I don't own The Hunger Games.
"Alright girls, do some kick-ups to warm up!" Clove yelled, blowing her whistle at the girls on the soccer team. It was nine o'clock in the morning and they looked at with tired eyes before running off to get their soccer balls.
"Yo, Clove!" Johanna rolled one to Clove, who slid her foot under it and kicked it into the air a few times.
"So are you coming into the city with us later? Glimmer has this whole tourist day planned out. You know, bus rides and candy floss and shit like that." Johanna asked, bouncing a ball against her thigh.
"Oh, I don't know. I might just go get some track training in." Clove shrugged, moving from kicking the ball to bouncing it up and down on her head.
"Live a little, Clo. Come out with us. We'll even let you bring Missy." Johanna said, not missing a single bounce.
"Honestly Jo, I don't like half of your friends." Clove sighed.
"Is this about Cato?" Johanna stopped bouncing the ball. "Look, I know he's an ass but-"
"It's not just him. I don't like Glimmer or Cashmere either." Clove said truthfully. She let her soccer ball drop into her hands.
"Ah. Well Glim and Cash are kind of stuck up, I get that. But they're nice when you get to know them. Cato's great, he's like a brother to me. I don't know why he was being so weird with you, but I know that he wasn't trying to disrespect your sister." Johanna explained. Clove awkwardly tucked the ball under her arm.
"Everyone keeps telling how great he is, but if pisses me off again I'm kicking his ass okay?" Clove smirked, rolling the ball back.
"Of course." Johanna grinned wickedly. She blew loudly into her whistle. "Ten laps around the field, girls!"
…
Cato stopped Marvel on his way to the mini fridge. He was wearing his basketball kit and had a black hoodie tied around his waist.
"So." Cato said, blocking the entrance. "What's the deal with you and Clove?"
"There is no 'deal' with me and Clove. I only just met her yesterday." Marvel said, trying to move past Cato.
"Could you, like, move?" He asked. Marvel was tall and thin, like a basketball player. Cato was big and scary looking, like a football. There was no way that Marvel could move him, and Cato knew that.
"Not until you admit that you have a crush on her." Cato grinned. He made kissy faces at Marvel, who rolled his eyes.
"I'm not the one who has a crush on Clove. I saw the way you were looking at her." Marvel smirked.
"I don't. I just appreciated the fact that she didn't throw herself at me." Cato shrugged.
"So why were you such a dick to her?" Marvel folded his arms impatiently and looked at Cato.
"It's a test." Cato explained. "The first test is to see how annoyed she'll get with me, or if she's just trying to please me all the time. I think we learned last night that she gets very annoyed with me."
"You've really got to stop testing girls." Marvel ran a hand through his hair wearily.
"I asked Johanna to invite her out with us today so that I can see if she's different or not." Cato said. "Clever, right?"
"No! She'll kick your ass!" Marvel groaned. "Why do you feel the need to the test her?"
"Ever since Lyme, I don't trust girls. You know that Marvel. You know what she did to me." Cato said, looking down at the floor.
"You shouldn't let a bad experience with one girl ruin your chances with every other girl. Clove's not going to like any of this." Marvel said.
"I know, Marv. I just don't trust them anymore." Cato said, stepping aside so Marvel could move past him.
…
Johanna glared at the bus driver like she was trying to paralyze him.
"No, we're not paying that much!" She snapped, hitting her fist against the back of his till.
"Well that's how much it costs!" He yelled back. "Look love, if you don't want to pay can get off."
"Alright Jo, calm down." Cato intercepted before she could punch the man in the face. He pulled out his wallet and paid the driver.
"Cato, what are you doing?" Johanna hissed at him. "This is a rip off!"
"I'm stopping you from getting arrested by the Florida State Police." Cato frowned. "Again."
The bus driver waved them through, and the group made their way up to the top of the open-roofed tourist bus. Cato slipped into the seat next to Clove, leaving Melissa to sit with Marvel.
"Go away." Clove frowned.
"Make me, New England." Cato grinned, slinging his arm across the back of her seat.
"How did you know about that?" Clove asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I asked Johanna." Cato replied. Obviously, he wasn't going to tell her that he had gone through her Facebook information.
"Whatever." Clove folded her arms and looked away from him.
"You know the Dolphins are way better than the Patriots, right?" Cato laughed. Clove's head snapped back round and she glared at him.
"What did you just say?" She growled.
"Just saying." He shrugged. "We have Ryan Tannehill."
"Are you serious? Tom Brady is so much better!" Clove snapped. Cato laughed again, and she rolled her eyes at him distastefully.
"You know what, Cato? Just don't talk to me. Don't say my name, and don't even mention where I'm from." Clove said, glaring at him.
"I'm not a bad guy, Clove. I promise." Cato said. His light tone and laughter had evaporated.
"That's what everyone keeps saying to me, but I don't believe them." Clove frowned.
"I get straight A's, I have a decent job, I don't smoke, I rarely drink, I don't mess girls around, I have a solid starting spot on the football team and I've never done drugs. I swear Clove; I'm not a bad guy. I just...Do stupid things sometimes." Cato said, looking her in the eye so sincerely that Clove struggled not to blush.
"So why do you find so much joy in annoying me?" She asked, picking at a loose thread on her shirt.
"It's…A long story." Cato said after a moment's hesitation. "Look, I'll stop by your room early tomorrow morning and we can go for a walk on the beach or something. I'll tell you anything you want to know and I'll be myself. Deal?"
Clove thought about it for a moment before saying,
"Deal." Her friends had been telling her how great he is. Now Clove herself was going to get to be the judge of that.