I don't own The Hunger Games.

'Nervous' didn't even begin to cover how Cato was feeling. He was supposed to be on the practice field in fifteen minutes, warming his arm up and getting his team pumped for the game, but he could barely even keep is heart from exploding in his chest. An untouched chicken sandwich sat on the table in front of him, but he couldn't eat it. All he could do was stare blankly at the wall in front of him. There weren't many people in the cafeteria, but he could still feel eyes on him. They were probably wondering why their star quarterback looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Hey."

He thought it was pretty cheesy, but when Clove slid into the seat next to him and put a hand on his forearm, Cato felt his nerves ease a little- but not by much.

"So, you look like you're having a heart attack. Need a doctor?"

When Cato looked at her, Clove was smirking at him. Being crowned state champion and season MVP yesterday had done her some real good. She was glowing.

"Nah, I'm good." They hadn't spoken since he'd kissed her yesterday. Clove had seemed to realise what she was doing and had ran back out to her team. She hadn't punched him though, and Cato was taking that as a personal victory.

"You can talk to me. I understand." Clove's voice was soft, and Cato knew that she did understand. Pregame jitters were a regular occurrence for her, but she had always seemed to hide them so well.

"Man, if I'm like this now, what am I going to be like if we make States?" Cato laughed humourlessly.

"When you make States." Clove sternly corrected him. "Be confident. Line up everything you're feeling nervous about right now and tell me which one comes first.

"Scouts." Cato thought after a while. "This place is already crawling with them and the game doesn't start for an hour and a half."

"Fuck scouts. You're Cato Stone, you don't need a scholarship to get into college. You live in a freaking mansion." Clove said. She looked at him, one eyebrow raised, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"I want a scholarship. My parents have forked out for me my whole life. I want to do this on my own. College is all about independence, yeah?"

"You've got scouts lining up round the block for you to even acknowledge them." Clove thumped him lightly on the shoulder. "They're interested. Especially USC. I know you want to go there. Now eat."

"I never said that." Cato picked up his sandwich. If he was going to kick ass on the football field, he couldn't be passing out because he skipped a meal.

"You didn't have to. Besides, not just any old college could get you to endure tutoring sessions with me." Clove grinned at him. She had a point.

"True. I'm also worried that we'll lose and it'll ruin the dance. Cashmere and Glimmer would kill me. Like they'd actually kill me. I'd be dead." He hadn't realised he was hungry, but the sandwich was gone in three bites. Clove pulled a plastic pot of blueberries out of her ruck sack and pushed them towards him.

"Get that out of your head. If you think you're going to lose, then you will. Come on Cato, you know that. You're better than this. I've seen you take teams down and not even flinch. You have faith in yourself, and everyone else at this school has faith in you too. Man up." Clove was actually pretty motivational, in her own strange way.

"You're right." Cato threw the blueberries into his mouth one at time.

"When am I not?" Clove scoffed. "Are your parents coming?"

"No." Cato raked a hand over his face. "My mom has a meeting about starting up her own boutique and my dad has a conference in Tampa. They rarely miss my games, but… It means Toby and Kayla won't be there. I hate when they're not there."

"I'm sorry."

Cato was quiet for a few moments. Clove opened her mouth to say something, but Cato beat her too it.

"Are we going to talk about what happened yesterday?"

Clove sighed, raking her hand through her hair. She didn't slap him and she didn't glare a hole through his head, so that was a positive for Cato.

"I don't want to get in your head before a game, so no." She said in a voice that made her words sound final.

"Clove-"

"Cato. It shouldn't have happened. Now get those blueberries down your fat throat and go kick some Hornet ass."

…

"I'd just like it stated that I actually feel bad for what I'm about to do."

"Johanna Mason? Thinking about someone but herself? It must be the apocalypse."

"Shut up Gale." Johanna shot him a glare that would make even Evel Knievel shudder. She was sat to one side of him halfway up the bleachers, and Madge was sat on his other side. The football team was warming up, and students were starting to make their ways up the bleachers. Their friends would be joining them soon, and then the final stage of Johanna Mason's master plan would be put into action.

"This seems harsh." Madge said, fiddling with the straw of her soda. "But if it has to be done, it has to be done."

"She should be here soon. Then it'll happen." Johanna said, keeping her eyes forward.

"Hopefully. I'm fucking freezing." Gale glowered at the sky as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Who's coming to the game?" Madge asked, ignoring Gale's complaints. "Don't listen to Gale. He's bitter because he's not playing. The coach won't risk his wrist until next week."

"The usual crowd, minus Cash and Glim. They have to get ready for the dance." Johanna rolled her eyes at this. "Clove, Katniss, Marvel, Missy seeing as she's not cheering today, and others."

"Missy loves cheer. I can't believe you made Madge bench her. Actually, I can." Gale shook his head.

"Whatever, Hawthorne. My antics keep your boredom from getting too much for your pretty little head to handle." Johanna snapped at him. Madge laughed as Gale muttered something under his breath.

"I should go. The cheerleaders will be wondering where I am." Madge stood up. She took off Gale's jacket and handed it back to him before skipping off down the bleachers in her cheer uniform.

"There they are." He said. Johanna looked to where he pointed. Sure enough, their friends were making their way towards them. Johanna stood up.

"It's go time."

She stepped out of the aisle and walked down the stairs towards them. She built up pace, pretending like she was excited to see them

"Game day baby! Woo!" She dived into them, making sure to swing her arm out at Melissa. She flew backwards when it struck her, down the bleacher steps.

"Oh my God!" Clove yelled." Melissa! Johanna, get off me!"

Johanna unpicked herself from the pile of her friends. Only a few of them, Clove included, had been knocked down by her cannonball jump at them. Everybody was fine, except Melissa. She had only fallen down a few steps, but she now lay with her foot twisted out at an awkward angle.

"Perfect." Johanna muttered, before sealing a worried expression onto her face and joining the rest of her friends to crowd around Missy.

"I'm so sorry!" Johanna, to her credit, was a wonderful actress. "I was just so excited for homecoming!"

"It's fine." Missy smiled weakly as Clove and Marvel took her arms and helped her up. She swayed between them, a strange look on her face.

"You need to go to hospital. I'll drive." Clove said. She glanced at the football field, seemingly reluctant to leave. Melissa opened her mouth to protest, but Clove silenced her with a glare.

"No Clove, it's fine. I'll take her." Marvel offered.

"You'll miss the game." Clove said doubtfully.

"So? You love football, Katniss wants to watch Peeta play, Johanna is a walking catastrophe and a terrible driver, and all our other friends are busy. I'll take her, I don't mind."

"As long as you're sure." Clove said, sounding less uncertain.

"Completely." Marvel shifted so that he could take Missy's full weight as Clove let go.

"Thanks." Missy smiled at Marvel, but she didn't look to good.

"Idiot." Clove punched Johanna in the shoulder as they walked back up the bleachers.

"Yeah." Johanna rolled her eyes. "Absolutely stupid."

When the game started, the Warriors took an early lead. Cato passed to Peeta and another wide receiver before making a play that saw Finnick finish a ten yard dash with a touchdown. The crowd went wild, the Hornets' fans. Miami kicked a field goal to end the first quarter down by four. It was then that Clove took her sweatshirt off.

"Oh my God!" Johanna burst out laughing.

"What?"

"You're wearing his jersey!" Johanna couldn't stop laughing. "You're practically married to the guy!"

"Shut up!" Clove meant to snap at the older girl, but it came out as more of a whine.

"Wow. I've started dating Peeta and I don't wear his jersey." Katniss helpfully added.

"Madge wears mine if she's not cheering." Gale shrugged.

"You two have been together for months. You're not dating her sister." Johanna smirked. Clove could feel her face burning slightly.

"We're friends! There's nothing wrong with it!" She sighed.

"Except that there's a hundred girls that want that jersey and he gave it to you." Katniss said.

"Some friendship." Johanna laughed again. The Warriors defence ran on to take another shot at the Hornets and she screamed. "Go Warriors!"

"He was pretty nervous earlier, so he wanted me to wear it for support. That's all." Clove's voice had a sharp edge to it. They didn't bring it up again.

When halftime rolled around, the Warriors were up by ten points to six. It was a tight game, and Clove could see Bryce on the field hitting their guys hard. He was an immense force as a football player; she definitely couldn't deny that.

"I'll see you losers when the game kicks up again." Clove said, before making her way out of the aisle.

"Where are you going?" Gale called after her. She ignored him and made her way down the bleachers, past streams of fans, to the parking lot.

Cato's family butler, Lane, stood in the lot with two tussling children.

"Hey!" Clove called when she saw him. He looked visibly relieved to see her. "Thanks for bringing them out. You probably have loads of work to do. Cato will appreciate it."

"It was a pleasure, but I am glad that you are here, Miss Clove. These two have been very eager to see you ever since Cato had to ban them from your tutoring sessions." Lane smiled at Clove, but he looked tired.

Toby and Kayla seemed to realise Clove's presence and stopped fighting.

"Clove!" They both yelled, and flung themselves at her.

"Wow, hey!" She laughed and hugged them back.

"Oh, really Toby and Kayla." Lane frowned disapprovingly. "That is not the proper way to greet a lady. Besides, she saw the two of you two weeks ago, not two years ago. Stand down, children."

"It's cool. Thank you Lane, for coming. I'll take good care of them and Cato can drive them home after the game, if he's not too tired." Clove smiled warmly at Lane.

"I shall see you soon, my dear. Be good, you two little terrors." Lane warned the children and got into his car. They waved him off, and then turned to Clove.

"Can we go see Cato?" Toby asked.

"Please?" Kayla added, drawing out the word.

"Of course! Come on."

Clove took them by their hands and led them through the school until they reached the boys' locker room. Normally, Clove would have walked straight in and decked any guy that dared to catcall her, but she didn't want Toby and Kayla to see something that Clove would regret. She rapped loudly against the door.

"Clove?" It was Peeta who stuck his head around the door. His eyes widened when he saw Toby and Kayla, who had gone back to fighting. "What's up?"

"Can you get Cato? I've got a surprise for him." Clove gestured to the scrapping children.

"Sure, no problem." Peeta smiled kindly at her and ventured back into the locker room. A few minutes later, Cato appeared wearing his football pants and under armour.

"Clove, what-" He stopped abruptly when he saw his siblings. "Oh my God."

"Cato!" Toby buried his head into Cato's stomach and Kayla tried to use him to climb up Cato's chest.

"What are you doing here?" Cato grinned as he picked up Kayla with one hand and rubbed his knuckles across a laughing Toby's head with the other.

"We wanted to see you play!" Toby laughed, swatting at Cato's hand.

"Are you playing good?" Kayla asked with a giggle.

"I will be now, with you two terrors here to yell at me." Cato pulled them both close to him. "Clove, did you do this?"

"I know you were nervous." She nodded. "I thought it might help a little, if they were here to watch you play."

"Thank you. You're amazing, you know that?" He grinned at her, flashing his white teeth. "Toby, Kayla. Crush her."

The two kids sprung at her, crushing her in a hug that practically crushed her bones. Cato stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her as well, completing the group hug. If she had the ability to breathe, Clove would have been laughing.

"Okay, you should probably get to your seats." Cato said after stepping back. Clove checked her phone for the time.

"Yeah. Seven minutes till go time."

"Play good!" Toby demanded.

"Really good!" Kayla yelled, looking strict.

"I will." Cato laughed. "I promise."

And he did. Clove watched with Cato's overexcited siblings as the Warriors went on to put another twenty four points on the board. At the end of the game, the score was thirty four to nineteen. The crowd went crazy when the final whistle blew and they had won the Homecoming game.

"Yeah baby!" Johanna whooped and punched the air. Katniss was cheering her head off. Toby and Kayla were up on their seats, and even Gale had cracked a smile.

Clove met Cato after the game to return his siblings to him. Walking back through the school, she checked her phone for an update on Melissa. Marvel texted to say that she hadn't broken her ankle, it was only sprained, and he was back at the Ashlar house with her. Clove was typing out a text back when she felt herself smack into someone's back.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" The person turned around. "Bryce."

"Hey." He looked exhausted, and could barely muster a smile.

"You look like hell." Clove blurted before she could stop herself. Bryce smiled for real.

"I feel like it. Nice of you to point it out."

"Sorry. For that, and for the game, and for bumping into you." She shoved her phone in her back pocket.

"Should watch where you're going. Remember that time you nearly knocked yourself clean out after walking into that lamppost?" Bryce smirked as he reminded her.

"Uh, yeah. Kind of hard to forget." Clove rolled her eyes. "Missy had to go to hospital, so that's why I may have been otherwise distracted."

"Oh, God. Is she okay?" Bryce looked genuinely concerned for her.

"Yeah, she's fine." Clove hesitated for a while. "Are you?"

"You know what, Clove? I am. I really am. Getting over you was so hard, but standing here now, looking at you, I only feel happy. That's because you're happy, and I'm happy knowing that someone makes that happen for you." Bryce grinned as he spoke. He had been good to her, but one mistake had ruined it all. She still wished him all the best.

"Thank you. I hope you're happy too, but what do you mean? About someone making me happy?" She asked.

"Your quarterback. Stone. He's a good guy, I think, and a good fit for you." Bryce prodded her in the shoulder. "Don't try and hide it from me. I read you like a book."

"Cato and I aren't together. He's seeing Melissa." Clove said. It hurt her slightly every time she had to say it.

"That may be true, but I know you. You look at him the way you used to look at me."

Clove looked at him with her jaw slightly dropped. Bryce laughed at her, and shook his head. Somebody called his name.

"I have to go. I'll see you around, Clove." He sounded pretty sure of it. Maybe they could start to be friends again.

"Yeah." She smiled genuinely at him. "See you around."

As he walked away, Clove felt a mix of two feelings. The first was a sense of closure that she hadn't known she'd been looking for. The second was the feeling of being screwed, because Bryce was right. She was completely in love with Cato Stone. And she didn't know how much longer she could keep it hidden for.