a/n: thank you so so so much for your guys' reviews and favorites and notifications! you all got me to write this next chapter much faster than i had intended lol. anyway, hope you all enjoy!
Haymitch trudged into the kitchen a few minutes later, clad in flannel pants that hung loosely off of him and a black robe that he made no attempt to tie in the front, displaying a white, coffee stained shirt.
He walked to his cabinets, opening three different ones before Peeta shook his head at him, a smile ever present on his face. "The plates are in the third cabinet from the right, Haymitch." He said, earning nothing but a grumble from her lazy, old uncle.
Haymitch all but stumbled into his seat, pouring the stew into his bowl.
The only thing her uncle really shared with her mother, Katniss thought, were the deep blue eyes and the blonde hair. But that is where the similarities ended. Haymitch's nose was set wider on his face, whereas her mother's was slender and his hair was more of a dirtier shade of blonde, darker. Though she wasn't sure it just seemed that way from his lack of washing and grooming it. He also had a rougher face, it seemed tired and weary at all times. But her mother's remained smooth, remained flawless despite the years she'd gone through.
Peeta's chair screeched against his wooden floor and she shifted her gaze away from her uncle. He picked up his plate and took it to the sink, and Katniss stared at his back.
Peeta's hair was short, but the curls still managed to form around his bottom, his blonde hair looked golden in the sun. He was tall, and his shoulders were broad. His bright blue shirt clung to his him, his muscles bulging in his arms.
He looked like the kind of guy Katniss would be sure to avoid at school.
He looked back at them, patting his hands dry on his shirt, smiling warmly. "Well, I've got to go but it was really nice to meet the both of you!"
He patted Prim's head fondly as he made his way out, she beamed at him, excitedly telling him how nice it was to meet him, as well.
"I'll see you guys later," he said, flashing his teeth.
He held Katniss' eye for a beat too long before he waved his hand at her, and Katniss realized, with flushing pink cheeks, that she must have been staring at him.
Katniss turned her attention back to her stew, glancing at Prim for a short second, ignoring the strange smile plastered on her little sister's face.
Haymitch cleared his throat, "So, how's your mom?" he asked, his eyes flittering between both Prim and Katniss.
"Fine." Katniss replied, her usual answer.
"She's okay. Some days she's better, some days she's not." Prim added, her voice sad in a way that Katniss couldn't stand and Haymitch simply nodded.
She didn't care that her mother had abandoned her. Katniss was old enough, she could care for herself. She could handle the sorrow, the grief that came with losing a parent. But her little sister had lost her father when she was just ten, far too young to have to be as sad as she was. And her mother should have been there for Prim. Her mother should have known how to handle her grief for long enough to take care of her youngest daughter.
It was something Katniss would resent her mother for till she died, she was sure of it.
Prim broke a piece of bread with her fingers, her eyes widening as she chewed and swallowed. "This is really good, uncle Haymitch!" She said, her mouth already full with the other half of the bread. "Where did you get this?"
"The boy made it," their uncle said, picking up a roll, turning it in his hand before taking a bite. "He's good at that kinda stuff."
"Who is he? How do you know him?" Katniss blurted. She knew her uncle was somewhat of a freak, but she found that boy to be even a bit more unnerving. Her uncle was the kind of freak she could understand, connect to, even. But the blonde way was out of her realm, unfathomable.
"Peeta?" Haymitch asked, his eyes widening just a slight bit as he looked at Katniss. She hadn't said more than four words to him since she'd been here, he seemed to be confused by her even speaking.
"Yeah! I was wondering about that. Does he live with you, uncle Haymitch?" Prim asked, answering for Katniss.
"Yeah, he works for me." Was all their uncle said before bringing his warm stew to his lips, loudly slurping the remnants of what was left in the bowl.
Prim's nose scrunched up with disgust, though she disguised it with a small giggle as their uncle let out a loud belch, standing up from his seat.
"I'll be in my room if you need me." He said, leaving his dish on the table.
Prim waited until the door slammed shut before looking Katniss, a smile in her eyes. "He's not really like mom at all." She said, her chair screeching against the floor as she stood up.
Katniss nodded, saying nothing in return. It was her standard response for when her baby sister commented on their mother. She just found it was easier to say nothing at all.
Katniss followed Prim to the sink, turning the tap on. She splayed her fingers under the running water, waiting until it turned to a warmer temperature before rinsing the dishes under it. She handed them to Prim one by one, who dried the dishes before placing them on a rack that seemed to hold the rest of Haymitch's dishes.
"Katniss?" Prim said, wiping her hands on a dish towel before handing it to Katniss. "Could we go out to the beach for a bit?"
Katniss stared at her sister, her bright blue eyes growing by the second. Katniss was tired, exhausted from the day and wanted nothing more than to pull on her pajamas and crawl into bed, go into hiding for the rest of the summer. But she couldn't ignore the pleading look on her little sister's innocent, young face. She never could.
"Fine, but not for too long." She said, tapping her finger lightly on Prim's small nose.
She followed Prim out glass doors that led out the deck, and the sound of the waves clashing against one another roared in her ear. She let out a small gasp as she stepped out onto the deck, the wood creaking with each step.
The sun bled an orange, red color as it dipped deep into the horizon, the blue of the sky fading, a small hint of the moon appearing in its place. The water was close, so close and as she stepped down the creaking wooden stairs, she felt the warm sand under her toes.
"The beach is uncle Haymitch's backyard?" Prim asked, her voice awed in amazement, her blue eyes wide.
Katniss smiled fondly at her sister, a wry smile on her lips "Beats our backyard, huh?"
Prim, Katniss and their mother lived in a small, rusty house, one that barely had grass in its backyard let alone the entire ocean. Before their father died, he never let the house feel small, almost made it seem bigger than it was with just his presence, with his smiles and his songs. He would plant flowers in their small front yard and even smaller back yard, and would paint the door different every year because he always wanted a change in the house. With each year of new flowers and new colors, Katniss had almost felt like she had moved to a different house each year. It was a fresh beginning, in the smallest way.
But now, their yards were left bare, not a single flower in the dry soil lining their old house. And their door was still red, the color their father had painted it last. The paint was chipping in too many placed, the color looked rusted. The door almost mocked her; there were no new beginnings here.
She felt Prim's small fingers tug at her, her blonde hair tangling in the soft wind. She followed Prim's footsteps in the sand, rubbing the small bumps on her arms away with her free hand.
She waited for a few seconds before calling out to Prim, "It's a little cold out here, little bunny. You're gonna get sick, let's come back tomorrow morning."
Prim looked at her dubiously, her eyes squinting. "You promise you'll come out with me tomorrow?"
Katniss rolled her eyes playfully, "Yes, Prim. I promise I'll come out here with you tomorrow morning."
"You won't break your promise? Like you do every time you tell me you'll take me to the lake but go out with Gale before I even wake up, instead?"
Katniss stepped closer to Prim, her toes sinking into the wet sand. She poked Prim's stomach, earning a small giggle from her little sister. "Yes, you little bunny. I pinky promise I'll come with you tomorrow, alright?"
Prim smiled approvingly, "Race you back!" She said, her tiny feet swiftly carrying her across the sand and back up the few steps.
Katniss jogged behind her, noting between Haymitch's house and the house next to it that the car Peeta had driven them home in was still parked on the street.
She still wondered about him, the boy with the permanent smile and the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen. There was something strange about him, something unnerving. But she didn't know what it was, or why she felt that way. He hadn't done anything to her.
She froze in her spot for a second as a blue shirt peeked out from the corner of the house, followed by a tussle of blonde curls.
It was Peeta. He carried large squares of some sort of board into the garage of Haymitch's house. He disappeared for only a second before he walked back out to the car, carrying in two small cardboard boxes.
He looked in her direction, his pace slowing down for a second and she started walking again, her eyes glued to the sand below her until she felt the wood of the deck under her feet, her cheeks warm and hot.
She slid into the house and found Prim on the sofa in the living room, her feet lazily sprawled on the coffee table in front of her.
"You lost … by like five minutes."
Katniss stepped out of the shower, her eyes still burning. She didn't sleep very well that night; she never did anymore. Nightmares kept her up, images of her father dying in a million different ways plaguing her nights. She usually managed to get a few minutes of sleep, but knowing that Prim was in such close proximity and could hear her screams kept her too alert, too awake all night.
The smell of something warm, something delicious filled her nostrils and she padded to the kitchen, her stomach roaring violently.
She found Prim at the kitchen table, a muffin in her hand. She was dressed already, donning a red dress, her hair neatly twisted into two braids that fell below her shoulders.
"Uncle Haymitch said that he'll be in his study if we need him," she said, small crumbs of chocolate littering around her face. "You gotta try one of these!"
Katniss looked at the plate set on the table, five muffins placed neatly on them.
"They're so good," Prim said, "I bet Peeta made them."
"But eat them fast," she added, as an afterthought. "You promised you would take me to the beach! No taksey-backsies."
Katniss smiled, "No taksey-backsies." She agreed, picking up a chocolate muffin in her hand, the scent of the sweet pastry making her mouth water. "Let's go."
Prim stood abruptly, patting her dress free of the crumbs that had fallen around her before racing to the large glass door, using all of her strength to push it open.
Katniss followed after her, biting into the muffin in her hands. It was delicious, far better than anything she'd had to eat in far too long.
The sun was bright, but felt nice on her cheeks and the smell of the saltwater made her feel lazy all of a sudden, lethargic. She plopped onto the sand, far enough that the water wouldn't near her, and crossed her legs under her. Taking another bite of her muffin, she watched as Prim gingerly walked across to the wet sand, the waves splashing over her feet occasionally as she searched the length of the beach for seashells.
It was a habit Prim had picked up when she was young, just a toddler beginning to walk. Her father used to put them all in a container, collecting all the sea-shells Prim picked up along the way and then he'd go home and make a picture frame, attaching the shells to the wooden frames. He'd slide in a polaroid picture he'd taken that day of them – sometimes the whole family, sometimes just Prim and her – and he'd put it on the mantel above their fire place.
You could almost watch the two of them grow up in those pictures, each photograph signifying a new year, new differences in their faces and bodies.
Katniss finished the last of her muffin, and turned to see a small girl, probably Prim's age, walking along the water, a leash in her hand attached to a dog that seemed to look much bigger than the small girl.
The girls hair stood in the air, the curls tangling in the wind as she struggled to keep up with her dog, a beautiful golden retriever. Her skin was tan, a dark creamy color, contrasting with the bright orange shirt she wore.
Katniss looked at Prim, her little sister's eyes growing with adoration as she gazed at the puppy.
If her little sister had one weakness, it was animals. Too many times, Prim had brought in puppies and kittens, birds and bunnies that she'd found in their backyard or on her way from school, begging her father to let her keep it.
Each time, her father would treat the animals with affection, playing with them and feeding them before explaining to Prim that the animals either probably belonged back in the wild, or with their rightful owners before he set out to find their respective places.
Not surprising Katniss at all, Prim skipped to wear the girl stood and began talking to her animatedly before crouching to pet the dog.
Katniss scrunched her face as the dog licked Prim's face happily, leaving a wet trail along her cheeks and fingers.
Prim began talking to the girl as the dog calmed, and the two of them headed towards Katniss.
That was another difference between her and her sister, Katniss thought. Whereas Katniss could barely manage to make small talk with people, let alone make friends with them, Prim managed to worm her way into people's hearts immediately, becoming pals with every stranger she ever passed.
It was one of the qualities Katniss hated most about herself; high school would be much easier if she could learn to talk, learn to converse with people, she was sure of it.
As the two neared, Katniss smacked a smile on her face, hoping the dog wouldn't get too close to her.
"Hey Katniss, this is Rue! She's Haymitch's neighbor!" Prim said as she plopped down next to Katniss.
The small girl smiled at Katniss, shyly sticking her hand out to her before taking a seat next to the Prim. She unhooked her excited dog's leash from his collar and he ran, free to splash in the water.
"How are you guys liking it here so far?" Rue asked to no one in particular.
"It's nice," Katniss said, she was beginning to think it would become her standard response to the question.
"I love the beach!" Prim added, stretching her legs out in front of her.
"The beach really is one of the best things about Cedar Point!" Rue said, nodding her head. Katniss liked the way the little girl's curls flew in the air, untamed. "But have you guys been to Freddy's yet?"
"Who's Freddy?" Prim asked, and Rue laughed, small and cute.
"Freddy's not a person, Freddy's is this diner nearby. It's actually Freddy's Burgers. And it's really good, especially their fries and chocolate shakes. Do you guys wanna check it out?"
Prim nodded her head excitedly; all Rue had to say was the word 'chocolate' and Prim would be ready to join in, really.
Katniss, on the other hand, hesitated. She wasn't too interested in exploring the town of Cedar Point, she was more content hiding out in the house, under the comfort of her bed sheet. The plan seemed to work for her Uncle Haymitch, anyway.
Prim, knowing Katniss thoughts already, looked at her pointedly. "C'mon Katniss. Come with us! It'll be fun!" Her eyes grew wide, and although Katniss knew she was indulging the little girl's and her usage of the big, wide innocent eyes but she nodded anyway.
She stood from her place, brushing the sand from her jeans and fixed her shirt which had fallen off of her shoulders.
"Aren't you hot in all that black?" Prim asked as they began their trek to Freddy's and Katniss shook her head, she was used to wearing all black. She felt comfortable in all black.
Rue led them across the street, and Katniss vaguely recognized Peeta's car parked in front of her uncle's house. and over a small. There was a small convenience store on side of the street, about a block away and as they crossed a small wooden bridge, they were on a boardwalk-looking strip. At the end of the board-walk, Katniss could see a place named Freddy's, its parking lot mostly vacant other than four cars.
They walked the short distance to the old-looking diner and Rue led them in, holding the door open for both Katniss and Prim.
Rue seemed to know the place well, walking over to a table with a large window, allowing them to see not just the boardwalk but the ocean, the seagulls scattered across the railings that served as a buffer between the beach and the boardwalk.
The diner was empty for the most part, only a few tabled filled with high school kids. Everyone looked ready to go to the beach, Katniss thought, suddenly feeling a bit out of place in her jeans and t-shirt.
A girl approached their table and smiled familiarly at Rue, "Hey Rue! How are you?"
Rue smiled back in a way that reminded Katniss of her own little sister, "Hi Annie. I'm good, how are you?"
The girl wore her dark, wavy hair in a pony at the top of her head, and her dark, green, emerald eyes sparkled in the sun. She wore a ring on her finger, Katniss noticed, small and pretty.
"Oh, the same." She shrugged, before smiling at Prim and then turning her attention towards Katniss. Her green eyes flicked in recognition. "Oh! You guys must be Haymitch's nieces!"
Katniss squinted her eyes dubiously at the girl, and opened her mouth to ask her how she could have possibly known when the girls soft laugh cut her off, "It's a small town, word gets around fast. Haymitch was very excited about your visit, though!" She said, handing them all a laminated sheet, the menu.
"Just let me know when you're ready!" She said, smiling a gracious smile at the three before heading towards the next table, pulling a pen from behind her ear.
Did everyone just smile all the time in this town? Katniss wondered, scanning the room around her.
Her eyes suddenly landed on a scowl; the girl wore her hair short, dark and just above her shoulders and had brown eyes, wide-set on her small face. She had bright red lipstick on, and stared at Katniss from across the room as she served a table, her eyes flickering between her customers and Katniss with a weird look on her face.
Katniss shifted in her seat uncomfortably, letting out a breathe she hadn't realized she was holding in as Annie made her way back to their table, her smile blocking the scowling girl from behind.
She looked at Katniss expectantly and Katniss realized she hadn't even looked at her menu. She shifted her gaze away from the dark-haired girl and Annie looked behind her, shaking her head at the same girl who rolled her eyes and looked away.
Remembering Rue's words, she ordered a chocolate shake, managing a small smile at the girl that felt weird on her lips. She wasn't one to smile, not without reason at least.
Katniss stared out the window, distracted by the seagulls and the waves as the two younger girls talked easily with each other. Their laughter and chatter faded down at the same time, and Katniss looked over to them.
A tuft of blonde curls came into view, a happy, carefree smile following it.
Peeta stood at their table, placing burgers in front of both Prim and Rue before sliding a large glass in front of Katniss, filled to the rim with a chocolatey froth.
He smiled warmly at them, "You showing the new-comers around, Rue?" He asked, patting her head fondly.
She nodded, her grin widening.
"Well you made the right decision by bringing 'em here." He said, before turning to Katniss. "And you made the best decision by ordering this" He nodded at the shake in front of her, "there the best things we've got."
She nodded at him, still trying to figure out how he managed to come off as so … friendly. All the time.
He smiled at her once more, this time even bigger, before turning on his heel, making his way back to the kitchen.
He stopped after he'd taken a few steps and turned back, stopping just an inch from their table. "Hey, there's this bonfire thing tonight at the beach," he said, pointing towards the window. "You guys should come. It's just gonna be a bunch of people, hanging around."
Both Rue and Prim nodded excitedly and Katniss slumped into her chair; venturing out to the diner was enough for one day. She had every intention of spending the rest of the day holed in the house.
Annie walked by, a tray in her own hands as she quickly yelled out to them, "Yes, of course! I don't know why I didn't think to invite you! You guys should definitely come!"
Peeta smiled at Annie, looking like he's about to open his mouth again, continue his invitation when the girl with the short black hair walked past him, flicking the back of his head.
"Move on to the rest of your table, Peeta." She said, "Stop stalling."
Her words sounded mean, her voice hard, but he only shook his head good naturedly before following her instructions, heading back to the kitchen.
"That's Johanna." Rue said, once the girl with the scowl was out of ear-shot. "She can be kinda mean but … but that's just the way she is, I guess."
Katniss snorted, if she could just use that as the explanation for herself, her life would be much more simpler, she thought.
If the girls at her school just simplified her awkward, quiet nature to 'that's just the way she is', high school would be much less like a prison for her.
Katniss stared her closet, suddenly wishing she'd brought more clothes with her before realizing, these were all the clothes she owned.
She pulled a gray shirt over her head, tugging at it before looking in the mirror. At least it was a change from the all-black, she thought wryly.
She walked to the living room where she found both Rue and Prim sitting on the couch, and fell in next to them.
"Are you ready to go?" Prim said, her hair pulled back from their two usual braids to one long, fish-tailed one down her back. Rue, she noticed, had styled her hair similarly.
Katniss shrugged, "sure."
The three of them stood, and headed to the door and Katniss stopped by her uncle's door, knocking twice before twisting the knob.
"We're going to the beach." She said, peering in from the side of the door.
He looked at her, his eyes widening in shock as he sat in front of his laptop, his legs lazily sprawled on the table in front of him.
He mumbled an 'okay' incoherently and Katniss nodded at him once before shutting the door. Her uncle wasn't a man of many words, she thought, which she found to be ironic because he was a writer.
She followed the girls out to the door, realizing that her plan for the summer of hiding in her bed was not going as well as she had hoped.
The beach was crowded, most of everyone hovering around the two pits of fire that had been erected near the water, but closer to the dunes.
She noticed Annie only a few minutes after arriving, noticing that the beautiful girl with the enormous green eyes clung tightly to a boy who was equally gorgeous, his body large and muscular.
Katniss stood awkwardly as Rue and Prim continued talking, switching from topic to topic at lightning speed, and she wondered, not for the first time, why she'd come tonight. She would have been much, much happier in her bed with a book. Or, even with the television, though she never watched too much of it.
Annie walked over to them a few minutes later, the boy with the green eyes and bulky body in tow, and she realized that the boy was even more gorgeous up close. His eyes weren't just a beautiful shade of green as Annie's were, but tiny specks of golden swam in the green, the color even brighter by the light of the fire.
"Katniss, right?" Annie said once she was close enough, a can of Coors Light dangling in her fingers. She leaned to Katniss, grabbing her in for a hug and Katniss patted her back until she let go.
Annie looked at her with flushed cheeks, "Oh Katniss, this is Finnick, my boyfriend."
She weaved her fingers through his much larger hands, "Finny, this is Katniss, she's Haymitch's niece." She looked around for a second. "Hey, you have a little sister, right?" She asked.
Katniss looked to her right, where expected both Prim and Rue to be standing, but found emptiness to her side. She craned her neck frantically, her eyes scanning through the large clusters of bodies for her little sister.
"Oh, I think that's them!" Annie said, pointing at two small silhouettes close to the water. One reached down to collect something, and Katniss let out a sigh of relief as she realized it was Prim, reaching down to pick up another seashell.
"She'd adorable!" Annie gushed to Finnick, who just stared at her, a goofy smile on his face. He looked to be the kind of guy Katniss would immediately cast off as a jerk, but the way he looked at Annie made her think, maybe, that he wasn't one.
"She's Rue's age – and Charlie's age!" She continued, turning back to Katniss. "Charlie is Finny's little sister. She's a doll."
Annie suddenly stumbled without even taking a step and Finnick tightened his grip around her waist, "Alright Annie," he said, prying the nearly empty beer can from her fingers. "No more for tonight, okay?"
Annie threw up her hands in defeat, "Okay, okay. No more."
She smiled at Katniss, her smile turning into a frown within a second as she stared at something behind her.
Katniss twisted her neck, her eyes landing on the girl with the scowl from the diner. Johanna.
Her arms were wringed around a tall boy's neck, their bodies pressed together as she sucked his face.
She turned back as she heard a retching nose, and found Annie's nose scrunched up in disgust.
"Ugh, Jo. Cato? Really? Cato?" She shook her head, her disapproval of Johanna's choices evident as Finnick's eyes hardened.
"You wanna get out of here?" he asked, wrapping his fingers around hers. "I don't feel like dealing with him."
"Or her." He muttered under his breathe, and Katniss wasn't sure if Annie had caught the last bit.
Annie looked back to him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him sweetly before turning back to Katniss.
"We're going to head out, but I'll see you later?"
She leaned in to hug Katniss for a second time, and Katniss stood as awkwardly as before, patting the sweet girl's back.
Finnick waved at her, telling her it was nice to meet her before he led Annie to the boardwalk, his hand hovering on her lower back protectively.
Katniss scanned the beach, her eyes searching for her baby sister for a second time when she felt a tap on her back.
Her heart jumped to her throat as she swiveled, almost hitting the person standing behind her.
She held her hand to her chest, letting out a small breath of relief. "Oh. You scared me."
He smiled widely at her as he always did, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Sorry, didn't mean to."
She nodded, glancing back to where Prim was standing.
"So, are you having fun?" He asked, his voice as friendly as usual.
She shrugged, "I don't really know anyone."
He laughed as he took a seat on blanket, motioning for her to join him. She folded her legs under her as she followed him, wringing her fingers in her hands. She wasn't good at making friends; she wasn't good at talking to people. She wished she could just find Prim and Rue and go back home.
But something about Peeta kept her there, kept her from running away.
"It's alright, this town is insanely small. It'll only take you a few days to figure out who is who." He grabbed a fistful of sand, letting it fall through his fingers slowly.
She nodded again, forever at a loss of words.
"Plus the beach is pretty nice," he said, nodding back towards the water. "Do you surf?"
She shook her head, no. She'd never done anything more than fishing and swimming in the water. And even then, her swimming skills mostly were just her floating.
She hold him that, her sentences short and clipped compared to his easy going tone.
He smiled at her, his blue eyes seeming to be a different shade, more of a teal. It was probably the reflection from the fire and his green shirt, Katniss thought.
Katniss looked away from his eyes, his warm, happy face with a burning in her cheek and looked up, noticing two small forms walking towards her.
Prim's face came in the clear, followed by Rue's.
"Hey Katniss, Rue and I are gonna walk home, okay?" She said, waving at Peeta.
He waved back at the both of them, leaning back on his right shoulder.
"Oh, I'll come with you." Katniss scurried, standing from the sand and Peeta followed her.
Prim threw a weird smile her way, and Katniss looked at her with squinted eyes.
"Oh, no Katniss. Don't worry, you looked like you were having a good time with Peeta! Rue and I will be fine." She said, treading through the bodies of people with Rue before Katniss could stop her.
"She's really cute." Peeta said a beat later, "I'm glad she met Rue. I was actually going to introduce the two sometime later but looks like Rue beat me to it."
She nodded vaguely, straining her neck to scan the boardwalk for Prim and Rue.
Peeta caught her gaze a second later, "They'll be fine. This town is so small, they'll be home in less than five minutes." He said reassuringly.
But her eyes remained focus on the two small forms, trekking up the short wooden bridge.
"…But, if you'd rather, I can walk you home. We can stay close behind them." He said, sensing her worriedness.
She considered this for a second, "Actually, I am going to head home. But you don't have to walk me home, I'm sure I'll find my way. It's a small town, right? How hard can it be?" She said, managing a small, wry smile.
He shook his head, "No, don't worry about it. I was going to go home soon anyway."
Katniss cocked her eyebrow at him, "You just got here."
He looked around the beach, taking in the girls and guys around them. Most of the people had left already, and all that remained were kids mostly around their age, their cheeks flushed, eyes wild, beer cans in their hand and littered across the sand.
"This isn't really my scene," He said, a half smile on his face as he gestured around him. His eyes landed on Johanna, whose arms were still lazily hung around the blonde boy, Cato. Peeta shook his head, a wry smile in his eyes though he managed a small frown.
"Ready to go?" He asked a second later, and she nodded as he weaved through the strings of people, leading her to the boardwalk.
Katniss vaguely noticed the many pair of eyes that followed her and Peeta as they walked, and wondered fleetingly if it was because of Peeta, or because of her.
She was the new girl, and that was sure to get her some attention – attention that Katniss shied away from. But many of the girls' eyes seemed trained on Peeta, ogling at him, though he didn't seem to notice as much.
He was quiet for once, something that came off as strange to Katniss. She hadn't known Peeta for long, but she had noticed his ability to carry on a conversation. Even with a dead-weight like herself.
"Do you live close by?" She asked, squinting her eyes as she saw Prim and Rue turning the corner to Haymitch's street.
Peeta's head whipped around, looking at her confused. "Didn't Haymitch tell you?"
"He told me you work for him …" She said, her own voice confused.
"I live with him," He said, "In the garage. I don't really work for him – I just make sure he eats and clean up the house a bit. Run some errands for him when he needs me to. But he lets me live in his garage so really, it's the least I can do for him."
Katniss wondered why he lived with Haymitch. Why not with his own family, or by himself but she suspected she was treading into personal territory if she did ask, and decided to just nod her head instead. "Oh."
He nodded in return, saying nothing to elaborate on his living arrangement and she realized her suspicions were correct.
"So," he said after a minute too long of an eerie silence, "What kind flavor of cupcakes do you like?"
She heard a snort of laughter escape her lips, "I'm sorry, cupcakes?"
He rubbed his neck sheepishly, his face tinting pink. "My family owned a bakery when I was younger, and I spent most of my childhood making cupcakes and breads."
"Oh! Did you make those muffins this morning?" She asked, stepping onto the creaky wooden bridge.
He nodded, the moon casting a reflection on his face, brightening his eyes in the dark sky.
"Those were amazing. I'm pretty sure Prim ate about four of them." She added.
He smiled at her, his white teeth bright on his face. "I'm glad you guys liked them."
She looked out at the convenience store again, the light from the sign above the store flickering, completely black in some parts. It read 'Min – M rt', though she was sure it was meant to be the Mini-Mart.
She turned the corner on the road, Haymitch's house coming into view. "But to answer your question, I like strawberry cupcakes." She said.
When she was younger, she had initially liked chocolate, much like her sister and her mother. But her father always preferred strawberry. Strawberry cakes, strawberry cupcakes. And it wasn't too long before strawberry was also her favorite.
Peeta nodded his head appreciatively, "That's not a common flavor. But they're also one of my favorites. Looks like I'll have to make you some of those sometime."
She smiled at him again as they approached Haymitch's house, surprised he'd managed to get two out of her that night. It was almost like his own smiles were a bit infectious.
She clambered up the steps to the porch as he waited below, still smiling at her.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." She said, twisting the knob before waving at him.
He waved back, a weird look on his face before he turned around, walking to the side of the house.
Katniss turned in her bed, the sunlight bleeding through her light curtains. She'd been able to fall asleep eventually, as the sun peeked over the horizon, the sky brightening outside her window. She reached for Prim, but felt the cold, empty sheets instead.
She pulled her sheets from over her and dragged herself out of her bed, a low grumbling sounding from her stomach. She always woke up starving; her father always said she ate breakfast like she'd never seen food before. Her early morning hunger had gotten significantly worse since she started spending most of her mornings awake, tossing and turning in her bed.
She walked towards the kitchen, stopping short as she heard a loud slam. Peeta walked in, clad in jeans and a sweatshirt, bright blue sunglasses perched on his blonde hair, mussing his blonde curls.
Katniss touched her braid consciously, feeling loose strands all around her as she pulled on her shorts. She should have looked at a mirror before heading straight from her bed to the kitchen.
Peeta walked past her, smiling warmly at her before making his way to her uncle who was reaching for a cupboard.
He shook his head sternly at Haymitch, "Not know, Haymitch. It's way too early. Have you even eaten breakfast yet?"
Haymitch mumbled something incoherently under his breath, before clearing his throat and stepping away from the cupboard, redirecting himself to the fridge.
Katniss sat down next to Prim who was nursing a glass of milk in her fingers, crumbs of chocolate traced around her lips.
Katniss reached for a muffin that was sitting in front of her, noting that there weren't just chocolate muffins today. Strawberry muffins were sitting on the edge of the plate. She grabbed it, biting into it before meeting Peeta's eyes, smiling hesitantly at him.
"I'm going to the library to return some books, Haymitch do you have anything to return?"
Her uncle grumbled a yes, grabbing a banana before heading back to his office, presumably to retrieve his books.
Peeta walked over to the table, sitting down next to Prim.
"Do you guys wanna come with me? To the library?" he asked, looking between Katniss and Prim.
"I can't, I'm going bike-riding with Rue." Prim said, her tiny fingers reaching for another muffin.
Peeta shifted his gaze towards her, his lips forming a half smile, "Katniss?"
She tried to think of a reason not to go, a reason to hide back in her bed for the rest of the day but found herself shrugging instead. "Sure."
She looked down to her shorts, her old gray tank top, "Could you give me a minute? I need to change."
He nodded, his blue eyes bright as he took a muffin in his own hands, breaking it in his finger. "I'm ready when you are."
He smiled at her again before turning to Prim, easily striking conversation with her little sister as Katniss trudged back to her room.
She found a shirt, white and plain, and pulled it over her shoulders before slipping into a pair of black jeans. The jeans had a hole in them, one she'd gotten during her early morning treks to the woods with Gale. She tied her converses and re-braided her hair before returning to the kitchen, where Peeta sat in the middle of conversation.
His chair screeched against the wooden floor as he stood, "Ready?"
She nodded, and he made his way around to Prim, patting her head fondly before heading towards the door, Katniss following behind him.
He opened the door for her, and as she settled in, taking in the his art materials around the car, he walked around to his side, turning the ignition.
He pulled out of the driveway, whistling a song as he messed with the radio looking for a light. He drove over the small bridge they'd walked over the night before, before letting out a loud whistle.
He stared ahead, and Katniss followed his gaze, noting a cluster of people around the diner. The parking lot was completely full, crowds of people standing in and around the small restaurant.
Peeta sighed, an apology in his eyes. "I'm sorry, we're going to have to make a small detour." He said, before turning to the lot of the diner, putting his car in park.
Confused, Katniss followed him as he weaved through the chaotic throngs of people. He murmured apologies as he walked between the angry, hungry surfers, and he reached his fingers to hers, holding on to her as to not lose her in the crowds.
They finally stumbled into the restaurant, and found Annie and Johanna at the front counter.
Annie looked nervous, her green eyes flashing with panic as she clutched Johanna's arms tightly. Johanna still wore a stoic look, a scowl gracing her lips.
"Peeta!" Annie yelled as the two of them neared them, and Katniss slowly let go of his hands. "Thank God you're here! We're packed and we can't seat all these people and we're down two on staff and –" she broke off, breathing hard.
"It's the rush from the surf competition this morning," Johanna added, bending down to find all the menus they had.
"It's alright," Peeta said, his voice soothing as he touched Annie's back. "I'll help out in the kitchen and right now, we'll seat as many as we can and the rest can wait outside, alright?"
He turned back to Katniss, "I'm sorry – we're going to have to go to the library at a later time. Will you be okay walking back home?"
But before Katniss could nod and find her way out of the crowded restaurant, Johanna stopped her.
"No. Wait – we could use an extra hand. You have any experience working at a restaurant?"
Katniss shook her head, no.
"Alright, that's fine." Johanna said, "How about you start getting some?" She pushed menus into Katniss' hands before stalking away, seating the customers who'd been waiting.
Katniss' eyes widened as she looked to Peeta who just raised his eyebrows at her, a small smile on his lips.
And just like that, Katniss Everdeen had a summer job.
a/n: please remember to review, guys! you all make my day :) hope you liked it!