A/N: This is chapter 2, I'm scared it's not as good as you guys would like it to be. Love all the reviews so much, even the not so nice ones! Excuse grammatical errors, please. If there's something you don't understand PM me or something :)
I step out my door, I think maybe my mother and I will once again have a normal relationship. Probably not. I run into Gale on my way to Madge's.
"Hey Catnip, where you heading?" he asks, beginning to walk with me.
"Over to Madge's house, I'm sleeping there tonight, she claims we're 'spending our last hours as single women together'" I say, imitating her voice.
"That's the cute girl, right?"
"Madge?"
"Yeah the blonde girl you were running with."
"Well you better get over her quick because chances of you and her are quite slim." I say, frustrated.
"I never said I wanted to be with her, Katniss. Calm down."
I sigh. "I'm sorry Gale, I've just been on edge because of this whole reaping thing. Don't take what I'm saying personal." He chuckles.
"Scared of becoming someone's lover, are we catnip?" he teases.
"I am not scared! I'm just not…" I think quickly for the correct word, "interested."
He stops walking and laughs out loud, watching me as I go.
"Katniss! You're here, we can now begin our single ladies ceremony." Madge exclaims.
What is she talking about?
"Ladies, Katniss has arrived!" Madge shouts upstairs.
"Ladies?" I say, "I thought it was just you, Annie, and I."
"Well, I thought I might invite more girls!" I just groan in reply.
When I get upstairs, I think I walk into hell. It's not just friends sleeping over, it's a full out "SLUMBER PARTY!" as Glimmer and Delly put it. I completely ignore them, Madge, Glimmer, Annie, and Delly. They're painting their nails for the reaping tomorrow. I'm playing solitaire by myself, when something they say catches my attention.
"Let's list top three on our reap list!" Glimmer shouts.
"I'll start!" Delly screeches in her annoying nasally voice.
"First, obviously, JEM PASCAL! He's hot and rich! Cha ching! Second, um, that baker's boy! The one with the hot older brothers…Peeta! Yeah, him!"
I think about Peeta… Mellark? He's got sandy blonde hair and sometimes I catch him staring at me in the hallways. I think it's because he's disgusted by me, his mother once called me a seam brat, so I assume he thinks the same.
"Oh and third, if he had more money, I would LOVE to be with Gale, he's super hot…for a seam boy!" Delly looks straight at me, and all of a sudden, Annie's behind me.
"Don't mess with her today, you don't wanna ruin her pretty face for the reaping, she'll get what's coming to her soon." Annie whispers. I just nod my head and lay into my sleeping back, knowing they'd not be stupid enough to mess with my while I'm sleeping.
I wake up to Glimmer screaming. "YOU BURNT MY FACE DELLY. DO. YOU. KNOW. HOW. TO. WORK. A. STRAIGHT. NER ."
I chuckle and look through my bag, to find my $50. "Hey Madge, I need to go buy a dress. I'll see you at the reaping?"
"Of course not. The president always sends the Mayor's children a variety of clothes on their reaping day. I have 50 brand new dresses. You're my size, take one of mine."
"I couldn-"
"YOU CAN." she says, shoving me into her closet. "Try them on, whichever one you like, keep. All the other girls have picked theirs. We'll do your make-up afterwards."
"But-"
"K"
She runs out before I can protest.
I've found the perfect dress, it's a silky, strapless, silver dress that matches my eyes. It hugs me at the top but flows down and ends at my knees. Madge provides me with some flats, and wraps pearls around my neck. Annie insists on leaving my hair down. She curls it, and lightly applies make-up to my eyes and cheek bones.
"DAYUM GURL, YOU LOOK GOOD!" Annie teases me.
"I'm sure all the boys will be swooning when they see her," Madge winks at me. I groan.
"Shouldn't we get going, the reaping starts in an hour." I say, trying to change the subject.
"OH MY! YES WE NEED TO HURRY!" Madge turns into panic mode, and shoves us out the door.
We're all pinned like caged animals roped off, boys on one side, girls on the other. I've now started feeling sick to my stomach. Annie, Madge and I, are all holding hands in a circle and Madge is preaching.
"Dear gods of reaping, please bless us with the sexy ass husbands we deserve. I know this is a little mean, but please keep Hanson away from us. He's always eyeballing Annie like she's a meatball, and it creeps us out. Amen."
"Amen." Annie and I repeat, continuing to burst out in laughter. The whole district must be staring at us, but for some reason, I don't care. Hm. Must be nerves.
"Welcome, welcome, to the 5th annual Wedlock reaping, my name is Effie Trinket and let's not waste time and get the ball, well, rolling!" She squawks. She reminds me of an annoying parrot. "Who will be blessed as our first couple of this year's reaping," she marches her way to the boy's sphere. Annie, Madge, and I are all hand in hand again.
"Cato Broche," she calls out. I don't recognize him as he walks up to the stage, he must be from out of the District. "and…Glimmer Sprock!" Glimmer squeals, "THANK HEAVENS HE'S HOT!"
She runs up the stage and into the arms of Cato, and they start making out. What?
They've just met and now they're making out? I hope I'm not reaped to someone like that.
"I give to you, District 12's first of the year couple!" everyone claps awkwardly and they make their way to the couple's roped off area. People are called left and right, but none stick out. But now I've heard something that's caught my attention.
"Hanson Arkly!" Effie calls. He makes his way up stage. "Well aren't you a…boy." she states, making a face. I'm suddenly scared. For me, for my friends, for any girl that ends up with him. He's known for stalking women, and secretly buying dirty magazines from peacekeepers illegally.
"Delly Cartwright!" Effie shrills.
I suddenly burst out into laughter, Annie joins me soon after. Madge just stares like we're the absolute most craziest girls in the district. And maybe we are. Delly is completely silent, and walks up to the stage. I notice tears rolling down her face. Hanson just smirks and nods his head slowly. When she makes it on the stage, he kisses her, right on the lips. She nearly throws up.
Effie continues calling names. About 5 names later, she calls out a boy named Finnick Odair. He's attractive, very attractive. He's obviously from District 4, he's got a swimmers body. "Finn…" Annie mumbles.
"You know him?" I ask. She might recognize him from her early teen years. She's about to answer, when she's interrupted by Effie.
"Annie Cresta!" Annie's face grows into a smile and she runs to the stage.
"WOOP WOOP WOOP!" Madge calls to her. "GET IT GET IT."
I elbow Madge, "Stop it. You're embarrassing me!" I groan. Annie runs into Finnick's arms and they hug for what seems like an eternity. Effie politely interrupts their embrace to escort them to the couple's area. Annie must have been close to him before her parents passed away.
"Why don't we switch things up, I'll do girls first these next few times!" Effie announces.
"Johanna Mason!" she calls. I don't recognize her, she's probably from District 5 or something. "Garret Scott!" a boy who looks just like Finnick, just a bit shorter meets her at the stage. They show no affection like most couples, and make their way to the couple's area.
"Katniss Everdeen!" Effie calls. I don't move. Madge squeals pushing me towards the stage , "Go get 'em tiger!" she shrills.
I step onto the stage and meet eyes with my sister, Prim. She smiles and gives me a thumbs up.
"Peeta Mellark!"
He's going to hate me. I think immediately. I'm the seam brat.
(Peeta's point of view)
"DREAMS DO COME TRUE!" my mind shrieks.
A/N: Please review, if you'd like more. Feel free to tell me if I'm doing something wrong. I'm a little nervous about this whole thing. After all, this is my first story D: