First and foremost, I do not own any of Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games characters.
Brief Synopsis: When Annie Cresta transfers from her all-girls school to Panem Public High School her senior year, she doesn't know what to expect. She definitely doesn't expect to get paired with the "player" of the grade as her year-long lab partner, Finnick O'Dair. Or to make friends with the schools "social outcast", but she does.

Just as a quick note, the entire story will not just be about the Finnick/Annie relationship, but it will be a main focus for the first few chapters. After that, I will start to rotate in the POV of different characters.

Also, just for reference, the majority of this fanfic will be rated T but I will have a few rated M chapters, so I will put a warning for those chapters.

Chapter 1:
Annie's POV

The obnoxious ringing of my alarm rips me out of a dream. I try to remember what it was about, but it slips away from me like water is running through my brain and washing it all away. After a second, all that is left of it is the feeling of dread in my stomach.
I get out of my twin bed, pushing the quilt to the side, and walk towards the sliver mirror that hangs on my closet door. My hair is tousled and frizzy. I grab a brush from my dresser and hastily run it through my hair. I hastily dress in a comfortable baby blue blouse with ruffled sleeves and tuck it into a denim skirt that stops a couple of inches about my knees. Despite the longer length of the skirt, I put a pair of black spandex on under, just in case.
I open the door to my bathroom and stare at the makeup on the counter for a moment before grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste. The brush moves in vigorous circles on my teeth as I try in vain to scrub away my nerves. For the first time since fifth grade, I will be in a class with boys.
When my mother suggested that I attend the local public high school for my senior year I nearly choked on the lemonade I had been drinking. No joke. My insanely overprotective mother was actually suggesting that I go to school with real boys. I had been against it for the first few weeks, but when my dad finally said that he thought that it would be good for me to get some "good life experience in dealing with the male species" before I left for college next fall, I decided to give it some thought. And now, barely four and a half months later, I am starting my first day of public school!
I look in the mirror once I finish brushing my teeth, feeling my anxiety bubble up in my stomach. Closing my eyes, I focus on taking deep, slow breaths, trying to calm down the panicked thoughts that have begun running through my head.
You aren't going to have a panic attack. The other girls are going to like you. You don't have to talk to the boys if you don't want to.
The last thing is something that my therapist told me at our last session at the beginning of June when I had decided to go to public school. He told me that there would be plenty of girls there that I could make friends with.
"Annie! C'mon or you're going to be late!"
I brush my fingers through my hair one more time before rushing down the stairs into the small kitchen. My mom newly had it re-done in her separation from my dad. They aren't legally divorced, cause we don't have the money for it. We aren't poor, exactly, but when my parents separated, my dad, starting to refuse to pay for anything except for anything me and my younger twin brother and sister, Sarah and Colin, need.
"You're so sllooww Annie," Sarah says, drawing out every syllable for emphasis. I roll my eyes, silently thanking my mother for having the twins a year later than she planned, making them eight graders, not a freshman.
I sit on a bright blue barstool in front of the faux marble counter-tops, but my mom pulls me up before I can even get settled. She has my favorite black strappy sandals in one hand and my backpack and a breakfast bar in the other.
"It's already packed. I figured you might be nervous your first day so I packed it in advance last night. I even got a lemon square from the Mellark's. You'd better be going."
Sarah and Colin, who have gone to public school all their lives, share an eye roll, but I ignore it. I give my mom a smile and a tight hug before slipping the sandals on and walking out the front door to my car.
Despite her protests, I told my mom that I would be fine to drive myself to school. It is going to be hard enough to start my senior year at a school where everyone already knows each other, let alone having my mom drive me. Don't get me wrong, I love her, but I don't need that.

I pull into the parking lot and find a spot close to the entrance of the school. It is early, so most of the spots are empty. I pull perfectly into an end—I am pretty perfect at driving—and get out, walking toward the front doors.
The hallways are practically empty as I walk to find my locker. When I reach locker 1128, a tall, intimidating girl is leaning against the one to the left of mine and I can hear the music clear as day, despite her headphones. It's The Long Run. This girl has good taste.
I can't help but look her over. Her brown hair falls to her shoulders and she has large red streaks running through it. She's wearing a Pink Floyd tank top on a pair of ripped jean shorts. Her backpack is black with a bunch of different band pins on it. Led Zeppelin, Rush, Eagles, Pink Floyd, City, and Colour…
"What are you looking at?" She asks. My head flies up and our eyes meet. Her are just as hard and suspicious as her voice was. She cocks her head at me, waiting for an answer.
"I—I like your pins," I say, internally screaming that my stutter came out. It took me years to get rid of it, but it still comes out when I am nervous. And I am definitely nervous around the girl who looks like she wants to murder me.
"You're telling me you—" she looks my ensemble up and down "—listen to Zeppelin?" There is a laugh in her voice.
"Yes," I say simply.
"Favorite song?"
"The Ocean, House of the Holy (Remastered) Album, released in 1973," I say and it is the surest thing I have said this entire conversation.
She looks me over once more before nodding approvingly and reaching out her hand.
"I'm Joanna. Mason." She adds her last name like it is an after-thought.
"Annie Cresta," I shake her had.
"You new?" She asks. There is a desperately hopeful note in her voice that I can't help but notice.
"Yes."
"Sweet! I finally get a new kid!" She holds her hand up and I high five her, though I am not fully sure what she means.
"What's your first period?" She asks, her face bright with a smile.
"Uh," I reach into my pocket and pull out my paper schedule. "AP Psychology."
When I look up I realize she is laughing.
"Paper schedule? I like you, Cresta."
She pulls my schedule from my hands and we find that we have Math, an extra study hall, and lunch together. I sigh internally with relief when I realize that I will have someone to sit with at lunch.
Despite the fact that her first class, Anatomy, is on the other side of the school, she insists on walking me to my class. By the time we get there, the school is jam-packed with kids and I am trying not to panic.
"You okay Cresta?" Joanna asks.
All I manage to do is nod my head and give what is probably the most unconvincing 'I'm okay' smile ever before walking into the classroom. The seat I chose is one that is far enough back where I don't have to worry about being randomly called on, but close enough that I can still see everything on the board. Each small island table has only two chairs, and I try to push down the fear that I will end up sitting alone.
My leg is bouncing up and down with nerves, and the only way I can think to calm myself if by looking at photos of sea creatures. I scroll through different Instagram feeds, looking at everything from dolphins to sea snakes to hammerhead sharks and my heart begins to slow and my legs bounce less.
"Excuse me!" A voice says rather sternly.
I look up to find that almost all of the seats in the class are filled, except for the one next to me, and that everyone, including a middle-aged man wearing large spectacles, is staring at me.
"First and foremost, I have a no-phone policy in my classroom, unless it is for a project or social experiment." The man, who I assume is the teacher, says all of this staring right at me.
I feel my cheeks heat up as he continues to talk about how not paying attention and giving in to the distractions of our phones could be the reason we fail his class. A few people snicker at the fact that the teacher basically speaks right at me the entire time. The more he talks about the strict classroom rules, the more I find that I am unable to hold his gaze, and my eyes stare down at my desk.
"Hey! Eyes up her new girl!" A boy's voice says.
I glance up and see a slightly tan, muscular boy with coppery hair laughing and high-fiving the broad-shouldered brunette boy that sits next to him. While the teacher glares at the boy, he doesn't reprimand him. I can already tell that I don't like the Copper haired boy.
Great job Annie I think You aren't even halfway into your first period and you are already the laughing stock and the teachers least favorite.
"Alright, now to introduce myself." The teacher says. "I am Professor Beetee Latier. Before we get started with anything else, I am going to put you into assigned partner groups for your year-long project."
Most of the kids in the class sigh at the fact that they won't be able to choose their partners, but I couldn't be more relieved. This means that I won't have to worry about not being picked as a partner by anyone. My fingers cross under the desk as Professor Latier begins to rattle off names, and I hope that I am not paired with a boy. People begin to get up and trade places with each other, to make sure they are sitting at the same table as their partners.
"Gale Hawthorn and Madge Undersee, Finnick O'Dair and Annie Cresta…"
My heart begins to beat rapidly when I hear the name of a boy, but it sinks when I see that the boy heading towards me is the copper-haired boy who made fun of me earlier. Of course, this happens to me.
He sits down next to me and flashes me what I'm sure is supposed to be his super charming smile, but it just looks fake and forced to me. I don't smile back.
"Finnick O'Dair," he says, reaching his hand out to shake mine.
"Yeah—yeah I—I kn—know." I say, my stutter coming out worse than ever.
"Aw, I already have you stuttering," Finnick says with an annoying smirk that practically screams that he thinks that he is the hottest guy in the room. Which he is, but that is beside the point.
"N-no." I say, trying to get it out clearly. "I'm just ner-nervous."
"Sure you are Cresta," He says. I turn my face toward him, give him what I hope to be a very annoyed and infuriated eye roll, and turn back to look at Professor Latier, who is now explaining the project that will force me to spend a year with this arrogant, entitled, and admittedly hot jerk.
I sigh. This is going to be a long year.

—

I hope this was a good read. This is my very first fanfiction so I don't know if it is any good. If there is anything I could do better in my writing please comment on it because I am always looking to get better. I would also just like to say thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I will try to update the story with a new chapter or two every week, but I am starting school again soon so that might start to dwindle come the middle of August.
Until next time, stay safe, healthy, and happy.
- Jewel.