Author's Note: Nina- thanks for reminding me! :D

0.-Chan.o.0- Haha, I really like that couple :D They aren't the main one, but they will appear starting in this chapter ^^

SweetDreams926- I always really liked Clove! She came to me as a total badass from the start. :D

Sorry, I can't respond to them all~ If you wanna talk, message me one-on-one.

I own nothing.

-What Wasn't-

3: SLAM!

"What are you in for?"

I glanced up at the voice, leaning my head in my hands. Not to my surprise, it was Cato. We were the only ones in detention. Almost half an hour ago, the Principal sent me here, saying this would be the last warning before things turned worse. I couldn't blame him. Glimmer had provoked me. I mustered up all my restraint not to dropkick her, but my heart said otherwise.

I shrugged. "Same as you. Fight." I said it as if it was no big deal, but I could feel his eyes sizing me up- trying to figure out if I was trash or worthy of his time. I froze, mentally slapping myself.

The fuck? Why did I care?

"Ah, so she knows me," he responds, sending a cocky grin my way. "I'm the all famous Cato." He paused, flicking a piece of paper off his desk. "Bummer. I missed your fight. Was there blood involved?"

Blinking twice, I wondered why the hell I was talking about this. And to Cato. He seemed unnaturally calm about it.

"Bloody nose. I mean, the Principal saw, but…"

"But what?"

I sighed, flipping a piece of head back over my head. "I sort of tackled her to the ground."

He slapped my back harder than I expected, chuckling. "10 points for you. Who you fight? You said girl, right? Nerd? Jock?"

It was disturbing how casual this talk was, as if we were talking about puppies and rainbows. Oh, wait. No, I don't talk about that stuff in the first place. It was as if we were talking about food. That's more like it.

"Well, you see, uh…" Cato was obviously close with Glimmer. If I told him I beat her ass, what would he say? Would he take me on?

Deciding that I could probably take him, I said that statement simply. "Glimmer Orly." I clenched my fists, ready to strike a blow if he touched me.

He blinked twice, as if to check if I was serious. Then he clutched his stomach, breaking out into an uncontrollable laughter. I couldn't believe it. I thought he was some rough, tough dude.

"What!" I screamed, gripping my hands harder into fists, having a quick thought of knocking him out. He didn't respond.

After about 5 minutes of this, I took a textbook and dropped it on his stomach. Luckily, since it was the first day of school, there was no teacher assigned for detention.

Cato stood up abruptly, stifling stray giggles. I suddenly felt like this guy was an idiot. An idiotic clown. Just like 77% of the school.

"Oh nothing," he gasped. "I'm just surprised that you beat her up. She's going to make your life hell."

I stomped impatiently. She's a bitch, plain and simple."I thought that you were new here! How would you know!"

He froze for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. "Let's say we go back to childhood," he said coolly, averting his eyes towards anywhere but me. "Anyways," he started up again, "Wanna come to a party Friday night? Just in two days."

He wavered the words in front of me. "Tempting. Where at?"

"My place," he began. But I must've made a face of disgust, for he quickly added, "Not like that! Gale Hawthorne, Peeta Mellark, Finnick Odair… all the guys will be there, too."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm a guy now?"

He slapped a palm to his forehead. "No. I mean, Glimmer and Cashmere are coming. So is Gloss, her brother. Since Finnick and Gale are going, you can bet Annie and Madge are as well."

"Madge?" The name sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure why.

"You know, our ELA's teachers daughter," he mocked. "She's cool."

I nodded surly. "Katniss going?"

He rubbed his chin, and as he did, I couldn't help notice the stubble of hair growing. He must've shaved. "You can invite her. She probably won't be too happy about Glimmer though."

I was starting to love Katniss more and more. Hatred of Glimmer? Check.

We talked for the rest of the hour, and to my surprise, it was strangely relaxing. The only time a teacher came in was to say we could go home. As soon as it was said, I jumped out of my seat and gathered up my things, waving a hand over my shoulder to Cato.

-What Wasn't-

When I got home, it was almost 4. I decided going to the park wouldn't hurt. Especially on a day as nice as this.

A couple boys from school were playing baseball. Upon further inspection, I could tell that it was Peeta, Finnick, Gale, and a few others I couldn't recognize. Annie, Katniss, and who I guessed to be Madge sat off to the side, watching the game. I quickly joined them.

"Hi," I mumbled, plopping down onto the grass. Annie and Katniss greeted me back, but Madge only gave a silent nod.

"How was detention?" Annie blurted, then quickly covered her mouth. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean-"

"Nah, it's fine," I said back.

We sat in awkward silence, until two guys from Peeta's team collided head first, trying to reach the ball. Their heads briefly hit, but not before falling to the ground in a heap of embarrassment.

A whistle blew. Finnick jogged over to them, then shook his head. "We need two new people!" he called out.

Gale rubbed his chin in the same way Cato had. He jogged over to where we were sitting. His tall, lean build seemed to reflect off the sunlight. Last year, there was a rumor saying Gale and Madge were dating, but at the time, I didn't know her. Now, I was guessing that they either had a bad break up or never went out to begin with. My money was on the latter.

"Katniss, can you substitute?" he asked, bringing me back to reality.

She shrugged, standing up to wipe the dust of her jeans. "Sure."

He suddenly acknowledged that I was there. "Clove! Hey. Can you substitute too?"

I rubbed the nape of my neck, unsure of what to say. "I'm not good at baseball…"

He shrugged. "You have good aim. I saw you last year in gym. You killed everyone at tennis and basketball."

"Why not then?" I asked myself, standing up. In the first minute I was out on the field, the opposing team had gotten their third out. I walked my way over to the other side.

"Hey, you're batting third," Finnick told me, tossing a bat my way. "Right after me."

I nodded, slightly annoyed. Peeta batted first, getting to second. Then, Finnick made it to first. No outs. I wasn't going to be the one to change that.

I took my stance, watching the ball. By the time I swung the bat, I was a second too early, the ball rolling into the foul zone.

"Foul!" The announcer called out. I was debating on whether or not to give him the finger.

As I took my stance again, I saw Cato watching me. I wasn't sure if he was smirking or not, but I was positive that if I missed this next one, he would be.

Thinking about him made me lose my consciousness. I wasn't even sure that I had hit the ball until Katniss yelled for me to run. I made it halfway to third when I lost my footing and fell, crawling the rest of the way.

"Foul! I say foul!" whined someone from the other team, pointing an accusing finger my way. He faintly reminded me of Glimmer.

But why did I care? Both Peeta and Finnick were back at home, giving me two thumbs up each.

I didn't have to turn around to know that Cato was smirking.

-What Wasn't-

The next morning, I woke up early. At 6:00. Even though I had just taken a shower last night before going to bed, I went back in again. Besides, after the shower last night, I just threw my clothes back on.

I stepped out of the bathroom when I was finished, clutching the towel closer to my body. The clock said 6:15.

Deciding on a plain tee and shorts, I combed my hair out with my fingers, pulling it up into a ponytail. Then, I went downstairs to actually eat breakfast for once.

"Cereaaaal," I moaned, licking my lips as I pulled out a box. It tasted like sunshine.

I nearly spit out my food when I realized what I had thought. Sunshine? It tasted like sunshine? The fuck? Was I turning into Glimmer?

I pushed away the food in disgust, it suddenly feeling like sand with the mention of Glimmer. That bitchy, fucking little slut just needed to-

I clenched my fist in frustration. I was soooo walking the long way to school today.

-What Wasn't-

"Late again, Clove?" Mrs. Crane asked, scribbling on a tardy note.

I rubbed my neck awkwardly, unsure of how. "I swear, I'm cursed! I woke up at six today!"

She snickered, thrusting the note in my hands. "I can't cover for you every day," she warned. I knew that she was right. Half the time, she didn't enter the tardy into the computer. This could've gotten her fired, most likely.

"Thanks," I replied, throwing my bag over my shoulder.

After a quick water break, I began to speed walk down the hall, then decided it didn't matter. I mean, I was already late. It's not like my punishment would get worse if I was a few minutes behind.

Ms. Trinket, without looking at me, pointed to my seat. I knew she was holding back. I have that same look on her face when I'm frustrated, too.

Katniss snickered as I sat down, shaking her head in disapproval. "Glad for you to show up," she whispered.

I made a face, directing my gaze to Cato, who had walked across the room to talk to Gale. Gale's eyebrows were furrowed, breathing deeply.

I now understood why Ms. Trinket was getting annoyed. They were talking in shushed voices, but every now and then, I heard something. Like, from Gale; Madge, party, frog, fried, snake. And Cato; Thong- the fuck?-, Glimmer, blood, party, Clove.

It took a second for it to sink in. When it did, I nearly jumped out of my seat hearing my name. But I quickly cooled, assuring myself he was probably talking about the fight me and Glimmer had. Actually, I wouldn't even call it a fight. It was more like… freedom of speech. Except, you know, physical.

And that's pretty much how history went.

So.

Math was a bit more eventful. Whenever we had free time, Cashmere would nearly glare at me. Glimmer probably told her something stupid.

But Math wasn't too bad overall. I talked to Madge for a bit. Besides the glares, and watching Glimmer ogle over Cato, it didn't faze me at all.

Study hall. I sat with Peeta and Annie again, but barely said anything. Instead, I was working on the rough draft of my essay. The one that Mrs. Everdeen assigned to us about ourselves. I wasn't sure why. I mean, she was a science teacher. Not a language arts one.

But, even though I thought this essay would be a piece of cake, by the end of the period, I only had the beginning paragraph finished.

So. I'm Clove. Clove Silvers. An essay about myself? Well… I can't say much. I'm active and sporty. I used to run track. I'm small for my age. At times, I have a really short temper. Some people hate it and avoid me. My friends say that I wouldn't be me without it, but-

Oh, yeah. I forgot to say that I hated it, ripped it in six million pieces, and threw it into the never ending pit called the trash.

Anyways, let's get to the fun part. Gym.

"Hey, Glimmer, are you sure those are shorts? Looks like you were just giving yourself a wedgie," I said sweetly while walking past. She 'hmmphed!', folding her arms across her chest.

"At least I didn't sleep with Finnick, Cato, and Gale last night!" she yelled back, giggling along with her posse of friends. Annie gasped, watching me with accusing eyes.

"You did not just say that," I replied, whipping around to face her.

She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, smirking. "Cato says you begged him. He said you guys did it in a corner of the detention room. Then later, Gale and Finnick called and you fucked them, too."

I was about to knock her out, but she stopped me with another sentence.

"Though I don't get why. You're ugly, chubby, and have no body. Plus, a short temper."

I pulled my fist back, not wanting to eat my words. But I knew something that would blow her over the edge.

"At least I didn't get any transplants."

She huffed, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and stomped out. The other girls followed, each of them giving me a hard, cold glare before leaving.

A whistle blew from outside. Katniss, who had just finished changing, joined me and Annie as we exited. She probably heard.

"You know, those rumors aren't true," I sighed, taking a deep breath.

Annie nodded. "Yeah, Finnick wouldn't do that!" she said cheerfully, clearly not noticing the jet of cold air that went past my head.

"Yeah," I added half-heartedly, walking faster to Coach.

He blew his whistle, though I was sure everyone was there. "Glimmer! Katniss! You're the team captains. We're playing volleyball today!" he boomed, tossing up the ball and bumping it to Glimmer, who shrieked and moved over. The volleyball bounced harmlessly by her side.

Katniss laughed cruelly, a side of her I haven't even witnessed. "Clove," she declared, pointing to me.

Glimmer stomped her foot. "Why does she get to pick first? That's not-" Coach blew his whistle, obviously annoyed. "Cato," she said dryly, brightening when he walked over.

"Annie."

Glimmer laughed. "Glad you took her. I remember last year- talk about clumsy!" she cackled, drawing her attention back to the crowd. "Cashmere."

"Finnick."

By the end of it, we had equal 9x9 teams.

"0 serving 0!" Katniss yelled, hitting the ball underhand. Cashmere dived for it, bumping it into the air. Another girl ran over, setting it over the net.

"Mine!" Annie called, reaching for it. She hit it, it barely going over the net.

Cato, who was in the front, jumped up and ferociously spiked it, hitting me square in the chest.

The next thing I knew, everything was black.

-What Wasn't-

I woke up with a hollow face watching over me.

"Where am I?" I moaned, gripping the bed sheets. I felt a bit dizzy, but was easily able to sit up with ease.

"Nurse's office," she replied. "You've been out for not even five minutes. Head back if you want."

I nodded, sitting up to head back to the gym. I was still wearing all my gym clothes. Oh, and I was sweaty. Nice touch.

"Five serving six!" Finnick yelled, before thrusting the ball over his head, slamming it against his fists. Glimmer stepped up, like she was going to hit in, then jumped back at the last minute.

Cashmere sighed and rolled the ball under the net to Finnick.

"We skipped your turn," he said gruffly. "You can take mine."

"Thanks," I dryly said, accepting the ball. "Six serving six!" I screamed, hitting the volleyball. It hit Glimmer square in the jaw.

Coach tapped his foot impatiently. "Can we keep violence out of this?"

Glimmer shrieked for the umpteenth time today, tossing the ball to Coach. He blew his whistle, signaling that it was time to change.

"Finally!" Glimmer groaned, tugging on Cato's sleeve and winking. "Bye," she purred.

I nearly gagged.

-What Wasn't-

I can't say that the rest of the day was eventful. I refrained from knocking out Glimmer's teeth, though. That should count for something.

I was about to get my stuff out of my locker, but Cato was leaning up against it, a smirk clearly playing on his lips. "Ah, there she is," he chuckled when I was in earshot.

I huffed, pushing him to the side. "Move it."

"Someone's in a bad mood today. What's wrong?" I couldn't help but notice the think sarcasm laced throughout his voice.

"You."

"Me?"

"What the fuck did you tell Glimmer?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. I shut my locker- loudly, mind you- and turned to face him.

My outburst didn't faze him. It only seemed to entertain him even more. "Feisty. I like it." My gaze dropped to his lips, which he was clearly licking.

Ew.

"I didn't tell her anything," he said, running a hair through his blonde locks. "Why?"

"You sure as hell know what I mean!" I snapped. "Ug. Go away."

He clasped his hands together behind his back. "Nah. We still on for the party tomorrow?"

I was about to protest, but realized it wouldn't be hard to publically humiliate Glimmer and Cato there. In my sweetest voice, I turned and said, "Of course."

-What Wasn't-

Author's Note: Picture Day and party is coming up in the next chapter!

Let me warn you; chapters will come out on a weekly basis. Don't expect them super fast.

Blooper:

Finnick yelled, before thrusting the ball over his head, slamming it against his fish.

50 reviews this time? :'D

-Ashe