Chapter five: Panem High School and The Red Lion.
When my eyes fluttered open I reached for Peeta but only found warm sheets so I rolled into the warmth, as I rolled I turned my head and saw Peeta walk into his room in his boxers. He stretched his arms up above his head and opened his huge wardrobe. When he turned back to me he threw his clothes on my head and I groaned.
"Stop watching me and get your lazy bum up." I could tell from his voice he was smiling and I threw something that was next to me at him. "Jeans first please, who puts socks on first?" He says and I reach around and find something hard and throw it. "Ouch!" I sit up quickly and he is holding his shoulder. "No need for throwing watches!" I laugh and flop backwards. "Up!"
"No!"
"Up! Or you're going to get caught in my room!" Peeta says as he walks over to me and pulls me up. "You slept well."
"Because I was with you." I answer and we lock eyes.
"Peeta, son!" Ben shouts and Peeta turns his head to the door to shout back.
"Occupied Dad! Give me five minutes!" Peeta calls and Ben walks off.
"You tell your Dad when your jerking off?" I ask as Peeta pulls on his jeans.
"Yeah." He shrugs and sits on the bed to pull on socks. "It'd be awkward if my Dad walked in on me!" I laugh and walk to the door. Peeta walks out first and nods at me so I creep into my room.
I pull on jeans, a t-shirt and a jumper and slip on my new converse with a smile. I'm braiding my hair when there's a slight knock on my door and I turn hoping to see Peeta but instead see Evan.
"Hiya, hope I'm not intruding. Can I come in?" Evan asks and I note how he sounds like he needs permission for what he says.
"Course, how are you?" I ask and he steps in, he's wearing faded blue jeans with a jumper and his hair is sticking up. "You got a hair cut?" I smile and he roughly brushes his hair down.
"Mhmm, too much?" I shake my head and he nods. "So, you're wondering why I'm here?" He asks and I shake my head.
"You don't need a reason to talk to me, Evan. We can just talk if you want." He's five years older than me but I feel like he's younger, that he is constantly checking everything's ok.
"Sure. Maybe." He says unsurely and I slip my phone into my pocket. "You're going out! Sorry, don't worry that I came up, never mind!" Evan rushed out of my room and I followed him quickly.
"Hey! Wait up!" He slowed as I levelled with him. "It's only school and even then it isn't a big deal." He smiles sadly and I feel sorry for Evan. He seems the most mature but the most breakable at the same time. "Was there a reason you came to see me?" I ask and he clicks his knuckles nervously.
"Well, I was just going to ask if you maybe wanted to read my books. Or just one. Or none. Whatever." Evan speaks quickly and stops abruptly when we get to the front door.
"I'd love to!" I say excitedly and he beams. "All of them! Do you have a copy?" He nods and I grin. "Could you leave them on my desk?" Peeta walks out of the kitchen which is opposite the large front door and unchains the door quickly.
"See you tonight, Evan." Peeta calls and holds the door open for me.
"Can't wait to read the books!" I assure Evan before Peeta closes the door and we trudge to the garage.
"You're going to read his books?" Peeta asks as we wait for the garage door to open.
"Yeah, have you read them?" I ask as we slip into his car.
"Uh huh, I was the one that sent the drafts to a publisher." Peeta says and flexes his fingers into his leather driving gloves.
"You remind me of an old man." I say suddenly and Peeta looks at me shocked.
"Jeeze, you could have just said puberty wasn't kind to me!" Peeta jokes as he puts the car into drive.
"That's not what I meant! The leather driving gloves, I swear old men wear them!" I explain as he studies he left hand while we go down the straight drive.
"They were a present when I got the car." He tells me and indicates easily.
"From who?" I ask and he hesitates.
"Madge." He says and I nod. Madge was seeing Peeta when I wasn't, okay. That's okay. "She found them in the charity shop and we were discussing them." Why's he defending himself? "In old cars, the steering wheel starts to wear away and become shiny instead of the rubber material on them." I look at the steering wheel, it has dimples in the rubber that look good as new.
"Cool." I reply and look out the front window.
"Am I going to see you tonight?" Peeta asks after a long silence, I look across at him shocked. "You slept well with me so I figured it makes more sense you sleeping with me from the start rather than waking us both up in the middle of the night." He's thought it through.
"It probably isn't a good idea." I find my logical head telling Peeta. He looks at me, his eyes are tired and I look away. "There are rules, remember?"
"So where were they last night when we were cuddling in my bed at three in the morning?" Peeta asks, it's not harsh, it's almost like he's genuinely confused.
"It was wro-it was a bad idea." I correct myself but Peeta picks up on my first sentence.
"It was wrong?" Peeta asks and I focus on the huge school building in front of us as Peeta parks in the snow. "Getting involved with me is wrong? Okay." Peeta says, it sound as if he was telling himself more than me, he cuts the engine and has his gloves off and is out of the car before I've opened my door. "Go through that door, first door on your left is where Mr Burns will be." Peeta mutters as he lifts snow shovels from the boot of his car.
I winced as the cold air hit me. Mr Burns leant out the window.
"Stop throwing snow balls! You are in school!" Mr Burns shouted and I think it was Gerry who turned and shouted back.
"It isn't school time, Sir!" Gerry laughed and Mr Burn adjusted his tie.
"You are on school property, Gerard!" Mr Burns shouted and Gerry laughed when Mr Burns shut the window abruptly, he turned back to me smiled that shockingly charming smile. "Where was I?" He asked himself as he sat back in his leather swivel chair. "Right, so I'm guessing you thought I was going to be partially bald like the Mr Burns from The Simpsons?" He asks and I grin. It's true, I was shocked when he opened the door and stood there with a boyish smile with shocking cheek bones and midnight black curly hair and piercing green eyes.
"A little." I say, and he grins.
"Well, I'm not. I teach English literature here myself and just as all teachers here, I will respect you when you respect me. I will trust you when you trust me. And I will fuck you when you fuck me." Ohmygod, no, he did not say the last line. What the hell Katniss?! "So, here is your introductory bag." Mr Burns passes me a white plastic bag with the blue emblem of the school on and underneath the emblem it says 'Panem Highschool'. "In there you will find your time table and a map of school. We do not expect you to be late to any classes. You cannot change your timetable however, I'm hoping you'll be happy with it because you are in many of the same classes as young Mr Mellark." I groan inwardly. "Oh and we have a three strike policy, Katniss. On your first strike, a letter will be sent to your guardian, on your second strike, a phone call will be made, your third strike you will spend two hours after school on a friday in detention." Jesus! "You have three chances of the three strike rule before you're out. Effectively you have nine strikes before you are permanently expelled." It's like a damn prison! "Strikes will be given for tardiness, lack of homework, lack of classwork, lack of coursework. For disregard to school property. For disregard to our uniform. For inappropriate behaviour in school grounds; I.e sexual activities, smoking, drinking alcohol, drugs excetera. You will also be striked for rudeness. But that's only the main ones. Teachers have the ability to strike you whenever they fell appropriate." I'm staring at him in shock and get to my feet when he stands. "I'll see you on monday." He says and gestures for me to leave.
"Thank you, Sir." I mumble and leave.
I carry my introductory bag by my side as I walk along the cleared path to where Peeta and Gerry were. Their backs are to me and they can't have heard me because they don't turn round.
"...should have listened to me and waited, Peet. You went too soon." Gerry said and I stopped walking to listen.
"She came in my room, in a state. I couldn't turn her away!" Peeta responded and Gerry laughed.
"You didn't have to get in bed with her!"
"Technically she got in bed with me." Peeta bent and shovelled some more snow. "She was so broken and upset, it nearly killed me." Peeta mumbled so I only just heard him.
"She rejected you, Peeta. Time to move on." Peeta groaned and Gerry yawned. "Tell you what, it's a friday, let's go out." Gerry said and Peeta laughed.
"Last time you said that I ended up with four rabbits in my room and you were sleeping IN my wardrobe." Peeta laughed.
"Yes but you banged a sexy blonde." I swallowed. "We all know you love a good ol' blonde bang, Peet." I didn't want to hear anymore so I stamped my feet lightly so they both spun round.
"Katniss!" Peeta said shocked and glared at Gerry. "How long were you there?"
"Discreet, Peeta. Twat." Gerry thumped his head and shovelled some snow.
"I just got here, you have a freakin' strict school." I say, acting normal.
"Haha, you heard the strike rule then?" Peeta laughed and I nodded.
"How many have you guys got?" I ask as the shovel snow.
"I'm on seven now, right, Peeta?" Gerry asks and Peeta shrugs.
"Woah, what for?" I ask.
"Drinking, tardiness, sexual activities, disregard for school property, rudeness, lack off classwork and lack of homework." Gerry reeled off a I gaped at him.
"You're only missing smoking and lack of coursework." I tell him and he shakes his head.
"Smoking is for idiots who want to die and if you don't do coursework you don't get good grades." Gerry said, he had it worked out. "Peeta's got four." Gerry ratted him out Peeta punched him in the arm.
"What for?" I ask and Peeta straightens up and looks at me before hunching to shovel more snow. He's sweating now.
"Sexual activities." Gerry smirks and I frown.
"That's only one?" I say stupidly and Gerry laughs.
"Peeta's a very busy and very horny young boy." Gerry laughs loudly and Peeta pushed him so he falls into the snow. "They asked if he needed counselling for it." Gerry was almost rolling in the snow with laughter.
"That was what, two years ago?" Peeta mumbled and Gerry sat up.
"Exactly! You were fifteen and got caught shagging Delly twice, getting sucked off and with your fingers up her!" Gerry laughed again and Peeta shovelled snow onto his face making Gerry cough in shock.
"Well his sexual activity was masturbating in Mr Burn's office while sitting in his chair reading Animal Farm!" Peeta rounded on Gerry who just laughed and spat out snow. "Ready to go shopping?" Peeta asked me and Gerry laughed again.
"You sound like a chick!" Gerry exclaimed and I smirked. "Doesn't he!"
"Slightly." I say and Peeta scowls at me and starts to walk back to the car, I follow him and Gerry trots next to him.
"Can I come?" Gerry asks and Peeta laughs.
"Why?" Peeta asks as he pops the boot of his car.
"It's Patrick and Elijah's third birthday." Peeta unlocks the car and Gerry pulls the passenger seat forward and climbs in the back then waits for Peeta and I to get in too. "So of course, mom and dad are doing a giant lunchtime meal with the president." Gerry says and I smile, thinking he's joking.
"He's going again this year? Do the twins even know who he is?" Peeta asks and I stare at him in shock.
"Yeah and no! Mom just makes them say 'hello Mr Obama' and then they toddle off in their tuxedos." Gerry says sourly and Peeta looks at my shocked face.
It's as if he can sense I'm thinking that this is such a different world from mine because his hand slips onto my knee and I look down at it.
"Gerry's family are one of the richest families in the world." I don't even know if that's a joke or the truth. When Peeta squeezes my knee and I push his gloved hand away and he quickly looks across at me before focusing on the road. "Melissa and dad produced a list of what you should get for you and Prim. There's a grand in the glove compartment but, if you need more I've got my card. The list's with the money." I pull open the glove compartment and gasp at all the money.
"You should see how much is in my compartment." Gerry says from the backseat and spin to look at him.
"That's gross!" I yell and Gerry smirks at me.
"I was talking about the glove compartment in my car but, you're more than welcome to have a look in my other compartment." Gerry is smirking because he's trying to annoy me.
"I'll have a look in your compartment if you go deep into my compartment." I say seductively and Gerry's jaw drops open.
"Okay. Stop imagining having sex with each other in my car." Peeta speaks up as he parks the car in a multi storey.
"Just to clarify, we can't imagine having sex in the car or we can't imagine sex while we are sat in your car?" Gerry asks as we all climb out.
"No sex in my car. Ever. Whether it's in your minds or in the backseat." Peeta says seriously and locks the car.
"What about in the front seat?" I ask mischievously and he glares at me while Gerry high fives me.
"No sex in my car. Ever. I don't care who or where or why or when or how but sex does not happen in my car." Peeta says roughly and I quickly link my fingers into Gerry's as he kisses my hair.
"What about sweet, musical love making?" Gerry asks and Peeta clenches his jaw. Gerry and I swing our arms together as we walk just to annoy Peeta and have a laugh.
"No sexual intercourse or any touching hidden parts of another persons body." Peeta says with a tiny smile. We step into the elevator, joining an elderly lady who Peeta smiles politely at. She grins at mine and Gerry's linked hands.
"If we're naked it's not hidden?" I say and Peeta breathes out loudly. The elevator pings open and Gerry almost runs out to go into a computer game shop. Peeta and I walk out slowly.
"What are you doing?" Peeta asks me angrily and I look up at him.
"I'm having a laugh, Peeta." I say back and his eyes dart around my face.
"So first you fuck Finnick now you're gonna fuck Gerry?" Peeta says loudly at me and I step backwards. Just then Gerry walks out and is about to put his arm round me when I push his arm away. I stare up into Peeta's eyes.
"Woah, what's going on? I can't tell if you're about to jump each other's bone or strangle each other." Gerry mutters and I look at him.
"Shampoo." I say and walk off. Peeta and Gerry follow me, I can hear Gerry speaking quickly and then Peeta.
"Just fucking leave it Gerry." Peeta says very loudly and I blink back tears.
He still doesn't forgive me for Finnick.
"Which one?" I ask Peeta and Gerry and they look up from the floor. I'm holding up a red and a blue dress. The list said I had to get fancy dresses for events.
"Red." Peeta says quickly and look back to the floor.
"Blue." Gerry says awkwardly and I hook the red back on the rack and go to pay for the blue. "Woo you got blue." Gerry says when he sees the dress in the bag. Peeta and Gerry stand up and we walk out the shop.
"The red dress reminded me too much of some shitty memories during the summer." I say harshly and Peeta stops walking.
"I need a drink." He mutters and Gerry looks around.
"There's a coffee shop over there." Gerry starts walking to it but Peeta grabs his arm.
"No, a beer. Or vodka." Peeta says and Gerry nods. "You carry on shopping, Katniss. Call me when you're finished." Peeta chucks me his car keys and walks off with Gerry hot on his heels.
Great, so now I'm on my own in a mall that I don't bloody know!
I'm sipping my coffee when my phone rings, shocking me. Its been five hours and I've spent less than a third of the money and have everything I need for Prim and I.
"Hello?" I answer my phone to the unknown number and then pull the phone away from my ear as a shrill rock song almost breaks my eardrums.
"Kanish!" Comes the slurring, shouting voice.
"Peeta?" I exclaim and there's a smash and giggling.
"Ish jewwy. I'm been pick up shoon so you should get Pitta."
"Okay, where are you?" I ask, collecting my bags and heading through the convenient doors to the car park.
"I donno. Where were we Peet?" Gerry says and there's an aroused groan from Peeta. "Hish beezy." Gerry says quickly and I pile my bags into the boot of Peeta's car.
"Ask a bar man." I reply as I slip into the drivers seat.
"He shays its the red ryan, no, red lion, jush by der rund butt." Gerry slurs and I reverse Peeta's car out.
"Okay, are you going now?" I ask, the phone now on loud speaker in one of my hands that is on the wheel.
"Yesh, Looshy gettin me now I see you run kay bye!" Gerry says quickly and hangs up, I slip the phone in my pocket as I slide the parking ticket into the machine and it let's me leave.
The red lion is a dingy pub on one of the corners of the round about. The windows are boarded up and the only way you would know it's open is the ear breaking screech of metal music.
Inside is no better, it is all college students staggering around and bumping into each other then smirking at the other and making out before moving on. I quickly see Peeta sat precariously on a bar stool with his hand on a blonde girls knee.
"...jush come home wiv me! It willaby fun!" I hear Peeta slur as I stand behind him. The blonde girl rolls her eyes and stands up abruptly making Peeta shoot forward and I grab his shoulders before he face plants. "Katnish!" He shouts when he sees me and pulls me into his arms. He reeks of alcohol and his hug is too tight, I prise myself out of his arms.
"Come on, I'm driving you home." I say as I pick up his phone from the counter.
"Nobe! Shtaying left here! No, right here, right here!" Peeta slurs and mixes up his words before taking a shot that I'm not quick enough to take from him. "I'm not getten in a car until I've had fourw morew shotsh!" Peeta says triumphantly and shoves me back into a stool by pushing my stomach. "Woah ish dat a shix pack Katnish?" He slurs and I look around at everyone in the bar.
"Uhh yeah, I run a lot and work out I guess. I used to." I say distractedly when I see Finnick walk into pub smirking, it's as if every girl in the room senses him because they're all on him.
"Mmmmm nishe. Finn! Baby!" Peeta yells and Finnick heads over with a small smile on his face when he sees me.
"Hiya stranger!" Finnick says happily and pulls me into a tight but comfortable hug. "God, I've missed you! You stopped returning my calls!" Finnick says a little hurt and I bite my lip and pull away.
"I was working when you'd call and I couldn't really pay to phone you all the time. Sorry." I mutter and then grimace when Peeta downs two shots in a row. "Did he call you?" I ask and Finnick nods.
"He rang to tell me that he loved me and that he thinks I'm near to a break through with Annie and then said that he felt horrible and needed help because Gerry was leaving. Apparently Gerry rang you?" He asks and I confirm with a hug, I'm about to pull Peeta to standing when Finnick orders a coke.
"What are you doing? We have to get Peeta home!" I say shocked and Finnick smiles.
"Kat, I don't mean this harshly but I know Peet. A) there's no way in hell we're going to get him out until he wants to go. B) I'm thirsty. C) if he goes home now he's going to be hungover like hell, if he downs some more, he'll vomit it all up and get most out of his system." Finnick sips the coke and I watch a girl clamber onto a table and start screaming some song about someone not knowing they're beautiful. "I wish he'd stop doing this though." Finnick mutters and I look up at him. "He drinks himself into oblivion because of his fucking mother." Finnick says angrily and Peeta grins.
"His mother fucking ac-chewly. Wait, not his mother. Your mother worksh in a wibwawy." Peeta battles himsef in the head then shakes it and slams his head on the counter. "I'm shtill finking sho I'm not dwunk enough!" The bar tender slides two shots to him which he shoots down then thumbs up me. "Home?" Peeta asks and Finnick glugs his coke.
"If I help him into the car can I leave? It's shitty of me but it's Annie's birthday." Finnick smiles sheepishly and I grin at him as he hauls Peeta up and half drags him out of the pub.
"I wike Annie. She doesn't fuck wiv no onesh head." Peeta mumbles as I unlock the car. "Girlsh do that. One shecond they want you the next..." Peeta waves his arms like a drunk lunatic and Finnick bundles him in the car, then lifts Peeta's legs in.
"Sorry, Katniss, but I'm not going to put his belt on for him. I'll see you on monday in school I guess? Looking forward to see you in a tie." Finnick flirts then strides to his 4X4 and pulls himself in.
"You're so drunk." I tell Peeta when I lean over him to buckle his belt.
"You're shoo facking shexy." Peeta moans and I gulp as his hand slips into my back jeans pocket. "I wanna shcrew you sho facking bad." Peeta's hand is pulled away when I back out from him and close his door then climb in the drivers side. "I fink of you when I jack orff. You grinding your hipsh into me. Ah man." Peeta moans and leans his head into the head rest.
"You're going to regret all of this when you're sober." I tell him when he fumbles for the stereo.
"I'm an alky Kat. You know that? I go to a gwoop to talk about booze. It dushnt work though." Peeta mumbles and I glance at him as I stop at the traffic lights.
"Why doesn't it work?" I ask subconsciously.
"No reeshon to. I'm not that bad. Dad jusht finksh I am becaushe he found drink in my dresher." Peeta mumbles with his head pressed to the window.
"So find a reason to and quit." I mutter and he mutters directions as I follow them.
"Just wait, Peeta!" I say in a hushed command as he goes to stand up out of the car. It's too late because as soon as he stands up he hunches over and vomits. "Oh crap!" I say and rush to him. He's clutching the car and puking on his converse. I know I can't do anything until he stops so I rub his back with the occasional pat.
"I feel like shhhhhhhit." Peeta groans when the puking subsides.
"Uh huh, you look pretty bad too." I tell him and he tries to shove but ends up pushing us both to the ground, him ontop of me, his right leg between mine and his erection pressing into my hip. Another annoying side effect to drink is hard ons.
"Shorry." Peeta whispers as he looks at me. Our eyes lock and I blink.
"You reek." I whisper and his face breaks into a smile before he rolls onto his back and I stand up.
"I wanna shtay like thish." Peeta sighs and I look at him. He's looking up at the stars.
"Stay there, I want to take a picture." I say quietly and Peeta argues and pulls himself to stand, I wrap my arm around waist as he leans on me and we slowly walk inside. "Be quiet, Peeta! You're gonna wake someone up!" I say in a hushed voice.
"Nobe ish cool." He replies and we stop at the bottom of the stairs, I'm considering how to get him up the stairs when Peeta's face buries into my neck. His body is crumpled over, one hand across my body linking his other hand that is across the back of my neck and his head is pressed against the side of mine. "I'm shorry I laft you." He mutters and I swallow.
"Let's not talk about this." I whisper and we start to going up the stairs one at a time.
Before going into his room I took him to the bathroom and sat him on the closed toilet lid. I got a hand towel and damped it with warm water then wiped Peeta's face slowly with it, his eyes fluttering closed. Then I tug the waistband of his jumper and t-shirt until he lazily lifts his arms up and I pull the both off, revealing his lovely body. I use the cloth to wipe his body and down his arms, removing the smell of drunk sweat.
"Ish like I'm your bebby." He smirks and I smile at him even though his eyes are closed. I crouched down and tug off his vomit covered conferse and put them straight in the bathroom hamper followed by his socks that are coated in sick too. Peeta leans backwards against the back of the toilet so I get a better angle to undo his jeans and pull down the zipper.
"Stand up, Peeta." I say quietly and he holds my shoulders as I pull him up. He sways precariously as I push his jeans down, his erection springing free making Peeta sigh and making me bite my lip. I sit him back down on the toilet and pull his jeans off before collecting all his clothes and putting them in the laundry hamper. "Come on then." I say softly and he nods and leans on me as I walk him to his room.
"Shtay with me?" He asks and considers it. There was a girl in the block of flats where we used to live that drank so much and she fell asleep and choked on her own bile and died.
"Okay." I say quickly. Peeta can't die. I know the idea is irrational but I can't let it happen. I sit him down on his bed and he closes his eyes while I open his bedside drawers looking for some asprin or something. In the top one I find some reading glasses that make me grin and a couple of books, the next drawer has an open box of size large condoms, a bottle of lube and a selection of dirty magazines. Peeta giggles when he sees me looking and I close the drawer quickly. In the last drawer I found some asprin and a bottle of water, I pass both to Peeta who swallows the pills then drinks a lot of water before he collapses back in his bed.
"Thanksh Katnish." Peeta murmurs as I slip off my shoes and climb across Peeta. I roll him on his side then press myself to his back with my hand over his side on his chest so he doesn't roll to his back.