I do not own Suzanne Collins the Hunger Games characters.
This chapter is at the end of their third week of school, so there is a bit of a time skip between the last chapter and this one. I really excited about this chapter because I am starting to rope some of the other characters in the story, and it is in another different POV. Hope you guys enjoy it!
Chapter 9:
Peeta
"Alright, get into your groups." Professor Haymitch says. He is the only teacher in the entire school that actually allows kids to call him by his first name. Most of us don't even know what his last name is at this point.
I raise my hand.
"What Petis?" Professor Haymitch slurs.
"You didn't give us groups," I say.
"Oh. Right. Uh. Petis, Finnish, Kantiss, Anne, and Midge."
It took us all a few days to figure it out, but what Professor Haymitch actually means is me, Peeta, Finnick, Katniss, Annie, and Madge. I zone out on the rest of the groups as I get up to move to the back desk circle where Annie and Finnick always sit. I honestly don't know why they sit together because I have only ever heard them arguing with each other. I am kind of dreading being in a group with them, but I am trying to keep an open mind. Plus, I am usually a really good people person. And I'm in a group with Katniss, who I have kind of had a crush on since like the third grade.
"Hey guys," I say with a smile.
"What's up?" Finnick says.
"Not much. You're good at math right?" I say to Finnick.
"Uh, yeah," Finnick says. He looks rather surprised at my comment.
"And you're Annie right?" I say to the new girl. She has a shy smile on her face and she turns to Finnick. He nods his head so minusculely that I almost don't notice he does it.
"Yeah, I'm Annie," she says.
Madge and Katniss arrive at the table a few seconds later.
"Hey Peeta," Katniss says to me. "How's the bakery doing?"
"Great. Thanks for asking. How's Prim?" I say. Prim, Katniss' younger sister, was really sick for a while when we were sophomores, which I think is the last time we talked.
"Prim's good. She in remission," Katniss smiles back at me.
"That's great," I say.
Madge Undersee sits behind the desk in between Finnick and Katniss, which leaves me to sit at the desk that is between Katniss and Annie. When I sit, Annie gives me a shy smile before looking down at her fingers. She is twirling something around, but I can't see what it is. Professor Haymitch has finally finished assigning groups and he begins to pass out a small packet of papers like he has every day for the past two weeks. The first two pages contain a basic explanation for how to do the math, there is one video with additional video's that you can look at if you need help, and the last two pages are our classwork and homework. I don't actually think he makes the packets though, because they always smell weirdly like women's perfume.
"These will be your groups for the rest of the year, or semester or something," Professor Haymitch says. "You can work together and help each other with your work and stuff." That's all he says before slumping back into his chair, putting his feet up on his desk, and falling asleep.
I look down at the packet and begin reading the explanation for today's assignment. I read it twice over before finally concluding that I have no idea what to do.
"Do you guys get this?" I ask. "'Cause I'm so lost."
Katniss and Madge look as, if not more confused than I am, but to my surprise, Finnick is already done with the classwork sheet and is halfway through his homework. Annie finishes the first question on the first worksheet and glances over at Finnick's work before hastily erasing her answer and beginning the problem again.
"I can help you, just give me a minute," Finnick says absentmindedly. Within the next few minutes, Finnick finishes his worksheet and begins to help us with ours. He is apparently really good at math and is a really good teacher, much better than Professor Haymitch and the explanation sheets combined. By the end of class, Katniss, Madge, and I finished to classwork sheet and are a fourth of the way through our homework, and Annie is almost done with hers.
"I never knew you were so good at math," I say to Finnick as we begin to pack up our things.
"Yeah, most people don't," his voice isn't his usually bright one. He sounds really dejected actually. For a second I wonder what he has to be sad about, but then multiple things click into place at once. Finnick hangs out with Gale and Marvel, who really aren't that smart. I mean, they pass with decent grades, but usually only with what the need to be on the football team for Gale and the baseball team for Marvel. As I think back to Finnick in school over the years, he has always been one of the smartest people in our grade, I guess I just never really noticed it with how much he talks about his sports. But I actually never really have heard him talk about sports that often. Come to think of it, almost everything I "know" about Finnick, I have learned from somebody that isn't him.
"Hey Peeta," Katniss calls to me.
I turn towards her.
"Uh, Annie invited Madge and me to come to sit with her at lunch. She said you can come to if you want. She sits out in the courtyard."
"Yeah," I say.
"Alright, I'll see you then." I watch Katniss' long dark brown braid swing back and forth as she walks away. Maybe this year is finally the year that I will have a chance with her.
I walk through the lunchroom and out into the courtyard, quickly finding Katniss and Madge at a table with Annie and two other girls. I walk over to the table, and I am only a few feet away when Annie catches sight of me. She smiles and waves at me.
"Hi, Peeta!" Annie says.
I wave and smile back at her. When I sit, I see that the other girls are Johanna Mason and Clove Stark.
"Cresta, you got us a boy. Nice," Johanna says with a laugh.
"Shut up Jo," Clove says, playfully shoving the girl.
As we all sat in silence, I was worried for a moment that this was going to turn into one of those awkward things where no one talks but then Madge started talking about how excited she was for football season to start and we all settled into an easy conversation. I honestly hardly even noticed that I was the only guy at the table, and to be honest, I didn't really mind when I did notice. Not because I am like prowling for girls or anything, but because these girls were not like the Glimmer's and Cashmere's that made up the majority of our school and especially our grade.
Towards the end of lunch, I saw Finnick running over to our table out of the corner of my eye. He sat down in the empty space next to Annie and immediately began talking.
"Okay, so my parents are going out of town again this weekend, and I figured since we get Friday off this week, I could have a little get together."
"You mean a party," Johanna says.
"No," says Finnick with mock severity. "I mean a get-together. You guys can come over to my place at like 5:00 on Friday and we can do a sleepover. It'll be awesome."
"Who else is going?" Madge asks.
"Glimmer, Cashmere, Marvel, Gale, and Cato."
Finnick has barely said Cato's name when Clove says she's in. Johanna turns to her with an amused smile before also agreeing to come. Katniss and Madge and me also all agree to come and then Finnick turns to Annie.
"I'll have to ask my mom," She says. Finnick nods and the two just stare at each other for a minute. Johanna coughs and Finnick shakes his head like he is coming out of a daze.
"Alright, well, see you guys later." Finnick starts to walk away but then he turns back and looks at Annie.
"Hey, what time should I pick you up?"
"Uh, like 4:45," she says.
"K," Finnick says and then he walks back to his table.
"What is Finnick picking you up for?" Johanna asks excitedly.
"We are just going to work on your AP Psych project," Annie says.
"Mmhm. Sure you are," Johanna says, and we all laugh. I haven't known Annie that long, but it is pretty obvious that both her and Finnick have feelings for each other that extend way beyond project partners and even friends at that.
"Try not to punch him this time," Clove says.
"Wait what?" Katniss asks, but Clove and Johanna just keep on laughing, leaving Katniss, Madge, and I in the dark.
I have got to say, this is really nice, sitting and laughing at a lunch table with people who I already feel like I have known forever. I mean, it isn't like I don't have friends, I do, just never like this. Never people that I went to parties with or that I could just fit effortlessly in with. I look around the table at everyone and think 'this is going to be a great year'.
Alright, honestly how did I do with writing Peeta's personality? I love how his character is written in the books so much and I just really hope that I did the sweet and charismatic part of his character justice.
Stay happy, healthy, and safe,
-Jewel.