I'm changing Katniss's birthday to December fifteenth instead of May 8th.
"JOHANNA, JOHANNA HOLY SHIT WAKE UP!" I shake Johanna awake, so excited I could cry.
"What?" she shouts.
"I'm going to be on Ellen DeGeneres tomorrow!" I exclaim. She sits up with her short hair all over the place.
"What?" she asks, shocked.
"Yup!" I exclaim, dialing Prim.
"Hey Kat," she says.
"I'm going to be on Ellen tomorrow," I say. She's silent for a moment, and then she's screaming. I hear my whole family screaming in the background, and then Johanna's screaming and then I'm screaming and then we're all screaming.
PEETA'S POV (It was requested)
I sigh and shut my laptop lid, dropping my head onto the lid with a loud obnoxious groan.
"Lighten up bro. You can go and find her. She lives here in LA." My brother Rye says.
"I know she does, and that's the worst part because I don't know where in LA and I don't want to just show up at her place and demand attention."
"it's been two years and your still as depressed as fuck. She admitted to Johanna that she loves and she promised that she wouldn't push you away if she saw you-"
"If she ran into me. There's a big difference from running into and going to, Rye, and you know it."
"Fine, I've got a plan." He says. "Tomorrow she's going to be on Ellen." I look at him in shock.
"She is?" I ask.
"Yes. Now, how about, around the time that you know she'll be leaving, you magically start walking down the sidewalk? If she still loves you and she's still your Katniss then she will stop."
"No." I reply.
"Why not?" he demands.
"Because Rye…it seems evil. I want running into her to be natural. I don't want it to be staged."
"Well…I can't help you with that, brother." He walks out of my house.
I don't care. I'm going to stay at least a mile away from Ellen tomorrow.
…..a…...
KATNISS'S POV
"I can't do this. Should I run?" I make a bolt for the door, but Cinna shuts it and blocks my way. Cinna is my uncle. He's my stylist now, and my other uncle Haymitch is my manager/publicist. Johanna is here too, but that's it.
"No. Katniss, you want this. It's okay, deep breaths. You've got this." Cinna soothes.
"I really can't do this." I whisper, gasping.
"You really can do this. Toughen up kid, your good." Haymitch says.
I'm wearing a white lacy dress that is skintight. It has a low back. I have on white flats because I'm nervous I'll fall and die if in wear heels. I have on minimal makeup and my hair has been left down.
I never wear my hair down anymore. I only wore it down when Peeta took it down.
"Alright, it's almost time." Haymitch leads me out. Johanna and Cinna follow us out to the entrance to the stage and I wait till I'm instructed.
"Alright, please welcome, Katniss Everdeen!" I hear Ellen say. A worker leads me upstairs and Haymitch reminds me to keep my head up, smile, wave and filer my words. Then I'm pushed out onto the stage. A door starts to open and I walk out, smiling and waving, making sure I don't trip and die. Ellen hugs me hello and we sit down. I sit up and cross my legs to be positive I wouldn't flash anyone.
"So…you really popped out of nowhere, huh?" Ellen asks. I laugh, and I can almost hear Peeta's voice in my ear, murmuring "Like music to my ears"
"You could say so." I smile.
"Okay…we all know, by now, who you are." Ellen says. People start cheering, and I smile. "So…you got mobbed at target?" I laugh again, and again I hear like music to my ears.
"Yeah…" I trail off.
"How did that happen?" She asks.
"Well…my best friend and I are kind of…idiots…and we were messing around in the store and this mom was screaming "Marco!" and we were shouting back "Polo" and she got really mad and Johanna was like "S-word, Katniss!" and everyone looked at us. We bought our stuff and started to leave when everyone started chasing us.
"Did you expect it?" she asks.
"No…but it's really fun. Getting mobbed…I'm not say that I like it, but it's really fun." I laugh.
"So…are you mad? At Peeta, for putting you in this situation?" she asks.
I look down to my lap for a moment and shake my head, looking back up. "No. I can't be mad at him. Not even if I wanted to." I whisper.
"Because you love him still." She says.
"Right." I reply.
"So I've heard you can sing." She says. My eyes widen.
"Who told you that?" I ask with a grin.
"Well…your best friend, of course."
"Johanna told you that?" I ask
"Her name is Johanna? This girl?" a picture of Johanna appears. And it's not a good one. It's the picture of her slapping me outside.
Turns out, a paparazzi was in the bush behind me and it got everything on video.
"Yeah, that's her." I laugh.
"Is she abusive or something?" Ellen asks.
"What! Oh my goodness, no! Johanna is the most unpredictable person. She's sweet at one moment and then she'll hit you at another. She always means it out of love though. She wouldn't actually hurt you. She's a really nice person once you get to know her." I assure.
"Okay…" she sounds weary. People laugh and I smile. "So…I think we're all absolutely dying to know how you and Peeta broke up and what your history is exactly." She says.
"Well…" I sigh. "When we were sixteen, no, fifteen…I think…hold on."
We broke up when we were eighteen and we dated for three years so yes, fifteen.
"Yeah, it was fifteen. We started dating at fifteen and we dated all through high school. Then he moved away when we were eighteen and we started long distance but…Peeta came up with this really bad habit I have that he calls 'act now, think later' and basically I do something I'm going to regret without thinking and then I regret it…so we were on the phone one day and we had terrible connection and it kept breaking up and I got really mad and said 'I'm breaking up with you' and I hung up. He called and texted me for a year before he stopped…I haven't heard from him since."
"Wow…so just like that?" she asks.
"Yeah." I sigh.
"And what about the tattoo? Is it real?" she asks.
"Yes…when we were seventeen he came to my window with rocks and woke me. I jumped off the roof and he caught me and he went and got it.
"Wow…" she laughs. "So, are you going to sing us a song?" she smiles.
"I don't know, am I?" I reply.
"I think you are." She says.
"Okay…I guess I am." I smile.
"Alright! After this commercial break, Katniss is going to sing us a song!" she exclaims. Music starts playing and we start having small talk. Then we ushers me to the music place and gives me people who can play instruments. Johanna comes out of nowhere with my music folder.
"You're welcome." She says.
"Thanks." I reply. I pass out the page to each of the people and hand her the folder.
"Don't fuck up." She smacks my arm and then hugs me. "Seriously though, don't sob during the song." She whispers.
"I'll try not to." I whisper back. It's only violins in this song, piano and drums in this song.
Back after he left, when we were still dating, I had my birthday party and he couldn't make it. I was so upset. I was in a dress and I was waiting and he didn't show.
I was so upset.
"Okay! Katniss Everdeen, everyone, with a song about Peeta Mellark!" Ellen exclaims. Johanna probably told her that, too.
This song is called "The Moment I Knew" because this was the moment I knew that long distance could never work out between us.
I start the piano and the lights dim. People stare at me.
You should've been there,
Should've burst through the door,
With that 'baby I'm right here' smile,
And it would've felt like,
A million little shining stars had just aligned,
And I would've been so happy.
Christmas lights glisten,
I've got my eye on the door,
Just waiting for you to walk in,
But the time is ticking,
People ask me how I've been
As I comb back through my memory,
How you said you'd be here,
You said you'd be here.
And it was like slow motion,
Standing there in my party dress,
In red lipstick,
With no one to impress,
And they're all laughing,
As I'm looking around the room,
But there's one thing missing,
And that was the moment I knew.
And the hours pass by,
Now I just wanna be alone,
But your close friends always seem to know
When there's something really wrong,
So they follow me down the hall,
And there in the bathroom,
I try not to fall apart,
And the sinking feeling starts,
As I say hopelessly,
"He said he'd be here."
And it was like slow motion,
Standing there in my party dress,
In red lipstick,
With no one to impress,
And they're all laughing,
And asking me about you,
But there was one thing missing,
And that was the moment I knew.
What do you say
When tears are streaming down your face
In front of everyone you know?
And what do you do when the one
Who means the most to you
Is the one who didn't show?
You should've been here.
And I would've been so happy.
And it was like slow motion,
Standing there in my party dress,
In red lipstick,
With no one to impress,
And they're all standing around me singing
"Happy birthday to you",
But there was one thing missing,
And that was the moment I knew.
Ooh, I knew.
Ooh,
You called me later,
And said, "I'm sorry, I didn't make it,"
And I said, "I'm sorry too,"
And that was the moment I knew.
I have tears sliding down my cheeks but I'm not sobbing. The doors close and I stand up, letting the worker take my microphone.
Then I run back to my dressing room and breakdown in front of not only Johanna this time, but Cinna and Haymitch too. That was my birthday party that he missed.