My second meeting of the day involved meeting all of my interns, who for the most part were over achieving high school students who wanted real life political experience. I sat at my desk as they stood in front of me. "Hi all of you, I'm Katniss Everden. I grew up in Bakersfield which is about a 2 hour drive from here, then I attended Georgetown for undergrad where I majored in economics and minored in political science. Tell me about yourselves?" I try to keep my tone light after seeing the sheens of sweat on some of the other interns' foreheads. There were 3 of them, 1 girl and 2 boys.
One of the boys, tall and blonde, spoke first. "Hi, I'm Cato Pickard. I'm 17, I'm Secretary General of Model UN at North Philly High School. My dad is editor in chief of the Philadelphia Inquirer." He oozed confidence in a way that only a boy who has been told he was special his whole life could, evident in his confident stance and smug smile.
Basically, I would have hated him in high school.
"Nice to meet you Cato. Next?" I said, trying to stay professional. I motioned for the other boy to step forward.
"I'm Marvel Pitt, and I'm a senior at Susan B. Anthony High School and I got in early decision to University of Virginia." I could tell he was nervous by the way he clasped and unclasped his hands tightly behind his back.
I look him up and down, nodding my head to make him feel better. "Impressive," I mummer.
"I'm captain of the debate team and Euro-Challenge, which is where we discuss the effects of the Euro on the global economy. SBAHS has won the Pennsylvania division for the past 4 years." He steps back and I see a petite raven haired girl, her dark eyes contrasting with her pale skin.
She stepped forward, giving me a small smile. "My name is Clove Mathis, I also attend North Philly High School, but I'm a sophomore. I am co-president of my school's Young Democrats club, and I am the class of 2016 Term Council president." She stepped backwards, not taking her eyes off of me. There was something about her that caught me off guard. I could tell from her demeanor that she was quiet, but calculating.
I clapped. "Well I'm so excited to have you guys here. Working on this campaign will give you valuable experience if you ever want to go into politics." I feel my stomach rumble, and glance at the clock above the door. "But it's about lunch time right now, so why don't you guys go get lunch and we'll meet back here in an hour and a half. Sound good?"
"Do you want us to get you anything?" Marvel offers, eager to please me.
I chuckle, finally understanding what Peeta was saying about his interns. "I'm good, thanks. But thank you for offering, I might take you up on that offer in the future."
As they file out of the office, I follow and duck into the women's bathroom before heading to the break room. Right as I was finishing up in the stall, I heard two loud voices enter the bathroom. I paused, my ears perking up at their conversation.
"I mean God, she walks in here, it's her first day and acts like she's all that. Who the fuck does she think she is?" It was Johanna's voice, and from the amount of nastiness, I figured she was talking about me. I froze.
"Oh I'm Katniss Everdeen, and I specialize in wearing skirts in the winter and making up dumb ideas," a voice that I recognized as Delly's mocked. They both cackled, their laughs filling the bathroom. My heart sunk to my feet. My dad always told me there would be mean girls everywhere, but this was the last place I thought I'd find them. "And did you see the way she walked in with Peeta? She literally disgusts me."
Sadness turns to anger as I hear my colleagues talk about me. Why do they get to talk about my character, knowing nothing about me? I take a deep breath before I push the stall door open and walk out, the biggest smile I could muster on my face. They froze, Delly dropping the tube of lip-gloss she was reapplying on the ceramic sink. "Do you guys know where the best place to get lunch around here is?" I ask, trying to keep my tone sweet instead of biting.
They both stammered, Johanna regaining composure first. "Uh, um, there's a Panera on North Broad street that's pretty good," she says as I wash and dry my hands.
"Thanks for the suggestion, maybe I'll check it out," I call out behind me as I leave the bathroom, fighting back tears.
I keep it together until I reach my office, closing the door before the tears start rolling down my face. I internally scold myself, angry that I would let two petty women get to me. Blotting my eyes, I'm thankful for my decision to wear waterproof mascara this morning. I sit in my chair and take deep breaths, willing the tears to stop.
It's 12:30 by the time I hear a knock on the door. "Hold on a second!" I call, frantically pushing the tissues into a trash can while fanning my red face. "Come in!" I shout, blowing my nose one last time.
Finnick pops his bronze head in, raising his eyebrows at my appearance. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" He sounds genuine, and I shake my head no with a smile.
"No, you're ok. What's up?" I ask, trying to find my notepad on my desk of papers.
Finnick sat down on the corner of my desk. "I came here to ask if you had read this article in the Economist this morning, but I see that clearly something else is happening. I can smell office drama a mile away."
I shake my head again, this time with a sniffle. "It's not drama, I'm just overreacting. I overheard Delly and Johanna talking about me in the bathroom, that's all."
Finnick sighed, as if he was not surprised by their behavior. "I'm sorry Katniss. To be honest, they're just jealous that your idea became the first major assignment. I know Delly has been hinting that she wants to work with me for weeks now, but she doesn't have the qualifications that you do."
Hearing that caused an involuntary smile to spread across my face. "I know, I know. It's just so high school, you know? I just really thought I left that petty drama behind when I graduated in 2006."
Finnick hopped off my desk. "You know what, let's get something to eat. Anything you want, my treat." I was almost stunned by his friendliness. When I agreed to work on this campaign, I thought all people would be like Delly and Johanna – bitchy, and self-absorbed. But to see Finnick be so nice to me even though he barely knew me made it more bearable.
"Thank you," I said, hoping he could feel my gratefulness. "Are there any good Thai places around here? If there's anything I miss about D.C., it's the food."
He places the order for delivery as we walk over to his office, keeping up a conversation as we settle into the plush chairs. He asks me about my life, genuinely interested in my responses. I tell him about how small and shitty Bakersfield was, and how Peeta inspired me to work hard and get out of town. I mention my sister, and how she was currently studying at Columbia's nursing program.
Finnick talks about growing up in California, and it doesn't surprise me at all when he tells me that he wanted to become a fisherman instead of a businessman. He talks about meeting Peeta, and how when he asked him to work on his campaign he knew he couldn't refuse. "Plus the interns are pretty cute too," he said in his what I was seeing to be classic womanizer voice.
"Oh shit!" I exclaim, his comment jogging my memory. "I told my interns we'd meet back at my office at 1:30. What time is it?" Finnick checked the time on his big expensive watch.
"1:45," he said with a chuckle. "Don't worry about them, they'll be fine," he assured me as I packed up my half eaten pad-thai.
"Thank you so much for lunch," I said for the hundredth time while walking backwards to the door.
He waved me off, acknowledging my graditude. "My pleasure. We'll do it again sometimes. But remember," he warned. "Don't let certain people in this office get to you. They're not worth it, and everyone is really glad to have you here."
I look behind me and wave as I walk out, walking directly into a strong blond for the second time today. "We've got to stop running into each other, I'm starting to think you have something against me," Peeta joked, adjusting his tie as I laughed.
"Didn't they teach you at Stanford that running into your boss is the only affective way to get him to notice you?" I responded light heartedly as we walked down the corridor to my office.
Peeta laughed, his head tipped back and his smile wide. "Well, mission accomplished." I give him a questioning look, but he doesn't elaborate. He then turns his attention to my hands, raising his eyebrows at the container of takeout. "Tiny Thai, right? I swear it's the best Thai food in all of Philly."
"Yeah, Finnick picked the place. I'm still trying to get a feel of Philadelphia food, which I have to admit is a lot better than I expected." At the found of Finnick's name I see Peeta wrinkle his nose.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking over my shoulder as we arrived outside of my office. "Lunch with Finnick? Hope you know half of the interns would kill to be you," he remarked with a shrug of his shoulders. I couldn't place the tone of his voice, but it was different from the Peeta I had rode the train with.
"Ugh," I say with a shudder. "Not my type. Too perfect you know? It's kind of weird." I visibly see Peeta exhale, nodding in agreement. "But yeah, he only offered to buy me lunch because I overheard Delly and Johanna talking about me and was pretty upset about it."
Peeta looked at me with surprise. "Delly and Johanna? Doesn't surprise me, they'll talk about anything and anyone with a pulse." He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "But next time they ever give you trouble, give me a call and I'll let them know who's really boss around here," he whispered with a wink.
"Will do Councilman Mellark. I'll see you later." As he turned around I smiled to myself, happy to know I've made at least two friends at the office.
My first two weeks working on the campaign are a blur. I go to bed late and wake up early, trying to fit in as much work as I can into all the hours of the day. I thought I knew what to expect when I was assigned to manage the first major assignment on the campaign, but what I was doing was far from it. The first lesson that I learned was that people are flaky, the second, that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself.
I barely have enough time in the day to think about myself for a minute, let alone look for somewhere to live; so I was ecstatic when Finnick approved my request to extend my stay at the hotel. Not only did living there mean being close to the subway and therefore close to work, it also meant being close to Peeta. It started as a nice gesture, but once he figured out I was much friendlier and responsive with a cup of coffee in hand, it became daily habit for him to wait for me outside my door with a coffee from the food truck outside the hotel. In return, I would brief him on the Philadelphia Times articles I read every morning.
On the days he went to city hall in the mornings, he would always swing by the office later in the afternoon for debriefs, photo shoots, strategy meetings, or whatever else Haymitch and Effie called him in to do. On those days, we'd take the train home together, him insisting that "only freaks ride the SEPTA past 10," and that I needed to be more careful.
Late nights became even later nights at the office as I began to finalize everything for the day of play at the Community Center. I even befriend the security guard, Darius, so he'll let me sneak in the office over the weekends.
The Sunday before the event, I shoved my papers in my purse, hurrying to get to the office. I wanted to get in and out as soon as possible, but my plan was thwarted as I bumped into Peeta while waiting for the elevator. "Hey!" He said, his face lighting up. I tried to keep my eyes level with his, but I couldn't help but stare at the way his cotton t-shirt stretched across his chest, tight against his broad shoulders. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead, making it clear that he just had a very intense session at the gym.
"Oh hey Peeta," I stutter. "What's up?" The elevator closes behind him as he takes his earbuds out of his ears.
Peeta shrugged. "This campaign is messing up my eating habits so I've been trying to spend more time in the Gym. But the more important question is where are you going?" He questioned, emphasizing the 'you.'
"You know, just going out for breakfast." I try to remain casual, but as he judges my work pants and blouse, I can tell he doesn't believe me for a second.
He scoffs at my attempt to lie. "C'mon, don't tell me you're going to the office? It's Sunday, you're supposed to spend it doing something you enjoy."
I roll my eyes at him before reaching around him to press the elevator again. "What I enjoy, is trying to get you elected. So if you'll excuse me, I'm heading over to the office to get some work done." I see the gears in his head turning as he tries to think of an excuse not to let me go.
"I have an idea. I've seen you these past few weeks and you've been really stressed and I feel bad because its all for me and my campaign. There's this really cool thing in City Center that I really think you would appreciate. We can go, and if you don't like it I'll let you go to the office, no complaints." He leans forward on his toes, biting his lip.
I contemplate his offer, considering how much work I have to do today that I'd be putting off until tomorrow against how nice it would be to spend the day with Peeta. I cave with a big sigh, the image of Peeta's arm muscles tempting me strongly. "This 'thing' you're talking about better be worth it, because God knows I'm going to have to spend all day tomorrow working."
"Great!" He exclaimed, appearing to be genuinely excited to spend time with his fundraising chair. "I'm going to go take a shower, but I'll swing by your room as soon as I'm done and we can go. I want to keep it a surprise, but I promise, you're gonna love it."
A man of his word, 20 minutes later I hear a knock at my door. "Hold on a second!" I call as I check my appearance in the mirror one more time. I was unsure if my light wash jeans and black boots were appropriate for whatever location we were going, but I hope for the best as I shrug on my jacket.
Peeta is the most casual I've ever seen him in jeans, a button down, and an easygoing smile. "Ready to go?" He asks, hands in his pocket.
"I hope this mystery destination is fun because I don't think I've spent a minute on myself since before I got hired for this job." I mention as we walk towards the elevator.
He gave me an assured smile. "I promise, it will be. I'm only keeping it a secret so you'll be in awe when you see it."
Conversation flowed easily as we walked down to the subway – him sharing stories about life in Bakersfield, and me filling him in about what happened after he left. We compare California to D.C., and he claims that you've never really lived until you've tried In-n-Out while I say that you can't die without seeing a D.C. sunset.
"Now will you tell me where you're taking me?" I ask as we emerge from the metro in downtown Philly.
"We're like two blocks away. Close your eyes, and don't look." He urges, leading me by the arm. I oblige, his boyish smile reason enough. He covers my eyes, not letting go until I feel us walk through a set of large double doors. "Open your eyes."
I let out a large gasp as I take in my surroundings. We were surrounded by flowers and plants of all different shapes and sizes, the banner above me reading, "Philadelphia Flower Show 2014." Peeta stood next to me, visibly pleased that I appreciated his surprise. "How'd you know I love flowers?"
"Total shot in the dark," he says with a hint of sarcasm. I pulled him inside the second doors by the arm, eager to get inside. "There's one other thing I want you to see." My eyes follow to where he is pointing, and my jaw drops open in surprise. There in the corner was a katniss plant, with a big sign above it saying, "PFS Flower of the year." "It's your year," he whispers to me, smiling.
Overcome with his thoughtfulness, I wrap my arms around him in replacement of the hundred thank yous I want to say. We stand like that for a second, before I suddenly remember he is my boss and I jump away. "Thank you so much Peeta. This is so thoughtful of you."
He looks at me sheepishly, that familiar red tint spreading across his cheeks. "It's no big deal," he says in an attempt to play it off. "I'm just glad you like it."
We spend the rest of the morning at the flower show, afterwards deciding to sit down for sushi at a place around the corner. I never end up getting any work done, so when I walk into work the next morning and see Delly waiting by my office, I know I'm not in the mood to deal with her.
"Good morning Delly," I say, digging around in my purse for my keys. "Do you need me to look something over?" I'm hoping she'll hear the annoyance in my voice and leave me alone, but she doesn't seem to get the hint.
"Actually," she purrs, a sinister look in her eyes. "I just wanted to see how your weekend was."
I give her a strange look as I unlock my door and she follows me in. We haven't pretended to like each other since I caught her talking about me, and the way she's staring at me as if I'm prey and she's the predator makes me uncomfortable. "My weekend was nice, thank you for asking." She still doesn't leave as I start to unpack my bag, instead choosing to stand face to face with me.
"Well my weekend was great too. Yesterday I took my niece to the Philadelphia Flower Show, have you heard of it?" I freeze, narrowing my eyes at her. She takes that as a sign to continue. "Well, you must be because I saw you there yesterday with someone I think we are both very familiar with."
We're eye level, her 5 inch heels elevating her to my 5'7 height. "What are you trying to get at Delly? I'm here to work, not to play silly games with you. You know it's professional."
"But Caesar Flickerman might not think so. Don't you think this would make for a nice scandal in the middle of election season?" She shoves her phone in my face, a picture of the short embrace between Peeta and me glaring right at me. I purse my lips, trying to figure out how someone could be so wicked.
I sigh, breaking our eye contact. "What do you want Delly? We're both working on the same campaign, I think we all want the same thing."
"Some of us just want a little more, if you know what I mean." She raises her eyebrows at me, daring to challenge her. She takes a step towards me, lowering her voice so that only I can hear. "If I were you I'd watch your back, skank. I don't think you want this picture to land in the wrong hands. It's one thing to sleep with your boss, it's another to make it public." My hatred for her is threatening to roll off my tongue, but I will myself stay professional.
"Ok Delly," I say, a sudden surge of confidence in my voice. "First things first, I'm not sleeping with Peeta. Second of all, how dare you come into my office, and threaten to get me in trouble with our boss. But you're right about one thing, I'm new here, and I don't want to rock any boats. So I'll back off, ok? But if you ever think of doing this again, I swear to god you'll regret it. Now please, get out of my office."
A triumphant smirk on her face, she turns on her heels and walks out. I slowly lower myself into my chair, an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Delly may have won the battle, but I knew I couldn't afford to lose the war.
Thank you guys so much for reading! I know this chapter is a little long, I just have so many great ideas for this story. A note on the politics of this story: the fact that Peeta is a democrat is mostly irrelevant. If you happen to hate democrats, please don't hate this story! I just picked one for the sake of accuracy.
Please let me know how you feel about this story in reviews!