I don't own The Hunger Games.
"Clove, I've been waiting for you."
It was nine o'clock and Clove had just returned from her Saturday morning run. She was wearing her training shorts and tank top, with sweat dripping down her face. She ignored Melissa and went straight to the fridge to retrieve a cold bottle of water. She poured some over her face before gulping down the rest.
"Clove!"
"Sorry." Clove stopped drinking when half the bottle was gone. "Six miles is a bitch."
"It's fine." Melissa laughed. She was sat at the breakfast bar in her pyjamas with about a million cookbooks laid out in front of her, all open to different recipes for cupcakes.
"Are you baking for the whole of Florida?" Clove asked with an eyebrow raised.
"No, just Cato. It's our one month anniversary tomorrow and I want to make something special."
"Oh." Unsurprisingly, Clove just couldn't get as excited as that than Melissa was.
"Help me pick a recipe? I want to make them today." Melissa looked up at her, doing her best puppy dog eyes.
"I don't trust you in a kitchen." Clove said as she folded her arms and lent against the refrigerator.
"That's why I need your help!" Melissa pushed one of the cookbooks across the breakfast bar. "I was thinking this one."
Clove took a step forward to examine the recipe.
"No." She shook her head and pointed to a different recipe. "That one. My mom and I always used to make cupcakes from that one. Just substitute the blueberries for whatever filling you want."
"But I don't know what cupcakes he likes!" Melissa sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she looked over the ingredients list.
"Look, I don't know. I'll help you make them but I really need to grab a shower before Johanna comes over. Sorry, Missy."
Clove left the kitchen to go upstairs. Melissa dropped her head into her hands and sighed. She stayed like that for a few minutes before a voice almost made her crap her pants.
"Someone piss in your cereal?"
Melissa shot into a sitting up position so quickly that she got head rush. Johanna Mason laughed as she slid onto the stool next to her.
"Jesus Johanna, you scared the crap out of me!" Melissa said, blowing air onto her forehead.
"Clove not tell you I was coming?" Johanna asked, examining the numerous books laid out in front of them. By now, they could hear the water running for Clove's shower.
"Well yeah, but she didn't tell me that you were coming over to give me a heart attack." Melissa said, but she laughed a little.
"Not quite." Johanna dropped her playbook on top of the bar. "Soccer duty calls. Whatcha doing?"
"Clove and I are going to bake some cupcakes later on, for mine and Cato's one month anniversary tomorrow." Melissa explained, tapping a finger on the recipe Clove had picked out for her.
"Blueberry, hey? That's no different to his breakfast protein shake." Johanna said cynically.
"I'm not putting blueberries in them. I don't actually know what I'm going to put in them. You're his best friend- any suggestions?"
"Hmm." Johanna tapped a finger to her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. A plan had brewed like a hurricane in her devious brain. "You know, I think I've got it. Strawberries."
"Strawberries?" Melissa asked.
"Strawberries. Cato loves them. Absolutely can't get enough of the things. But you should make it a complete surprise- don't even tell Clove. It's more romantic that way." Johanna smiled at Melissa sunnily.
"Okay, thanks Johanna! I'm going to get changed and go shopping for ingredients. Clove should be down soon."
Melissa hopped down from her stool and left the kitchen with the recipe book. As soon as Johanna heard her footsteps on the stairs, she allowed herself an evil smirk. Her and Gale's plan had four stages. Bringing Cato and Clove closer together had begun. Putting a divide between Clove and Marvel, and bringing Marvel and Missy closer would be easy. And now, the separation of Missy and Cato would soon begin.
…
Johanna and Clove had visited the sports store after planning for their next soccer match, and by the time Clove got back the cupcakes were in the oven.
"Sorry I couldn't help out." Clove said as she dropped her bag against the kitchen wall. She hadn't brought much, just a new pair of shin pads, but Johanna had tried on almost every boot in the store before deciding she didn't need new ones.
"It's fine, the recipe was surprisingly easy to follow." Melissa grinned brightly at her stepsister. "They'll be done soon and then I just have to ice them."
"What did you put in them?" Clove tried to look in the oven, but Melissa swatted her with a tea towel.
"It's a surprise."
"Fine." Clove stuck her tongue out and stepped away from the oven. "I'll help you clean up."
"Thanks." Melissa said as Clove stuck her hands in the sink and started to scrub at the mixing bowl.
"How are things with you and Marvel?"
"Oh, you know." Clove handed Melissa the bowl so that she could dry it. "Pretty good."
"Oh, that's cool."
They were quite for a few minutes before Melissa spoke again.
"Is he good in bed?"
"Melissa!" Clove dropped the wooden spoon she had been holding, sending foamy bubbles up into her face.
"What?! You can't blame me for asking! I mean, he's not exactly Finnick Odair but he's pretty attractive." Melissa laughed as Clove flicked water at her.
"I wouldn't know." Clove shrugged and went back to scrubbing kitchen utensils. She was unsure of whether or not she wanted to ask her next question, but she did so anyway.
"Is Cato?"
"Oh, yeah." Melissa nodded. Clove was fairly sure her heart stopped beating for a moment, until Melissa finished her sentence.
"So I hear, anyway. I don't know for myself."
The blood started pumping through Clove's body again.
"Oh. Well, I'm sure that he'll be thrilled to get the cupcakes from you."
"You think?" Melissa asked. She looked so concerned about it, like she couldn't imagine anything worse than Cato thinking it was lame. Clove forced a smile.
"I know so."
…
"Morning, Jo."
"Morning, hot stuff."
Gale sighed in frustration. They had gathered next to her locker, which was next to Cato's, a few minutes prior to the rest of their friends arriving. They met there every morning before splitting off to their individual classes.
"Stop saying stuff like that. You know what this school's like- someone will overhear, and the next thing I know Madge will break up with me because she hears that you're pregnant with our lovechild and that we're moving to Taiwan!"
"Alright hot stuff, geez." Johanna laughed. "I've met someone, anyway."
"A boyfriend?" Gale raised a sceptical eyebrow.
"Well, he could be." She shrugged.
"If you wanted to go that deep with him, you already would have." Gale called her out.
"No worries, Gale. We go real deep." Johanna smirked. Clove arrived at their meeting spot before Gale could retort.
"Hey." She said, and the two greeted her. "Some freshman snapped a picture of me as I walked through the gate this morning.
"Fuck!" Gale cursed at the same time as Johanna let out a groan.
"I thought I put a stop to that last year!" Johanna kicked the locker below hers in frustration.
"Put a stop to what? I almost decked the kid before I remembered that I'm nice now." Clove asked.
"A lot of the students here do it." Gale sighed.
"They take pictures of us and sell them on to the other students. Like, you get $20 for a picture of Finnick in a muscle t-shirt. $20 if you get a shot of Cato in his football pants. $50 for one of me actually smiling. It's bullshit, and I thought I made it pretty clear that it had to stop when I smashed up some sophomore's camera last year!" Johanna explained angrily.
"Why does a picture of me walking through the school gates generate any sort of cash?" Clove asked uncertainly.
"You're one of us now. You could literally be doing fuck all and a picture of that would be worth at least $10." Gale shrugged.
"I'm not entirely comfortable with that." Clove frowned, but the other two only shrugged as if to say 'suck it up, buttercup'.
A few minutes later, everybody was present except for Cato.
"Please tell me what's in the cupcakes." Clove asked Melissa.
"Fiiiine." Melissa rolled her eyes. "Strawberries."
"Strawberries? Missy, you can't-"
At that moment Cato appeared at the top of the hallway, and Melissa rushed over to meet him before Clove could finish her sentence. She watched with wide eyes as Melissa kissed Cato and offered him a cupcake. He accepted, and took a large bit out of it before Clove could run over and knock it out of his hand.
"Um, what's in these?" Cato asked. Clove had reached the couple by now.
"Strawberries. I know you like them." Melissa grinned. Cato shot Clove a wide-eyed look, and she returned it.
"I'll drive you." Clove said to Cato, who tossed him her car keys.
"Drive him where?" Melissa asked, clearly confused. "You haven't passed your test."
They left in a hurry, leaving Melissa standing confused in the hallway with her box of cupcakes. Cato was coughing and spluttering as Clove guided him into the parking lot.
"I don't- I just-" Melissa was at a loss for words.
"Oh, God." Johanna appeared next to Melissa. "You didn't put strawberries in those, did you? He's allergic! They make his throat swell up like nobody's business."
Of course, if she thought Cato would die then she would never have suggested strawberries to Missy. But best friend knowledge meant that she knew Cato would still be able to breathe- he would be out of hospital in an hour, most likely.
"What? But you told me to put strawberries in them!" Melissa frowned, looking down at the cupcakes.
"Raspberries! I said Raspberries!" Johanna said, pretending to look panicked and confused.
"Oh, I must have misheard you!" Melissa looked horrified. "I have to get to the hospital!"
"No." Johanna put a hand out to stop her. "I think you've done enough. Come on, I'll take you to class."
With that, Johanna pulled Melissa down the hallway. Johanna grinned to herself, but Melissa was barely keeping herself together.
Well, Johanna thought. That's just how you play the game. Casualty of war.