Peeta never got the chance to talk to Katniss last night. There were too many things, too many emotions, happening all at once at home. It took hours for his mother to stop screaming, her tantrum far exceeding its limit. His father was the reason she stopped yelling at him, reminding her that it wasn't anything Peeta could control, that they needed to try their best to accept things as they were. Peeta did not get any sleep last night.
Walking into his first period class, he notices Gale is nowhere to be seen. Where was he anyway? Maybe he was late. Cato certainly isn't, already in his seat, eyes catching sight of Peeta the moment he walks into the classroom. He looks different today, but what was it? The brushed forward blonde hair with messy bangs sticking up, vast blue eyes the color of the sky, the protruding muscles in his biceps; they were all the same as yesterday. But today… today Cato looks really good. He gives Peeta a half smirk, seductively watching him. Sweet little Peeta reddens immediately, blushing like a little school girl. Oh boy, this feels so awkward.
Ms. Trinket doesn't look very well, her skin is pale and she's not wearing nearly as much makeup. The class is silent, waiting to see her next move. She sits at her cherry wood desk, adorned with pink business supplies and picture frames. "As you all may have noticed," she starts, "I have a little bit of a cold. You'll be finishing Mr. Poe's Masque of the Red Death today. Everyone get in groups of four or five and write me a one page summary on what you believe the message of the story is. Personally, I find it atrocious, not enough color or happiness to it. And for that matter, why the color red? Why not lavender or champagne?" She can't be serious. "At least then we'd have more to talk about! Red is just so depressing." Yep, she's serious. "Go on now! Chip chip!" she waggles her hands in effort of having the class move along.
Groups were never Peeta's strong point. He sinks deep into his seat, wanting to disappear from the classroom that will obviously pick out their groups immediately and leave him to look like a complete loser all by himself. The teacher would make it worse, asking him why he wasn't in a group, they always did. Then he'd become even more red in embarrassment and be made a fool. Group assignments should never be allowed in classrooms. They had no significance. Really, what workforce ever ordered their associates to work in groups? None of them, that's who.
"Peeta!" Cato shouts to the younger blonde. He turns around to look at him, already in a group with the two girls he noticed giggling at him yesterday. "Come be part of our group!" Well, at least he wouldn't be by himself. He scoots the desk closer to Cato, smiling at his new group members. "Peeta, this is Glimmer and Cashmere. Glimmer is my best friend's girlfriend. Cashmere here is just some whore that hangs out with us sometimes."
The girl with the medium-length curly blonde hair throws a pen at Cato, but they're all laughing. "Shut up, asshole." She looks at Peeta, "Nice to finally meet you, Peeta." She winks at him. Hey, a friend of Cato's is a friend of the group, and this one was cute.
"You too," Peeta responds. He sort of wishes Gale was here. Did he call out sick or something?
Glimmer is giving Cato a strange look, her nose scrunched, eyes narrowed, eyebrow cocked. Cato takes note of it. "What's up, Glimmer?" She peaks at Peeta questionably, wondering if she can openly talk with him there. Cato gets the message. "Yeah, he's cool. What's up?"
"Did my boyfriend talk to you about that new guy? When are you guys going to teach that animal his place?" Wow, straight to the point, huh? That was unexpected. She's in a rage. "He broke Marvel's nose! Have you seen it? It's embarrassing to take him anywhere with the nasty bandage on his face. I can't even cover the bruises on his nose and eyes with concealer!"
Cato just smirks at her. "Don't worry about it. We've got it under control."
Peeta doesn't want to be here anymore. He's also decided that he doesn't want to get to know Cato's friends or have anything to do with that clique. And what were they going to do to that kid? What could he possibly have done to piss off Cato and his friends so badly? Peeta can't help but feel disappointed in Cato for talking this way. He seemed so much nicer yesterday.
"Fine, but you'd better do something quick." Glimmer huffs and crosses her arms. What a shallow bitch.
"I said we've got it under control. Let's just finish this stupid assignment already." Annoyed with her demands and bitching, Cato rolls his eyes and opens his book to finish the assignment. Normally, he'd have somebody else do it for him, but it was the perfect excuse not to talk to Glimmer anymore. Peeta does the same, hastily searching for the section he'd left off on. Glimmer and Cashmere continue to gossip, mostly about something going on in their cheerleading team. Peeta can't really tell what exactly they're talking about; he doesn't care enough to listen.
Cato takes a peak over his book, peering at Peeta to see if he's looking back at him. He isn't. Peeta is so engrossed in his book, obviously upset by the conversation and company, and definitely wanting to be as far away from all of them as possible.
Damn it. He fucked up.
When the bell rings, Glimmer and Cashmere take off together, not really concerned with anything that had just happened; they're too busy chitchatting about something else to notice the tension. Peeta still refuses to look Cato's way, shoving his book and pad into his backpack angrily. When he turns to leave, Cato grabs his wrist. "Peeta…"
With a sigh, Peeta looks at the ground next to him, refusing to make eye contact. "What is it, Cato?"
"Listen, Glimmer is kind of a bitch. I put up with her because she's my best friend's girlfriend." He tugs on Peeta's wrist a little rougher, trying to get him to look at him. He finally does, but he still looks upset. "If you're worried about that new kid, don't be. I only told Glimmer that to shut her up. If anything happens with that guy, it will be because he started it. I'm not looking to start any trouble."
Cato should be an actor, he's a fantastic liar. The lie comforts Peeta, his features softening into a smile. He's glad Cato isn't some sort of bully, planning to jump someone for fighting back. "Okay."
Phew, it worked. "Cool. So I'll see you in third?"
"Yeah, see you then." He blushes when he feels Cato let go of his wrist, squeezing his hand in a flirting gesture. He had so much to talk to Katniss about.
Rushing to second period, he spots Katniss in the same seat as yesterday; she'd given up her usual seat to Peeta. "Katniss!"
"Hey Peeta," she grins at him. She's let her hair down today, it looks beautiful. Her grin falters. "What happened?" her voice has changed to one of concern. It takes Peeta a moment to realize she was talking about his cheek.
"Oh! Yeah… um, kinda embarrassing, but I fell in the shower." Was that one of those excuses like running into a doorknob or falling down the stairs? Hopefully not. Peeta doesn't need everyone thinking he was in some sort of fight.
She seems to believe him. "Ouch! That looks like it hurts. Are you okay?" Being caring and endearing are definitely some of her best traits. Peeta could trust her with anything.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a bruise. Hey, I was wondering if I could ask you about something?" He's hoping she knows more about Cato, since he was absolutely clueless. He'd ask Gale, but that seemed like a stupid idea since they obviously hated each other. He's still curious as to why. Alone, they seemed so mellow, down-to-earth, and even friendly. But around each other, they were hostile, temperamental, and looked like a pack of wild dogs ready to attack. He just didn't understand it. He remembers what Cato had said about Gale ruining his family somehow, but didn't mention how or why.
"Of course you can. What's on your mind?" Just as she asks the question, the room has filled with students. Peeta looks around nervously.
"I'll ask you later." He says. She nods her head, understanding that he wanted to have this conversation in a more private setting. She has an idea as to what he wants to talk about, but she's not the type of person to put someone on blast. If he wants to talk about it, he will on his own time, and she respects that.
"No problem, later then." As if on cue, Mr. Boggs enters the classroom dressed in a finely pressed suit. Though he always carried an orderly sort of charisma, he looks much more serious and stern today. This must have been a bad day for the teachers, having been the second one out of character already. The class is silent, watching as he immediately drops his case by his desk and begins writing on the wipe-board. He starts his lecture without delay, the students hastily grabbing their notebooks and pens to take notes.
Mr. Boggs doesn't break from his lecture once. When the bell finally rings, everyone packs their bags and leaves the classroom right away. Katniss waits outside in the hall for Peeta, patiently. When he makes it out the door she smiles at him. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Peeta shifts from one foot to the other, slightly uncomfortable. "I wanted to ask you about someone."
"Is it Gale?" Katniss eyes Peeta with a smirk. It catches him completely off guard.
"Wait, what? Why would you think it was about Gale?" he asks her.
Katniss thinks about this, not wanting to offend Peeta or brush him the wrong way. She had to be sensitive in her delivery. "Peeta, I want you to know that you're one of my friends now and I completely accept you as you are."
"You think I'm gay?" Peeta shrieks. This is not where he wanted the conversation to be going.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." She frowns.
Peeta considers this. He looks down on the ground, contemplating whether or not he should come clean. On the one hand, it would be great to finally have someone to confide to. On the other hand, this could easily backfire like it had at his last school. But Katniss isn't like the people from his other school, and he shouldn't compare them. He sighs. "How did you know?"
"Don't worry, Peeta. I'm not going to tell anyone. I could just tell." He looks at her, horrified. "It's just me! Nobody else thinks you are. I have an eye for these things." His posture relaxes, convinced. "So it's not Gale?"
"No. Um, I was kinda hoping you could tell me about Cato." It's a bit unexpected.
"Honestly, I don't know a lot about him. I know that he and Gale don't like each other, but I don't know why. I asked Gale once a couple years ago, but he kinda just started breaking things in his room. I haven't asked him since." There was obviously much more to whatever was going on between Gale and Cato than either of them had led on. No one just throws a temper tantrum when they're asked a question like that.
"Oh, okay. Thanks anyway, Kat." He smiles at her.
She bumps her hip into his. "Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Why do you ask about Ca-"
Peeta yelps in a high-pitched screech when he feels a firm slap of a hand to his rear. He turns around, absolutely shocked and nearly screams at his attacker when he notices a playful smirk on the auburn-haired playboy. "Hello gorgeous. Miss me?"
"Finnick! You scared me!" Peeta is relieved to see it was just him, but it was still a heart-racing event.
"Well maybe you shouldn't wear jeans that showcase that wonderful ass of yours; such a tease." Peeta blushes at the comment. "And speaking of wonderful asses, how are you doing, Kitty Kat? Still showing my little Peeta around? Cause that was kinda my job, you know." Finnick winks with a tease.
Katniss shakes her head, amused. "Odair, you really are something."
Finnick strikes an incredibly provocative pose; his hips thrust forward, arms behind his head. "Why, yes… yes, I really am something, aren't I?" Someone whistles at his display. Everyone turns around to see who it was.
"Look at this sexy ass bitch." She teases, slapping Finnick right on his bottom. Peeta recognizes her as the girl Gale has been staring at. She's perfect for him; tiny, pale skin, red lips, and a leopard print dress that gives her a rebellious pinup kind of look. "You're already putting out for the new guy? And here I was thinking our relationship was solid as a rock. Oh, how you break my heart." They embrace in a warm hug. It's a somewhat amusing sight with her being just barely over five feet tall, Finnick more than a foot taller.
"What can I say? I'm a sucker for some light eyes and juicy butt." He spanks her. They'd been friends for years now, the behavior completely normal in their friendship. It was all just fun and games. Besides, Finnick was this way with just about everyone.
"I know you are. Before I forget, Thresh wanted me to let you know the council meeting is cancelled today. I'll see you at lunch, boo." They both kiss each other on the cheek then look back at Peeta and Katniss as if suddenly realizing they were still there. She smiles at them. "Nice seeing you two." She waves before strolling off.
Finnick looks like he's about to say something, mouth open, when the bell rings signaling that break was over. He frowns in disappointment, wanting to talk to Peeta to see how everything was going. "Guess I'll see you in fourth, Peeta. Bye Kitty Kat!"
Katniss wave's goodbye as Peeta watches Finnick walk away. Why does that guy have to be so ridiculously good looking? It wasn't natural to be so naturally charming! Annoyed by how much of a tease Finnick is, Peeta shakes his head and stuffs his hands into his pockets, grumbling to himself. Katniss just offers him a smile, she knew how Finnick was and the effect he had on people. She touches his arm and signals her head to her right, motioning towards their next class, the art room with Cinna. Remembering how much he loved the class, Peeta's mood lightens as he follows Katniss to the large, enchanting room.
They make their way back to the ceramics table, grabbing the red coiled clay they'd been working on yesterday. They were going to paint their vases today. Katniss asks, "Could you pass me the maroon paint?" He reaches for it, but stops halfway when he notices the new student with the dark, black hair and yellow-green eyes talking to Cinna, who is motioning his hands around the room, no doubt explaining what sort of creative outlets were provided in the class. The new student looks around the classroom, stopping when he notices something by the music section. Peeta turns to see he's looking at Gale, who's staring at the girl again. It was kind of funny when he thought about it.
Oh, Gale was here! He looks terrible though, his face is pale and he doesn't look like he's had enough sleep. Peeta hands the jar of paint to Katniss. "I'll be right back. I want to say hi to Gale."
She shrugs her shoulders. "Sure thing. Be careful though. He had a lot to drink last night and Madge and I had to go pick him up. I'm surprised he came in today." Gale drinks? He nods his head in understanding, walks over to Gale sitting on an amp. Cato struts in at that moment, irritated that Peeta was with Gale. And… is that Myka? Son of a bitch! He's in this class too?
"Hey, you okay?" Peeta asks, slightly hesitant. He doesn't know how Gale is when he's sporting a hangover.
Gale's head snaps in his direction, surprised by his presence. "Oh, hey Peeta. Yeah, I'm okay." He looks down at his guitar then snaps his head back up. "What happened to your face?"
Embarrassed for the millionth time, Peeta's cheeks turn pink. "I fell in the shower. Hit the soap dispenser on the way down." He explains. Gale cocks his eyebrow at him, not entirely sure how much he believes him.
Cato manages to get the courage to approach Peeta; he wants Gale to know that Peeta was his friend now. Maybe it would make things awkward or complicated enough to make Gale not want to be Peeta's friend anymore. Or maybe it was just enough to piss him off. It didn't matter either way. "Hey, Peeta! What you doing?" Gale glares at the tall blonde, beyond pissed that he had the audacity to even come near them.
"Oh, hi Cato… I was just talking to Gale. What's up?" he asks with a soft voice. This could get really nasty pretty quickly, so he tries to stay as neutral as possible. It doesn't work. Gale is already staring at him, a look between something of shock and disgust.
"Nothing, just wanted you to meet a couple of my friends is all." He bobs his head towards Peeta. "You busy right now?"
"Yeah, I'll see you in a bit." He smiles. Cato nods his head, walking back to his circle of friends. Gale is extremely confused.
"What the hell was that about?" he asks, grinding his teeth.
Peeta isn't sure if he should tell Gale about last night. He decides to be honest, but leave out the bit about them kissing. "He came into the bakery shop and we found out we had the same quantum mechanics class. He asked me to be his study partner, so we hung out yesterday at his place for a bit. Then he asked me if I wanted to meet some of his friends."
Gale cocks his eyebrow at him, obviously suspicious of Cato. The look of skepticism turns into one of horror. He grabs Peeta by the arm. "Did Cato do that to your face?"
You have got to be kidding. What was wrong with these two? "What? No!" Peeta starts laughing. "You know, he asked me the same thing yesterday about you."
Gale narrows his eyes. "What else did he say about me?"
Somewhat uncomfortable, Peeta shifts his shoulders. "Nothing really, just that you guys don't get along. He didn't tell me why though."
Suddenly, Gale's hands seem more interesting, having caught his attention. He stares at his tangled fingers in his lap. "I'm not going to tell you how to pick your friends, Peeta. But- watch out for Cato. And don't go to his family's place alone. They're… they're fucking crazy ass lunatics. Don't trust them." None of this is making sense. Cato said Gale was the one to tear his family apart and that he wasn't to be trusted. Now Gale was saying that Cato and his family couldn't be trusted because they were crazy. This is just downright confusing.
Everyone's attention goes to the music section where Myka is shredding on a guitar, Thresh has jumped right in playing bass, and the girl Gale has been watching tunes in on the drums. They sound like a real band! And not just one of those high school bands, but a real rock group. The class watches in awe, never having realized how talented they were. Cato and Gale, however, they're fuming at the sight, beyond livid and jealous.