I'm so sorry this chapter is late guys i've been really busy with school exams, but I'm on holidays now yay! I just wanted to thank iTand for making The Bet story cover. He did a fantastic job! I absolutely love it! For a better look of the cover I have it has my profile photo so take a look at it! I could never do something great like that, anyway on with the next chapter…
Peeta POV
God I'm such an idiot! I just ruined everything with Katniss, not just the bet; I don't care about that anymore, but a chance at possibly ever getting her back. I felt like I finally found the connection that I was looking for, and now it's been broken because of my stupid mistake. I never wanted to be that guy who played girls, I should have never made that stupid bet. I just wanted to live up to other people's standards and live up to my brothers' reputation. Now I don't care about that all I care about is her and I've lost her, but I will always love her. Why didn't I just come clean about the bet in the first place, because I didn't want to hurt her feelings? Well I ruined it now, I really hurt her feelings. Making it worse than if I had told her myself.
For the rest of the week I refuse to go back to school. I just think about how much I hurt Katniss and I never meant for that to happen. I don't deserve her anymore. I don't deserve love if all I do is hurt the person I love. I wish I could just run away. I couldn't stand to see her every day and think about how I wish I was with her. Maybe I just need some time to get through this alone. Jeeze we didn't even date long and I'm already talking like we have been dating for years and she has broken my heart, but I was the one who broke hers. Day after day I lie in the same spot, my mind completely blank just staring at the ceiling all day long. Shouldn't I at least be piecing together and apology to Katniss? Is it even worth talking to her if she doesn't want to talk to me?
On Friday I decide I should at least try and see if she will communicate with me. I need to know if I could still have a chance, if I show her how much I love her and I would do anything for her. I would give up my life for her, but will she still believe me? I walk to her house and knock on the door to find her mother answering.
"Hello, can I help you with something young man?"
"Yeah uh I wanted to see if Katniss was home. I really need to speak to her about school." I say as I suddenly hear someone possibly running along the creaking floorboards. Could it be Katniss making a quick dash out of her house so she doesn't have to talk to me?
"Wait right there, I'll just see if she is home." She says as she shuts the door quietly in front of me. Does she know what I have done to Katniss? Does she even know who I am? Then I hear the creaking of the floorboards coming closer towards the door.
"I'm sorry she is out at the moment, did you want me to tell her you stopped by? What was your name again?"
"No don't worry about it; I'll see her at school on Monday, thanks. Oh and my name is Peeta."
"Hey Peeta, I'm Primrose, Katniss' sister. She talks to me about you sometimes, are you her boyfriend?" says Primrose as she reaches the door and Katniss' mother gives me a surprised look. She mustn't know we were dating.
"No we aren't dating were… just friends."
"Then why are you here?"
"I was just coming by to talk to Katniss about our school assignment, but she isn't here so I'll have to talk to her about it at school. Well I should be off now bye."
"Well Peeta, it was nice meeting you." Says Katniss'mother.
"Bye Peeta." Primrose says as I start to walk off their front porch.
Was that just a patch up for Katniss making a run for it? Does she really not want to talk to me that bad? I don't really blame her; she probably thinks our whole relationship was based around that bet and that I only wanted her because of it. How can I tell her that I forgot about the bet and I want to be with her forever, if she won't even let me talk to her? I have to confront her during school, that's my only way.
The next week at school I prepare a number of things in my head that I need to tell Katniss:
1. I'm sorry for hurting her.
2. That I would do anything to have her back.
3. I will never give up on wanting to be with her.
4. I want to be with her forever and
5. I love her.
There are probably more things that I should tell her, but I think I will only have a limited amount of time to speak to her so I should cut it short. Lunch time finally arrives so I can talk to Katniss alone. I would have talk to her earlier than this but I haven't seen her around yet. Is she even here today? I walk into the lunch room and search the room with my eyes to see if she has already entered. Then I spot her sitting down at one of the lunch tables, but not her usual lunch table… my old lunch table and my old friends are sitting with her. Why is she sitting there? Why is she sitting so close to Crucis? Should I go over there and see why she is sitting there? I need to find out what is going on and how long it has been going on for. I don't want Katniss being influenced by those jerks just like I did.
During my next class all I think about is Katniss and why she would be sitting with those idiots I used to call my friends. Has Crucis befriended her to get back at me? Or has she befriended him to get back at me? They were sitting awfully close to each other. I need to know what is going on. Should I ask them or ask someone from that group maybe they will know? I spot a person in my class that was one of my old friends, Vamos Wellwood who sits with Crucis at lunch; I need to ask him what is going on between him and Katniss and why she is sitting there. When class finishes I follow him out the door and stop him by calling his name in the hallway.
"Hey Vamos, what have you been up to? I haven't talk to you for ages."
"Good, good, how about you? I know you and Katniss spilt up over that bet you and Crucis made."
"Yeah alright I guess. That was the biggest mistake I made. I think I was in love with her. Hey I wanted to ask you, why is she sitting with you guys now?"
"Uhm maybe you should ask Katniss. It might be better to find out from her." he says starting to walk away. Why would it be better to find out from her?
"What do you mean better to find out from her? She won't talk to me, please tell me."
"Alright but it might be a shock."
"Ok just tell me."
"Uhm well… how do I say this… Crucis and Katniss have started dating. They have been since Tuesday and ever since then she has been sitting with us. I heard they have been hanging out a lot since you and Katniss split."
Rage starts to fill inside of me. I think of ripping Crucis head off more than once as I think of that sleaze bag all over my girl. I stand there for couple more seconds completely speechless and oblivious that Vamos is still talking to me.
"Peeta, are you alright? You look really mad."
"No, no I'm fine... thanks for telling me, I've got to get to my next class. I'll see you around."
"Alright see you later." He says walking off to his next class. Why would Katniss go and date a loser like that? She knows he is a jerk just like how I used to be. Crucis must have bribed her to get back at me she could never like a guy like that, but then she did date me and I used to be like that.
Next lunch I go to the lunch room and try to avoid myself from looking over at my old table. I don't want to see that loser with my girl ever again. Just as I am about to sit down at a table I see someone walking towards me and fast. I look up to see Gale staring at me with anger in his eyes.
"Can I talk to you outside for a second?"
"Sure." I say leaving my stuff at the table and following Gale to the shed. Why the shed? Is it because there is no one around here to watch so he can punch me up for what I did to Katniss? "Why did you bring me out here?"
"What the hell is your problem Peeta? Why would you do that to Katniss?" He says pushing me at my shoulders." You know I should beat you right now for what you did to her. I've been waiting all week to confront you so tell me me better, why did you do that to her and now she is with that loser?"
"I really didn't mean to hurt her I love her. I forgot about that stupid bet I made with Crucis; it was before I even knew Katniss. I grew to love her over the time I got to know her. I don't want to lose her. I regret making that bet and hurting her like I did. She doesn't deserve it. Maybe it's a good thing I'm not with her, then she won't get hurt again." I say not in the fighting mood.
"You just forgot? You could have saved all this drama and told her yourself before you two got serious."
"I know I've been thinking about that every day since she knew of the bet. Don't you think I regret not telling her earlier? But now there is nothing I can do. she won't talk to me. She avoids me and she is now dating that jerk Crucis."
"He has been all over her nearly all of last week and I could see she was really uncomfortable. I so badly wanted to go and punch that guy out, but I knew it would harm my relationship with Madge she would probably think I have feelings for her."
"Well I don't know if I can do anything to stop them from dating. I've tried to talk to Katniss, but she just doesn't want to talk to me." I say just as the bell rings.
"Well I have to get to class. You will know the right thing to do." He says walking off towards the school entrance.
Do I know the right thing to do? What is that right thing? Express my love to her in front of all my old friends at lunch tomorrow? I couldn't do that with the thought in the back of my mind telling me that she is going to reject me. I have to confront her and Crucis sometime, but I don't know if I can.
For the rest of the day I don't see her around school, probably because I'm trying to avoid her. I don't want to see her and him together all lapped up in young love, well I hope it's not love and I hope they aren't like that with each other. I just feel like punching a wall and hard. How could she be with him? How could they be together? I know it's just to hurt me and it's working. My heart feels broken like this time I have defiantly lost her. How am I ever going to get her back if she is always going to be around that loser? Like Vamos said they have been spending a lot of time together. What if he has made Katniss have sex with him. I hate to think what they are doing. It just crushes me more that he gets to hold her and I don't.
Ooo now Katniss is dating Crucis. Is this going to stop Peeta from getting Katniss back? Keep reading to find out!