Valerie Perkins was my first girlfriend. I suppose since I'm married now, she was the only girlfriend I ever had. We broke up several months before the reaping took place. When I was picked, she didn't even bother to visit me before I was hauled off to fight in the Games. I can't really blame her. To say we ended on bad terms would be an understatement.
Since I got back from the Games, I'd been trying to avoid her as much as possible. It wasn't hard to do for the first few months since Effie had scheduled a host of events for me to attend and I was constantly being dragged back and forth between the Capitol and my home district. Between the wedding, the Victory Tour, and a bunch of random ceremonies that I was forced to attend, I was barely home long enough to risk running into an old girlfriend.
Unfortunately, District Twelve is an awfully small town and I knew it wouldn't be long before Valerie and I crossed paths again. Still, as inevitable as it seemed, I couldn't let it happen now, not with Katniss around.
Valerie was the only person who knew about my feelings for Katniss before I announced it to virtually the entire nation on live television. It was because of this, that I knew she would do everything she could to make an encounter between her and Katniss extremely uncomfortable.
All I could do now was to try and dodge Valerie's gaze and get Katniss out of the store as quickly as possible. Luckily, Katniss had just finished making her purchase, so I swiftly turned at my heel and started making a beeline for the door. Katniss didn't seem to mind my quickened pace and followed suit until we reached the door. All of a sudden, she stopped at the window near the exit to examine a bag on display.
"Maybe I should buy Prim one of these," she said thoughtfully. "She could use it to store her medical supplies." Katniss gingerly picked at the pockets as she surveyed the bag.
I began to grow inpatient, so I hastily thought of an excuse to get out of the shop before Valerie caught sight of me. "Okay, I'll just step out for some air. You can meet me when you're done," I said as inconspicuously as possible. I was certain that if I wasn't there, Valerie wouldn't dare approach Katniss alone.
Katniss turned to look at me and an air of concern fell over her face. "Are we running late? We can go if you want."
"Um, no." I didn't want to be imposing. "You can stay here, and buy the bag. I'll just step outside for a minute," I said flashing a polite smile in her direction.
"It's alright, I'll just buy it tomorrow."
"Okay, great," I replied as I made a start towards the exit.
Suddenly I heard a deafening noise that made me stop dead in my tracks.
"Peeta Mellark?"
The astonished voice that cried out was unmistakably Valerie's, and just like that I was caught in yet another situation that I tried desperately to avoid; there was nothing I could do about it anymore. It would be rude to continue walking and Katniss had already paused to try to figure out who had called out my name.
I turned to face Valerie, and saw her break free from her group of friends and jubilantly saunter over to where I stood with Katniss. Her light colored locks bounced as she walked nearer and I noticed her pouty lips spread into a warm smile. I tried returning the gesture, but I doubt the contrived expression on my face was enough to hide the disappointment I truly felt.
"Valerie!"I said trying to feign a tone of surprise, once she got within earshot.
"Peeta! I can't believe it," she exclaimed gleefully."It's really you!"
All of a sudden, she lunged at me, and draped her arms around my neck, pulling me into a tight embrace. I immediately felt her silky soft hair brush up against my cheek and it's familiar flowery scent find it's way to my nose. We hadn't talked for months after we broke up, so this was definitely not the reaction I was expecting. I guess being thrown into a competition where your life is on the line can really change the way people act towards you.
"I was worried sick about you," she whispered into my ear, digging her hands into the back of my shirt. My muscles tensed at the sudden action and I pulled back slightly instead of returning her hug. Valerie seemed to sense my unease and quickly let go.
"How are you?" she asked sheepishly, taking a few steps back.
"I'm fine. I…uh…wasn't expecting to see you here."
"I can say the same thing about you," she replied. "It seems like the only time I get to see you lately is when your face is splayed across a TV screen."
"Yeah," I said letting out an awkward laugh. "The Capitol's been very good at keeping me busy."
"I figured that much. So...are you going to introduce me to your wife?" she suggested.
"Oh, yeah—Katniss," I said turning to her. "This is Valerie. She's an old friend."
"Hi," Katniss said with a meek smile.
"Hi," Valerie retorted in a tone that was dripping with sarcasm.
"And I suppose you already know Katniss," I said turning back to Valerie. "From the Games," I added quickly.
"Of course, I do. But I'm glad I finally get to meet you," she cooed with a phony smile plastered on her face. "I like your sweater. Where'd you get it?"
I'd been worried that Valerie might say something spiteful so I was relieved at how friendly she sounded.
"Thanks," Katniss replied cordially. "It was a gift."
"The Capitol really did wonders for you," she mused. "You know, without the tattered clothing and coal covered complexion, I can barely tell you're from the Seam."
I should have known this was coming. I could tell by the way that Katniss tightened her jaw that she felt offended by her words, but she didn't say anything.
"There's really not much the Capitol can do to improve what's already perfect," I interjected, smiling at Katniss and taking her hand in mine. From my peripheral view I saw Valerie grimace in response.
"You know, I'm getting married soon. You're both invited," Valerie informed us pointedly. "Of course, it won't be as grand as your wedding at the Capitol, but it'll be the biggest toasting this town's ever seen," she concluded with a sweet smile. "I'd be so glad if you could make it."
"We'll be sure to come," I assured, even though I knew the chances of us actually showing up were really slim.
"Wonderful. You'll get to meet my fiancé, Richard Brooks. He's a really great guy." She said batting her eyelashes. "He owns the bank."
"I'm sure he's amazing. Listen, we have to get going now. But it was nice seeing you again."
"You too," she replied with a glint in her green eyes. "I'll see you at the toasting."
A wave of relief washed over me as we left the shop. I was grateful we had managed to leave the conversation relatively unscathed because I knew it could have gone a lot worse than that.
"I'm sorry," I apologized to Katniss once we were out the door. "I didn't mean for you to get tied up in all that."
"Is that why you were in such a hurry to leave?"
I nodded. "She shouldn't have said that about you."
"It's okay. I'm used to it."
"That still doesn't make it alright for her to say that to you," I argued.
"It's not a big deal," she shrugged. "She's probably nothing compared to your mom."
It dawned on me that perhaps the meeting between my mom and Katniss would do more to hurt their relationship rather than improve it. "We don't have to go if you don't want to," I assured quickly.
"I already bought the flowers,"she reasoned.
"You can always keep them," I suggested. "They'll look real nice in our foyer."
She shook her head. "Then I'd just continue to feel indebted to your father—and to your family."
"Oh come on, Katniss, you don't owe my family anything. All the trades we've made with you in the past were completely fair."
"No, not all. When my sister and I used to visit the bakery, your dad would always offer us cookies free of charge. If we refused, he'd find a way to sneak it into our trade bag."
"Those are just complimentary treats he gives out to loyal customers," I lied. "He does that all the time."
"Your dad visited me before the Games started."
"He did?" I asked in astonishment.
She gave a terse nod.
I was completely taken aback by this news. I knew that my dad cared about the Everdeens, but the visiting hours directly preceding the Games were limited to only close friends and family. As far as I knew, my father had no idea about my feelings for Katniss before the Games began, so I couldn't think of a single reason why he would visit her, much less what they would discuss."What did he say to you?"
"He gave me bundle of cookies," she said with a sheepish look on her face.
"Huh. My dad gave me a bundle of cookies, too." I was completely bewildered at this point.
"I never got to pay him back for the cookies," she stated plainly.
"Oh, wow," I exclaimed in surprise, finally grasping the reason behind her actions. "So that's what this is about? The flowers and all?"
Katniss nodded her head guiltily.
"You don't have to pay him back for the cookies, Katniss."
"Yes, I do," she declared forcefully.
"No you don't. It was a gift," I insisted.
"Well, then, I'm giving him a gift too."
I sighed in exasperation. "Not everything is a business transaction, Katniss."
"Then, what is it?" she challenged.
"It's just a notion of kindness," I explained.
"Why would your father be kind to me, without wanting anything in return?"
"Maybe, what he gets in return doesn't have to benefit him," I reasoned. "Maybe he's just satisfied seeing that other people are happy."
Katniss' eyebrows knitted over in confusion as she tried to make sense of my logic. The thoughtful expression on her face was so cute it made me burst into a smile.
When she finally finished mulling over the idea, her face loosened up and she said, "You know, I think it'll be interesting to meet your dad."