Thank you, thank you, and thank you for those who have reviewed so far! And those who didn't, eh, I'll live :D (maybe) I'm such a weird writer. I mean, come on. Who else writes the fourth and fifth chapter before the second? It just doesn't make sense. Ah well. Thank you veronique2 for your view on the last chapter. ANYWAY. (Enough of my rambling) Enjoy this chapter of Sparks….
*Update * I changed the rating from K+ to T, just in case.
"I honestly think you've gone crazy." Prim says to me at breakfast.
"And why do you think that?" I ask, jabbing her playfully in the ribs.
"Because firstly, I woke you up instead of you waking me up."
"Yeah-"
"I haven't finished." Prim tells me. I wave my hand, inviting her to speak. "I heard you talking in your sleep." I freeze.
"What did I say?" I say.
"You said quite a few things actually."
"Tell me!"
"Okay, okay. Calm down." Prim says. I take her empty plate and put it in a pile by the sink. "You kept saying 'Stop it! Let me go!' and then you said 'Peeta' over and over again. It was quite funny really."
"Well, I don't know why I was saying that. I didn't have a dream." Prim smiles at me and goes off to feed Lady, leaving me standing in the kitchen. I did have a dream, well; it was a nightmare to start of with. I dreamt about Cray and his roaming hands and almost woke up in fright. But then I dreamt about Peeta and his loving gaze. I still can't believe he stopped the Head Peacekeeper and helped me. I smile to myself. I only fell asleep for about an hour after leaving the bakery, but felt glad that waking up meant going to school. And seeing Peeta.
"Katniss, why are you in such a rush to get to school?" Prim complains as I walk swiftly through the Seam.
"I'm not, you're just walking slow today." I say. Prim sighs and continues to stumble on behind me, kicking up dust from the path. I slow down once the school gates come into view, much to Prim's relief. I stop once we reach the school entrance, suddenly nervous. I feel like a six-year-old schoolgirl on her first day, not a fifteen-year-old girl with a silly crush on a boy in her year. My cheeks burn.
I don't have a crush on him. I barely even know him.
"Katniss, are you going in or standing outside collecting dust?" Prim asks me, snapping my out of my daze.
"No, no. I'm coming." I say.
"Are you sure you're alright? You've been acting really weird lately." Prim observes.
"Prim, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." I say, smiling reassuringly at her. She rolls her eyes. I raise an eyebrow. "I'll see you later, Little Duck." I call after her; she waves slightly and runs across the playground towards her group of friends. She sticks out from the group with her blonde hair and blue eyes, the rest of the girls have dark hair and grey eyes. I walk forward, keeping my head down, and sit on a low wall at the edge of the playground. I take in everything in front of me, letting myself blend into the background like I do every morning. It's much easier to ignore everyone, because then I don't have to get involved in arguments. Not that anyone notices me, of course.
There is a clear divide between the pupils of the school. The Merchants stay on one side of the playground, and the Seam kids stay on the other. It's better that way, trust me. I think back to a couple of years ago, when Sammy Collins, a Seam boy, kicked a ball over onto the Merchant side by accident and went to retrieve it. I can remember how quiet the entire courtyard got, the Seam kids staring at him, the Merchants gaping as he got closer to them. He seemed to notice the Merchant's horror at having a Seam brat like him on their side, so started dancing animatedly on their turf, before throwing the ball back to his friends. He stayed on the Merchant's side for the rest of break, pretending to be a goalkeeper.
That was good day.
I blink when I realise that someone is walking towards me. I look up and see Peeta striding towards me, schoolbook in hand. I straighten my back, slightly bewildered.
"Hey! Peeta! What are you doing?" One of his friends shouts after him.
"I just need to talk to someone." He calls back. He steps over to the Seam side.
"Hi, again." I say quietly when he stops in front of me. He turns to look at me and I bite my lip, standing up. He's sporting a black eye.
"Hey." He says, seemingly oblivious to the stares of our fellow classmates. I uncross and cross my legs. I have noticed. "Are you alright? You know, after last night and all."
"I'm fine, thanks to you."
"You sure?" I nod.
"Thank you, Peeta." I say. He smiles, his blue eyes shining. "For everything."
"Sure, anytime." He says.
"What happened with your eye?" I ask. Peeta's face falls.
"Oh, this?" He points up at it.
"Yes, your black eye." I say sarcastically, he grins in return.
"I thought you wouldn't notice." I raise an eyebrow. "I got into a fight with my brother, and, well… I lost." He smiles yet again but it doesn't reach his eyes, proving that he was hiding something from me.
"Tell me the truth." I say. "Was it your mother?"
"Shh!" Peeta says, taking my arm and dragging me over to the corner. My eyes widen at his hand on my arm, and I stumble clumsily after him.
"Sorry." I mumble. He sighs. "But was it your mother?"
"Yes. It was her." He remarks.
"Why?" I ask softly bringing my hand up to touch his cheek.
"She saw you leaving and thought I was giving you free food." Peeta says, looking down as if he's ashamed of what he's done for me.
"But you did." I say.
"I know."
"Did you explain everything to her?" I ask.
"No."
"Why?"
"Katniss, really. How do you think my mother would react if I told her that I saved you from being raped by Cray and thought giving you a loaf of bread would do no harm?" Peeta hisses, looking around when his friends call for him again. I flinch at how easily he talks about it. "I'm sorry." He says, noticing my face.
"You shouldn't be apologizing." I say quietly. "I was the reason she hit you."
"Don't blame yourself." Peeta says. "But Katniss, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a bit shaken up." I say hastily. "But Peeta, you can't let her do that to you and you need to put something on that."
"I'll be fine. I'm used to it." Peeta brushes it off.
"That's an awful thing to get used to." I say.
"Well, there isn't much I can do about it, is there?" Peeta says brusquely. I stay silent.
"Your friends are calling you. You better go before they throw a tantrum." I say, attempting to lighten the mood. Thankfully Peeta laughs.
"I'd love to say that they aren't that bad, but that would be a lie." He chuckles. I feel grin appear on my lips. "I'd much rather spend time with you." He admits, rather sheepishly.
"I'll try and fit you into my busy schedule." I beam.
"You should smile more Katniss." Peeta says suddenly, causing me to blush at his sudden and unexpected compliment. "See you around." He adds. I stare, open-mouthed as he turns and walks away, shoving his hands into his pockets.
I can't help but grin giddily for the next few lessons.
I ignore the whispers as best as I can for the rest of the day, but when two Merchant girls confront me during a lesson, I can't help but wonder what everyone thought of Peeta and mine's conversation that morning.
"Hey, Everdeen." A Merchant girl whispers from her seat in front of me. "Is it true?"
"Is what true?" I ask. The Merchant girls, who I recognize as being called Lilia and Valerie, roll their eyes.
"That you sold yourself to Cray and Mellark rescued you?" Lilia asks. My eyes widen. How did they know?
"Why would he rescue me if I was selling myself?" I ask. Their eyes widen.
"So you did sell yourself?" Valerie asks in a hushed tone.
"No. I wouldn't do something like that." I say.
"Oh." Lilia says, glancing at her friend.
"Why do you want to know?" I ask.
"Because-" Valerie says sarcastically, flipping her curled over her shoulder. "If that's true, the other rumours must be true."
"What other rumours?" I ask.
"That you and Mellark hooked up and now you're a pariah because you're pregnant. Does Hawthorne know?" My mouth drops open.
"I don't know how you heard… that… but it certainly isn't true!" I hiss.
"Which part? The kid part, or the Hawthorne not knowing part?" Lilia persists.
"None of it is true!" I snap. "I'm not pregnant and Peeta and I never hooked up."
"Did he rescue you from Cray?" Valerie asks, her eyes wide.
"That's none of your business!" I say. The two girls turn back to their desk, whispering excitedly. I slump back in my seat and fold my arms. How could anyone know about last night? I don't recall anyone being in the street, except for the previous customer of Cray and Peeta down the road. I shake my head. The girl I saw wouldn't say anything, would she? What would she be getting out of it? Peeta would never say anything. I mull this over throughout the lesson, hardly focusing on my work, not even bothering to tell my staring classmates to stop being rude.
When the bell finally rings to signal lunchtime, I stand, my seat scraping over the uneven floor as I march to the front of the room and hand over my workbook.
"Katniss, you haven't done much work." The teacher says.
"I'm sorry Miss, but I was kind of distracted. I'll finish the sheet next lesson, I promise." I say. The teacher frowns.
"Wait here, until all of the other kids have gone." I sigh and stand to the side, watching as my classmates file out of the room, laughing and joking. "Now then, Miss Everdeen." The teacher starts. I groan inwardly. You know you're in trouble when they call you by your surname. "I'm not one to believe rumours, but some of the things circulating around school and town haven't been particularly… nice."
"They aren't true. I didn't sell myself, nor am I pregnant." I say firmly.
"Okay, I'm not saying I don't believe you, but why do you think these rumours have started?"
"I have no idea." I say.
"Really?"
"Really." The teacher just stares at me. I begin to fidget. "Can I go now?"
"Yes, but Katniss." I pause from walking away and turn to face her. "Don't let anyone accuse you of anything. You're a bright girl. I expect the worksheet to be completed next lesson."
"I won't let you down." I say, forcing a smile onto my face.
"Off you go." She waves her hand and I walk out of the classroom as calmly as I can. I can feel my anger growing, as I get closer to the cafeteria. Once I enter the cafeteria, my anger is replaced by self-consciousness. The whispers and stares are even worse when it's half the school against you. I walk to my usual seat. Madge is waiting for me.
"It isn't true, is it?" She asks me, looking up from her container of strawberries.
"Hello to you too Madge." I say, sitting down opposite her. "And no, none of it is true."
"Okay." Madge says. "I just wanted to check, because, you know, when everyone is talking about you, you don't know what to believe."
"Everyone?" I ask. Madge looks back down at her meal, knowing she's said the wrong thing. "Oh, great." I say, holding my head in my hands.
"Not everyone… just..." I look up and my friend grimaces. "Okay, I'll tell you the truth."
"Yay." I say unenthusiastically.
"It's mainly the girls gossiping. The boys are seemingly unfazed by it, but if it was true and they knew it, then it would cause quite the uproar." I look over to Peeta's table and find him sitting there, mid-laugh, as he unsuccessfully throws grapes into his friend's mouth. "Marlene Redwood, the daughter of the cooper, is apparently in tears. She thought that Peeta fancied her, and that they were going to get married. I guess her dreams have been shattered." Madge smiles faintly, as if she finds this funny.
"Does Peeta fancy her?" I ask.
"No. I know for a fact that he detests her." Madge grins. I grin back.
"I'm just gonna try to ignore everyone."
"You always do Katniss." Madge smiles. "Wanna strawberry?" She holds the container out and I take one. "But if I were you, I would freak out with all these people staring at me." I look around and find that she's right.
"Do they have no shame?" I ask.
"Most of them don't." Madge says. "Are you going to talk to Peeta about this?"
"If I can get him alone I will." I say.
"If you can get him alone?" Madge asks incredulously, raising an eyebrow.
"Not like that!" I hiss at her, causing her to laugh. She shakes her head, her light laughter bringing a smile to my face. Our friendly conversation is brought down from it's high with the arrival of a group of Merchant girls. I suddenly feel very out of place with all these blondes around our table. I'm suddenly very aware of my patched up clothes and greasy hair.
"Hello." Madge says. "Katniss, this is Marlene, Valerie, Lilia, Kaytee, Scarlet, Jennie and Florence." I look around at the girls, though they could all be called Marlene or Scarlet for all I know. They all look the same. The same style of dress, the same hair and makeup. I roll my eyes. Madge clears her throat.
"You're a real brat, Katniss." Kaytee says harshly. "Poor Marlene here was due to get married to Peeta, and now you've gone and ruined it all for her."
"I hope you're happy." Scarlet adds.
"Well, from what I've heard, you were never due to get married to Peeta, you just thought you were." I say. Marlene, who I can easily pick out from the group with her makeup smudged with tears, sobs even louder, causing her cronies to huddle around her.
"Just because you want to be living in a nice section of town like we do, it doesn't mean you have to get knocked up by a Merchant so he has no choice but to marry you." Scarlet says, narrowing her eyes at me.
"You do realise that the rumours that you're basing this on aren't true, don't you?" I say, pretending to laugh in disbelief.
"We know they're true. Besides, why would Peeta lie to us?" With that the group walk away, leaving Madge and I in shock.
"What did they just say?" Madge asks me, staring as the girls walk away.
"That Peeta wouldn't lie to them." I say, my anger returning.
"You don't actually think he told them that, do you?" Madge whispers.
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." I say, standing and slinging my bag over my shoulder.
"Katniss, think about this." Madge says. "Wouldn't it be wiser to talk to him without the entire school listening in?"
"I guess I'm not very wise then." I say, walking away.
"What happened to ignoring everyone?" Madge calls after me.
"I don't care anymore." I call back to her.
I can feel the patronizing stares of fellow students locked on me as I walk down the aisle of tables, towards Peeta. Questioning whispers ensue.
"I heard she only slept with him so she could live in the Merchant area of town."
"Look, it's the Seam slut!" I grit my teeth and march straight over to Peeta's table. He's facing away from me, so his friends see me coming over first, and begin nudging each other and laughing.
"Woah, Peeta! Watch out!"
"I think your girlfriend's having a mood swing already!" Peeta turns around and sees me standing behind him. His face falls when he sees my expression.
"Hey, Katniss. What's up?" He asks.
"Don't 'hey Katniss' me." I say, earning a loud 'oooo' from Peeta's friends.
"What? I'm confused." Peeta says, turning his body to face me.
"I'm confused as hell as to why you told everyone I was knocked up!" I tell him. Yet again his friends laugh, but Peeta just sits there, lines appearing on his forehead as he frowns.
"What are you on about? I never said anything." Peeta says, looking around at his friends. They all shrug.
"Is there something you aren't telling us Peeta?" One of his mates asks.
"Christ! You're only 15!" Another says.
"Shut up guys." Peeta tells them, standing up and facing me again.
"Why did you do that?" I ask. I don't realise that I'm crying until Peeta wipes a tear away from my cheek. I brush his hand away. "I thought I could trust you! I thought you weren't the type to do that!" Peeta looks around, realising that three-quarters of the cafeteria are listening in.
"So, you saved her, knocked her up, and told everyone without consulting her?" His friend asks.
"Shut up!" I shout at him, stepping forward. Peeta grabs my arms and holds me back.
"Okay, okay. Sorry. Jeez." His friend says.
"Seriously Mitch, knock it off." Peeta says. "What are you talking about?" Peeta asks me, keeping his voice down.
"Everyone is saying that you knocked me up, and that I only did it to live in the Merchant's area of town and they all know about Cray!" I say, bringing my hands up to my mouth and fighting the urge to cry. "Did you tell anyone?"
"No! Of course not! I would never do that." Peeta says, his blue eyes wide.
"Then who did?" I exclaim, my voice raising an octave. I can't let Prim know about these vicious rumours, or let it ruin my hunting business. My mother has already made people wary of my family, and me being known as a pariah wouldn't do us any good.
"I don't know!" Peeta says. I can tell he's also trying not to panic.
"Everyone thinks I slept with you!" I say. "They think I'm a slut!"
"Katniss, calm down. You don't normally react to this kind of stuff like this, do you?"
"This has never happened to me before!" I hiss.
"Look, we'll get to the bottom of this and sort everything out." Peeta says earnestly, taking my hands in his and squeezing them. "Now, stop crying. You'll make me look bad."
"I think we look bad enough." I say.
"It couldn't get any worse, could it?" Peeta says grimly. "Do you wanna skip class? We can find out how these rumours started."
"Won't we get in trouble?" I ask.
"Guys, listen." Peeta says, turning and facing his friends, who are listening in to our conversation as best as they can. "I'm going home with Katniss to sort this out."
"Is that a good idea?" Mitch asks. "You two skipping school together?"
"Right now I'm not bothered." Peeta says. "But can you lot do me a favour?"
"What is it?" Mitch asks.
"Tell my teacher that I felt ill and went home."
"What about her?"
"She has a name you know."
"Okay, what about Katniss?"
"I'll talk to Undersee." Peeta says, grabbing his bag. "Can you do that for me?"
"Sure buddy." Mitch says, slapping Peeta on the shoulder. Peeta smiles gratefully and motions for me to follow me down the cafeteria to the table I was previously sitting at.
"Katniss! Are you alright?" Madge asks, noticing my teary eyes.
"I'm fine. But I'm skipping class to find out what caused these rumours with Peeta. Can you say I fell ill? Please?"
"Of course." Madge says.
"Thank you." I say, smiling through my tears. I wipe them away with my hand.
Peeta and I escape from the school grounds and head straight to his house.
"Wait, wont your parents be home?" I ask.
"No one's home Katniss. My brothers are in school, my Dad is collecting orders at the train station and my mother is out with friends." Peeta explains. I nod and follow him into his house. Peeta hands me a tissue once we enter the bakery kitchen, and I wipe my eyes and nose.
"I'm sorry for crying and making a fuss." I sniff. "I don't know what came over me."
"You reacted exactly how anyone else would." Peeta reassures me. "Do you want something to eat?" I nod, my stomach rumbling after having nothing for lunch except for a strawberry. I watch as Peeta slices a loaf of bread, noticing small details about him that I never noticed previously. His eyelashes, normally invisible, but in the sunlight streaming through the window, they are so long I wonder how they don't get tangled up each time he blinks. His hair isn't just blonde; it's a mix of golden hues and browns. His eyes aren't just blue; they are sky blue with tiny flecks of dark blue and pale green. He's well built, his shoulders and chest are broad, and his arms muscular from hours spent wrestling and lifting bags of flour.
"Enjoying the view?" Peeta asks.
"Huh?" I ask.
"You were staring at me."
"Sorry."
"No, continue. I know I'm god-like." Peeta jokes, handing me some buttered bread. I eat it, a smile playing on my lips, noticing that the bread it slightly stale. Once I've finished, I follow Peeta up a flight of wooden stairs and find myself sitting on his bed. "It isn't much, but it's mine." Peeta shrugs as I gaze around the small room.
"No, it's lovely. Your whole house is lovely." I breathe.
"Now, down to business." Peeta says. My shoulders slump.
"Do we have to talk about this?"
"What would you rather do?" Peeta asks. I'd love to kiss you. I think to myself, my cheeks warming.
"Anything." I smile. Peeta sighs, but grins all the same.
"I don't know how this could have happened." Peeta says.
"Me neither."
"Maybe it was some of my neighbours, or Cray himself. You know how he gets when he's drunk. Walking around the district talking about people." I nod solemnly.
"Don't be offended, but you don't think it was your mother, do you?"
"It's a possibility." Peeta sighs. He opens his mouth to talk again when I hear a loud bang downstairs. Peeta stands, holds a finger to his lips, asking me to say quiet, and creeps down the hallway. He's gone for about a minute, so I stand and follow him. I see him standing at the top of the stairs.
"Peeta?" I whisper. He jumps, unaware that I was right behind him. I forget about how quiet I can be when I need to be, and sneaking up on people is easy.
"Jesus Christ Katniss!" He says, turning around to face me.
"Sorry." He opens a door to my left and pushes me inside, closing the door behind himself. I look around and see that we're in a linen closet. "What's wrong?" I ask.
"My mother is back!" Peeta says hurriedly.
"What?" I exclaim, clamping my hand over my mouth.
"She must be showing off her china to her friends or something." Peeta says. "What are we going to do?" I ask.
"We need an escape plan." Peeta says, running a hand through his hair. He thinks for a moment before answering. "Okay, listen carefully. We'll listen in for a while and then creep down the stairs, which you seem to be very good at, and exit through the front of the shop."
"Won't your mother see us?" I ask.
"No, there's a curtain separating the kitchen from the stairs." Peeta says. I nod. He pushes open the door and steps out. I follow and we crouch at the top of the stairs.
"You'll never guess what Marjorie told me." I hear Peeta's mother say.
"Marjorie is in the house opposite ours." Peeta whispers.
"She told me that she Peeta with that Everdeen girl last night through her bedroom window!" I bite my lip. "She said that she them two kissing and then the Seam girl ran off with a loaf of bread."
"They never!" Mrs Mellark's friend gasps.
"Oh, but that isn't the end of it. She said she saw her holding her stomach, and Peeta touching her stomach. Marjorie says she thinks the girl is pregnant! And of course, I have to believe Marjorie. After all she was a midwife!"
"Who's the father?"
"She thinks it either Gale Hawthorne, or Peeta."
"Hawthorne? Isn't he her cousin?"
"All the Seam brats are related. They're all inbred. Disgusting." Peeta tenses up beside me.
"What are you going to do?" Mrs Mellark's friend asks.
"Well, if Peeta is the father, he's going to get the beating of his life!"
"Teach him a lesson!" I look over at Peeta, who is hanging his head. I place a hand on his shoulder and smile at him. He grimaces.
"And with the girl, well, if I see her again, I'll give her a piece of my mind! I'm not supporting a bastard child. I'll get rid of it myself if I have to." My jaw falls slack. I can't believe what I'm hearing.
"Lets go Katniss." Peeta says. I follow him silently down the stairs, through the shop at the front of the house, and into the street. Then we run, as fast as we can away from the building. We reach the Seam and stop, catching our breaths.
"I'm so sorry Peeta."
"I'm sorry you had to see that side of her."
"I didn't know she had another side." I clamp my hand over my mouth again, realising what I've just said.
"Thank you for saying that." Peeta grins. I laugh along with him.
"What are we going to do?" I ask.
"I don't know. But I'm going to sort things out with my mother."
"She'll hit you, Peeta." I say, staring up at him.
"I won't let her. Besides, my father will want to hear my side of the story, and he doesn't let my mother beat me."
"How does she manage to hit you then?"
"My father isn't always at the bakery Katniss." Peeta says.
"Oh." I all I can say. "I'm going to hug you now." I say.
"Okay." Peeta whispers. I put my arms around him and inhale his scent. He smells of freshly baked bread, cookies and flour. "We'll be alright." Peeta mumbles into my ear. I pull away and find my face to be inches from Peeta's. He stares at me, his arms loosening around me. I lean forward slightly. I want to kiss him. I hope he wants to kiss me. My breathing speeds up as he gets closer, and I close my eyes. All is quiet, until I hear an angry voice shout out at us.
"Oi! Mellark! What do you think you're doing?"
Dun dun dun! ;D Cliff-hanger, I know… But if you can guess correctly who is ruining this perfect Everlark moment, you will get a high-five or something from me through the Internet! :D Sorry for updating so late, but this is the longest chapter I've done and there was a quite a bit of drama is this... and I have no beta so I have to read through it about ten times :p