Warning: These one-shots feature heavy subjects, including alcoholism, drug abuse, and torture... so far. Now adding: depression, cheating, heartbreak. I'll add more as the story wears on, just in case.

AN: Credit goes to HannahSongla for the story idea. Please go check out her Hayniss story similar to this - Sweetheart. Credit goes to Suzanne Collins for the verse and the characters. I don't really own anything but the text of these one-shots. And no, that doesn't mean the song lyrics or the playlist. I forgot to add this in the other's, but most of this playlist wasn't created by me - only a few songs were added that I thought would fit. I don't know who exactly it belongs to, but it's not mine. Enjoy c:

Song: 400 Lux by Lorde

400 Lux

You pick me up and take me home again
Head out the window again
We're hollow like the bottles that we drain

Katniss exits Panem High School with annoyance written clearly on her face and her backpack heavy with homework. The wind howls wildly outside, trees bending in the direction of the stormy mess and thunder cracking overhead. Katniss doesn't even bother stepping from under the canopy - it's obvious it's going to rain. Of course, it would rain at 6 o'clock on an already terrible Monday, when she has to go pick her sister up from the primary school. Internally, Katniss curses her habit of running into terrible luck. If her stupid Math teacher hadn't of held her back, if he would have just waited until Friday, when she knew Prim would ride home with her best friends for a sleepover - but no, apparently she had come in the middle of the school year, and she desperately needed tutoring to even dare meet the curriculum that the other students were facing. He probably had forgotten that she came from a Magnet school.

The worst part is, she can't even call her cousin or her best friend's to come pick her up because her phone is dead - it had died while she was attempting to call Prim and let her know that she would have to call their mother to pick her up. At least she'd been able to talk to her sister before her phone died, so maybe Primrose was home - safe, sound and warm.

That still didn't explain how she would get home.

Ready to give up and storm back inside to ask to use the phone - which she would have to give her ID number for, and explain why she needed to use a school phone after school hours, and blah blah blah - Katniss turns on her heel with a look of disgust and anger on her face. But the sound of a car horn honking twitches her curiosity. Live every human being, when a car honks, she has to look. Katniss turns and looks over her shoulder for another student waiting to be picked up by an expectant parent or older sibling.

Parked haphazardly in the parking lot - she can hear her mother's voice complaining about poor drivers that take up two spaces, because this car takes four - is a boy - man, actually - with unruly dark curls and flirtatious grey eyes, sitting in the driver's seat of a beat up black pick-up truck. From appearances, he looks to be a college student - maybe one of the students that attend Panem's college program in the mountains. His wrist is draped over the steering wheel, and his chair is leaned so far back he can't possibly be able to see the streets. He would look like a normal college kid, if it weren't for his very wet hair and car interior - as if he'd driven his car with the windows rolled down.

The boy honks again and smiles at her, popping his gum in his mouth. Katniss cringes. "You need a ride, sweetheart?" he offers, leaning over to open the door. Immediately, alarm bells are ringing in Katniss' ears. Some random college kid is driving around, offering fifteen-year-old girls rides in their shady looking pick-up truck. Katniss may not have a lot of book smarts, but she was smarter than that. Not to mention her counselor gave her the standard 'don't talk to strangers' talk when she joined, as if she were a child.

Katniss is about to answer a snippy 'no' when two heads poke into the front, one full of copper colored hair and the other with half of her hair shaved off. Sea foam green and chocolate brown eyes both look her up and down before turning towards the driver. She knows those two students - Johanna Mason and Finnick Odair, both one of the most popular kids in the entire school and known for their ability to 'get around'. They were Juniors - Finnick was on the varsity swimming team and Johanna was the wrestling coaches pride and joy; She sort of knew them, but she wondered why the Juniors were in the truck with this strange boy - who she still thought was pedophilic.

"Mitch, let's go!" Johanna snaps, reaching forward and honking his horn. The boy smacks her hand and glares at her.

"Wait, he's trying to get laid," Finnick jokes. Katniss flushes, not quite used to hearing sex jokes made so openly and freely. It's unnerving.

"Uh, no thanks," she answers, remembering the boys offer. "I was just going to call my mom," she says, gesturing towards the school. 'Mitch' chuckles and shakes his head, his wet mop of hair falling into his eyes. He opens his door, and gets out - much to Johanna's displeased groan - before running over to meet her under the canopy. Up close, Katniss realizes his eyes aren't grey but the color of slate - grey yes, but laced and specked with different shades of blue. They're actually extremely pretty.

"Well, then, here's some advice," he says, whipping out what appears to be a brand new phone - she wonders how he can have the latest generation of Android yet still drive a ratty pick-up - and pulling up the weather forecast. "If you live in the Northeast, then there's no way she's coming out to get you - not if she doesn't want to crash into some bat shit crazy drivers - people like us. We just came from that way - streets are full on flooded, water came up to my calves. If she cares about her car, she'll wait until the rain let's up. Same for the East. West is the only place where it's not raining cats and dogs... yet. Look, I'm only offering you a ride because we're driving around and we saw you over here, looking like someone just ran over your puppy. And they're going to kick you off school ground at seven, then you'll be walking around here trying not to drown. Accept it or not - I'm trying to be nice."

"How would you get me home if there's no way we're driving that way?" Katniss asks, placing her hands on her hips. This entire situation is sketchy, but he proves some valid points. Plus, she sort of knows Johanna and Finnick - she has an advanced class, where she was placed with a bunch of Juniors and Seniors - and even if she doesn't know 'Mitch', then she kind of knows them and so far, they've proven to be okay.

"We won't. You can hang out with us until my friend Beetee texts us and tells it's let up over there - we were on our way to his place. We'll drop you off on the way," he offers. Katniss sighs and looks around nervously. She didn't want to stick around until the rain let up - who knows when that will be - but she also didn't want to get in a car full of partial strangers.

"I don't even know you," she voices, staring at the gum spotted concrete of the entrance to her school. 'Mitch' shrugs and smiles.

"Well, I'm Haymitch Abernathy - Junior at Panem's International College for Mentally Advanced Students, aka Rich Snob School numero uno. This is Johanna Mason and Finnick Odair, but I'm sure you know them. Anyone who goes to this crusty ass school knows those two. And curled in the back napping is Annie Cresta - you should know her, she's a Sophomore." She did know Annie Cresta a bit - they had Engineering classes together, Annie was one of their smartest students. She would sit with Katniss and talk sometimes - when she wasn't focusing on whatever they were doing or tuning out into her own world. Katniss would even call her a friend.

"I still don't think I should get in a car with you guys. For all I know, you're a group of rapists," she says. Haymitch laughs, his head tilting back and showing his Adam's apple. It takes a long few moments for him to realize she's serious. When he does, he rolls his eyes and shrugs.

"Suit yourself, sweetheart. Don't say we never did something for ya," he says, before stalking off back towards the car. Katniss fidgets, watching as her one chance home walks away. She checks her cracked watch, seeing the time as six thirty. Thirty more minutes on campus before they kick her off, no matter the circumstances. Grumbling about going to a shitty school, Katniss lurches forward and grabs Haymitch's sleeve. He turns to look at her, a smug 'I-told-you-so' smile on his lips. Katniss resists the urge to slap it off.

"Wait! Fine. But I need to borrow your phone and call my mother first," she says. Haymitch inputs his password and hands her his phone, where she quickly dials her mother's number. It takes a few rings, but then her sister's voice fills the receiver. She breathes a sigh of relief - this meant Prim was with their mom or was at home. Either way, her sister was out of the weather and safe.

"Prim, I'm going to be with some friends. I'm going to call you, every hour on the hour until the rain let's up. If I don't call at seven thirty, call the cops, okay? And don't tell mom unless I don't call, alright?" Katniss voice is hurried. She dares a glance at Haymitch, who doesn't seem fazed at all. Maybe he's not a rapist or a murderer or whatever the hell.

"Okay, Kat. Where are you going with your friends?" Prim asks childishly - Katniss thanks her lucky stars for her sister being the obedient little girl that she is and not asking what friends she would be with or asking why she would have to call the cops.

"Just to their house for pizza and soda. I'll bring you some back," she assures her little sister. Prim squeals in delight and the two sisters trade their goodbyes - Katniss going over the instructions twice more before hanging up. As soon as she's deleted her number from his call log, Katniss hands Haymitch his phone back. He pockets the device and grins maniacally at her before rushing to the driver's seat. In the back seat, Johanna and Finnick hoot when he explains that they've got a new companion. Katniss continues to stand outside the passenger seat, the nervousness taking it's grip on her. Haymitch grins at her and opens the passenger door for her.

"Get in bitch, we're going shopping!" he calls in a high-pitched nasally voice, waving her in.

You drape your wrist over the steering wheel
Moses can drive from here
We might be hollow but we're brave