A/N: Thanks for all the reviews/follows/favourites, and thank you also to my beta PhoenixGrace! Not much else to say here, so enjoy!

Guest: Arghh, sorry. I forgot. :/ I know, I'm smart. I will try my best to add more Glato in the next few chapters, but I promise there will be more soon. Like, soon.

Youburnwithus12: Thank you so much! :)

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Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games. *shock horror*

I Never Knew

By kelster07

Chapter 9: Fashion Queens and Brawls

"Oi, will you stop that!" Glimmer says, smacking my wandering hands away from the elaborate hairdo. Katniss, Glimmer and I are in Glimmer's massive bedroom. When the problem of dresses, hair and make-up for the Brown-Pearl wedding arose sometime last week, I immediately pushed the responsibility towards Glimmer. Now, I think I'm starting to regret it. Scrap that, I am starting to regret it.

I look in the mirror and see that Glimmer's braided my hair down one side, ending in a bun. It's got pins sticking out everywhere and I'm resisting the temptation to rip them all out. Glimmer's also shovelled Katniss into some sparkly gown, and she hasn't pulled away once. I have no idea how she does that.

"Do I have to go?" I whine. The second the words come out of my mouth, I regret them.

Glimmer and Katniss both come and sit down next to me on the bed.

"Clo," Katniss starts.

"I take it back," I mutter, looking away.

Glimemr decides to continue the lecture anyway. "You know that Marvel needs you there. He needs all of us there. His dad is about to marry Cashmere's mum, of all people. It's not going to be easy for him."

"Yeah, I know," I say.

"Good," Glimmer says. "He's going to love your dress!"

"Glim. You do realise I have a boyfr-" I break off and then amend, "Date, right?"

The two girls exchange looks.

"You're going with Lakyn, aren't you?" Katniss asks.

"Yeah. And you're going with Peeta?"

Her cheeks flush slightly and she nods.

"Clo-" Glimmer starts. I already know what's coming.

"I can handle myself," I say, playing with the knobbly bits of the bedhead.

"No, seriously. Be careful. I know you really like him-" I can't help but cringe when she says those words. It's childish, I know.

She continues, "But there's nothing to stop what happened with Aaron happening again."

I jump up immediately at the name, as if a vat of boiling pouring was poured onto my skin. Bottles and hair pins fly everywhere.

"Do not mention that ever again," I seethe, giving her a long, hard look.

She holds her hands up in surrender. "Sorry, I just don't want to see you getting hurt, Clo."

I sigh. "You know as well as anyone that I can throw a good punch. Can we please skip this?"

They exchange looks and I can't help but roll my eyes.

"Fine. Now go put this on." Glimmer pulls out a red Aztec-printed dress that looks like it would end just above the knee.

Instantly, a string of protests fly out of me, "No! You are not making me-"

I'm cut off by Katniss who pushes me towards the nearby bathroom. "Hey!" I cry out, "I thought you were on my side!"

"Thought, being the key word," she mocks, closing the door behind me. I sigh, and pull the dress off the hanger. I slip it on away from the mirror. I seriously hope that it looks terrible, so I can get away with wearing jeans, but once again, knowing Glimmer, everything she chooses is perfect. I'm not wrong.

"Ho-ly shit," I gasp.

The dress fits me perfectly and makes my brown eyes seem infinitely brighter. I look in the mirror in disbelief again. I tuck a loose tendril behind my ear before Glimmer yells to me not to touch my hair. I brace myself before opening the door.

Two jaws drop and I scowl, sitting down on the sofa with a big heave.

"You look amazing."

"Amazing, my arse," I grumble.

The door bell rings and I bounce off the couch and run down the stairs, desperately avoiding another 'girl talk'.

I open the door and Peeta and Cato are standing there. Cato wears a blue shirt and pants which I obviously poke fun at. He beats me to it.

"Two dresses in a month? Trying to impress anyone in particular?" Cato winks suggestively.
I look down at my attire. "Blame Glimmer. And Katniss."

"And Lakyn," he adds.

I lunge forwards but the stupid dress lacks any form of elasticity.

"Cato!"

He just laughs and follows me inside. They sit down next to me on the couch while Glimmer and Katniss does god-knows-what upstairs. How long do they take? Like, seriously.

"Who are you going with?" Peeta asks, lying back on the sofa.

"Lakyn," I say. "He's meeting me at the wedding reception.

I look over at Cato and inwardly groan when I see his expression. I interject before he can even say a word. "I can take care of myself, Cato. Anyway, he won't hurt me."

It's funny how last words have a way of coming back to haunt you.

The wedding service was hours ago, but the festivities don't look like they'll be stopping anytime soon. It was a Brown-Pearl wedding, after all. As night falls, pretty lights light up the gazebo and patio area, where couples are swaying to the music. Loud noise comes from the white marquee as guests savour the finger snacks.

After a dance with Lakyn, I leave the patio and find Marvel sitting alone on a nearby bench.

"Hey. Where's Taffeta?" The words come out of my mouth more snidely than it meant to.

He looks up and says, "I don't know, somewhere."

"How are you?" I don't really care, I just want to make conversation.

A strange look passes over his face. "The 'how are you' should technically go before 'where's Taffeta'."

I shrug. "Screw the rules."

He laughs, "And that's exactly what you would say."

I scowl. "Stop avoiding the question."

He looks down again. It's then I notice the drop in the atmosphere; it's like everything turns serious in that millisecond.

"Marvel?" I ask cautiously.

He still doesn't look at me. We sit in silence for a few seconds before he speaks up. "I just can't believe it's all over, you know?"

Well, I don't.

"My older sister's moving out next week. My dad's completely infatuating with my step-mum. Cashmere and Gloss are the limit," he says. "Do you know that feeling when you're completely alone?"

He finally looks up and I can see regret, anger and exhaustion in his eyes. I shift uncomfortably in my seat—I've never been good with words, especially in situations like this.

"You're not alone."

Yeah, because that's totally reassuring.

"Yes, I am."

Then something inside of me breaks. I start to speak, unable to stop the words coming out of my mouth. "You're not. You're not alone. You have me."

I cringe. And this, is the exact reason why I don't sympathises Or empathise. Hell, I don't even know the difference.

I blabber on, "You have Cato. And Glimmer. And Katniss and Peeta and Gale and Finnick and just about everyone. So don't ever say you're alone."

I don't even know why I'm getting so worked up over this. I feel like I've been injected with some kind of drug that takes away your perfectly capable mind and replaces it with something not as… well, fabulous. On impulse, I reach over and wrap my arms around him comfortingly. It only registers in my head a few seconds after, which is not helpful.

"You're not alone," I whisper firmly.

After that, we talk and laugh ourselves silly.

"Want to dance?" I finally ask.

"Where's Lakyn?" Marvel looks around.

"I don't know, probably at the bar with his friends."

We walk over to the patio and dance around ridiculously. Once my feet are dying and my breath is short, he offers to get drinks. I smile and he walks away. I push through groups of people to Glimmer and Cato. Her blonde hair is flying everywhere in ringlets.

"Hey, Glim."

Much to my distaste, she lets go of Cato and spins me around. I'm not expecting it, so my feet stumble over each other before I land splat on the ground.

"Thanks a lot."

"Sorry," she says, looking behind at Cato. Then she whispers in my ear, "Have you seen Marvel? I'm worried, the last time I saw him he looked deathly white."

As if on cue, Cato says loudly, "Where's Marvel? I haven't seen him all night."

"I don't know. He's getting dri- Wait, let me go find him." I remember how long Marvel's been gone, so I push through the dance floor and head towards the marquee. Then I see him.

He's standing behind a bar, face growing redder as time goes on. Sitting in front of him is Lakyn and a couple of his friends. And then it happens. His fist collides with Lakyn's nose and all hell breaks loose.

"Cato, get over here!" I scream, now barging through the crowds. People stop and stare as if it's a street performer doing some magic trick. Can't they do something?

"Get out of my way," I seethe to the oblivious people around me. I turn around and Cato's having the same problem as me. Then I look back at the bar. Lakyn throws a punch at Marvel's cheekbone and I wince at his sheer strength. His friends stand around, one wrestling Lakyn away and the other relentlessly hitting Marvel. Oh my god.

Finally, I reach the fight. It's not until now that all the pent up anger is let out. My hand tightens around Marvel's arm and I scream, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Against my better judgement, my hand raises and strikes his cheek. He pulls away, face burning, but nothing compared to what I'm feeling. In that moment, everything falls apart.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I rage, taking deep breaths. "I leave you alone for one moment and you go around punching my friends? Are you serious?"

"You didn't hear the things he was saying. He said he was going to… going to…" Marvel breaks off looking angry and lost.

"Can't remember the excuse you were going to make up?" One of Lakyn's friends laugh, and it takes everything in me not to whack both of them unconscious.

"He said he was going to take advantage of you," Marvel finishes, ignoring the obvious sneering around him.

It doesn't help my anger. I snarl, "I don't need to hear your excuses. Whatever you think you heard doesn't give you the right to start a scene at your father's wedding."

"It's not what I think I heard, it's what I know I heard. He is a-"

Cato arrives and pulls me away as I continue screaming obscenities at everyone in sight.

"Let me go!" I shout, ripping my arm away from Cato's grip. "Cato!"

He turns towards Marvel and I leap away, rushing to Lakyn who's covering his nose. A sticky red substance leaks through his fingers and I grab the box of tissues lying on the bar-top.

"Are you okay?"

"What the hell," Lakyn whines. "I was talking to my mates and then he comes out and attacks me. That guy is mental!"

Marvel barrels towards him again, but luckily Cato restraints him. I have to use every ounce of willpower to not lose it right then and there. Glimmer grabs my arm and pulls me away to a nearby bench. We sit in silence until I say, "Who does that? Who starts a fight for absolutely no reason at a wedding, of all places?"

Glimmer gives me a long, hard look. "You know Marvel. He wouldn't have done that unprovoked."

I rake my fingers through my messy hair, expecting Glimmer to swat my fingers away. She doesn't. "But still. Lakyn… he wouldn't say that about me, would he?"

Glimmer sighs. The weight of the situation then crushes down on me, when I realise that either my boyfriend is a bastard or the guy who I've finally deemed as 'nice' is a bastard. Either way, it's not pretty.

"I've been friends with Marvel since I was a kid, so I might be a bit biased—but do you really think Marvel would just go up to someone at punch them? It's not really in his nature," Glimmer says.

"He- he said he heard something," I say weakly, as if it would make the difference of the world.

Glimmer nods and says grimly, "Then whatever he thinks he heard, he probably did."

The words sink in. I've only been in talking-range with Marvel for a few weeks, but as much as I hate to admit it, he's not a bad person. Lakyn, he's the first person I've liked in that way for a while. But Glimmer's never been wrong. Never.

So maybe she does have a point. But what I don't understand is how come everyone I choose ends up like this? I feel like an idiot. A sick feeling settles in the stomach as well as guilt. I freaking punched Marvel, and now I realise, for nothing. And Lakyn? I don't even want to be thinking of him right now.

Glimmer must notice the rising hysteria and reaches over, hugging me tightly. I blink away unshed tears of fury and understanding. Lakyn is dead to me, but I hate myself even more.

I have a lot of sorting out to do.

A/N: Eek. Clove. Lakyn. Marvel.

Okay, firstly: shameless advertising. I have a new story up, called drop everything now, and if you like this story, I would really recommend you to read it and maybe leave a review? It's going to be a lot shorter than this one, and I'm actually pretty proud of it, to be honest. It's kind of fluffy.

Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you gave it a chance. Please review! Lately I've been finding it harder to write, and reviews inspire me to do so. *hint hint* I'd love to know your thoughts!