I know it took long but don't kill me, i was working on my other story so please check it out! SO I know its thanksgiving and Im very thankful to have you guys so here ya go ;) PLEASE REVIEW!

Before I even reach Peeta's room, Rye exits the bathroom and bumps into me. As I nearly fall down the stairs from the impact, I feel a pair of hands catch me and incase me in its arms. Before I could register what just happened, I'm looking into the crystal blue eyes of my best friend, who is only in his boxers. God, he has a cute butt...

"oh, I... um" I've never seen him so flustered. He has always known what to say, it was me that usually ran out of words.

"I should probably let you... uh you know-" I quickly say, shunning myself for seeing my best friend in such a way.

"Yeah! um kay see you in a bit?"

"yeah..." I trail of as he enters his room and closes the door behind him. But something was off, he wasn't usually like this...

"Sorry Katniss!" Rye says.

"Its alright, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time I guess."

"So, you and Peet, eh?" he smirks as he says this. Rye and his older brother Bannock has always treated me like a little sister. They had been there for me just as well as Peeta had been. So thinking of Peeta in a romantic way had made me blush a bright shade of red.

"Me and Peeta... what? we uh.. j-just good friends!" At that moment, Peeta had come out fully clothed, sporting a blue v neck Henley, dark blue vans and black jeans. His hair remained slightly combed and his blue eyes were staring back into mine. After a few minutes, we headed down stairs and hopped in his car, driving off to my house next.

After closing the front door behind me, Peeta goes to sit on the couch and wait for me while I head up stairs to prep for the party. Just before shutting the door I hear Prim as she rolls her wheel chair over to where Peeta was sitting on the couch. Prim had gotten into a car accident when Gale was taking her home from a birthday party at Rory's house. They said she wouldn't be able to walk for a few months so she's been using my mothers wheel chair from when my mother used it during her nursing days. Although everyone says it was an accident, I know for a fact that Gale had been drunk while dropping off Prim. I could smell it on his breath when my mother and I reached to the hospital. I hadn't said anything because I know that Prim really likes Rory and that would just pull them apart. So to put my mind at ease, Peeta offered to drive Prim where ever whenever as long as he didn't have his shift at the bakery.

"What to wear..." I say out loud to myself. I sigh. I was never one to wear such fancy 'upper class' clothing, neither did I want to. I had a few flats that had been replaced by high tops and converse long time ago, and my dresses were traded in for hoodies and t-shirts. However I manage to salvage a high low dress with a flowery blue skirt that flowed perfectly, along with an white embroidered sleeveless torso that made me decent, and a thin brown belt around my waist that tied everything together. Slipping on white flats that matched my shirt, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs to find Peeta and Prim playing a board game. Wait, have I really taken that long? I think they're already done...

"Oh hi Katniss!" Prim exclaims. She stops to hug me then closely examines my choice in clothing. "Your missing something..."

"Prim I know what you're thinking and no, I'm not going to put on make up" I say.

"Awww... I suppose you can do it at least once..." I was surprised to find Peeta pleading with prim too, making the best pouty face he could, his eyes round and doe-like.

"Peeta!"

"C'mon Katniss!"

"Fine, but I don't know how.."

"I'll do it for you! Peeta will help too!" Having been practically dragged back upstairs to my room, I slouched down further into my chair as the began using my face as a canvas. When they were done, I carefully took a look at my reflection. Looking at the girl in front of me, I would have never recognized her, had it not been for my chocolate brown hair and grey eyes that was unmistakably mine. My eyes were smoky and brought out the grey in my eyes and the muted red lipstick complimented my complexion perfectly. I looked like one of the models from Victoria's Secret.

"wow..." Peeta says, "You look... breathtaking." This made me blush uncontrollably and the foundation did nothing to hide it.

"Uh...thanks, you too?" he chuckled at my response, and like the gentleman he was, he stuck out his elbow for me to hold on to. I hesitantly grabbed his arm and he winked in response. After some final touch ups from Prim, I was out the door and into Peeta's car in only a few seconds tops. As he stuck the key into the ignition, I softly turned on the radio as the song "Red" by Taylor Swift was playing on the radio. After the first verse, I began to sing along and coaxed Peeta to do so as well.

"Oh, come on! please, for me?" I pouted, trying to mimic his expression from earlier.

"If I can put on make up I think you can be able to sing..." It seemed to work cause so enough, he was singing too. We probably looked crazy to the other drivers/pedestrians but to me it seemed perfectly normal. To me, it was just me and him, together and having fun like we always do. It seemed to come so naturally. Just me and Peeta...

We pulled up to Finnick's house 15 minutes later and after parking the car, Peeta walked with me with his arm on my shoulder as we went up to Finnick's front door. We could tell the party was in full swing because we were able to hear the music from outside. After ringing the door bell a few times, Annie answered with Finnick at her side.

"Hey guys! thought you'd chicken out at the last second" Finnick greeted as he then proceeded to chug down his beer.

"When have I ever chickened out of a party?" Peeta responded, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Hmm, let me see..." Finnick thought for awhile before giving an answer, "2 years ago, new years eve!"

"Ok, lets not relive that..."

"Agreed... if you beat me in beer pong."

"You're on!"

Me and Annie laugh as we join them inside. I grab a beer from the cooler and watch Finnick and Peeta attempt to beat each other over and over again at beer pong. As Annie, Madge and Johanna come up to join me, we talk for what seems like hours.

"Hey brainless when are you and Bread boy going to make it official?" Johanna ventures.

"what? no, me and...w-we're just Best f-friends!" I protest.

" Finnick and I think you're perfect for each other..."Annie complies.

"We're just close friends."

"Really? Then why does he look at you like that?" Madge joins in.

"Like what?"

"Right now...look" I turn to see a pair of crystal blue eyes looking at me and Peeta softly smiles at me once I notice. He then proceeds to talking one of his friends who I recognize from the wrestling team. Darius was his name I think. His curly red head nodded as Peeta continued to talk to him. I wondered what they were talking about as I took a long swig from my beer.

After a while, I felt the urge to take a piss and asked Annie where the restroom was. Following her directions and weaving my way through the crowd, I managed to reach the door when someone who had just got out bumped into me. After uttering an apology, a familiar voice catches my ear.

"Katniss?" oh shit... unfortunately the guy who I had just bumped into had to be the one guy I spent months crying over while Peeta comforted me.

"Gale?"

"Gale? wha-what are you doing here?" I say, my voice trembling with every word.

"Its a party isn't it?" seeing how I'm not buying it, he goes straight to the point, "Look I messed up alright. I want you back."

"You think you can get me back by just saying that?"

"well I was hoping-"

"Don't even talk, Gale. I'm tired of this, we were over a long time ago." I say this with more confidence than I thought i had in my whole body and briskly enter into the restroom, not wanting to hear another word. After you-know-what, I looked myself in the mirror and splashed my face with cold water to cool my nerves. I exited the bathroom and scanned the crowd for my friends. All I could see was a large crowd surrounding what seems to be a fight between 3 guys. Taking a closer look I could see a dark head, facing off between 2 other guys and apparently winning. But as I near the crowd, I just make out the 2 other boys. Its only when they face toward me that I recognize their bruised and bloody faces: Finnick and...

"Peeta!" I dashed towards them throwing my body against Peeta's broken one, bracing myself for the next blow. It comes as quick as lightning and strikes me right across my face. I blacked out and I am just able to make out Peeta's figure as he swiftly punches Gale square in the face. Then, everything goes black.

I wake up to find myself in my bed, with Peeta sleeping on a nearby chair, his torso folded over onto the bed like people do in the movies when a loved one is in the hospital. Looking towards my alarm clock, I see that its only half past four in the morning. Peeta starts to stir in his sleep and his eyes flutter open as he realizes I was awake.

"Morning Kat" he says, I notice his voice is still raspy from sleep but there's a dark bruise under his eye. Sitting up in bed, I stretch as Peeta does the same.

"So what do you remember from last night?" he asks.

"Well while you and the guys were talking, I had just gone into the washroom and bumped into..." I don't even have to say it because I know he knows. "Anyway, when I exited I saw you guys fighting and threw myself in front of you and I blacked out." Peeta nodded and told me what he went through.

"So I'm talking to Darius from the wrestling team and I see..."

"Yeah I know."

"And walks up to me and says he's going to get you back even if he has to kill me. He then threatens to punch me when Finnick walks in and punches him square in the jaw. I go after Gale when he punches Finnick back and let's just say it got really ugly. Anyways, after he knocked me down and started kicking me, you came in and acted like a shield and protected me. Then when Gale knocked you out, I got mad and punched him square in the face."

"Wow, thanks... I-"

"Actually, I should be thanking you. I'd probably be in the hospital if it weren't for you. "

"You'd do the same for me." I say. He smiles at me and I embrace him tightly. I feel him wince and I abruptly let go and without a word, he shows me the mark that my ex-boyfriend did. I thick red gash/bruise is evident under Peeta's shirt. He wasn't exactly bleeding, but I could tell he was in pain. As tears began to well up in the corners of my eyes and slide down my cheek, he gently wiped them away with the pad of his thumb, moving it smoothly and effortlessly over my skin. He moves closer and my eyes begin to flutter close. Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted us and we jumped apart, knowing what we had almost done. Peeta went to open it, and standing in the doorway was Prim with a tray that looked like it had my breakfast on it.

"Hey katniss! I heard you were already up so I brought you something to eat before the Archery competition." she said.

"Oh shit I forgot about that!" I gobbled down my breakfast down my breakfast and hurrying my sister and Peeta out the door, I threw on my clothes and grabbed my bow and quiver and head downstairs. Peeta is just finishing his breakfast when I arrive downstairs, fully suited.

"Ready? I can drive you after I get some stuff at my house." Peeta asks.

"No time, I'll meet you there?"

"Yeah sure. See you in a few." he sent one of his signature smiles and wished me luck before I left in my own car, speeding down the street.

"What just happened?" I say to myself, "I mean we're just friends... and we almost kissed." I practically whisper the last word before pulling into our high school's parking lot nearest to the football field, where the competition was being held this year. Stealing the last parking in the in the seniors parking, I rush towards the gym doors where some of the trainers and spectators were waiting.

"Katniss! you made it!" Annie says excitedly. All of them are there, Madge, Johanna, Annie and Finnick. It's just Peeta who's missing.

"Yeah, I'm going to go get ready." I wave to my friends before going off onto the field to practice. The weather is pretty warm today and there's no sign of stray gusts of wind so I begin with several practice shots. After hitting each target with swift precision, I take out my phone to check for any messages Peeta had left. He still hasn't come yet and it was starting to worry me. Was he mad about the almost-kiss? No, that isn't like him... I guess I was just going to have to wait.

The competion starts in about half an hour, and I've just finished filling out forms and still hasn't even left a message and I am beginning to feel restless, and giving up my phone at the reception desk wasn't going to help. What if something bad happened? I considered calling him when the host of the tournament started to speak through a bullhorn.

"Helloooooo and welcome to this years Annual Amateur Archer's Assembly! I am your host Caesar Flickerman and I will be your host for this exciting and challenging competition! Spectators please take a seat as the tournament will be starting in a few minutes."

A few minutes? But where's Peeta? No, he's going to make it. He probably got side-tracked by his demon-of-a-mother. yeah that's probably it... Suddenly the voice reappears.

"Oh and can Katniss Everdeen please report to the main registration desk?"

As I nervously reach the desk, they tell me I have phone call on hold and that it was urgent. Picking up the phone, I press my ear into the phone and speak into the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Katniss?"

"Prim? What was so urgent that you needed to call me?"

"Its... I-Its Peeta." I can hear her trying to hold back tears as she struggles to speak. Something's really wrong.

"What? Prim what happened? Tell me please!"

"Is there a T.V there? go to Cp24" and with that she hung up. Running to the nearest T.V at the school office, I switched it on and changed the channel to the news.

"There has been a fatal car accident near Mockingjay St. and Jabberjay Avenue. There is only one victim who was identified as 17 year old Peeta Mellark. We will give you the latest details on this story as we further investigate the incident."

Dropping to my knees, I sit there in the middle of the office, crying as if there was nothing left to do in the world, now that they took him away from me.

So for thanksgiving I extended this chapter! So please review, comment and tell your friends :)