A/N:Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't been updating. This is a rather long chapter, around 3000 words. And I think it's a pretty good amount for my standards. Hope you like it :)
concept: Peeta's next door neighbor turns out to be a YouTube sensation. Katniss, you make this town a lot less broing.
DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned the Hunger Games.
Huh. Turns out, I'm perfectly okay where I am right now. It's like the center of the entire Earth shifted, just to give me the GREATEST human on the planet. THANK YOU WORLD!
I tumble down the stairs to try to convince my mom to switch to Aderyn Park Secondary for grade eight. I checked out their website and they actually looked like a pretty good school. Falcon Place didn't even have a website. The only results I got from Google were a few articles in the news about the murdering of two teens. Yikes.
"Move Peeta!" Gabe snaps. I roll my eyes. Gabe is my older brother. And Andrew is my oldest brother. Yeah, I'm the youngest. Not fun when you have two perverted older brothers trying to teach you everything about stuff you do when you're married. I almost threw up from the stuff they told me. I'm what they call "innocent." Dear lord, I hope Katniss doesn't have older brothers.
"Mom? I just saw the place I'm supposed to go to school. It's freaky." I say, glaring at Gabe who suggested the school. I know just what to get you as your birthday present. It's going to involve your worst fear-mutilated dolls. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a freshly baked muffin off the counter. It tasted SO good.
"Freaky how?" My mother asked while cooking chicken.
"Freaky as in your desk is a piece of slate." I say bluntly, grabbing another muffin.
"Ah-ah!" she scolded, slapping my hand away from the DELICIOUS chocolate chip muffin.
"Those are for the neighbors. They're coming over for dinner tonight. Well, just the parents and their son and daughter." She clarified. Wait, Katniss is coming over? THANK YOU WORLD!
"You know, they have a daughter your age, Peet." My mother says absentmindedly, still watching the chicken fry. YES!
"And they have a son Andrew's age too." She adds.
"The neighbors are coming over?" my father asks, coming up from the couch. My mom nods in confirmation.
"Anyway.." I say, stressing 'way.'
"Can I switch to Aderyn Park? It's closer, and it's an actual school." I say the last part as I glare at Gabe. He shrugs mischievously. Screw. My. Life.
"Sure, sure. I didn't register you in Falcon Place yet, but I have to see the website later." Says mother. I nod obediently.
"The next door neighbor goes there too." I add innocently.
"Oh, the famous KATNISS EVERDEEN?" Gabe says loud enough to hear through the windows. Suddenly, I wish our house didn't have so many windows. I've got 4 in my room alone. But, I guess I don't mind. I wake up and Katniss is playing a lullaby on her violin every morning. Although I never hear her singing along. I wish she would.
"Shut up." I mutter, grabbing my laptop and once again logging onto Facebook.
'This is my next door neighbor :)' I type, tagging Katniss (yup, she accepted my friend request.) and adding her cover of Ours by Taylor Swift. I think she's into Taylor Swift. And almost immediately, Gabe has commented.
'Quit stalking the poor girl. She's already got her window facing yours. She doesn't need this.' He comments. I look up to see Gabe smirking at me while dangling his phone threateningly.
"Just because my laptop fell into the dishwasher, doesn't mean I can't use Facebook!" he says gleefully, running upstairs laughing like a mischievous little boy. I roll my eyes. I swear, it's like he's the youngest in the family. Well, he does have the brain capacity of a baby. I snicker at my thought.
"So what time are they coming over?" I ask casually, while looking through pictures of my baby years. One of me as newborn. Geez, I look ugly. Meh, my eyes look okay. Another one of me in my toddling years. Playing in the snow. I never ever remembered playing with snow. I guess it's a Vancouver thing. I glance at the door and smile.
Well, come winter I guess we'll see, won't we Katniss? I think sneakily to myself.
"Soon, it's 5 right now, so at about 7. It'll still be sunny out so you can go for a walk with the girl while the boy stays here." My mother says, while idly flipping the chicken. I nod quietly. I'd love some alone time with Katniss. I smell more muffins baking and my mouth waters. Ohh, Katniss, if you weren't coming over my belly would be full. I run upstairs to somewhat avoid the smell of chocolate chip muffins wafting to my nose. I close my door in hopes of escaping the heavenly scent of chocolately goodness only to be greeted by Katniss and Gale joking around and repairing a -shoe.
"Y'know Kat, you should get back into gymnastics." He says frowning. Katniss sighs.
"Well, I actually got invited to get back into it, but I don't know," she sighs.
"I mean, I've got archery, track, softball, and I'm getting all these invitations to go into honor schools, Inter-A programs and talent programs. I dunno, Gale. It's a lot already." She sighs, putting her hands in her face.
"I mean, everyone thinks I've got life easy, but it's not! I study for so long to get the grades I get, and in return, people hate me because they think it comes naturally to me? I've had to take summer school, tutoring and you've even had to help me. I hate it when people think that just because I get good grades, I'm on a bunch of teams, get invites to better schools, that my life is peachy. It's not, Gale. It's really not." She says, sounding defeated. My heart breaks when her beautiful silver eyes fill with tears. Gale notices, and he kneels down and raps her forehead with his fist then his own.
"Remember Kat? Our signal to tell each other what's on our minds." He reminds gently. I wish it was me who could wrap her up in my arms-even though I am only entering the eighth grade in two months.
"Now go on, please," says Gale. She sighs gently, and flops down on her bed.
"Well, I'm getting invites from Cade Academy," says Katniss, running her fingers through her hair annoyed by it. Either that, or it's just nerves. The latter would be more fitting. I quickly log onto my laptop, and search 'Cade Academy', and judging by the widening of Gale's gray eyes and the choking of his water, it must be a good school. I click the first result. It's the website. I look through it, noticing the many musical and art programs. A notice at the top catches my gaze.
"please note: the only possible way to be considered for registration, is to have been either recommended or invited by academy officials."
My eyes widen. This is a super exclusive school. I notice all the pictures of choirs with awards, and can instantly see Katniss in the front smiling brightly, her silver eyes shining with accomplishment. I start to wonder why she hasn't accepted the offer. It could give her the skills she needs to become serious about music. Although, judging by the quality of her covers and song choice, it's already apparent she wants to become a singer as she grows. Her voice suddenly breaks into my head.
"Inter-A is overrated. And plus, you have to be top-notch for that. Mainstream is more fun." Her lovely voice echoes inside my mind from our conversation in the library. She's already top notch! I saw certificates in her room (I'm not a stalker. I just saw from her open window, I swear.) and that's enough proof that she should go there.
"Cade Academy is a musical prodigy school, Katniss. Why don't you go there? They could give you your big break!" exclaims Gale, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Katniss shrugs. Her eyes catch Gale's gaze, but she instantly looks down, from guilt, but I can only assume.
"What else have you been hiding from me?" asks Gale, shaking her shoulder slightly. My hands itch to feel her hands entwined with mine-even though I'm only entering the eighth grade in two months. Katniss sighs guiltily, and bites her lip. Oh my god. That's freaking sexy. I clench my fists and try to control my thoughts. I don't want to come across as dirty in my first year of high school. Although, I'm surprised I don't crack 'that's what she said' jokes, what with my brother's comments rattling every waking minute of my life. I find myself chuckling at them sometimes, but only at the way the person would say it. Personally, I think it's making girls look dirty and slutty by saying that. Katniss is a girl. (a beautiful girl at that) And she isn't dirty or slutty. I hope we're good friends in school.
"Y'know Drew?" asks Katniss. Gale nods, his face tight. Um. Who's Drew?
"He thought it was a funny joke to apply me to Columbia Park," I instantly type 'Columbia Park' into the search engine.
"And I got accepted in the first degree of the examination process." She finishes. I think I heard Gale's jaw click. I click the first result, and the school's website pops up. The first thing I see is a large school with floor to ceiling glass windows, a lake just behind it, and the subtitle 'Home of the DOVES.' Pictures of girls holding awards triumphantly litter the page. I notice it's an all girl school. Damn.
"But I didn't get through the 2nd degree of examination, so I couldn't be accepted if I wanted." She reassures. My heart beats a little slower at this. Gale shakes his head, and I suddenly feel as if I'm intruding. It's a wonder they haven't noticed me.
"Look, Katniss. If you want to put your god-given talents to use, and I'm not just talking about YouTube, then at least try the other schools. For at least a year. Please?" Gale asks. Katniss ponders thoughtfully for a moment. Then she shakes her head pitifully.
"They'd kick me out after a day." She concludes. Gale rolls his eyes annoyingly.
"If they do, I'm kicking them." He says. Then he stands.
"you should get ready for dinner. Mom and Dad are gonna leave any second now." He says. And that's when I notice the time. 6:45. Damn. Katniss is currently wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt, and when she turns around to close the blinds as she changes, I quickly jump on my bed and try to look as nonchalant as I can, looking through more photos of me. Hey, that picture looks okay. It's me asleep on a couch. I think I hear Katniss say my name under her breath, as she closes the window humming melodically to the lullaby she plays every morning. I try to wipe the silly grin off my face, but it's impossible.
"PEETA! GET YOUR LAZY ASS DOWN HERE, YOUR LOOOOVE IS HERE!" Gabe bellows, and I make myself look presentable. I smooth down my hair, and put on shorts. It's kinda warm out, and when Katniss and I go for a walk (my mother has a schedule for EVERYTHING) I won't have to change. I keep my blinds, and my window wide open. I charge downstairs, and just hear my mother mutter,
"Language, Gabe," before Andrew opens the door to reveal Gale, and his parents. No Katniss. Gale smiles at Andrew, and he opens the door wide to let them in.
"Please come in!" Andrew says cheerily. Gale's mother skips to the kitchen while my father and Gale's father introduce themselves. I can hear the mom's chit-chat from the living room.
"Oh, Katniss is so precious. I'm glad she came to live with us. Your house is beautiful."
"Oh, thank you. I hear Peeta's window is right across from Katniss'. I apologize for any loud music blaring out of his room before hand."
"MOM." I groan, pushing my face into the pillow.
"Speaking of which, where is Katniss?"
"Oh, that girl will come in soon. She likes to find inventive ways to get in and out of her room."
My mother laughs. Wait. Inventive ways? In and out of her room? Oh damn, the window is wide open. IN MY ROOM. Where my laptop sits with STUPID baby pictures on the screen. I run as quickly as I can, up the stairs, down the hallway and into my room. And the first thing I hear is Katniss' laughter resonating in my room.
"Hey neighbor!" she says sneakily, laughing loudly. I groan and swat Katniss away from my laptop.
"Oh look, now I have a stalker neighbor next door!" I exclaim playfully. Katniss rolls her eyes at me.
"Well, it's not my fault you left your window WIDE open. You should work on that, Peeta." She smiles. Just as I open my mouth to say something, I hear a groaning voice downstairs.
"KAATNISS!" I can only assume it's Gale. Katniss rolls her eyes annoyingly and yells back,
"GAALE!" the whole family bursts into laughter downstairs.
"OHHH PEETA, COME DOWNSTAIRS!" Gabe bellows. I groan and flop onto my bed pitifully.
"SHUT UP GABE!" I shout. I hear Katniss chuckle beside me. She flops onto my bed beside me, and turns her head towards mine.
"Y'know, for a guy, your room smells oddly nice." She remarks, looking at the room thoughtfully.
"Omigosh, my dream come true! The famous Katniss Everdeen just called my room NICE!" I squeal, mimicking a girl's excitement. Katniss glares at me playfully.
"Why do you call me famous?" she asks curiously, quirking her brows. Oh. My. God. That's the cutest thing, I've ever seen.
"Well, you never told me that you were a YouTube sensation, Kat." I remark, logging onto Facebook and scrolling to the video of her I posted earlier. It has A LOT of comments on the video already.
'PEETA! GET ME AN AUTOGRAPH!' Delly says.
'PEETA! THAT'S MY BESTIE FROM THE SEVENTH GRADE! HAI KATNISS, GURL!" Madge says. I point at the screen, proving my point.
"See!"
"Whatever Peeta, I'm not as famous as Boyce Avenue or Megan Nicole."
"Whatever floats your boat, Kat,"
Katniss opens her mouth to say what I can assume is a cunning remark but she is interrupted by Gale barrelling up the steps.
"Katniss, c'mon there's food downstairs!" he says cheerily. Katniss' eyes spark with excitement, and she grabs my hand to lead me down the steps. It's like electricity. Really, it is.
"C'mon Peeta! There's food!" she says excitedly. Her hand remains intertwined in mine as we go down the steps.
Well. Dream come true, right Peeta?
Gabe oooh's at our hands, but Katniss seems unfazed. She releases my hand when she meets my mother.
"Hi Mrs. Mellark. I'm Katniss!" she says cheerily, pulling my mother in for a brief hug. My mother seems surprised at the fact she gave her a hug instead of a handshake, but she embraces her quickly. My mother's always wanted a daughter. After she releases, Katniss makes her way to my father, and instead of a hug, she sticks her hand for him to shake.
"Hi Mr. Mellark. I'm Katniss!" she says in equal fervor. And my father pouts.
"So you give my wife a hug and me a handshake? C'mere!" he exclaims, while pulling her into a hug. Hey, mister. You have a wife. Hands off. Now. He chuckles at my glare.
"Y'know, I've always wanted just a daughter. Instead of three rambunctious boys, especially Gabe and Peeta." He says, eyeing me at the last sentence. Katniss laughs, and makes her way to me.
"I like your parents." She says, grabbing my wrist to pull me to the food. Again-electricity. Gale eyes me warily then turns back to Andrew to talk more. On the large, granite island in the kitchen, a different array of food is laid out. Katniss' stomach growls hungrily and she looks down to it.
"Shut up stomach, I'm getting food." She mutters. I chuckle and she turns her head to look at me.
"What?" she asks, crossing her arms in mock anger.
"Talking to your stomach?" I ask playfully. Katniss shrugs and mutters,
"Just let me get my food." I raise my hands in surrender, and lead her to the food. There is fried chicken, there is spiced rice, there is pasta, and the easiest to eat-pizza. Katniss takes a large plate and piles a large amount of food onto her plate.
"I'll get more later, if I can." She mumbles to herself. I widen my eyes. She's such a slender girl, and she can eat that much?
"You can eat ALL of that?" I ask disbelievingly. Katniss shrugs, and turns her shoulder to meet my eyes.
"Gale taught me how to eat well. And he always piled plate upon plate of food for me to eat until I almost threw up from all the food as a kid. So, naturally, I have a larger appetite than most." She says. "and considering I live with four growing boys, I learn to take my share pretty quickly." She finishes. I gulp.
"Four boys?" I ask, dreading the answer. The only brother I know she has is Gale. She nods, scrunching her eyebrows.
"Gale, Rory, Vick, and Drew. Gale's cousin." She answers, grabbing a fork and spoon. I sigh in relief. Drew is her cousin. I grab a plate myself, and pile rice, chicken and a small portion of pasta onto my plate. This is more than Katniss took, and I'll be going back for seconds, since there'll be WAY too much leftovers for my family to eat. I make my way to the couch where I see Gale and Katniss sitting on the floor in front of the TV watching Wipeout, with their backs to the couch. I furrow my eyebrows. Why are they sitting on the floor?
"Why are you sitting on the floor, dear?" my mother beats me to asking her. Katniss looks up from her plate to answer my mother.
"Oh, Gale and I always sit like this at home. We watch Olympic trials on TV." She answers, smiling at my mother. She smiles back.
"Well, as long as you're comfortable," The parents seem to be getting along rather well. They laugh together easily, joking around about us. I sit down behind Katniss so her back is leaning against my legs. I like how we are now.
Gabe flips to the gymnastic trials for the Olympics, and Katniss lights up. She sits up a little straighter and she abandons her food to watch. Her silver eyes twinkle with radiance as she watches the girls do routines. As I avert my attention to the screen once again, it's like I can see Katniss' slender form in a twinkling outfit, flipping gracefully and eyes shining with happiness as she takes the gold medal. I just hope she can see how beautiful she is and how much she means to me.
We finish our dinner and my mother pushes us out the door.
"Katniss! Do you mind showing Peeta around the neighborhood?" she asks. Katniss nods happily and takes my wrist and pulls me out the door. My mother chuckles and closes the door behind us.
"Well, neighbor. Let's go!" she exclaims happily. She leads me around the neighborhood. She points out the school, the park, the playground and all her favourite spots to just sit and think. I feel warm when I'm around her. Suddenly, someone barks from behind us.
"Hey slut! Oh wait, your name is Katniss. I couldn't tell," he sneered. I clenched my fists. Was he talking about Katniss? I glance at Katniss who has her silver eyes dark with anger and is currently VERY interested with ground. I whipped my head around and saw a boy my age with a smug face, with light brown hair, brown eyes and a smirk plastered on his face. He locks his eyes onto mine. Blue on brown. I clench my jaw, and he smirks.
"Who's this? New friend?" he laughs. Katniss shakes with anger, she clenches her fists so hard that her knuckles turn white.
"Shut up Nate." She mutters, tears threatening to spill out of her silver eyes. He laughs maniacally, and taunts her again.
"Oh, sweetie. Are those tears I see in your eyes? Well, that's too bad." he taunts.
"Tears from your smell." I mutter quietly. The boy who must be Nate whips his head up. He raises his eyebrows questioningly.
"What did you just say?" he asks bitterly. He clenches his fists. Like he's readying himself to punch me. I come up to him and push my shoulder back slightly to defend Katniss.
"I said, those are tears from your stench." I say through gritted teeth. His eyes flash with anger. I can hear Katniss chuckle slightly behind me.
"You sure 'bout that, lover boy?" he asks menacingly. I smirk and nod.
"That stink is all you," I say. He rolls his eyes.
"Are you really going to be friends with that whore?" he asks, half curious, half taunting. I roll my eyes.
"She's not a whore," I say through gritted teeth. Okay, Peeta. Don't punch him. Don't punch him. It becomes a mantra in my head. She's not a whore.
"YES SHE IS, SHE LIVES WITH FOUR FREAKING BOYS! SHE'S A SLUT!" this sets me off. I grab him by the collar of his shirt and push him against a wall.
"She's not a whore. She's not a slut. She's my friend. She's better than you could ever be. You're just a sad little boy who's scared inside and I don't care about what about. Just don't touch her. Or you'll be sorry." I threaten. He laughs. And Gale and Gabe and Andrew rush out of the house.
"Peeta!" Gabe exclaims. They rush by my side quickly.
"Nate," Gale growls. Nate's eyes grow wide and he swallows thickly. Like he's trying to push the impending panic down his throat. I release his shirt, and he warily stalks off.
"AND DON'T COME BACK." Gale growls. I breathe to calm myself down. I look to Katniss who's eyes look distant, like she's in a flashback. Her eyes are wide with fear. She breathes quickly, and she collapses to the ground, her body landing with a dull thud.
Gee. Thank you world.