I don't own The Hunger Games.

At eleven o'clock the following morning, Melissa's ramblings about cheerleaders and practice were interrupted by a knock at the hotel room door.

"I'll get it." Clove said, slipping her feet into her flip-flops. She crossed the room and pulled the door open, revealing Cato leaning against the door frame wearing a light blue polo shirt, sandals and brown khaki shorts.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Is this your idea of early?" Clove raised an eyebrow at him. "I've been for a run, had track practice and planned out all the sub-ins for the next three soccer matches. This is your idea of early?"

"I overslept." Cato shrugged. "Are you coming or not?"

Clove walked over to the couch and grabbed a hoodie.

"I'll see you later Melissa." She called as she made her way back to the door.

"Don't forget the first cheer round is at one!" Melissa yelled back as Clove shut the door.

"Makes sense that she's a cheerleader." Cato commented as they waited for the elevator.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clove asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Nothing, I'm just being a stereotypical asshole again." He grinned as they walked into the elevator.

"That's not funny." Clove scowled at the floor. The rest of the ride down went by in silence.

"So." Cato said once they reached the beach. "Ask me a question."

"Oh, I don't know. How long have you played football for?" Clove asked, slipping off her flip flops so she could carry them in her hands and feel the sand under her feet.

"I'm not really sure. Ever since I could throw a ball, I guess. My dad used to coach at the University of Florida but he quit when my brother Toby was born. He's always told me that football runs in my blood. Even my mom loves it, and she's a professional socialite. When I play I feel like I can be whoever I want to be, like I'm free and happy." Cato answered, stepping to the side to avoid a wave.

"How old is your brother?" Clove asked.

"He's ten, and annoying as hell." Cato grinned. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and scrolled through it.

"Here." He handed his phone to Clove. She took it and looked down at the picture on the screen. A young boy with messy brown hair was sat in front of a huge birthday cake, grinning with his eyes shut. He was doing a thumbs up gesture, and so was the blonde girl sitting next to him.

"That's him, and that's my sister Kayla. She's six." Clove handed the phone back and Cato smiled fondly at the picture before pocketing his phone.

"He doesn't look like you. Kayla does, though." Clove pointed out.

"I know. He's unlucky like that." He grinned. Clove laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Now ask me something." She said.

"You play soccer and do track, right? Do you do any other sports?" Cato asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I used to cheer a bit. The other girls were all taller than me so I was the one they'd toss in the air and top the pyramid." Clove said.

"I can't picture you as a cheerleader." Cato said, stopping so that he could look at her.

"Well, I'm not one. Not really. My school in New Hampshire wasn't really big on girls' soccer, so cheerleading and track were the only things I really did. I still trained like crazy to be a striker, but I didn't have an official team until I moved here for freshman year. I joined the soccer team and quit cheerleading a few months later so that I could focus on eventually becoming captain. During the summer they voted me in as captain for the upcoming season with Johanna as my vice, and I'm the youngest ever captain." Clove answered proudly.

"Why'd you move here? I've heard that New Hampshire's really beautiful." Cato asked. They turned around to walk back the way they had come.

"My mom died." Clove said after hesitating. "My parents split up when I was eleven and my dad remarried, so after she passed I went to live with him, my step-mother and step-sister."

"You and Melissa aren't actually related?" Cato asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Does it matter? She's still my sister." Clove replied.

"No. I just always kind of presumed that you were blood sisters." Cato explained.

"Oh." They walked in silence for a few more minutes before Cato turned to her again, grinning.

"Last question. Who's your best friend?" He asked.

"You're so lame." Clove rolled her eyes. "I don't really have one. I hang out with the girls on the soccer team, and Melissa. I don't like people, so I don't keep them around."

"I get what you mean. People really piss me off sometimes."

"A party boy that doesn't like people? I think I'm going into shock." Clove laughed.

"Shut up, Clove." Cato shoved her playfully.

"Last question for you too, then. What's your favourite book?"

"Hm." Cato thought about it as they reached the hotel.

"I've never heard of that." Clove teased.

"Divergent. It's great." Cato smirked as Clove's jaw dropped. "What were you expecting me to say? The hungry caterpillar?"

"No…" Clove lied.

"Shut up and get in the elevator."

…

"Would the West Palm High cheerleading squad please take to the floor for their routine, please?" The announcer called.

"This is it." Katniss, on of Clove's teammates, said from the seat to Clove's left.

"No shit." Johanna grunted for in front of them, resulting in a kick to the back of her chair from Katniss.

"Hey." Marvel slid into the empty seat on Clove's right as the cheerleaders ran on in their white and purple uniforms.

"Hey." Clove responded, searching the crowd for Melissa. She spotted her in the middle, holding her pom-poms above her head as she waited for the music to start.

"Go Missy!" Marvel yelled, his voice lost amongst the other yells and catcalls. A fast song started playing, and the girls sprang into action.

"I could never do that." Katniss admitted as one of the girls was tossed in the air and did three consecutive backflips before being caught again.

"Clove could." Said a voice from behind them. The three of them turned around to see Cato's smirking face.

"How long have you been sat there?" Clove asked.

"Like ten minutes." He laughed. "So much for your hunting senses, Katniss."

"Shut up, that's just a summer thing." She blushed.

"What do you mean Clove could do it?" Marvel asked curiously.

"She used to cheer."

"Oh my God, I remember that!" Katniss laughed. "You had a leotard and everything!"

"You're too scary to be a cheerleader." Marvel frowned.

"Can we all just shut up and watch the routine?" Clove snapped. Her cheeks were tinted pink.

"Sure, sure." Marvel grinned. The squad never missed a beat. Their flips, handsprings and footwork were all perfectly in time. Clove was somewhat impressed- any squad with Glimmer and Cashmere on it must be hard to work with. When the routine finished in a pyramid with Melissa on top, Johanna turned to Clove.

"Are you going to the beach party tonight?" She asked.

"Probably not. I have a track race tomorrow at three." Clove shrugged.

"You may as well agree to go, because you know that Melissa will drag you out by the ear if you say that you're not going." Johanna smirked.

"Fine. But I'm not drinking, so don't expect me to be any fun." Clove sighed.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Johanna laughed, but she stopped when Clove whacked her on the back of the head.

"We also have a game tomorrow evening, and if you're hung over I'll rip out your guts and feed them to the birds." Clove said, glaring down at Johanna.

"Good plan."