Finnick's POV
I'd been waiting outside of Annie's apartment, leaning against the bonnet of my car, for what felt like hours. It was the weekend before graduation, and I was anxious to get going for the camping trip my friends and I have been planning all year. On top of that, it was the first time my parents were letting me drive since the car accident, and I couldn't wait to be on the road and away from the city.
The sun was beating down on me, and I could almost smell the ocean that was waiting for us. Annie had told me to wait down there for just a few minutes so her aunt and uncle could talk to her, but I wished I could just be with her and let this weekend start already. Finally, Annie appeared and skipped towards me, a happy smile on her face.
"About time, Miss Cresta." I joked light-heartedly. She looked so happy it was impossible to even pretend to be annoyed with her.
She wrapped her arms around my waist. "Sorry, my aunt and uncle were lecturing me about not doing anything dangerous."
"Well, they won't have to worry with me around." I said confidently, "But we should get going."
As I went to step onto the road, Annie suddenly yanked me back as a car rushed by. If I had stepped any further onto the road, I would surely have been hit.
"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Annie exclaimed, looking panicked as I stepped back onto the curb. "I think I'm the one keeping you out of danger!"
"Yeah, yeah." I laughed. "You were distracting me."
Checking the road twice, I got into the car and Annie followed in the passenger seat. As I turned on the engine, my music started to blare loudly through the speakers. Quickly, Annie reached for the dial to change the radio station.
"Hey, hey, hey!" I said, stopping her. "Driver's privilege- I get to choose the music."
"I don't think so!" Annie replied cheekily, switching to her own music.
I didn't argue with her, because to be honest, I actually kind of liked her music. Not that I would ever tell her that.
As I pulled away from the curb and set off to the highway, I noticed that Annie tensed up for a moment.
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, reaching for her hand.
"I'm fine." Annie said unconvincingly. "Sometimes being in cars makes me nervous, I suppose." She untangled her hand from mine. "You should put both hands on the steering wheel."
I laughed, doing as she told, but I was finding it hard to take my eyes off of her.
"And don't look at me!" Annie exclaimed, "Look at the road!"
"Alright, alright!" I told her, making an exaggerated look towards the road, purposely not blinking. "Won't take my eyes off it."
"Oh very funny, Finnick." Annie crossed her arms over her chest.
I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, a grin growing on my face as I saw that she too was trying not to look at me.
"Okay fine, you don't have to not blink or anything." Annie conceded. "But pay attention!"
"Annie, I'm a good driver, I promise."
"I know you are." Annie said. "That doesn't mean that everyone is though."
Oh, that's right, I thought with a heavy heart. Annie's parents had been good drivers too. That didn't make a difference when I drunk driver crashed into their car. I made a mental note to drive more carefully, and more slowly, than I ever had, to make sure Annie's weekend wasn't a reminder by her sad past.
"Soooo…" I said, to change the subject. "I finished applying for colleges."
"Really?" Annie asked enthusiastically, "I'm really happy you've figured out what you want to do."
It was a little late, I knew that, but after my time in the hospital I realised that maybe nursing was what I wanted to do. Sure, the guys on the football team had teased me about choosing a 'girl job', but honestly, I didn't see it like that at all. What I wanted to do was help people just like I was helped. I just hoped I would be accepted into the same college as Annie.
"What if we don't end up at the same college, Annie?" I said, voicing my fears.
"We'll make it work." Annie said confidently, "But now, lets just make the most out of this weekend."
Annie was right. With only days before graduation, this was going to be our last chance to be high schoolers with our group of friends. Smiling, I turned up the music, and Annie spent the rest of the trip singing along shamelessly loud, and I forgot all about worrying about the future.
Soon, the city disappeared and we arrived at the secluded beach side campsite Katniss had picked out. I pulled up and turned to Annie, grinning.
"Race you to the water!" I said.
Her eye's flashed mischievously, and jumped out of the car. Just as we started towards the ocean, I suddenly heard Johanna's very angry voice from further away, where the tents were set up. I looked at Annie with concern, and we slowly approached Johanna, who was glaring angrily at Peeta while Katniss worked to set up a tent beside them.
"Ughh, thank god you two are here." Johanna said, once she saw us.
"Wow, I never thought I'd hear you say that." I laughed.
Johanna was not amused. "Did you bring the food?" she pretty much yelled at me.
"No, Peeta was supposed to bring it." I said, my heart starting to sink.
"Yeah, well baker boy here thought that you were bringing it." Johanna sighed. She shot an angry look at Peeta, who started to turn red.
"So, we have no food?" Annie asked timidly.
"No thanks to Peeta." Johanna said angrily.
Madge and Delly suddenly emerged from the inside of their tent beside the one that Katniss was setting up.
"What, so what are we going to eat?" Delly asked, sounding scared.
"Hey, it's fine." Katniss cut in between Peeta and Johanna, who were having a stare off. "Maybe there's something we can eat out here." She motioned to the plants around us, "And I guess we could try catching a fish?"
"You might be some outdoor survival girl, but I doubt the rest of us are." Johanna said, sounding unconvinced.
"Oh, I don't know." I said, flexing my muscles to which Annie rolled her eyes. "I've caught a fair few fish in my time."
"Yeah, I'm not relying on you to be able to eat tonight." Johanna scoffed.
"It's not like we're trapped out here, Johanna." I said, trying to calm her down. "How about I go find us the nearest supermarket?"
"That's the most sensible thing you've ever said." Johanna laughed.
"Well, I better get going then, they'll be shut soon." I said, shrugging. "Want to come?" I asked Annie.
Skipping along beside me, we jumped back in the car and headed towards the closest supermarket. It was to close in half an hour, so quickly Annie and I skidded around the aisles, throwing anything into the shopping basket.
As we deliberated over marshmallow brands, I could help but smile as Annie tried to work out the marshmallow-to-cost ratio of each brand. Suddenly, I had a flash forward to the future, of Annie and I shopping together on the weekend, then going home to our own apartment together…
"What are you staring at?" Annie asked curiously, breaking me from my daydream.
"You." I said, tapping her on the nose. "This is all feeling very… domestic."
"Domestic in a good way?" Annie asked.
"Definitely a good way." I laughed.
"Good." Annie reached up to kiss me.
She put the marshmallows into the basket and looped her arm around mine as we walked towards the checkout. Honestly, I felt like I was lost in some kind of happy daze as we drove back to the campsite, just as the sun was starting to set.
As we unpacked all the food, Johanna gave a sigh of relief. "Just in time." she said, "Katniss was about to make me eat this leaf!" She tossed aside a leafy plant and reached for the shopping bags.
Laughing, I flopped down beside Katniss on the ground, where Peeta was beginning a camp fire. However, just as I did so, Annie faked a cough to get my attention.
"Yes, my dear?" I asked lightly, while Johanna rolled her eyes.
"Forgetting something?" Annie crossed her arms.
"Remind me?" I replied, confused.
"The tent, Finnick!" Annie laughed, throwing her arms up, exasperated.
"Ohhhhh, right." I said, leaping up.
"Hey, that's mine there." Johanna pointed to a tent nearby. "Pitch yours as far a way as possible."
"Fine." I laughed. "Won't take long."
I was wrong about that. Very wrong. Both Annie and Johanna laughed at me as I desperately tried to set up the tent, but no matter what I did one of the pegs would tug out or the poles would bend or the fabric would cave in. It was useless.
"Would either of you like to help, rather than just laugh at me?" I asked, sinking down onto the ground, exhausted.
"No, watching you is much more fun." Annie giggled.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure it is." I scrunched up nose. "How about we just sleep under the stars tonight then?"
"Okay, okay." Annie groaned playfully. "I'll help."
In the end, Annie didn't so much as help, rather, she did the whole thing for me. In minutes the tent was set up, and Annie was grinning at me triumphantly.
"I used to go camping with my parents all the time." Annie shrugged.
"And you didn't tell me this before…?" I sighed.
"It was more fun that way." Annie laughed, smudging some dirt from my nose.
"Right well, who's cooking dinner- I'm starving!" I said, relieved that the tent was finally done.
"Peeta- if he can stop staring at the sky like a loony." Johanna scoffed.
I looked to Peeta, who seemed to be captivated by the sunset.
"Look at all those colours." he said, as if in a trance.
"Ahh, yeah. Really great, buddy." I said, trying to get his attention, "But how about we start cooking some dinner?"
Finally, Peeta snapped out of it and the six of sat around in a circle as the camp fire started to blaze. As I looked towards Annie, who was smiling towards the ocean, I felt like I could finally relax.
It was dark, and the campfire was blazing as crickets hummed in the background. Annie was wrapped up in my arms as the sound of waves crashing was heard in the distance. As I toasted my last marshmallow, everything seemed perfect.
"Hey, does anyone know any good ghost stories?" Johanna asked.
"I do!" Katniss laughed. "When I told Prim she didn't sleep for days!"
"Let's hear it, then." Johanna challenge.
I admit I got a little distracted, playing with Annie's hair and staring at the shapes the flames made as the danced in the darkness. I zoned back in with Delly's yelp, as Johanna and Katniss both laughed at her.
"I don't want to hear anymore!" Delly declared, "I'm going to bed."
Soon we all shuffled off our tents, and then only the sound of zips could be heard. I looked at Annie, who was brushing through her tangled hair, and I smiled.
"You're doing that staring thing again." she said to me, putting the brush down.
"Care to share my sleeping bag?" I offered with joking seductiveness.
"Oh, how romantic, how could I refuse?" Annie laughed.
As we snuggled down into the sleeping bag together, I suddenly heard the sound of Delly and Madge squealing. Sticking my head out of our tent I saw the tent opposite ours collapsing, and the shapes of Delly and Madge as they tried to escape from inside it. Laughing, they finally emerged.
"Looks like we'll be the ones sleeping under the stars tonight!" Madge laughed.
"Unless Johanna is willing to share her tent with you." Katniss teased. We all knew that Johanna had made a very important point that she would not be sharing a tent with anyone.
Johanna, who had appeared outside of her own tent, sighed. and rolled her eyes. "Fine, you can share with me."
As I disappeared back inside my own tent and lay down beside Annie, I was so grateful to have this time with everyone before all of our lives changed for ever.