The Ocean Rolls Us Away

Chapter 35: Finnick

I had been having a simple morning with the house to my self. My mom was having tea with one of her friends, and my dad was down at the docks. Since apparently no one had requested my presence in the Capitol that week, I had been truly free for the first time in months. Because of that, I was taking advantage of my luck and not doing a damn thing. But my privacy was interrupted when I heard my front door open and someone step inside.

I leaned up from slouching into the couch cushions and looked over towards the entry hall.

"Mom…" I shouted, "is that…" I stared to ask when I saw the shadow of a woman walking quickly down the hall. Then I saw her face.

"Annie?" I asked with surprise as she stepped into my living room. The look on her face caught me off guard and I could tell she was angry. I wasn't really sure why she had just barged in without bothering to ring my doorbell, but clearly it was because somehow I had done something to make her loose it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her worriedly as I sat up further and started to stand.

"You have some explaining to do." She instantly snapped at me, and I leaned back shocked as she stepped towards me. I had never seen Annie act so hostile, even after the games. This was proof to me that I had definitely done something. I just didn't know what it was.

I leaned back up cautiously. Then asked her with a rational voice, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about…" She glanced around in agitation then saw the TV remote on the coffee table and quickly picked it up turning on the TV.

She pointed at the screen and exclaimed angrily, "This!"

I looked up at the screen and saw that I was watching the interview that I had done with Caesar in her place. "I never thought you'd watch that." I muttered uncomfortably as I finally realized why she was so pissed off at me.

"Yeah, " She laughed sarcastically, and then added with frustration, "well I did and…"

I knew that this wasn't headed in a great direction so I put my hands out in defense and said with a calm voice, "Annie I can explain."

"Then please," She threw up her arms, "by all means do."

"I didn't want Snow to hurt you." I said as calmly as I could, trying to soothe her since her emotions were already fragile to begin with and getting mad only made them worse.

"But if the nation already thought that we were together and nothing had happened to me, why would you assume that he would? We could have been together this whole time!" She yelled at me as if I was stupid, which ticked me off because I knew Snow better than anyone. If there was something that warranted punishment, I usually tried to avoid it like the plague. Especially since the last time I didn't my little brother was murdered.

"You have no idea what Snow is capable of!" I chided her now that she had me irritated. I had really been hoping that this wouldn't happen, but I couldn't control everything.

Annie widened her eyes at me, taken aback, and exclaimed insultingly, "Yes I do!"

She stepped towards me as she shouted with defense, "I watched my father get slaughtered, and my mother suffer under President Snow's lies!"

I stood up and stepped right in front of her, which I could tell made her suddenly uncomfortable. Sure we had been even closer before, but never like this. Now I was angry. She had pissed me off with her bullshit accusations. She had never even given me a chance to explain first before she jumped down my throat.

"Then why don't you understand that I did this to protect you?" I questioned her through my teeth.

"You could have at least told me." She shouted in defense, again ignoring my efforts at explaining my self.

"When?" I questioned her with a smirk. Then I continued as I stepped even closer to her so that I could feel her breath on my face, "While you were dying in the hospital, or having a mental breakdown?" Immediately I knew that I had struck a sore spot with her as her lips started to tremble, and I realized that I had taken this too far.

"I'm not crazy…" She stuttered as she shook her head in defiance and tears started to well up in her eyes, "I thought you knew that. But I guess…I guess I was wrong." She choked though her tears with disappointment. Then she looked at the ground and muttered quietly with defeat, "I can't do this anymore. It's getting too hard to figure out what's real and what's not. I have to go."

"No," I said softly, "Annie wait!" I called after her, gently grabbing her arm, but she just shook her head.

"Please," She whispered painfully as she shrugged her arm out of my grasp, "just let me go."

I didn't say anything else and watched silently as she walked away from me, never turning back.

When I heard my front door close behind her, I slumped down onto my couch and put my head in my hands. All I could think to my self was what the hell had I done? She was never going to forgive me after what I had just said to her. I had seen it in her eyes.

Why did I destroy everything that ever mattered to me? No matter what it was, I always ruined it somehow. First I had caused my own brother to die out of stupidity, and now I had lost the only girl that I had ever loved just after getting her back. I had nothing now except for Annie, and even she didn't want anything to do with me anymore because I was such a jackass. Without her, my life didn't make any sense. I hated my self before I met her, and now she was gone again. I felt just like I did watching her in the games, unable to do anything, and fearing that she was lost to me forever. Accept this time she wouldn't be dead. I'd have to pass her in the street knowing that I had destroyed everything, and I couldn't live with that guilt. Somehow I had to tell her exactly how I felt before it was too late, and she shut me out for good.