(A/N: Hi thank you there reading, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you like this chapter, please review!)
I think Chuck was quite shocked at what he heard to be fair because nobody except Blight and Silver even know there's such a thing as 'Finnick and I'. He's been ok with me ever since though. My phone hasn't stopped ringing for months though and when I was taking a stroll through town I was reminded of the fact that the games is only 3months away. How quick these months have gone before another year has come around the corner.
In this time, I could quite easily call Chuck a friend. Perhaps even a Bestfriend. He visits me daily and sometimes he stays for tea or even to watch all the crazy Capitol programmes with me. He's pretty faultless too. He doesn't ask me things that I find too painful to answer. He just goes with the flow. His only fault is the fact he can't help bad mouth the Capitol freely. I keep reminding him that I'm pretty sure my house is bugged but he doesn't seem to care.
I almost told him one day about what happened to my family and that he shouldn't undermine Snow but I couldn't. I couldn't because I'd have to go into all the things I was ashamed of. About the prostitution. About everything. So I make the best efforts to just ignore him or divert the subject. It turns out that the majority of his views match my own.
I'm unsure what to do about Finnick. I need advice but I can't ask Chuck about it, Blight's always drunk, Egor would probably think I was married to him and Silver...Silver is just too Finnick loving. I'm flooded on a weekly basis with messages from him. Saying that he misses me or that we'll sort it out when we see each other next and so on. But honestly I don't see how. I just have this tiny fear though that I'm going to see him and be unable to stay mad at him because I know that's likely to happen.
I've not been sleeping good recently though in fact I've barely been sleeping at all. "Johanna it would be good if you didn't fall asleep part way through conversation." Chuck sighs breaking me from my apparently long thought process. I blink heavily giving him an apologetic look.
"I've not been sleeping too good. Games in a few months and all." I sigh getting up to flick on the kettle for a coffee. Without even allowing it Finnick's seductive voice pops up in my head as I reach for the jar of sugar 'fancy a sugar cube. It improves the taste' his purr of a voice enters my already thought filled head. I shut the jar. No. No I don't fancy a sugar cube.
"Is it because of what happened a few months ago? I know I said we wouldn't talk about it but I'm worried." He says defensively. I shrug my shoulders in answer.
"Partially." I admit pouring the hot water into two mugs then giving them a good stir.
"You going to tell me why I got to speak to the famous player Finnick Odair yet? Or why it sounded like a break up from where I was standing?" He asks.
Just out of instinct I find myself jumping in to defend Finnick. Force off habit, I guess. Either that or the fact I don't like hearing rumours that aren't true.
"He's not like that and we weren't breaking up! We're not even together. We've just had an argument that's all." I sigh.
"Well perhaps you ought to fix it so you don't fall asleep when I'm talking!" He sighs. Perhaps I should. It was after all me who slammed the phone down on him and it as after all me who won't pick up the phone anymore.
"You know for the not sleeping thing. Why don't you come to work with me. Good fresh air... Something to keep your mind occupied." He tries to tempt me with. I scrunch my nose unsure. His family can't exactly be huge fans of me.
"Come on. A little bit of furniture painting out the back it'll do you good." He twists my arm with. I end up going to work with him because if I'm honest I cannot deal with the silence of my house for a second longer. He's never asked about why I have no family. I guess he's worried about treading on a sensitive nerve.
He leads me into the workshop by the hand. His mother is in there sorting out the books. Her eyebrows rise when she sees me. I know she finds Chuck and I's friendship hard to digest because when he tells her that we're gonna paint the rocking chair out the back she merely grunts.
It's actually to my surprise rather therapeutic in the end. Except for the parts where Chuck pipes in with suggestions for improvements. "You don't like being criticised do you?" He observes as I ignore his suggestions. I smirk slightly because its true. I swivel around brush in hand and blot his nose with the end of my brush.
"Huh. I think you'll find yourself demoted for that Miss." He says with a smirk on his face.
"Demoted to what? Brush washing?" I laugh.
"No. Hair washing." He smirks pulling his brush through my hair. I glare at him splatting him in the face with my own brush. We're both laughing hysterically and covered in paint when there's a loud cough. "Why don't you go back to where you came from Johanna. Chuck doesn't need friends like you so go! Go back your victor friends that's who you are!" His mother shouts wafting the cloth in the air. Chuck looks fuming with her but I pass him the brush and stand up.
"Ma'am I'd just like to remind you that I was one of you not that long ago myself." I say dodging past her and running through the workshop.
Chuck catches my arm just as I reach the door. "I'm sorry about her. Look I'll come see you in the morning." He tells me giving me an apologetic squeeze then allowing me out the door. To be honest I can't help wonder as I walk home if his mother is true? If I belong better with the likes of Finnick and a drunken Chaff better than I do a boy from my own District. It does however naturally sway me into the arms of a Victor though because only they know what it's like to be classed as different so when I return home I finally decide to call him.
It only calls 3 times before he answers. "So you finally gave in? What was it? Did you see a bowl of sugar cubes on the market?" Finnick chuckles. I can't help smile too because its good to hear his voice. It's good to hear him talking normally.
"Actually no. So, thought I best ring since if I leave it any longer I'll have to bail you out with your phone bill." I laugh feeling for the first time at ease with him since before the party at Snow's mansion.
"Well I'm glad you have. So tell me what've you been up to?" He asks me.
"Are we just gonna pretend all that didn't happen?" I ask dodging his question and getting back to the reasoning why we haven't spoke.
"Jo, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been like that on the phone. Please, please can we just get back to how we were?" He pleads with me.
This is when I have to ask myself a question. When I get to the games in 3months time am I going to manage without him? Am I going to manage when my tributes die and I'm all alone. Am I going to manage when I have to go to Snow's mansion. No. And even if I could, I cannot have the best of both worlds. I can't have him one day and not the next because that isn't fair on him.
I ponder for a moment before I reply. I know it's not as if I'm signing a contract but it sure as hell feels like it. I can't help thing of what Chuck said about Finnick. I know he meant no harm by it but for whatever reason it hurt me. It hurt me because I care about him and I know it's not true.
"Ok but Finnick, no more telling me you love me ok?" I say sternly into the phone just as the door slams and Blight stumbles into the room.
"I promise. Take care Mason, see you soon. I lo.. I mean bye." He says almost getting caught out already.
"Don't go drowning Finn, bye." I chuckle shutting off the phone and looking up at Blight.
"So you got your victor boyfriend back?" He says drunkly hanging onto the back of the sofa. I roll my eyes. For some reason this doesn't play too well for me.
"He is not my boyfriend. So get out of my house and find your own liquor." I say in exasperation giving him a shove but he's so drunk he isn't going anywhere.
"Friend with benefit then." He chuckles crawling over to my front door.
My fists clench together. "No. A friend. I don't expect you know what they are because you're a drunken idiot who doesn't have any!" I shout slamming the door behind him.
And Chuck's Mom said I belonged with Victors! I probably do. Not many girls my age get wasted every night and wake up in cold sweats. But then none of them were forced into the games like me. Forced to leave my life here. Forced to give up your family or prostitute. Forced to mature.