It's quiet for a moment. Then, Peeta speaks. "Well, she made an impression." I nod. I keep thinking of the boy from Two. His arms thick and bulging with muscle. Crushing anything in his path like a twig. I snap back. I'm in my living room. The reapings have just been broadcast. I'm holding Peeta's hand. Not in the way I wish it were. Katniss is gone, off to the Capitol.
I swallow, forgetting about the boy from Two for now. "Yeah. She did." She's definitely caught the eye of the Capitol, with her volunteering for Prim. It's the first time in history that District Twelve has had a volunteer, Effie Trinket said so at the reaping. I suddenly think of Gale, and how he must think of this situation. He was even closer to Katniss than I was. Very close.
I pick up my cupcake and continue picking at it. In an attempt to lighten the mood, I ask Peeta how the costumes for the Parade will be. We both agree that District One's will be ridiculously extravagant, considering their industry. "They'll probably be wearing items their parents made!" Peeta chuckles. It's nice when he smiles. We manage to talk without bringing Katniss or the Games up for a good hour. I've finally finished my cupcake, and so has Peeta. His spirits are lifted by the time my father comes home.
I hear the door creak in the foyer. "Madge?"
"In the living room, Dad!" We're both careful to keep out voices low, for my mother's sake. My father makes his way into the living room. He greets Peeta cordially and informs us that the parade will be on soon, and so will dinner.
"Would you like to stay, Peeta?" My father asks in a tired voice. I can see Peeta weighing the options in his head, but I know he'd rather be here for this. He gives my father a slow nod. My father mumbles something about dinner and leaves. Peeta shifts to face me fully.
"Does your dad not like me?" I let out a short, bursting laugh. Peeta's probably his favorite person in the world when it comes to my friends.
"Of course he likes you. He loves you. He always compares you to my other friends, like 'maybe if he acted more like that Peeta boy, he'd be happier' and stuff like that." Peeta smiles, reserved. I can still see the pain in his eyes, the longing he has for Katniss, but it's greatly reduced. I revel in the thought that I've made him feel better in these short few hours.
Peeta eyes some of the books on the shelves next to the television. He gets up, slowly, and makes his way to them curiously. "Are these..?" He pulls out a thick, ornately bound book and opens the cover. I lean forward with raised eyebrows. He flips a few pages and starts laughing. I rise from the couch and meet him, wanting to know what in the world he's laughing at.
I look over my shoulders and realize he's looking at pictures. We have several photo albums in the house, but I don't recall looking through this ornate one. Peeta points to a picture in the middle of the page, one of two smiling children covered in mud and the coal dust that always drifts through the district. It's us, I realize. Peeta and I. Of course, all the town children would go on playdates with each other, but Peeta's parents and mine got along famously when we were little, and so we were together often.
We flip through the pages and see more and more pictures of us, slowly growing up before our eyes. Some pictures were of me, wearing my mother's formal dresses from before the headaches got worse. Some had my father, holding me with an unsurpassable amount of love and pride in his eyes. Sometimes, we'd be accompanied by one of my girl friends of Peeta's brothers, but we were the focal point of most of the pictures.
There's one picture that gets me, though, that dates from when we were about four. I'd guess it was right before we started school. Before Peeta saw Katniss and his affections changed. Little Peeta squeezing little me tight, his face turning pink from the strain of holding me. Little me grins, while attempting to escape from his grip. I smile and nudge Peeta. He nudges me back.
A/N: Still a little boring, I know. But come next chapter, we'll have a little more Everlark vs. Underlark angst!