a/n: so, so sorry for the long wait. hope you guys like it :) and sorry for the extra emails! was acting wacky :(
also: disclaimer - sorry to all the finnick and madge fans out there, i swear i love those two characters as well, but in this story, they're kind of unpleasant. sorry D:
Katniss ran hand along the length of her braid, tugging at as she tucked her feet under the shelf of the counter, balancing herself awkwardly on the cold, metal stool.
The diner was surprisingly slow, only a few people meandering in and out. There were more vendors on the boardwalk than normal, she noticed, attracting more customers in the sun than the diner did, probably in anticipation for the Fourth of July fireworks that would be held on the beach later that night. She looked to Annie, who was typing away furiously on her phone as Johanna stood by her, a scowl set deep on her face.
Growing up, Katniss hadn't really had very many girl friends. Or friends, for that matter. And she wasn't too sure of what she expected when she returned to work Saturday morning, after witnessing, what she believed to be, a full on blow-out. She'd never really had gotten into a fight with Gale in the past – not like that, at least. And she worked so hard to protect Prim from anything bad, anything hurtful that she barely ever disagreed with her baby sister.
But, as if nothing at all had happened the night before, as if Katniss had dreamt up the fight, the harsh words, Annie and Johanna set to work together, sharing their usual looks and laughs.
It confused Katniss, beyond, in fact. But she chose not to dwell on it; she didn't quite understand how these things worked anyway.
She felt warm, calloused fingers brush hers and she shifted her attention, blonde curls coming into view. Peeta pushed a cupcake her way, chocolate frosting swirled carefully on top as he lifted himself on to the wooden counter.
His blue plaid button up shirt matched his eyes, the stark blue on his face seeming even brighter than usual.
Katniss quirked her eyebrow at him, and he smiled indulgently as she lifted the cupcake to her lips. She licked the icing, carefully swirling her tongue around the chocolate, her fingers working on pulling the waxy liner from the cake.
She bit into it silently, thick chocolate frosting blending in with the sweet, spongy taste of the cupcake.
Her eyes grew in delight as she bit off another piece, "Strawberry?"
She raised both eye brows this time, and he smirked, nodding his head.
Katniss bit into the cupcake once more, feeling the crumbs dance around her chin, skittering across her skin. She moved to brush the miniscule pieces of the cupcake from her face, but felt a warm, rough finger trail across her skin instead, wiping her skin free of the crumbs, leaving an odd, burning sensation in their place. She heard Peeta's low chuckle follow.
"Man, you're like, the messiest eater ever. Even Prim doesn't make this big a mess." He said, a teasing smile in his voice.
Katniss scowled at him, her lips back on the sweet pastry, the taste of strawberry swimming happily across her taste buds. She gave him a pointed look as she took extra measures take a clean bite.
He smiled at her, nudging her with his knee and she squinted her eyes at him, "What do you want?"
He guffawed, the sound loud in the otherwise quiet diner. Katniss noticed both Annie's and Johanna's heads whip towards them, a glint in Johanna's eyes as she watched them in curiosity.
"Can't a friend just bring a friend a cupcake?" He asked, his blonde curls falling into his eyes. He shook them away, running a hand through them afterwards to keep them in place.
"No. You didn't bring Johanna or Annie any cupcakes. Or Brick." Katniss retorted, confused as his smile grew, stretching wide over his face.
She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him without a smile on his face. She tried to visualize him with a frown, a blank stare, but they both seemed odd, even in her head. Peeta always smiled. He was meant to smile.
"Okay," He relented, lifting his feet to settle beneath her stool, his knee brushing hers. "I just wanted to say thank you, for agreeing to do the portrait.
"And," he rubbed his neck sheepishly, "maybe guilt you into it a little bit if you were planning on back out on me."
She rolled her eyes, stuffing the last of the strawberry cupcake in her mouth.
"There's more where that came from, by the way." He added, his voice low and gruff, and Katniss thought maybe he meant for it to be seductive. He followed his words with a wink, affirming Katniss' suspicions, and she burst into a fit of laughter.
Katniss wasn't really one to smile, let alone laugh – there came a point when she couldn't even remember what it felt like to turn your lips upwards, to feel the happiness bubble out of your chest and explode out of your mouth – and it amazed her, how easy she found it to laugh at Peeta's words, at his jokes.
Not for the first time since she'd arrived to Cedar Point, she felt like there was something about him, something about this boy with the brightest blue eyes and tousled blonde curls, that made her feel different, less like herself. In a good way.
"Fine," Katniss said, lifting her left leg over her right, leaning forward just a tiny bit towards Peeta.
"I promise to do the portrait if you keep making me cupcakes. Strawberry, only." She said, nodding towards the now empty cupcake liner that sat crumpled in the garbage can next to Peeta's foot.
Peeta leaned forward, eagerly sticking his hand towards her, "You've got yourself a deal, Katniss."
"When do we start?" She asked, leaning back in her stool, suddenly realizing how close the two were.
"What are you doing tonight?" Peeta asked, also straightening himself back on the counter, his fingers gripping the edge of the wood.
Katniss shrugged; Prim had planned to go see the fireworks at the beach with Rue, and though the two had asked her to come along, Katniss hadn't much felt like it. She planned on spending the time at home, alone. And although Haymitch was likely to be home as well, him being there was just as good as him not being there. She hadn't really seen much of her uncle in the past few days – though she did hear Prim brag about how she'd gotten him to do something with her each day. Her little sister had even managed to drag their old, drunk uncle out for a walk the other day.
"I wasn't really planning on doing anything."
Peeta kicked the leg of her stool gently, nervously.
"Wanna come see the fireworks with me? We could go back and work on the portrait afterwards …" He said, his nervous habit of rubbing his neck returning.
Katniss hesitated, feeling reluctance rise in her throat. But she knew there was no point; she never could say no to Peeta Mellark and his happy, wonderful blue eyes.
She didn't want to know what they looked like when they were let down.
She nodded, telling him sure, and was rewarded a blinding smile as he promised her that he would bring her a cupcake, hell, he would bring her five and she wasn't too sure if the excitement pouring out of him came from her promise to start the portrait later that night, or from accompanying him to the fireworks.
She glanced back at his smile, and decided that it didn't matter. She didn't have very many friends, but she knew the few that she did have, she'd do anything to make them happy. And her small list of friends now included Peeta.
Katniss lifted her eyes as she heard a bell chime, her eyes focusing on a tall, broad body. She squinted, blinking twice before she felt a smile, the biggest she'd worn in a long time, stretch across her face.
She stood from her stool, the metal screeching too loudly under her, and wound her arms around the tall frame that now stood in front of her.
He smiled like pines, grass, and the fresh air. He smelled like home.
She heard him chuckle under his breathe, "'s good to see you too, Catnip."
Katniss felt her toes dig into the sand as she pulled on Gale's arms, her fingers clutching to the soft, cotton material of her shirt.
The sand was warm, hot under her toes, an odd change from the coldness she usually felt when she ventured to the beach at night, Peeta by her side instead of Gale.
She led him to the dunes she'd come to know well over the past few weeks, and positioned herself on the sand, Gale's large form settling in next to her.
Katniss agitatedly wiped her brow, feeling the beads of sweat pool on her skin. She preferred the beach far more at night, when the wind was chilly and the sand was cooler. She looked to Gale, who, in his jeans and shirt, looked as out of place at the sunny beach as she did.
She leaned on him, despite the heat and heavy air, and rested her elbow on his leg. "What are you doing here, Gale?"
He smiled at her, leaning back on his palms, making no effort to shield his face from the blinding sun. He wore stubble on his face, making him look older than he really was, and the glasses perched on his nose were a bit lop-sided. Typical.
"Well, I remembered that today was the Fourth of July. And I realized we've always watched the fireworks together, at the meadow. I didn't feel like watching them alone."
She opened her mouth to tell him that he wouldn't be alone – he was never alone, not with the all of his brothers and sisters around. And he wasn't exactly unpopular with the girls in their town, either. But she shut it, not saying anything. In far too many ways, Gale was much like her. Annd she was sure this was his way of telling her he missed her.
Neither one of them were very good with words.
As if remembering the myriad of girls that followed Gale around for the first time, Katniss' eyes widened as she remembered a certain blonde, and a certain unhappy, irritating encounter.
"I saw Madge the other day."
Gale's head whipped towards her, his eyes matching hers. "Where would you see Madge, here?"
"She came to the diner when I was working. Guess she's visiting down here."
Gale cursed under his breathe, the rock he was playing flying from his fingers, bouncing across the tan, warm sand.
He turned towards her, his eyes weary. "Tell me she didn't say anything to you."
Katniss bit her lip, knowing that lying to Gale would do no good for his already heightened temper.
"It wasn't a big deal." She mumbled, drawing circles in the sand with a stick she'd found lying next to her foot.
And she wasn't lying. It wasn't a big deal – she'd gotten used to Madge's sour words. In fact, Madge wasn't the only one who'd thrown petty, stupid words her way. But Katniss never given them much thought; she just wished Peeta and Johanna hadn't been witnesses to that.
It almost felt like she lived two lives at this point – the one at home that she'd come to associate with loneliness, with darkness, almost save for Gale and Prim. And the one here at Cedar Point where there were no petty girls, no bitter words. Not even loneliness, she realized. Not with Peeta's unyielding ability to make conversation, to keep talking to her despite her quiet nature.
This was a life, here in Cedar Point, where somehow, somehow she had managed to make a friend or two.
She turned back to Gale, his eyes apologetic, tired. "I'm sorry."
Katniss shook her head, a wry smile on your face. "Not your fault you date the psychos, Gale."
Gale laughed her off, before a sudden seriousness taking over his features.
"Speaking of …" he started, speaking slowly, drawing the words out carefully. "What's up with you and the blond dude?"
Katniss looked to Gale, her eyes incredulous, a snort of laughter escaping her. "'The blond dude?' You mean Peeta?"
Gale shrugged his shoulders, nodding.
"I guess. I don't know – you guys just … I guess you just looked pretty comfortable around him. And you don't exactly -"
"He's my friend." Katniss cut in, irritated by the edge in Gale's voice she couldn't quite define.
Katniss understood Gale's protectiveness; he'd been protective, he'd worked hard to make her feel sheltered, to feel comforted ever since her dad died – his whole family had filled in for their empty, hollow mother. And she felt the same way about him – he was her friend, the best one she'd ever had, and she would do just about anything for him - but she never once interfered with whom he chose to become friends with, and she expected the same from him.
He looked at her, his hand shielding the sun from his eyes, an odd weariness in his expression, before he nodded his head once, resigned.
Katniss could tell he had more to say, could almost see the way he was biting his tongue, but ignored it, suddenly feeling weird, sitting behind the dunes.
This wasn't her spot to share - not in broad day light, not with Gale. It was Peeta's spot, and hers. And it almost felt wrong to occupy it without him, without their endless game of truth or dare, without his unyieldingly happy smile.
Katniss laughed in amusement as she threw the blanket she held in her hands to the floor before spreading it open, watching as Prim threw a hundred questions at Gale, each one having to do with his little brother, Rory.
Gale sat down on the old, raggedy blanket, his long, large legs stretching out in front of him, sharing the same amusement Katniss held on her face as he turned towards Prim. "No, Rory has not found a girlfriend in the few weeks you've been gone, Prim." He said, laughing.
Katniss folded her feet under her as she took her place next to Gale. Prim sat in front of them, Rue next to her, Rue's dog that the two girls never seemed to be without sitting in between them.
She watched, wearily, as her sister lovingly tossed an arm around the golden retriever, her fingers affectionately grazing around his ear. The dog licked her finger in return, and Prim giggled a happy, sweet noise.
She knew between Rue's dog, and Peeta's cat Buttercup, there was little chance Katniss would succeed in avoiding Prim's pleas of getting a pet the second they got home; but they couldn't afford it, she already knew as much.
Their mother could barely afford their rent, and Katniss often had to chip in with her share of odd jobs and hunting to help out money, and food for their small family. More than anything, though, she wanted to avoid her sister's sad, pouty face; the look of heartbreak was one Prim was never too good at concealing.
Prim turned to Gale once more, her lip caught in between her teeth. "You're sure Rory doesn't have a girl friend? Not even Katie Flanagan? I think she liked him …"
Gale laughed, and Katniss rolled her eyes. She didn't much appreciate the feelings her sister held for Rory – it wasn't him that she had a problem with, in fact she loved him like a little brother. She loved all of the Hawthorne's like family. Prim was just far too young. She was only nearing her thirteenth birthday, and already her mind revolved around boys.
At thirteen, Katniss couldn't afford to think of much else other than how to deal with a broken mother, and a home without a father. She didn't have time to think of much else, let alone boys.
Often, she still felt the same way.
But her sister was different; her sister was more like the other girls Katniss knew. And she couldn't reprimand her sister for having a crush on a boy, even if she was just thirteen. She'd grown up with Rory, he was her best friend. She supposed, it was only natural for Prim to feel that way.
For a millisecond, she wondered if it was supposed to be that way with her and Gale, as well, but she pushed the thought out of her head the second it came in. Gale was her friend and she'd never thought of him as anything else. He was, after all, her only friend who had stood by her through everything. Despite his girlfriends, despite the differences in their friends at school, the differences in their respective lives, he was her rock.
He was one of the few people, she felt, who understood her best. She wouldn't give up that up for anything.
Katniss leaned back, let her legs stretch out in front of hers, mimicking Gale's position, as she scanned the beach. It was crowded, more so than she'd ever seen before. Everyone in the town, it seemed, had brought their blankets and chairs, chips and drinks and other things in hands, ready to watch the show.
She knew the fireworks in Cedar Point were supposed to be spectacular; they often showed them on TV. But, compared to the ones in her own town, just about anything would be more spectacular. The fireworks that lasted all but two minutes, behind the town's elementary school, left little to amazed by.
Her eyes settled on a small bonfire, masses of people crowding around it. It reminded her of her first night, a similar scene forming in her mind. She looked around the dancing flames, her eyes finding a familiar face.
Blonde hair and body that looked too tan, too bulky; he looked at her, his lips forming a smirk, and she realized it was Cato. He winked at her, and Katniss quickly turned away, finding Johanna close to him, Annie next to her. Annie waved, smiling widely and Johanna managed a grimace, her eyes flickering between Gale and her.
Behind them, she found Peeta, his finger wound tightly around a beer bottle, Delly chattering next to him. He was wearing a different shirt than the one she remembered this morning; it was a bright red shirt, and it made his hair look almost white, even in the darkness of the night.
He glanced her way, and his hand rose in a half wave before he dropped it, looking to Gale and Prim.
His attention shifted to something else, and his face broke out in a smile, all happy and Peeta. Two blonde, floppy braids came into view, and Katniss whipped her head towards where Prim was sitting. She was gone. She turned back to Peeta, and noticed that Prim had already reached him, and was clutching to him tightly.
She said something to him, and he lowered himself, crouching at face-level with Prim. He shook his head, still smiling, and tugged one her braids playfully before she frolicked back to their blanket, sitting down with a loud thump.
Baffled by their exchange, Katniss turned to Prim, who had her back towards her, whispering something happily in Rue's ear.
It surprised her, Peeta's relationship with Prim. Prim wasn't hard to love; she easily wormed her way into everyone's heart, and mostly everyone treated her with as much as kindness and love as she showed them.
But the way Peeta did it – the way he always made sure to bake all the things she liked, and the way he fulfilled his promise to teach her to paint, the way she looked at him like he hung the moon – that was different. It was a good different.
Gale brought her out of her thoughts, shifting next to her. She knew he'd seen the exchange between Peeta and Prim, and was probably more confused by it than she was, but he bit his tongue, turning his head up towards the sky.
"Damn," he said after a beat of silence, "the stars are really amazing out here. Much brighter."
She looked up, following his gaze, though she already knew the words to be true. The two of them lived in a city, one filled with factories upon factories. The layer of gray fog that hovered over their town rarely dissipated enough for them to see the true darkness of the night sky, let alone the stars.
It was one of the few things she'd first noticed when she'd arrived at the beachy-town. Just about everything here was so perfect, so picturesque, she wondered how her uncle fit in here. His disgruntled and generally unhappy appearance made no sense in a town as beautiful, as nice as this.
Katniss turned to tell him that when she saw him visibly tense up next to her, his hands clenching into large fists near her sides. He made a low, murmured hissing noise, shaking his head lightly.
She followed his gaze, stopping short when she saw a pair of icy blue eyes on her, squinted and angry.
She rolled her eyes, turning to Gale, noting that he was now staring out aimlessly at the water in front of him, his eyes focusing on the waves as they rose and crashed on to the sand, the sound of them as soothing as the view.
But his attempt at ignoring Madge only lasted a few minutes as she walked up to them, a beer bottle loosely dangling in her fingers.
She stepped onto the blanket, kicking sand in Katniss' general direction and she felt her own fingers curl into fists, though she reminded herself to remain cool. Madge Undersee was the last person deserving of any of Katniss' attention.
An angry, ugly, artificial laugh bubbled out of the blonde girls chest, her free hand falling to her hip as she clicked her tongue.
"Well, Gale," She slurred, her eyes unfocused, "Nice to see you here."
He sighed, turning his head toward her. "Madge ..." He started, his tone of voice holding a warning in itself, "Just, just don't, okay?"
His voice came out more tired than angry, and Katniss felt her own anger rise at that.
She laughed again, the bottle in her fingers rising to her lips. She took a sip, wiping her pink, pouted lips with the back of her hand.
"C'mon, Gale." She said, her eyes darkening, "Just admit it. Admit it that you cheated on me with her." She said, suddenly casting her eyes towards Katniss, a sneer on her face. "It's about time you stopped protecting the whore."
She felt something move next to her, and turned towards Gale, who had risen from his seat on the floor and was moving towards Madge, his face hard, angry.
Katniss quickly looked to Prim, wanting so badly to send her away – this wasn't something her baby sister was to see, to hear, to know about, even.
But before she could hear the line of profanities and harsh words she already knew Gale was about to spit out, she heard a happier voice.
"I'm so, so sorry about my cousin, she's just had too much to drink" Delly said, standing next to Madge, pulling at her hand. Her voice was laced with the apology she was verbalizing, and a hint of worry.
She looked down to Katniss, her eyes registering in recognition. "Oh! Katniss! I don't know if you remember me from the other night …"
Katniss nodded her head, she did remember. Delly was Peeta's ex-girlfriend.
"I'm so sorry," she repeated once more, "She doesn't even know what she's saying."
Katniss nodded her head again, though she had a feeling Madge knew exactly what she was saying. Her words were no different now than when she was sober; though, sober, she would never manage to say those words in front of Gale. She usually reserved them for when Katniss was alone.
Katniss watched as Delly's small form dragged Madge towards the crowd hovering near small pit of fire, thrusting a water bottle in her hand.
From the corner of her eye, she could see the tuft of blond, curly hair, and blue eyes, looking at her questioningly, confused.
She suddenly felt aggravated, angry that for the second time, the horrors of her life at home had found a way to merge into the life she had made for herself here.
She knew Johanna and Peeta hadn't bothered to ask about Madge and her accusations the first time, but she wasn't sure she'd be so lucky for a second time.
She turned to Gale as he started issuing an apology, a cluttered mess of words as he tried to tell her to pay no mind to Madge.
"She's just … she's crazy. And psychotic." He muttered, finishing up.
Katniss only laughed, not knowing how else to make sense of the situation, and shrugged off his apology. He wasn't responsible for Madge, he didn't need to apologize.
"Well, wasn't she lovely." She heard a wry, sarcastic voice say after a moment of silence, and she turned to find her uncle, sitting next to Prim, his own bottle in his hands, looking completely and fully out of place in his plaid pants and his black sweater.
Gale's eyes widened as he realized the older man's presence as well, and stuck his hand out, "Gale Hawthorne, sir."
Haymitch's eyes narrowed on him, but he asked no questions as he silently took it, shaking it limply before turning to Prim.
"When does this damn show start?" He mumbled, and Prim giggled, locking an arm around their uncle.
"I think just a few more minutes, Uncle Haymitch." She replied, "But I'm really glad you made it."
He mumbled his response before taking a swig of his bottle, his head turning, scouring the crowd until he found Peeta. He lifted his hand up to him, and Peeta lifted his back, giving him a pointed look, nodding towards the bottle in his hand before looking between Prim and Haymitch.
And to Katniss' surprise, Haymitch scoffed, but set his bottle aside, far out of reach, and let his palms fall behind him as he stretched himself out on the blanket.
Prim noticed the bottle, its distance from Haymitch, and her lips immediately turned upwards. She looked back, her eyes locking on Peeta's, and the little girl's smile threatened to eat up her entire face.
Katniss pulled on her sweatshirt, her feet slipping into the nearest flip-flops she could find, before she padded out of her room, walking past Gale's sleeping form on the couch.
Gale had slept over her house only a handful of times before, though she never once told him about her wakeful nights, her nightmares that plagued her in the darkness if she let her eyes close even a second too early. She could only sleep when she was tired beyond the capability to think, to dream.
She walked to the porch, taking a seat where she usually did the rare nights when Peeta and her didn't venture to the beach directly from the diner.
The temperature had easily dropped at least a few degrees from when they were at the beach, the fireworks colorfully bursting over their heads, and she clutched her sweatshirt to her a little bit tighter, wishing she'd worn pants instead of shorts.
She waited, and waited, until eventually, she rose to get her torn, and worn copy of Pride and Prejudice.
Eventually, she stood up, wondering, almost angrily, where the heck Peeta had disappeared to. It wasn't like him to not show up – they hadn't gone a night without a game of truth or dare in too long now.
She stepped down the porch, walking towards the side of the house.
The light from the small window in the garage peered out, spilling onto the dark pavement, near her feet. She peeked in a little closer, wondering if Peeta had gone somewhere, or passed out.
Him forgetting was not a likely option.
She scoured the room, her eyes flittering past the various paintings and canvases, past the odd, small corner of the room that was covered haphazardly in various sheets, until her eyes landed on the sofa that had been pulled out to form a bed, a mess of blankets heaped on it. Just near the corner, she could spot mussed blonde curls, face hidden under the covers.
He hadn't forgotten, he's just chosen to not come, instead, Katniss realized.
Katniss lazily opened one eye after the other, using her arm to block the sun pouring in from the window.
She turned to the wall, looking for the only clock in the room. Her eyes widened as she realized the time; it was almost one in the afternoon.
It had taken her hours to fall asleep; the sun had risen well into the blue sky, and the bird's had made it near impossible to sleep. And even then, it wasn't the kind of sleep that she could appreciate. It was the kind that kept her tossing and turning, unable to find comfort in the depths of her unconsciousness.
She hurriedly lifted the blankets off of, leaving them in a haphazard pile behind her as she raced to the living room.
She noticed the couch, empty, save for the blanket that was now folded and left to the corner and Prim's body, her legs sprawled on the table in front of her, the ugly, orange cat in her lap.
"Where's Gale?" She asked, turning her head towards the kitchen, looking for her tall friend to appear.
Prim stroked the fur of the cat as her eyes were glued to the television screen in front of her, and with its mashed-up nose, and discolored fur, the cat raised its head, nuzzling into Prim's gentle arms. "He left early. He had to be back at work by ten."
Katniss plopped down next to her sister; she remembered him saying something about having to leave early, and she knew she should have put an alarm on, to wake her before he left.
She stood back up a few moments later, her stomach suddenly ravenous, and padded to the kitchen, a plate of strawberry cupcakes awaiting her.
She picked one up, biting into it as she walked to the fridge, finding the carton of milk at the very back.
She poured herself a glass, and one for Prim as the smaller girl fell into a chair next to Katniss', picking up a cupcake in her hands as well.
As she sat down, she saw Prim staring at the small cupcakes, the swirly chocolate frosting, the pink cupcake liners.
She looked up at Katniss a moment later, "Peeta said that these were for you…" She said, the words coming out of her unsure.
Katniss smiled, taking another bite. "I know, they're my favorite."
Katniss sighed, noticing that the crowd at the diner had far exceeded the small crowd from the day before; Saturday nights were always rough, sometimes the worst days of the week.
She forced a smile on her face as she took the order at table 10, ignoring the scowl on Johanna's face as she walked past her, heading towards Peeta. She stuck the sheet of paper with the order on the counter, and he took it with her, a crease between his brows, unusually silent.
She stood there for a second, trying to think of something to say to him, but she knew it was of no use. She wasn't the conversationalist in this relationship, he was. And without him, they were both stuck in a silence that screamed too loudly in her ears. Especially without Annie to help her figure out Johanna's surprisingly angry mood.
She looked at Peeta once more as he set plates of food on the counter, and remembered the way he'd greeted her when she arrived to work. The same half-wave he'd sent her way the night before, at the beach.
She finally mustered up her courage, and lifted a hand to his shoulder.
He looked up abruptly, as if noticing her presence for the first time.
Maybe it was for the first time, she thought. Maybe he'd been having an off day, or an off night - since he hadn't bothered to show up for their usual night-time walk around the beach. Maybe, he just wanted to be left alone; she could understand that feeling, she knew it far too well.
He turned, his stark blue eyes locking with hers, warm and kind. "Are you okay?" She blurted, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Yeah, of course." He said, an easy, soft smile gracing his face. But it wasn't the same. It was off. It didn't reach his eyes, not the way that it normally did. Not the way that it should.
She hesitated, not knowing what else to say. "Okay."
He smiled again, still as hollow as before, and nodded. "Okay."
She sighed, an anxious feeling in her stomach.
"Okay," she said finally, grimacing as he turned and walked away, the silence back in its place as she picked up the plates of food, arranging them on the empty tray before walking towards table four.
Katniss wiped a table down as Johanna sat at the counter, her fingers moving quickly around the cash spread out on the wooden surface.
She could hear the music blaring from the kitchen, the back of Peeta's head bobbing to the rhythm as he scrubbed the grills. It was an oldie, it always was when Peeta had control of the radio, and once again the music reminded her painfully of her father, of their shared moments, of the long car rides.
She lifted the chairs on to the table for moving towards the last table; her and Johanna had split the work, splitting up the tables as well, but somehow, Johanna always finished in much less time than her, something that forced Katniss to work even harder, faster.
She wiped the table down quickly, and piled the chairs on to the table for moving to stand in front of Johanna, tugging at her fingers nervously, wringing them.
Johanna's eyes snapped towards her, and the frown on her face set deeper.
"Are you just gonna stare at me or are you going to vacuum, like you're supposed to?"
Katniss, taking Peeta's first bit of advice he'd given her when she first started working at the diner, ignored Johanna's harsh tone and irritated words, stepping closer to her.
"I need to ask you something." Katniss said, leaning on the counter.
Johanna slapped wad of cash she was holding in her hands onto the table, her eyes squinting at her. "What?"
Katniss took a deep breath; she didn't exactly enjoy having to come to Johanna for anything, much less for advice. "Is Peeta okay?"
Her eyes snapped back towards Peeta before shifting back to Katniss, a look of unabashed boredom on her face. "Why wouldn't he be?"
Katniss bit her lip, trying to think if she'd been responsible for his unusual sour mood; in her mind, Peeta was never without a smile and it almost disconcerted her to see the blonde boy in a bad mood.
Her mind wandered to the odd, half-wave he'd given her the night before, at the beach. She hadn't paid much mind to it then, but she should have, she now realized.
It couldn't have been her, though; he wasn't angry at her. He'd even left her the cupcakes in the morning.
The cupcakes.
Suddenly, she felt her stomach drop.
He hadn't forgotten about her, but she had.
The portrait, the fireworks, the smile on his face when he'd asked her.
Johanna looked at her oddly, finally giving in, her interest peaked by the look on Katniss' face.. "Alright, what is?
"He asked me to do a portrait …I was supposed to meet him yesterday. But Gale came … and I just, I forgot. I was supposed to go to the fireworks with him and then we were going … we were going to do the portrait."
It was her fault; how could she have forgotten?
Johanna's eyes widened, but she re-gained composure a second later, the look of irritation back on her face.
"I knew it. I knew it." She repeated, picking up a wad of cash, wrapping a rubber band around it.
"What did you know?" Katniss pressed, her voice hard, but a sinking feeling taking over her gut.
"I knew," she said, drawing out her words in a hushed tone that forced Katniss to lean closer to her, her eyes hard and angry, "that he was the idiot who liked you, for some God-forsaken reason. And you're the bigger idiot who didn't even realize, and then brought her boyfriend down here to rub it in Peeta's face."
Katniss ignored the insults – both of them – as she process Johanna's words. Peeta liked her? Was Johanna making that up? Had he told her? How did she come to that conclusion?
"Gale isn't my boyfriend." Katniss snapped, earning a roll of the eye from Johanna. "And how do you – what? Did he -?"
"No. He didn't tell me that. But I knew it. I knew it, and the fact that he asked you to do the portrait is proof enough."
That didn't make any sense; how did a portrait lead to him liking her? "He also did a portrait of you and Annie. And Prim and Johanna. And some other people. I'm not the only –"
"Yeah, he did Annie and I because we're practically family and he literally fawns over those little girls like their angels sent from heaven or something. But he asked you," Johanna said, her finger pushing into Katniss' chest, "Because he likes you, he wants to spend time with you. Why else do you think he invited you to the fireworks?"
Katniss mulled this over, still trying to make sense of it all in her head.
But Johanna just shook her head at her, rolling her eyes once more, exaggeratedly. "God, you can be so stupid sometimes. Have you not seen the way the boy looks at you all the time? That's a hint in its own that he likes you."
She stood, the metal screeching loudly in Katniss' ear. "Get your damn head out of your ass, Everdeen."
Johanna walked towards the vacuum, and switched it on, the buzzing noise roaring loudly in the diner.
Katniss looked to Peeta, her forehead creased as she took in Johanna's words, her accusations once more.
Peeta lifted his dirty, almost brown apron from his chest and hung it, picking up a white Styrofoam box from the counter.
His eyes focused on her, and he lifted his lips in a half smile. A sad smile, that once again failed to reach his eyes and turned, exiting the diner from the back door.
a/n: like i said, sorry for the wait! i had finals week and things got a bit hectic :\ BUT, to make up for it, i have a funny/cute video for you all. this is basically what my niece and i do at the hospital :) stupid won't let me put up the link here, though, so just check out my profile, if you'd like :) :)
also thank you thank you thank you for your reviews! can't believe i'm even over a hundred! haha, so thanks, and don't forget to review and let me know what you thought of this chapter :)