Katniss' POV

I had been at the ball only one hour and already I had had enough. It was a beautiful setting though- the hall was decorated beautifully with wreaths and the smell of pine trees filled the room, and in the centre students danced to music I had never heard before. So far I had managed to avoid Cashmere, but I saw some of her friends shoot me angry glances as I got up to get more punch.

Peeta and I were sitting together at one of the round tables, watching the dance floor. We were trying to pick the worst dancers of the group, and I smiled when I noticed Cashmere at last. She was dancing with Brutus and had an unimpressed look on her face when he stood on her foot. I turned to Peeta and laughed.

"We would be much better dancers." Peeta remarked.

"Oh yeah?"

"Do you want to try and prove me wrong?" Peeta smiled.

"Nice try."

Since we had arrived he had been trying to convince me to dance with him, but so far I had managed to avoid the dance floor. Unlike Peeta, who had been at events like this since he was born, I had no idea how to dance at all, and there was no way tonight was going to be the night to début my dance moves to the school. Especially not in the heels I was wearing.

"Oh well, I guess I'll just sit here and admire you then." Peeta sat back in his chair, and pleased look on his face. I rolled my eyes, but was secretly glad that he liked the way I looked tonight.

While focused on the dance floor, I kept flicking my eyes towards the doors of the hall in case I spotted Finnick arrive. So far he was yet to make an appearance, and I wondered if he was going to turn up at all, and if Annie would be with him if he did.

I suddenly heard someone come up behind us and turned to see a grinning Finnick leading a terrified Annie towards the table.

"Hello friends!" Finnick greeted us. "The guest of honour has arrived." He motioned to Annie, who rolled her eyes.

"Hey, we wondering if you two were going to make it." Peeta replied cheerfully.

Finnick was practically bouncing when he walked as he pulled out Annie's chair for her and the two of them sat down opposite us.

"Don't blame me, Annie took forever to get ready." Finnick pretended to moan.

"More like it took you forever to convince me to come." Annie laughed. She looked towards Peeta and I. "You know, for someone who's apparently so charming, he's not all that persuasive."

It was lovely to see how happy both Finnick and Annie were. Finnick couldn't stop smiling at his date, and kept hold of her hand tightly. Annie seemed happy too, and it was nice that she was so relaxed around us all.

"Peeta, how about the two of us get some more punch?" Finnick suggested. I guessed Finnick wanted to fill in his best friend on his night so far.

Peeta kissed me on the top of my head before getting up with Finnick. To be honest, I was a little hesitant about being alone with Annie because I hardly knew her and I was never good at small talk. For a moment she seemed lost in thought as she watched the dance floor.

"I can't believe I'm actually here." Annie said softly. Here, as in at the ball? With Finnick? Still alive? I decided not to ask her to clarify.

"Me neither." I said.

"I'm guessing this wasn't your idea to go to the ball." Annie observed.

"God no." I replied. "But Peeta kind of had to."

"I get it." Annie said. "This isn't really my thing either." We were quiet for a moment before Annie spoke again. "Isn't it strange how just a few streets can completely change a person? Two blocks south of the Upper East Side and no one cares what brand of clothes you're wearing or what your great grandfather did for work. What is it about an address that gives someone a totally different value system?"

It was the same thing I had been asking myself since I started at The Capitol School, and it was comforting to know that Annie wondered about the same thing. Before I could reply, Finnick and Peeta returned with the punch, and we slipped into comfortable conversation once again.

"You know, I think it's time for a dance." Finnick announced. He stood up and offered Annie his hand. "My lady?"

Annie laughed and joined him standing up. "Are you two coming?"

"Oh, I don't know…" I trailed off. "I'm not a good dancer."

"Come on, Katniss!" Finnick exclaimed.

"Don't worry, neither am I." Annie reassured me. "Stand next to me and I'll make you look amazing in comparison."

"Hey!" Finnick laughed. "There is no way anyone could look bad if they're standing next to my handsome self!"

I turned to Peeta, and I could tell he wanted me to agree. Sighing, I stood and the four of us walked towards the dance floor.

No one must have noticed Finnick and Annie enter the hall, because as soon as they made their way towards the crowd of students, whispers echoed around the hall as people pointed and stared at the two of them. I watched as panic crossed Annie's face as she wasn't used to the attention, but Finnick kept a hold of her hand and whispered something to her that made her relax a little. As they started to dance, they looked at each other as if no one else existed.

Although I was glad a little of the attention was off me, I still felt self conscious as Peeta and I swayed together, amongst the other couples.

"So, are you still hating it?" Peeta asked.

"Hmm maybe not so much."

"Don't worry, there's still time to sneak off later." Peeta winked at me.

I looked across at Finnick and Annie again, who were laughing together despite all the looks they were getting. People seemed genuinely shocked by Finnick's transformation and many of the girls were watching them with jealousy. I also noticed how people's eyes seemed to drift towards Annie's wrists. However, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous too, watching how easy it was for them to be together in front of everyone, as though they didn't care at all.

Finnick was saying something to Annie over and over, that was making her smile. As he got louder she laughed but tried to put her hand over his mouth to stop him. "I love you!" I eventually realised he was saying. He was getting louder still, and people were beginning to stop dancing and watch them. Finnick looked around and saw the attention he and Annie we getting and grinned at her, even though she was trying to shush him.

"Finnick Odair is in love!" Finnick called out to the entire dance floor, and Annie buried her head in his chest, embarrassed. She stayed like that though, resting her head against him as the moved together. As he kissed the top of her head, they looked the perfect picture of happiness despite all the stares they were receiving.

I looked back to Peeta, who was watching them too. I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Did he wish we could be as open with our relationship as they were? I hated all the gossip and the stares that Peeta and I received, so we avoided any physical contact at school, keeping our relationship as private as possible. I hated the fact that I let other people get to me so much, and maybe we should follow Finnick and Annie's lead and stop caring what anyone thought. I'm sure Cashmere would love that.

It was nearing the end of the ball, when I left my table to find the bathroom. As soon as I was washing my hands, I heard the door open and suddenly Cashmere appeared behind me. For a moment she said nothing, fixing her hair in the mirror.

"You look nice tonight, Katniss." she began in an overly pleasant voice.

"Thank you." I replied, trying to remain civil.

"I see you didn't take my advice and stay away from here tonight." She kept up the pleasant tone, looking at me in the mirror.

"I see you didn't take my advice and get over Peeta." I said cooly.

"Oh Katniss." Cashmere smiled at me. "You think you're so clever don't you, trying to beat me at my own games?"

"No, I just don't appreciate my relationship being the main topic of conversation amongst you and your little followers."

"Well lucky for you, I have a new piece of gossip to take its place."

"And what is that?" I had a feeling it wasn't good, whatever it was.

"I took a little trip to your neighbourhood yesterday." Cashmere continued to fix her hair while I stared at her. "I found out some very interesting things."

"Like what?" I could feel panic rising in me.

"Does the name 'Seam' ring any bells?" she smiled as my eyes widened.

"Why?" I said quickly.

"Oh, I found quite a few people who knew that name well, and were more than happy to tell me all about your little gang with- what was his name? Gale?"

I said nothing, and she started to laugh. "Looks like the Upper East Side isn't the only place people like to gossip."

"You don't know anything about that." I snapped.

"Oh really?" Cashmere turned to me. "So I don't know anything about your little criminal history then? Someone told me that you have quite the talent for thievery."

"That was a long time ago." I told her.

"Well I heard that your friend Gale is just one conviction away from prison, and I bet there is a whole line of people willing to turn you in too."

That was true. While Gale and I had never been caught by the police for the items that we stole, there were many gangs like our Seam gang that were hoping to see us go down. We were always the best, and seeing as we had never been caught, we had made a lot of enemies in our younger years. Not only that, Gale had been in trouble in the past for fighting on the streets, and I had warned him time and time again that the next time he got caught, he wouldn't just get a warning. The police liked to make an example of our gangs to the younger kids in our area, and now that Gale was eighteen, there was no doubt that the police would be happy to see him behind bars.

"Cashmere, what do you want from me?" I wanted to get to the point. It was true, I couldn't beat Cashmere at her games, she was way too good. I just wanted to know where I stood.

"Well, at first I wanted you to stay away from Peeta." She smiled. "But now I want to see you go down. You don't belong here, Katniss Everdeen, and I'm going to make sure the whole city knows what you've done." With that, she left me standing alone in the bathroom.

I took me several minutes to compose myself, before I could even think about going back to the ball. I'd assumed that Cashmere was only making empty threats, but the fact that she actually went into my neighbourhood scared me. I had a feeling that Cashmere was serious now, and I had no idea what to do.

When I returned to the table, I tried to act as normal as possible, but Peeta immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"Hey, are you okay?" Peeta asked, concerned. "You look pale."

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine." I said, not meeting his eye.

"Are you sure?"

Internally I sighed. Peeta was way too good for me. I said nothing, but nodded.

"Okay, because we were thinking of leaving early, and going back to my place." Peeta said.

"Great!" I said, relieved. We had planned to do this anyway, and I had a brought a change of clothes with me, but at that moment I wanted nothing more than to get out of that place and away from Cashmere.

I tried to act like nothing was wrong, as the four of us piled into the limousine waiting outside. I laughed along with Peeta as Finnick and Annie playfully argued about who was the better swimmer, and smiled as much as I could when Peeta's hand found mine. However, I couldn't stop worrying about what Cashmere had just discovered.

Peeta's apartment was dark and silent when we arrived, just as the clock struck midnight. We tried to stay as quiet as we could as Peeta led us to his bedroom down the hall.

When Peeta switched on the light, I realised I had never seen his room before, and I was surprised by how neat and organised it was. His clothes were stacked neatly in his wardrobe, and the wall behind his desk was covered in an orderly display of study notes. The only exception was the desk itself, which was strewn with rough sketches of cakes to be decorated and coloured pencils lying around.

Finnick flopped down on Peeta's bed as if it was his own, pulling Annie down on top of him.

"Finnick!" she giggled, as he kissed her. She looked over at us, embarrassed, but Finnick wasn't fazed.

"I'll go get some extra blankets." Peeta said, "Hope you don't mind sleeping on the floor."

"I don't care where I sleep, as long as I'm with Annie." Finnick joked. Although his tone was light, I really believed him.

"What, I can't stay here!" Annie said, "I have to go back to the hospital- the nurses will freak out if they find out I'm not there."

"Oh come on, Annie, we can go back in the morning." Finnick whined.

"But what if we get caught?" Annie persisted, biting her lip.

"Don't worry." Finnick laughed, "I've got those nurses totally under control."

Annie rolled her eyes. "I don't know, Finnick…"

"Please, Annie!" Finnick begged playfully, "Just one night? I'll have you back there first thing tomorrow morning."

I could tell that Annie desperately wanted to stay with Finnick, I mean, she was still holding tightly onto his hand. Finally, she gave in. "Fine, but don't you dare sleep in."

Peeta returned, his arms piled high with blankets and pillows. He dropped them to the ground, pretending they weighed a hundred tonnes. Finnick and Annie got to work setting up their bed in the empty space on the floor.

Peeta looked at me shyly. "I can sleep on the floor too, if you'd like."

"What, no." I replied. "That's not fair. You can sleep in your bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

"Unless you'd like to sleep in my bed too." Peeta suggested cheekily.

I laughed. I supposed there was no harm in it, it wasn't as though anything was going to happen tonight, but the idea still scared me a little. I wished I could be as open with Peeta and Annie and Finnick were with each other, but I was still getting used to the idea of being in a relationship, and letting another person in. This kind of closeness was something I had never experienced.

Peeta and Finnick got changed out of their suits first, and while they said we had to turn our backs, Finnick insisted that Annie was definitely sneaking a look at him. However, I was still too distracted by Cashmere's comments to even consider turning around.

"Finnick, you didn't bring anything for me to sleep in, did you?" Annie asked.

"Hmm, looks like I forgot that too." Finnick quickly pulled off the t-shirt he was wearing and handed it to Annie. "Here, you can wear this."

Annie rolled her eyes. "You so planned that."

Finnick gave Annie a wink as she stood. I walked with her across the hall, and we got changed in the bathroom opposite Peeta's bedroom.

"This is so great." Annie said happily, playing with the fabric of Finnick's t-shirt that was way too big for her. "I'm so glad Finnick convinced me to go with him." She paused for a moment. "Sorry if we make you uncomfortable, Finnick isn't is always exactly modest."

I laughed. "Don't worry about it."

"I like that you and Peeta are more private about your relationship." Annie told me honestly. "They way Peeta looks at you- he really, really likes you."

"Thanks, Annie." I said, blushing a little. "I'm really glad that you're here."

We went back into Peeta's room, and Annie comfortably lay down next to Finnick on the floor. I could hear them whispering to each other, but couldn't quite make out the words as I gingerly got into bed next to Peeta.

"Good night." Peeta said sweetly, kissing me softly.

"Good night." I replied, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep, not after what had happened with Cashmere.

At around four o'clock, I decided to get out of bed and get a drink of water. I hadn't slept at all, and I was starting to go crazy. As quietly as I could, I got out of bed and tiptoed passed Finnick and Annie, who were wrapped up in each other's arms, fast asleep.

I was nearly finished the glass of water, when I heard someone enter the kitchen. I spun around and saw Peeta's mother standing in front of me.

"I'm sorry." I said quickly, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You're Peeta's girlfriend, right?" His mother said in reply. "Scholarship girl."

"Umm yep, that's me."

"I dated a boy that wasn't from around here once." His mother began, unexpectedly. "I didn't work out, and I knew it never would. My advice, get out now. You don't belong here."

I was speechless for a moment, I had not expected this conversation. I gulped loudly and put the empty glass down. "I've got to get back to bed." I quickly left the kitchen.

As I got back into bed, I was almost completely consumed by panic. Even though he was asleep, Peeta's arms automatically wrapped around my waist, and I felt so guilty that I was seriously considering what his mother had said. Cashmere and Peeta's mother were right, I didn't belong here, and I was way out of my depth. Maybe I should just leave this place, go back to my old school and forget all about Peeta. That way no one would get hurt- Peeta, Gale or myself.