Peeta looks up from Cato and in the direction of the intruder. Who he sees makes him want to crawl out of his skin. Who the hell invited Tice? Panicking, Peeta scoots away from Cato and watches the face-off between them.
"Wait until everyone finds out that big bad Cato is a faggot-ass queer," Tice says with a grin.
Cato has turned five shades more pale, then the skin becomes red with anger. "I'm not a fag. Now get out."
"Oh, don't worry. I don't get off on watching faggots get it on. I'll see you later." Tice winks in victory. Smug bastard. This is exactly the sort of revenge he was looking for.
Cato's fists begin to shake and he's quickly losing his temper. Too terrified to touch him, Peeta waits patiently for Cato to say something. When he doesn't, Peeta calls his name. "Cato? Are you alright?"
Refusing to look at Peeta, Cato scowls at him, "Get dressed."
Peeta reaches out and lightly touches Cato's arm in comfort, but Cato tears his arm away as if he were just burned. "Don't touch me," he says harshly. He grabs his own clothing and slams the bathroom door shut, having decided to get dressed in privacy. Feeling rejected and embarrassed, Peeta picks up his discarded clothing and quickly dresses himself. He leaves the room in a hurry. He needed to get out of here before word got around about what just happened.
He looks down the hall, but doesn't see anyone and races down as fast as he can. He looks around for any sight of Tice. He isn't anywhere in sight. Watching everyone on the dance floor, he realizes they're all too preoccupied to notice him, so he takes his chances and heads for the door.
Victory. He made it outside without notice. As soon as he's far enough from the house, he pulls his cell phone out from his pocket and dials Katniss's number. It rings several times before going to her voicemail. Shit! What was he going to do? He didn't know how to get home from here. He calls again, but only reaches the voicemail for a second time. What does he do? What does he do? She said she'd pick up!
Feeling out of options, he decides to call Gale. The phone doesn't ring once. It goes straight to voicemail. His phone must either be dead or turned off. Either way, he can't reach him either. So he calls his brother, who also does not answer. When the call goes to his voicemail, Peeta's heart begins to race to something resembling a heart attack.
He can't call his parents. They wouldn't understand. They'd be very angry with him and the screaming and fighting would start all over again. He should have known better than to trust Cato. He should have learned his lesson the first time around at his last school. That's always been his problem, you know. He trusts people too easily and always gives them the benefit of the doubt. Some would call it innocent, but truth is, it was just ignorance. He could be really stupid sometimes.
There's one last number he can call, but it's completely out of place. He takes a moment to debate his options only to realize, there is no one else he can call, so he presses the dial button and waits.
It rings three times before someone answers.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Finnick…" Peeta mumbles.
"Peeta?"
"Yeah, it's me." Peeta admits, a little embarrassed for having to ask for a favor like this.
"Hey buddy, what's up? You sound down." Finnick says.
Peeta bites on his bottom lip. "Um… yeah. I was hoping I could ask you a huge favor…"
"Anything. What's up?"
"Well, I could really use a ride home?" Peeta finally asks. He sounds as if he's about to cry. "It's okay if you don't want to. I-"
"No, it's okay. Where are you? Are you alright?"
"I'm… I'm fine. I'm by Glimmer's place. Is that too far?" Peeta asks, worried.
"Of course not. I'm on my way."
Peeta sighs in major relief. "Thank you!"
"No problem, kiddo. See you soon."
"Okay." Peeta says before hanging up. At least he got one problem taken care of.
Finnick looks over at Myka, curled up in the bed watching a movie. When he realizes Finnick is no longer on the phone, he asks, "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," Finnick answers. "It was Peeta. I think something happened at Glimmer's party. He asked me for a ride. Want to come with?"
Myka cocks his eyebrow. "Probably not a good idea if I tag along. Cato might be there."
"So? We'll be in the car the whole time. C'mon, I want you to come with me." Finnick pouts like a child.
"I hate when you do that," Myka softly chuckles. He gives in and they quickly drive over to Glimmer's place.
Peeta is sitting outside, a couple houses away from the party. He hasn't seen Tice or Cato, which was a bit strange. He hopes they're not fighting in the house. Looking up at the sound of a car, he notices Finnick and Myka in a silver van. He wonders if it's Finnick's car. It doesn't suit him very well.
Finnick lightly taps the horn, letting Peeta know it's okay to come in. He trots over to the vehicle, and lets himself in.
"Thank you." Peeta smiles.
"Any time, Peeta Bread. Why are you leaving the party so early?" Finnick asks.
"I, uh… um-" Peeta searches for the words. Does he want to tell them what happened? He might trust Finnick with that sort of information, but did he trust Myka? He knew nothing of the man. He wishes he didn't come along. He lets out an audible sigh. "I came with Cato."
Myka cocks an eyebrow at Finnick, almost knowingly. He instantly feels bad for Peeta. "Are you alright?"
Peeta has to take a moment to process what just happened. Myka asked if he was okay, and it was of genuine concern. "I think so. It's just… really embarrassing."
"Think we might know a thing or two about that…." Myka mutters under his breath, remembering the events the took place this morning.
"Huh?" Peeta asks, obviously confused. Did they know something he didn't?
Finnick just grins. "I embarrassed Myka this morning by chasing him outside of the house naked earlier today. Although if you ask me, I don't get why it would bother anyone so much. He wasn't the one naked, and it's not like I've got anything to hide. Also, I made you a fantastic breakfast to make up for it."
"You are such a cocky bastard sometimes, you know that?" Myka says, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Maybe, but I'm you're cocky bastard." Finnick winks.
Peeta can't help but giggle. These two really did make a cute couple.
Myka turns around, looking at Peeta from the front seat. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Truth is, Peeta was dying to tell somebody. He just wasn't sure if it was appropriate to be sharing with these two. It felt a little out of place because he didn't know them very well, but he also figures they'd understand if he decided to tell them. Does he tell them? Does he keep his mouth shut? Before he can debate his options, the words come out in a jumbled mess. "Tice caught me with Cato in Glimmer's guest room!"
Realizing what he had just said, Peeta covers his mouth in shock. Why the hell did he just tell them everything like that? Finnick and Myka look at one another, then burst out in laughter. Feeling humiliated, Peeta looks down at his feet, desperately trying to hold in the tears. He felt like such a fool.
"Oh no, Peeta Bread, don't cry! We're not laughing at you! It's just… we always kind of suspected Cato might be in the closet, and you just confirmed our suspicions." Finnick explains. "I mean, he acts so tough and strong all the time, but I've seen him take a peak or two when I'd get changed for swim practice."
"You sure you weren't just imagining it?" Myka asks, amused. He really loved to mess with Finnick.
"Aw, are you jealous, baby?" Finnick grins. Damn it. He sure knew how to turn the tables sometimes, no matter how ridiculous the response may be.
Myka rolls his eyes. "Stop that." He looks back over at Peeta. "Are you going to be alright? Do you want to crash at my place?"
"No, I just want to go home. Thank you though." Peeta says. He can see why Gale and Finnick like him so much. Despite his anti-social personality, he was very nice. He was just a little- er, very misunderstood.
The ride home was a comfortable one. Peeta had grown to like and trust both Finnick and Myka. When he gets home, everyone else is already asleep. He doesn't make a noise, just sneaks to his bedroom and falls asleep.
On Monday morning, the nightmare begins again. Cato completely ignored Peeta during first period, and, as always, Gale is nowhere to be found. How is it that he hasn't been dropped from this class already?
By third period, Peeta can't take much more. He decides to confront Cato. He needed to know what was going on. He sees him walking towards Cinna's class and cuts him off. "Cato, we need to talk."
"Not now, Peeta." Cato growls under his breath. He wasn't upset with Peeta, but he was very upset about the situation. He knew it was only a matter of time before the entire school was in on his big secret, and he wouldn't be able to deny it if Peeta kept insisting on talking to him in front of everyone. Didn't that kid have any sort of a brain?
But Peeta won't have at this game anymore. He's sick to death of it. "No, Cato. We need to talk now."
"Move aside, Peeta." Cato insists, his temper steadily rising.
"No, Cato!" Peeta shouts. At this, everyone stops and observes the scene. Were the rumors true? Did Cato and Peeta get intimate at Glimmer's party?
Feeling the heat of all the eyes around him, Cato loses it. He shoves Peeta backwards, hard, and he falls to the ground. "I said 'move aside,' asshole!" He didn't mean to say those words, but it was already too late. Peeta looks as if he'll cry. He doesn't understand what's going on. And now everyone was watching them.
"But- I thought you liked me…" Peeta manages to sniffle before the tears roll down his face.
The humiliation is more than Cato can cope with, and the anger has taken over. He doesn't see Peeta, the boy he's had a crush on since meeting; all he sees is red and the anger. Just as he's about to reach out and grab him by the hair, someone stands between them and shoves him away.
"Get away from him," Myka says warningly.
"Or what?" Cato mocks, shoving his arch enemy back, growing more angry by the minute. A group of students surround them, observing the scene, ready for a fight. Myka steps up closer to Cato, lightly shoving Peeta away from the scene and accepting the challenge without warrant. "Touch him again, and I'll show you…."
But before Cato can react, security arrives. "What's going on here?" one of them asks.
Admitting temporary defeat, Cato scowls at them. "Nothing."
"Get to class. Everyone. Now!" the man demands. The crowd disperses and everyone goes to their third period class, including Peeta. Cato and Myka quickly follow, but are stopped in their tracks. "You two! Ms. Coin demands your presence in the counseling office, right now!"
Scoffing in anger, they follow the man towards the counseling office. Gale, Domi, and Thresh happen to pass by at that moment, wondering what the hell is going on. They look to Myka for an answer, but he just ignores them, following security with Cato close by.
"Did they just get into another fight?" Gale asks. Domi and Thresh shrug their shoulders. They don't know anything more than he does right now.
The air in what was normally a very fun, creative, and inviting place for everyone now had a weird feeling to it. The atmosphere seemed more hostile, envious, and the tension was thick. No one really felt like doing much today. Cinna could sense it. He attempts to change the mood, but before he has the moment to address his classroom, another teacher comes in. It's Mr. Crane, the man in charge of detention hall. Apparently, he wanted to discuss the scenario between Cato and Myka. So the class did their own thing, meeting up in groups to goof off or gossip.
Peeta notices Domi and Thresh are quietly strumming on their instruments, separated from the rest of the class. He looks to his other side to see Katniss and Gale are… talking? Actually, it looked like they were arguing. After a couple minutes, Gale stomps away from her and out of the classroom. Where was he going and what did they just talk about? Katniss looks really upset. Maybe she needed to talk?
Peeta begins to make his way over to her when he notices her staring daggers across the room. She gets up and approaches Domi, who seems completely oblivious to anything that's going on. They talk in hushed whispers, then escalates into something much more rushed and angry. Suddenly, they're arguing. About what exactly, Peeta can't tell, but he knows they're both pissed off at this point.
Katniss is suddenly shouting. The last words are the only ones audible, but it's caught the attention of the whole class. "-until you and that misfit came into his life!"
"Excuse me? Who the hell are you to be calling anyone a misfit? Hate to break it to you, darling, but say hello to the kettle!" Domi yells back. She's always been a loving, sensitive person. But there was another part of Domi that a lot of people never got to see, and that was the defensive side that would tear you limb from limb if you threatened her and her loved ones. And right now, she felt very threatened.
"Just stay out of our lives!" Katniss nearly screams.
"Take a look around, sweetheart, that ship sailed a long time ago. There is no 'our life' when it comes to you and Gale, so why don't you just take it like a woman and accept the fact that he doesn't want to date you, hmmm?"
"I guess you would know all about taking it like a woman, wouldn't you?" Katniss sneers. There had been rumors about Domi getting involved with an older man when she was younger. It was the perfect bait.
But it was too much. Domi slaps Katniss across the face, her nails scratching four lines across her cheek. Blood trickles through the wounds, and suddenly, Katniss charges forward. She screams and pulls at Domi's hair, trying to tackle her to the ground, easily towering over her by at least five or six inches. But that doesn't matter. Domi has had to fight before, and she knows she has to fight dirty because she's so small. She punches Katniss in the throat, knocking the wind out of her, and pulls out a knife from a strap underneath her leopard print skirt.
Thresh intervenes, holding Domi's wrists where she's grasping the knife, only inches from stabbing into Katniss's right eye. Gale has also decided to get involved, holding Katniss back. Where he came from or when he came back, no one knows. He doesn't have to hold on to her very tight; she's absolutely shocked by the turn of events. Domi could have easily killed her.
Cinna comes back into the room and is horrified by what he sees. He doesn't even allow them to explain themselves before calling for security. He couldn't allow the possibility of the other students getting hurt. Security arrives in seconds, pulling Domi, Katniss, Gale, and Thresh away.
What the hell was going on with everyone today?
The four students are escorted to separate offices to explain themselves. They spend what seems to be hours in small, stuffy rooms where counselors and security are constantly coming in and out of. Gale begins to wonder what the hell had happened. He went to the parking lot for a quick smoke, came back, and saw the girls screaming at one another. He couldn't understand what the hell was going on. He tells his story over and over and over again, wondering how he got here in the first place.
A scruffy man lets himself in the room after several minutes have passed. He sighs, takes a seat across from Gale, kicks his feet on the table, leans back in his seat, and rests his hands behind his head. It's Counselor Haymitch. "So," he starts, "it looks like you're just the magical boy wonder today."
"What are you talking about?" Gale scoffs. It wasn't his fault what happened today. Why was this man looking at him like that? And what kind of counselor just sits back like that and makes fun of his students?
"You don't know? Well, Casanova, your best friend is madly in love with you, you broke her heart, and now she and your girlfriend want to kill each other. Need me to explain that any further?"
"Wait, what?" Gale asks, stunned.
Haymitch rolls his eyes. "Do they teach you kids nothing here? I swear if I knew that teenagers were as retarded as preschool toddlers, I would have found myself another career. One that could afford my booze. Maybe I could have been a doctor." He says to himself in a philosophical manner. Of course, by philosophical, one could also mean 'sarcastic.'
"What happens now?" Gale asks.
"Well, your little girlfriends are going to be suspended and your parents have been called. They're on their way to get you now." Haymitch explains.
"My parents? You mean my mother. I don't live with her anymore. I'm not going with her." Gale states flatly.
Haymitch rubs his bridge with his pointer and middle fingers. "Listen kid, I could give a shit less about your mommy and daddy problems. Just go home and deal with it."
"I'm seventeen. You can't make me go with them." Gale argues.
"I don't care who you go with. The law says I have to release you to a guardian, so y-"
"I'm living with Myka Volkayne." Gale says.
Well that explains a lot. "You have got to be kidding me," Haymitch nearly chuckles. It would only make sense that the problem children of the school were all affiliated with one another. "Then I'll call his parents. Go home with them."
"But what if they won't come?" Gale asks, genuinely worried. He really didn't want to go back home with his mother.
"Then tough shit." Haymitch answers. He gets up from his seat and leaves the room, leaving Gale by himself. What the hell was he supposed to do now? A security officer stands by his door to make sure he does not leave.
An hour passes before the door opens again. But to Gale's surprise, it's Myka. "Let's go," he says.
Gale doesn't understand. "Wait, how is that supposed to work out?"
"The law is a funny thing. It says that the school has to release you to a guardian. Your guardian doesn't have to be your parents, it can be the adults you live with. You only need to be eighteen to be recognized as a legal adult and guardian." Myka explains with a tired frown.
"You're eighteen?" Gale asks, hopeful.
"Happy birthday to me." Myka replies sarcastically. He hated his birthday, and now they know he's just become legal.
Gale sighs in relief. He'll be able to go home with Myka and nothing more will come of this. Or so he thinks. Little does he know that shit just got more complicated.
The drive home is a silent one. Neither Gale nor Myka have the energy to talk. They just want some peace and quiet. When they park by the complex, Myka stops Gale from getting out of the car. "We need to talk."
"Okay." Gale says. He knew it was too awkward and quiet on the drive here.
Myka looks out at the apartment complex. "I'm moving out. With some help from the state and what I've managed to save at the bar, I'm moving into a two bedroom apartment close by. It's not much better than the place we're staying at now, but it'll be home. You've got a mother that's been trying to get a hold of you and obviously loves you. You have a real home to go to-"
"I'm not going back to that place." Gale says sternly.
"Cut the shit, Gale. You've got a family that cares. I'd kill to have that. You're the closest thing I've ever gotten to a family. So listen up, you need to figure out what you're going to do. You should go back with your mom and your brothers and sister, go to college, and enjoy life. Get over this shit with your mom's boyfriend. Chances are he won't be in the picture long anyway. And if he somehow does, remember that he stood by your family when shit got tough and you fucking bailed."
"Shut the fuck up, Myka. You don't-"
"I'm not finished. I'm trying really fucking hard not to get expelled from this school. At this point, I might have to cut my losses and apply for a GED. I'll probably work at the same shitty bar living the same shitty life forever. You're too fucking smart to get stuck with me. So here it is, you are the only family I've ever known. I love you and you'll always be welcome to live with me, but I really hope you aren't that fucking stupid to do it, okay? I'm going to work. I want you to tell me your plan when I'm off." And with that, he doesn't leave room for discussion, just walks out of the car and starts to walk away in the direction of the bar.
Confused and angry, Gale storms out of the car and makes his way up the apartment complex. The little cat cowers in a corner, sensing his stress, on the second flight of stairs. He slams the door shut behind him and paces back and forth in the bedroom. He reaches for a bottle of jack and swigs the contents until his throat grows painfully hot from the anger and liquor. Then he notices the drugs sitting on the dresser. The powder calls out to him, begging to be used. He can't stand it anymore. Tossing the empty liquor bottle on the bed, he reaches for the cocaine. He just needed a little help to get off the edge.