Happy Hearts Day! Give me a Valentine: YOUR REVIEWS! Seriously, seeing a new review makes my day! XD

Chapter 36: Hearts

Peeta bakes cookies.

Mason makes reservations at a restaurant.

Poppy draws large hearts all over her notebook.

All of the couples are preparing for Valentine's Day.

Signs are all over the school, Send your loved one roses on Valentine's Day! White: Just a friend, Pink: I like you, Red: I love you, Yellow: Secret Admirer. $3 per rose.

Clove, of course, doesn't want to go through this.

All the mushy gushy Valentine's love makes her roll her eyes.

"So, what are we going to do for Valentine's Day?" Cato asks her.

"Nothing," Clove says, "It's just a stupid Thursday."

"Come on," says Cato, "We have to do something."

"I'm fine, honestly."

"Well, I'm not. I want to treat you. Come on! You and me, we'll go get pizza and see a movie."

"Well…" Clove can't say no to an offer like that, "Sounds fun! But, no flowers! And, no gifts!"

"Clove, now you're just being stubborn. You and I are dating now. I want to spoil you, and, every once in a while, it's OK to let me do so."

Clove thinks about it. She smiles. "Fine, Cato. Consider yourself my slave on Thursday."

"Thank you. And, your slave I will be."

Peeta spends Wednesday night baking heart-shaped cookies and cakes. He invited Katniss over to his place for dinner, and he intends to make it all himself.

He waltzes gracefully around the kitchen like it's his own bedroom, and, sometimes, it is.

Rory is having Pandora over to the house for Valentine's day, and Vick takes it upon himself to go to the store and get a black rose for his cheating slut of a girlfriend.

The day comes, and everyone at school gets their roses.

Clove gets her red rose from Cato, and Francesca gets one from Mason. Peeta gives Katniss a pretty pink rose, and Tom gets the same color for Prim, and Rory for Pandora. Rue gets a white rose, from Skeeter, signed with his trademark smile and music notes.

In homeroom, Athena is surprised to find a yellow rose laying on her desk.

She raises her hand, "I think there was a mistake!"

"What's wrong, Athena?"

"There's a rose here! It isn't mine…" she suddenly becomes hopeful. "Is it?"

Her teacher reads over the list. "It's yours, Athena."

Athena looks down at the pale yellow flower in her hands, and smiles.

"I… I can't believe it… Wow…" She grins.

Poppy hides her disappointment in homeroom when she doesn't get a rose.

"Poppy, you OK?" Marvel asks, noticing that she doesn't have a rose.

"Yeah. I'm great, actually!"

"So, you and Vick?"

"He said he's planning something fun for Valentine's day!"

"Oh. Yeah. I see."

Suddenly, a red rose is placed on Marvel's desk.

"Wow! You never told me-"

Marvel is more in shock than she is.

He picks up the rose, and reads the tag.

Hey Marvie! Good luck with your little girlfriend!

XOXO

Glimmer

He groans, "Really?"

"What is it? Who's it from?"

"Glimmer. Very funny," he crams it into his backpack, never to be seen again.

Even so, he keeps the note. He has no idea what it means.

"So, did you send roses to anyone?" she asks him.

"No. There's nobody to send them to."

"Oh. Do you have any plans?"

"No. What are Vick's plans for you two?"

"Well, he said he was going to take me out for a picnic at the park! And, he also said that he has something special to give to me!"

Poppy rambles on, and Marvel listens.

The more she goes on about how they're in love, the more the reality of it all sinks into Marvel's head. Poppy is taken. She's dating.

And, this thought is unsettling to Marvel.

He's not sure what he feels.

He knows he hates Vick. He's hated Vick since even before Poppy started dating him.

But, now he feels something else.

Not only does he want Poppy to shut up about Vick, but he wants something else.

He realizes it just as Poppy stops talking and looks at him as if she just asked a question.

He can't make himself speak words, and he finally admits it to himself.

He's jealous.

That night, Cato and Clove meet at the pizza place.

Katniss rings Peeta's doorbell, wearing a skirt for once, decorated with flames.

Rory and Pandora meet at the park.

Skeeter invites over Rue and Marvel to hang out.

Mason picks up Francesca in his car.

Prim knocks on Tom's door, and Mikayla answers.

"Oh, Prim! You look nice tonight! Please, come in! Oh, Tommy!" she calls, "Prim is here!"

"Don't call me Tom-" he turns the corner, and sees Prim there.

"-my," he finishes, then immediately turns to his girlfriend. "You look beautiful, Prim."

"Thank you, Tom. And, thank you for my rose."

"That cheap thing isn't enough!"

He puts a vase full of flowers on the table.

"Oh, Tom! This is wonderful!"

Mikayla pretends to cough, "Arm… Distance… Apart…"

Tom rolls his eyes, "Chill, Mickey."

"What? I didn't say anything."

Prim giggles, "That's cute!"

Tom turns pink, "Sure."

They all sit down for dinner.

Cato and Clove eat pizza, chatting and laughing loudly.

Peeta takes Katniss's hand, and helps her inside.

Katniss's eyes grow. Before her is a candle-lit, homemade, romantic place setting for two. Soft violin music plays in the background.

"Peeta… This is… Absolutely spectacular…" s

He escorts her over to a chair, and pulls it out for her. She sits, and he pushes her in.

Then, he brings out the chicken.

"Peeta, I'm- I'm just… Wow."

He grins, "I'm glad you like it, Katniss. Now, dinner is served!"

They eat together.

Rory and Pandora walk hand-in hand to the Hawthorne household.

Posy greets them, and they all have a game night together.

Vick meets Poppy at the park.

"Where's the picnic basket?" asks Poppy.

"We need to talk."

"What's wrong, Vick? Are you OK?"

"No. In fact, I heard about everything."

"With Glimmer?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

"It's fine, Vick. I can deal with her on my own-"

"You sure as hell bet you can deal with it on your own! And everything on your own! Out of everyone, you would've been my last guess for a lying, cheating scum!"

"What?"

"You and Marvel, back in the alleyways, Glimmer told me all about it!"

Poppy sighs. "Vick, this is Glimmer we're talking about-"

"I can't believe it, I put all my trust in you, and you shattered it!"

"Vick!"

"Just… Just… Never mind. Thanks for humiliating me."

"Vick!"

But he drops the black rose at Poppy's feet, and stomps away.

Now Vick knows how both Madge and Athena felt. Humiliated, depressed, and even shocked.

He resolves never to do anything like that ever again.

And, Poppy knows how Theo felt.

She shuts herself in her bedroom and cries.

Marvel, Rue, and Skeeter sit in his living room, in a triangle.

"So, are you two… Dating?" Marvel points to Skeeter and Rue.

"Us?" Skeeter turns red.

"Us?" Rue chuckles, and turns red, too.

"N-no," Skeeter says.

"We're just friends," Rue adds.

"Oh. I see."

There's a moment of awkward silence.

"So, how about you?" Rue asks. "Anyone special?"

"Nope. No one, really." Marvel thinks about Poppy, and blushes.

Rue grins, "There's someone!"

Marvel shrugs her off, "No, there's not."

"Can we guess who it is?" asks Skeeter.

"No matter how much you guess, the answer will always be no."

"Come on, Marvel! You should get it off your chest!" Rue coaxes him.

"Very funny, but no can do, Brown Eyes."

"Does her name begin with an A?"

Marvel shakes his head, and does the same for each of the letters that Skeeter mentions.

"O?" He shakes his head. "P?" Rue asks, and Marvel shakes his head at it, but blushes.

"Ohhhhh!" Skeeter pokes him.

Rue thinks about it and suddenly realizes.

"IT'S POPPY!"

Marvel's face turns red, and he puts his head down. "It's not Poppy."

He knows it's pointless.

Rue and Skeeter grin and laugh together. "Marvel loves Poppy!"

Marvel sighs.

He hates hearing the words, but also loves them at the same time.