Katniss is out in the hallway and her world was rocked knowing now that Peeta Mellark wanted to help her see her sister. But can she really trust him, after all, Peeta is a Merchant?

Stunned, Katniss backed away. She stared at him, her mind blank. He smiled at her beguilingly, and it occurred to her, she would owe him for this as well. "No!"

Spinning around she walked away.

"Katniss wait!"

Katniss stopped walking at the desperate sound in his voice. She should have kept on moving forward, instead, she waited. "Damn you Peeta Mellark," she muttered under her breath.

The last thing she expected him to say was that he wanted to help her get to her sister. She was furious with him, because, well because she had never been able to pay him for the bread. The bread that saved not just her life but the life of her sister and in a way her mothers.

It was those loves of bread that led her to see the first dandelion of the year and eventually led her to her father's plant book and the woods. Now he wanted to help her with Primrose.

"Why are you so upset?"

There was no way she could explain it to him. How could she? They never had a conversation, she wasn't much of a talker. Heck, she sat the Mayor's Daughter at lunch and their conversation was limited to polite pleasantries. The only person outside of her sister that she had any social interaction with was her hunting partner. The majority of the conversation revolved around hunting and trading. The occasional distrust of the government and what they would do to break away from the district.

"I don't want your help," she ground, crossing her hands across her chest.

"Katniss, think about what I'm offering you."

"Nope."

She walked away only to be cut off by Peeta. He stood before her. For a stocky guy, he was nimble.

"Leave me alone," she hissed.

Peeta looked around and opened the janitor's closet door that was near the bathroom.

"Ugh!"

Her suspicions about Peeta were confirmed. She could hear Gale's voice in her head. Merchants guys were always on the lookout for gullible girls to get their paws on. Peeta was trying to do the same to her. Cajole her to go to a storage room with him, or the equivalent, the janitor's closet. Couples were caught there all the time. Just last week Gale was caught with Sage Anderson in the storage room.

"Look we can't sit out here arguing in the hallway where there are classrooms."

She opened her mouth to argue but she heard the clickity-clack of heels approaching. Scowling she walked into the Janitors closet with him. Once the door was shut, Peeta held up his hand and waited until they heard clickety-clack of the woman's heels pass them by.

Peeta turned the lights in the room on.

She closed her eyes.

They stood there watching the other wearily.

"Katniss," Peeta ran his hand through his hair.

"What."

"I want to help you."

"I don't need your help."

"You saw what happened in the classroom. Mr. Lei acted like you're a criminal that needed to be escorted to the bathroom. If you go looking for your sister, which, I have no doubt you want to do, you'll get caught and get in trouble."

"And," Katniss didn't want to agree with him.

"If you're with me none of the school officials who think like Mr. Lei, will think twice about it. Also, I know the school a lot better than you do."

"I know the building," she said, sounding angry. She couldn't help the way her voice sounded.

"Not like me, I'm on the wrestling team," Peeta said confidently.

Katniss narrowed her eyes. She knew all too well he was on the wrestling team. There wasn't a girl in school who didn't talk about what Peeta looked like in his wrestling uniform. Katniss herself had gone slack-jawed at the sight of his beefy torso. Peeta had muscles in his arms, his chest, everywhere.

Gale had a pretty face but he was tall and skinny. He looked too much like her to be attractive, it was like looking in a mirror which, was spooky. She and Gale could be siblings.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"What does your involvement in the wrestling team have to do with anything?"

"There are secret passages that are used to transport things during the day without the student noticing. We use them a lot to haul stuff, you know to condition our bodies."

This was news to her.

"Look I know you don't trust me. We've never talked. But I know how important Primrose is to you. It speaks volumes that you're willing to stroll into town and risk getting yelled at by some bozo, just so that your sister can look at the new cake displays."

Katniss could feel the way her cheeks lit up with heat as embarrassment coursed through her veins. She wasn't the only one with pink cheeks, he too had rosy cheeks.

"I always try to put the ones with the flowers toward the window because I know Prim gets excited to be able to name the flowers."

It was true Prim was enamored with his flowered cakes. It was a game between them to guess the name of the plants Peeta created out of sugar paste.

"Okay, so if I let you help me navigate the halls of the school, what's in it for you?"

"Nothing," he smiled gently.

His smile caused her leg to tap, just like a rabbit when it sensed danger. In this case, she was in danger to sigh like a love-struck female at his smile. His smile was genuine and sweet, it tore down her walls quicker than eating one of his cookies.

"Nothing?" Her voice sounded strange.

"Nothing."

"Fine," she said. "How do we get to my sister?"

Sorry about the long wait I hope you guys are well. Happy New Years...Ps I do not own the Hunger Games