A/N-Sorry about the long update! School has been mean! My father also had a stroke, so please keep him in your prayers. Oh, and a couple of things-

1. I learned from experience that the only way to get a lot of people to review is to say if I get a certain amount of reviews that I'll review the next day. People usually don't bother.

2. Please pray for my father to make a full recovery from his stroke.

3. THANK YOU!

The empty spot in my heart is getting more noticeable every day that he is gone. I miss his smile. I miss his jokes. I would give anything to hear his laugh. I just want to hear it one last time.

I feel like curling up and crying all day, but I try to be strong. Peeta would've wanted me to be strong. I do cry, though, before the second day of the Games start. I cry and cry in my bedroom until I run out of tears. I'm sure my father can hear me as well as the maids and the butlers. I know I shouldn't be like this, but sometimes I wonder why there isn't anyone there to comfort me.

The fact makes me cry more. Why isn't there anyone to just hug me? Peeta was that one person that could make me smile in the darkest of times. He was always there for me. He was my rock. Why can't someone just tell me everything is okay? Does my father hate me? Why doesn't he talk to my anymore? Why is my mother never around? Why does this all have to happen to me? Why can't I just be loved by someone?

Sometimes I sit and just wonder if it's me. Maybe it's my fault I don't have friends. Maybe it's my fault my father won't talk to me anymore. Maybe my mother would be better if I didn't pester her so much. Maybe things would be different. Maybe Peeta would want to be more than friends. Of course, though, I just have to mess everything up.

The saddest part is that I actually expect someone to come. I stare at the door and hope someone comes, but no one does. No one ever does. I just sit in my room and cry until I have to go out in public. Then, I have to smile and pretend that everything is perfect. Fake smile and wave and make decent conversation. None of it's real, but that's what you get when you're the mayor's daughter.

How dare my father say I disappoint him? I have done everything he's wanted me to do! I've worked my butt of to establish my good girl reputation! I've taken all of that abuse for him! I've lied for him! I've given up so much for him! I'm sick of it! I'm done. I can't do this anymore.

I wipe at my eyes and I think of my life. Everything is wrong. I'm still young, but my future doesn't look very bright from where I stand. Everything is falling apart.

Sometimes I wonder why my father doesn't look phased. I know I do. I think of my mother every second of the day. I cry for her. I pray for her. He pretends like nothing is wrong. It really makes me kind of angry.

I slip out of my room and make my way to the front door. I see some maids and Theo, and I wave to them. They smile at me.

I exit the house. I am going to watch the Games in the town square. I can't watch it at my house. I want a break. I hope Prim is there, and Mrs. Everdeen, and the Hawthornes, too.

The town square doesn't have a lot of people like yesterday, but that's okay. I didn't really want to see a lot of people anyway. The Everdeens and the Hawthornes aren't there. That's a shame. I was looking forward to seeing them. I debate whether to go to the Everdeen household, but decide against it. I don't really feel in the mood for company now.

The screen displays the arena very vividly. They give a recap of the Bloodbath. I look away. I really don't want to see it again. Then the announcer declares, "Peeta Mellark made a surprise alliance with the Careers." That's my signal to watch again.

Every new day of the Games, they always do a recap. They want to make sure everyone saw all of the blood and gore. The announcer pretty much states the obvious. He talks about who is in the alliance. The announcer surprises me when he says, "Peeta Mellark made another kill last night. This one was a young girl from District 8 who started a fire in the middle of the night. Poor girl fell asleep, and she was dead by morning."

Peeta made another kill? I didn't see that one coming. I expected Katniss to make all of the kills. Peeta clearly doesn't have as much experience as the Careers. You can tell by all of the bruises and cuts he gained. I still don't know why he went. He knows the Careers aren't trustworthy. They could kill him in the night if they really wanted to. Heck they could kill him flat out in the daytime. The Careers have no remorse. That's how they were bred.

Peeta, on the other hand, has feelings. He knows life is precious. He knows the Games are wrong. He's highly against it. He told me. My Peeta is not a cold blooded killer. Something is wrong. My Peeta does not love Katniss. He loves me.

The announcer is confused by the smile Katniss gave. He suggests maybe this was a preplanned thing. I doubt it. Katniss has barely spoken a word to Peeta, and I doubt she's going to start now.

That's the end of the recaps. They start playing the new footage. I can tell right away that Katniss needs water. Well, the announcer kind of says that she needs water, but I would've guessed that anyway.

I wonder what Gale is thinking. I sometimes wonder if he really does believe Katniss will win. I mean, does he have any doubt of her victory? It only takes one knife, or a spear, or just someone's bare hands on her throat…

I do have doubts whether Peeta will win or not. I have to be honest. What is his motivation? Katniss has Prim to come back to. Peeta has me, but he doesn't know that.

Katniss ends up finding a pond. Peeta and the Careers try to hunt down some more children. The main thing is that neither of them died.

I break away from the town square as soon as I can. The screen still plays as I stroll toward the meadow. The meadow is always the place I go to when I miss Peeta.

As I'm walking, I notice two figures. I squint to try to make them out. It's Gale and the jeweler's daughter. Ugh. She's popping up too much in my life.

I still can't tell what they're doing, though. I walk closer, but I wish I hadn't. They're…kissing. Ugh. Who would want to kiss that ugly witch?

I know Gale and I are barely friends, and I know we're not together, and I know this shouldn't bother me, but….it does.

A/N-Thanks to everyone for sticking with this story! Sorry for the late update! Standardized testing is next week, so I might not be able to update. Eight more reviews and I'll update by Saturday. If not, I have no clue when my next update will be. REVIEW, PLEASE!