a/n: okaay, sad chapter :( and don't hate me ! Peety is just angry .

disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

poor poor Peety :(

I count how many times the phone rings. It rings exactly three times during the party (to which avail, Effie has been hounding me about Katniss.).

The first time it's Gale, calling to say he's off with Madge to the movies.

The second time, it's Effie, asking me to wear that "simply stunning cardigan!" she gave me last Christmas. I make up an excuse, saying that I already grew out of it.

And the last time, it's Haymitch Abernathy from Snow Records; he tells me that Snow has agreed to meet with Katniss and I to discuss the matters of our signatures on a contract.

It's quite possibly the best Christmas gift I've ever received.

Katniss mingles with Gabe and my parents a little bit before retreating to my room for a breath of air away from the party. I follow her up the stairs and find her splayed out on my bed.

"Kaat," I lightly scold. "That's not very ladylike," I warn. She groans and burrows her face farther into my sheets. I secretly smile, because the blankets will smell like her after she leaves.

"Right, because I'm ladylike," she mutters, smiling into my sheets.

"Oh, c'mon!" I flop onto my bed beside her, stroking her free and billowy hair while I sit up.
"Hey," I say. "I got awesome news." I tell her. She visibly perks up at the sound of good news and sits up beside me, both our backs pressed up against my wooden headboard.

"What is it?" she asks quietly.

"We're getting signed!" I whisper-shout. Katniss' eyebrows furrow in confusion, so I elaborate further. I tell her about the call I got months ago, about the Haymitch and how he got her on board too, and about Snow and that we'll get a free-ride to the big-time if we do get signed.

"Fantastic things are gonna happen now!" I shout. "We'll be doing this together, and we'll have so much fun, and we'll be free and-"

"Peeta I can't." I think my heart stops.

Did she say she can't?

"W-what?"I stutter. I look back to her and she's standing and looking at me with a wide eyes. She shakes her head quickly and reaches for my desk as she takes a few steps backwards.
"Well, why not?" I feel tears in my eyes already starting to form.

"Peeta, I'm going to college," she rasps. I knew already she was going, I just didn't think she'd go so soon.

"What college are you going to, again?"

"Douglas." she mumbles.

"Katniss, listen to my side for one sec, if we do this, we can earn a lot of money, and then you'll be able to go to college; hell, we'll have enough money to send you to University!" I exclaim, feeling desperate. "Just please, Katniss, I don't want to do this without you." I plead, taking her hand.

She shakes her head.

My heart breaks.

"Peeta, there's a reason Snow only wanted you," she elaborates.

"That's bullshit Katniss and you know it." I start.

But she shakes her head stubbornly.
"No Peeta," she exclaims, stamping her foot on the ground. "Snow is smart, and he's acknowledged that you're the better one to get in this situation-"

"Snow can think whatever the hell he wants, you're the one with the better voice."

"That might be true Peeta, but you're the one that the people will love." this shuts me up quickly. "You have that look, you have the cute voice, you have the style, you have the eyes, you having fucking everything they want Peeta, can't you see that?!" she screams, a tear slipping out of her eye.

I try to breathe normally, but all the pent up anger; at Snow, at Haymitch, at the world just explodes out of me.

"You know what, Katniss? When will you ever see that you're so beautiful, and that anyone in the world would be so lucky to have you, when will you stop underrating yourself, I hate it when you do that! I hate you when you do that!" I scream, my anger clouding my thoughts and I don't really know what I said.

Tears stream down her face, and she runs out of the room, crying horribly and flinging her necklace somewhere. I hear the front door slam and whispers arise.

My breathing finally goes back to normal when I realize what I said.

A leaden feeling fills my head, and horror starts to set in.

I stumble over to my door, intending to apologize, but I trip over something in the hallway.

My head hits the floor and a buzzing starts to set in.

"Fuck," I mutter. I stand, hold my head for a moment, and my eyes lock on the thing I tripped over.

A gift. Wrapped in a pretty wrapping paper that I've come to recognize as the Hawthorne's presents. And on the floor next to the present, is a silver chain.

Her necklace.

I fall to the floor and notice the tag on the gift say to Peeta, from Katniss. I rip open the paper and it reveals the front of a frame. Inside the frame, is a picture.

Katniss and I.

We stand in a meadow, laughing and shoulders touching. A tear slips out of my eye.

A yellow sticky-note peeks out from behind the frame and I turn it over. I recognize Katniss' small and dainty printing immediately.

Peeta,
thanks. You're one of the best parts of my life, and I'm so happy to have met you. Sometimes I try to think of a world without you, but it's hard to imagine that. You're my best friend, but sometimes I think we could be something more. But whatever. The best thing about our friendship is that I know that we'll always be there for each other and we'll always have a tomorrow together.
Always, Katniss.

And on the inside of the frame, where the picture is fixed, a pair of bright green ear-buds and wrapped around the outside of the picture.

The ear-buds that she used the day we met in the library.

And the necklace that lays on the floor sends me a very clear message.

I gave her my forever.

She gave me hers.

And with the sight of the necklace on the floor, the word always bouncing around in my head and her voice trapped in my mind, my heart shatters into a billion pieces, falling into her olive hand, leaving her the key to stitch it back up.