look imploringly toward Gale and Lira. "Please, please, please, pretty, pretty, please?" They know what I want. Having a double birthday is theperfect excuse.

"Oh, no," says Lira, shaking her head. "That's going right into school, Tara..."

"Please?" I beg. "He can help me do my homework or something. That can be his school. I can tutor."

"Or I can tutor," Felix suggests. "I'd be in the same class."

Riegan goes all rigid, and I squeeze his arm. I can tell he's about to suggest never mind, they should go back in August like they were supposed to, and I can hardly believe he's thinking about it. "Come on, Riegan; that's almost two more months! That's the longest we could be together at the same place and time. Two more months together!" He gives me a half-smile.

"It is tempting..." He glances at Lira hesitantly.

"We have to go back to work, dear," Lira reminds him.

I shake my head desperately. "He can stay with us! Matz would love it!" And so would I. "Mother?"

Mother laughs. "Well... we don't mind having him around. Obviously, Matz doesn't, either..."

"Ah..." Lira sighs. "Gale?"

Gale spreads his hands and shrugs. "I don't mind him staying longer, Lira, and obviously they don't, either. And Felix seems happy to help. Riegan's never been a bad student, anyway, and he could catch up. Or get the schoolwork mailed to him, or have it online."

"Yeah, let him stay a bit longer, Lira," agrees Annie.

"I agree!" Finn pipes up suddenly, "it sucks just having to write all the time, you know?" Riegan and I both give him a grateful look.

I grip Riegan's arm tightly, and he doesn't mind. I cross my fingers with the other hand, and Lira sighs. She throws her hands up, and I hug Riegan instead of squeezing his arm. "Yesyesyesyes," I say happily. "This is going to be the best summer ever."

Riegan, when I look back at him, has lost his stony expression and is now smiling his smile. I feel a surge of pleasure knowing that I can help him smile, and that I'm one of the few people that can get that smile out of him. Sabina pulls at my sleeve. "Tara?"

I look down at her. "Yes?"

"Do you love Riegan?"

Again? Really? Riegan smiles a little, so I smile slightly to Sabina, too. I bend down to look at her in the eye. "Yeah, I do." I look up at Riegan. He's still looking between the little girl and me, a little expectantly. I look back at her. "Like a brother."

This is going to be the best summer ever! :P

Review review review. Even if you hate. I just want to know why ;)