Brutus POV

It was Friday and everyone was relieved to leave for the weekend. I saw Enobaria at her locker, taking all her books with her. I walked over to her and said, "That's a lot of books for just the weekend."

Enobaria zipped up her backpack before she turned to face me. "Brutus, I'm leaving."

"Yeah, I am too," I said. "For the weekend. I wonder when we can go back to normal and just stay in our dorms. It's taken them forever to figure out the whole rat's case."

"No, you don't understand," she said. "I'm leaving, not just for the weekend, but for a long time."

"What? Why?" I asked her.

"People have been getting suspicious about my dad ever since mom's disappearance. He got addicted to alcohol, again. The system doesn't think my brother and I are in a safe environment with him. Jason insisted on leaving college so he could look after me here, but I told him not to worry about me and to go back to college. So, I'm going to live with my aunt in Arizona."

"Why can't you just stay here?" I suggested.

"It's not that simple," she said before closing her locker door. "It's not like I have anything to stay here for. And the dorms are unavailable at the moment." She checked the time. "I have to go before I miss my train." She kissed me goodbye on the cheek and headed off.

She left me standing there, shocked and sad. I didn't want her to leave. I moped my way over to the cafeteria. I sat down in an empty table by myself. Finnick and his group approached me. "We need to talk to you about Enobaria."

"Look, if this is about me staying away from her, you don't have to worry," I told them. "She's leaving to Arizona."

"Actually, we came to talk to you about going after her," Annie said.

"She needs you," Peeta said.

"Just as much as you need her," Katniss added.

"Wait, are you actually saying that I should be with her? After everything I've done in the past?" I asked.

"The past is the past," Johanna said. "She's better off with you than she is without."

"You both need each other," someone said. We turned around to see Carter. "Yep, that's right. I've seen how she is when she's with you. She's a lot happier. Don't lose her when you have a chance to get her back." He patted me on my back and walked away, hoping I would go after Enobaria.

"How am I supposed to get Enobaria back when she's already at the train station?" I asked.

"We can make it!" Peeta said. "Everyone! Into the minivan!" We all ran towards the minivan and got in, squished like sausages. Finnick was driving while I was in shotgun and the rest were huddled in the back.

"Go, go, go!" I told Finnick. Finnick put afoot on it and drove us to the train station in no time. Once we got out, I noticed that Gloss, Cato, Clove, Marvel, and Glimmer came along in a different car. "What are you guys going here?"

"We came for support," Marvel said.

"I ship you guys," Clove said and Glimmer nodded. Fan girls are just obsessively crazy.

"Fine, we have to get a move on!" We ran into the entrance and checked what train she was taking. "There it is!" I pointed at the gate that said from Los Angeles to Arizona. "We have to hurry before she gets on that train!" We sprinted to the train that was going to Arizona.

We finally found Enobaria standing outside the train, weary about getting on. "Can I do this by myself?" Finnick nodded and the rest walked over to a corner. I cautiously walked over to Enobaria. "Hi there."

"Brutus, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I… Uh…" I didn't have time to think of a speech during the hectic car ride. I looked into her eyes. She's better off without me. All I've done is hurt her. I'll hurt her even more if she ends up falling in love with me all over again and having to leave. "I came to… Say goodbye."

"Oh." Enobaria had a look of disappointment in her face. "That's why you drove all the way here? Just to say goodbye?"

I nodded. "Yep, that's why. So… Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Brutus," she said in a sad tone.

"Promise not to forget about me?" I asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"I won't forget about you," she assured me before kissing my cheek and entering the train. I sighed and walked over to the rest.

"What was that?" Cato asked me.

"You were supposed to convince her to stay," Finnick reminded me.

"You see, that's the thing," I began. "I can't convince her to stay, not after what I've done to her. Come on, let's just go back to school."

The whole ride back was silent. I let her slip through my fingers. I had her, but I let her go because I chickened out. I was scared that she would reject me. I was scared of asking her to come back after I've hurt her so many times.

I was scared of having her trust me again and then failing her