A/N: Hey there! Sorry, this chapter took a lot longer to post than I thought that it would. I've had a lot of assignments due recently, but I'll try and post the next chapter soon. I was thinking of writing the next chapter in Prim's POV, and hopefully you find it interesting even though it's not about Everlark or Odesta (they will be mentioned though!)... Anyway, I'll see how it goes and I hope you like it! Thanks so much for the positive feedback on my first chapter, you are all seriously amazing :)
Katniss' POV
It was my first day of senior year, and it was more than a little hard to get up in the morning- especially following the weekend at Finnick's beach house. I didn't remember much about the first night we stayed over, except that at some point we gave into Finnick and played Twister, and Johanna did a ridiculous impersonation of Cashmere sometime around midnight. Groaning, I pulled myself out of bed and went to wake up Prim. To my surprise, I found her bed empty.
"Prim?" I called softly, trying not to wake up our mother.
Prim appeared in the doorway, already dressed in her new The Capitol School uniform- her blonde hair in two braids, her blazer neat and her socks pulled up to her knees. She looked more mature than I had ever seen her, and I almost couldn't believe that my baby sister was going into eighth grade.
"There you are, little duck." I said, crossing to her to straighten her collar.
"Do I look okay?" she asked, unsure.
"As if you were born and raised on the Upper East Side."
Prim rolled her eyes. "Are you going to give me another lecture over breakfast?"
I laughed. "No, not today. But remember what I've told you!"
All through the summer I had been giving her lectures about not letting the horrible people on the Upper East Side get to her, to prepare her for what she was going to experience at a school where education was less important than what you wore to the next party. I knew Prim had more sense than that, but still I worried about her in that place.
So far, Prim was looking pretty calm and collected as she ate breakfast and packed her school bag full of second hand textbooks. However, as we started to walk out the door of our apartment, I saw her wipe her palms on her skirt before touching her hair nervously.
"You okay?" I asked her, as we took the stairs to the ground level of the building.
Prim nodded her head, but I could tell that her nerves were starting to set in. I remembered my own anxieties about starting at The Capitol School this time last year, and I felt for my little sister.
"Remember, you can come and find me any time, okay?" I told her, "And I'll visit you at lunch."
"Thanks, Katniss."
"No worries, little duck."
It was becoming a bit of a tradition, Gale waiting for me on the curb outside before school began. As we walked out of the apartment building, there he was again, sitting on the concrete with a thermos in his hands. Today however, he was joined by his younger brother, Rory.
I couldn't ignore how Rory's eyes lit up when he noticed Prim, and he scrambled to stand up to greet her. I made eye contact with Gale and smiled, something we had started to do whenever our siblings showed how much they liked each other. As much as I didn't want Prim to grow up too fast, of all the boys she could have had a crush on, Rory was definitely the best for her. However, Rory must have noticed Gale and I trying to hold back our smiles, and tried to act a little more cool.
"Nice uniform, Prim." Rory laughed, in almost the same tone Gale had used when he said that very thing to me last year. "Or should I call you Primrose now, since you're off to fancy school."
Prim rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Rory." She looked at him like he was an idiot, but I knew that inside she was beaming.
"So, you both ready?" Gale asked, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"As we'll ever be." I replied, digging my hands into my blazer pockets. "Are you sure you don't want to come, and see your girlfriend before school starts?" I teased.
"And risk her father catching us?" Gale laughed. "No thank you. I should have taken you more seriously about the whole 'meeting Madge's parents' thing. They are not my biggest fans."
Gale had told me all about how disapproving Madge's parents were of her relationship with Gale, at that was even without them finding out about how he nearly went to jail. They had agreed instead to keep their relationship hidden from them, and to be honest I thought that Madge was enjoying her small act of rebellion.
"They'll come around." I assured him, but I wasn't sure that that was true. Thinking back to my own experience with Upper East Side parents, Peeta's mother still didn't like me and I doubted she ever would.
"Katniss, we better go." Prim said suddenly, "I don't want to be late on my first day."
"Good luck, Prim." Rory smiled, pulling her in for a hug. "You gotta tell me all about it tonight."
We said our goodbyes, and Prim and I caught the subway over to the Upper East Side. Prim hardly spoke on the journey, and I didn't think it was possible for her to look any more pale, until arrived at our destination. She stood nervously at the front gates of The Capitol School for a moment, as if preparing herself to walk in.
I was about to give Prim a final pep talk, when I was interrupted by hands wrapping around my waist. Immediately I recognised the familiar smell of baked bread and cinnamon, and turned to greet Peeta.
"Hey." I said softly. "Fancy seeing you here."
Peeta laughed. "What a coincidence."
He dipped his head down to kiss me, and for a moment I forgot all about where I was and the fact that my sister was standing next to me. Prim's uncomfortable cough brought me back to reality, and we broke apart.
"Ummm, I'm still here, remember?" Prim laughed. "If I'm going to run into you two like that during the day, I think I'll go back to my old school."
"Oh, very funny Prim." I rolled my eyes at her.
"Here, I brought you something that might change your mind." Peeta said suddenly.
He reached into his bag to take out a little Mellark Bakery take away box, and handed it to Prim. She opened it to find a beautifully iced cupcake inside, complete with a primrose piped onto it, which matched the cake he had made for her birthday.
"To get you through your first day." Peeta explained.
"Thanks, Peeta." Prim said sweetly, hugging him. "Maybe I could get used to this."
"Hey, no fair!" I exclaimed, pretending to pout. "Why does Prim get something and I don't?"
"Calm down!" Peeta laughed. "I may have made some extra cheese buns this morning."
"You know I love you, right?" I laughed, kissing him on the cheek as Prim groaned.
"You two are seriously embarrassing." Prim laughed.
"I have to agree with you there!" Finnick called, suddenly joining us in the courtyard. He looked his usual cheerful self, however, I was confused by the scarf wrapped around his neck, considering the weather was still warm.
"What's with the scarf?" I asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing..." Finnick didn't meet my eye, but quickly readjusted it around his neck.
"It's not like you to not have a comeback." Peeta narrowed his eyes on his friend.
They stared each other down for a moment, before Peeta suddenly moved to pull the scarf off Finnick. As they scuffled together in the courtyard, drawing the attention of students passing by, Finnick finally gave in and called for a truce.
"Okay, okay!'" Finnick laughed, holding his arms up. "I'll tell you."
"Let's here it then." Peeta laughed, stepping back from his friend.
Finnick scrunched up his face. "Annie may have possibly give me...a hickey last night."
At once both Peeta and I burst out laughing, as Finnick stood in front of us, turning red.
"Now that's embarrassing, Finnick." Peeta joked.
"Hey." Finnick said, regaining his composure. "It's a symbol of Annie's undying love and utter devotion to me. I'd be jealous if I were you, Peeta. " He flicked the end of the scarf over his shoulder, as if triumphant.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." Peeta rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh again.
I suddenly realised that Prim was still with us, looking more and more anxious as it got closer to the beginning of school.
"Do you want me to help you find your locker?" I asked, turning to her.
Prim shook her head. "I think I can do it."
"You can so do this." Peeta added. "Everyone is going to love you."
"And if they don't, we'll go and sort them out." Finnick said seriously.
"Oh yeah, you look so dangerous in that scarf." Prim replied.
"Ah sarcasm, the language of middle school. You fit in here already. " Finnick joked.
Prim checked the time, her face started to pale again. "I should go."
"Remember Prim, you don't have to prove anything to them." I told her. "You're going to be fine."
Prim nodded, looking a little more confident. She hugged me once before walking towards the middle school building, and I watched her go for a moment. She was my baby sister, and I just hoped that all my fears about her being at that school would not come true.
Two minutes back at school and I was already sick of the majority of my classmates. All I could hear on my way to class was gossip about scandalous summer flings, crazy nights out, private jets to Europe and who had gotten the best tan. I rolled my eyes as I sat down in class, and prepared myself for another year of it. Just one more year though, I reminded myself. I thought that if I could just get through my final year at that school, I could get through anything.
Finally the bell rang for lunch, and I found my group of friends out in the courtyard at our usual table, for at least one hour of sanity.
"So…" Finnick began. "Senior year!"
"Finally, I'm going to get out of this place." Johanna said, relieved.
"What, aren't you sad you won't get to see me everyday?" Finnick joked.
"Not one bit." Johanna laughed. "Nice scarf, by the way."
"Maybe I won't miss you either." Finnick replied, adjusting his scarf again. "What do you want to do next year, any way?"
"I might try for art at NYU." Johanna said slowly. "Or just spent my college trust fund on backpacking around Europe. Either way I plan on finding as many ways as possible to be a disappointment to my parents."
"That's the spirit." Peeta laughed.
"Well what are you doing then, baker boy?" Johanna asked.
"My parents want me to go to Yale and study business, that's where my father went." Peeta explained, sighing heavily. "But what I really want to do is go to culinary school, to learn more about patisserie. I doubt my parents will let me though."
I was sad for Peeta. I knew just how much pressure he was getting from his parents to follow in their footsteps, when I knew how happy he would be to work at the bakery instead. Why couldn't his parents just let Peeta be himself, and not them or his older brothers? It made me so mad every time I thought about it, I had to do all I could not to go up to Peeta's apartment and tell his mother what I really thought of her.
"What about you, Katniss?" Madge asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Law at Yale." I said automatically. It had been a goal I had been working towards since I was twelve years old, and it was both exciting and terrifying that in a few short months I would find out if it was really going to happen.
"Don't you have to be uhhhh… a law abiding citizen to be a lawyer, Katniss?" Finnick asked.
"Very funny." I rolled my eyes. "But I want to work in the children's court. I've seen too many kids in my neighbourhood not given a fair chance, and I want to help."
"Ughhh Katniss." Johanna groaned. "You're such a good person and it makes me sick."
I never considered myself a good person by any means, but I laughed all the same. "Thanks, Johanna?"
All this talk of college had made me feel that familiar anxious feeling in my stomach again. I hated the thought that after everything my father and I had worked towards when submitting the application to The Capitol School and all that had happened once I got there, it would be for nothing. I wanted to do well for myself, but for my father too. And of course Prim, so that I could provide for her as she went through high school and college herself.
I was so caught up in thinking about college again that I suddenly realised I had forgotten all about meeting Prim at lunch. Quickly, I jumped up from the table.
"Where are you off to?" Johanna asked.
"I promised Prim I'd find her at lunch." I explained.
"Good luck." Johanna said grimly. "You think this place is bad? It's one hundred times worse in the middle school corridors, trust me."
"Ughhh, you're bringing back horrible memories already, Johanna!" Peeta laughed.
"Is it really that bad?" I asked, suddenly terrified for Prim all over again.
"Prim will be fine." Johanna reassured me. "It's impossible not to love your little sister."
That was true, and it was something that I'd tried to remind myself of all summer. So, I prepared myself for what was to come and headed off to find Prim.
I had barely made it down the end of the corridor before I heard a familiar voice call my name. Instantly, I spun around to come face to face with Cashmere.
"Katniss, hi." she said in her overly sweet voice. "How was your summer?"
"Fine, thanks." I replied, trying to get away.
"I see you took my advice and stayed out of trouble. Don't want anything to ruin your chances at a good college, right?"
"I could say the same to you." I replied, thinking back to her trip to the police station.
Her smile faltered for a moment, as if she was remembering it too. She shook herself a little though, as if reminding herself of who she was and what she was planning to say to me. "Do you recall our little conversation on the last day of school?"
"How could I forget?"
"Good, because I meant what I said." Cashmere said confidently. "I don't plan on spending any more lunches in the library, and if by March there is no crown on my head at the prom, well, we might have to have another little chat."
I rolled my eyes. "Trust me Cashmere, that's the last thing I want." I was happy for Cashmere to go about rebuilding her image and winning what ever superficial prize she wanted at prom. All I wanted was for her to leave me alone.
"We're on the same page then." she smirked.
I turned to walk away, however, Cashmere continued to speak. "Oh, and I heard your little sister just started here. If you want my advice- tell her to watch her back."
I gulped back the fear rising in my stomach again. I could handle Cashmere making threats towards me, but if she ever brought Prim into it, I didn't know what I would do. Instead of replying, I rushed down the corridor, more desperate than ever to find my little sister.