Disclaimer: Remember, I just write this for fun. I don't own any rights what so ever; the hunger games and all its characters are property of Suzanne Collins. Also, the idea of an exclusive high school with a gang of four boys ruling it, is from the manga Boys over Flowers, or Hana Yori Dango.

'So tell me, where do you live exactly?' Peeta asked cheerfully when they both fastened up their seatbelts. She didn't respond right away, overwhelmed by the fact that she was actually sitting in a Ford Mustang convertible. Wow. How cool was that?

'7 West Maple drive,' she told him, as she run her fingertips over the beautiful polished surface of the dashboard. All Mahoney. 'It's not far from here, just a twenty minutes drive.' She could not hide her admiration much longer. 'I love your car. How did you get it?'

His smile couldn't get any brighter. 'Actually, it was my dad's. He once bought it in a whim on an auction, but never drove it. So when I told him I liked it, I got it as a birthday present.'

Her eyes widen in disbelieve. No way! The most expensive gift she ever got for her birthday was a laptop. And only because she had saved half of the money for it.

His hand went to the dashboard, pressing a button tagged navigation system. Above an impressive media player, a panel opened, showing them a touch screen. Inserting the address she had given him, he continued: 'Do you own a car?'

Thinking about her mothers little yellow Citroën 2CV, parked not far from the school, she just shook her head in shame. She knew it was stupid, but that car was just a piece of junk if you'd compare it with this dazzling beauty.

'No. I usually take the bus,' she lied, hoping she would not blush.

He just nodded, switching his attention back on the road as he drove the car out of the parking lot and onto the highway. They fell silent for a while. Once and a while he glimpsed at her. She was staring out the window, as if caught up in thoughts. He racked his brains, thinking of a way to start a casual conversation with her. What was wrong with him? Normally he wasn't that shy around girls. Come on guy, at least say something! 'Shall I put some music on?'

She nodded passively, keeping her eyes at the passing surroundings.

'What kind of music do you like?'

She shrugged. 'Just surprise me. I don't really have a preference.'

Leaning her head against the soft leather of her seat, she closed her eyes for a moment. Then she remembered how dirty she was. Her eyes flickered open at the realisation, and she quickly scooted forward, avoiding as much of the leather as possible. 'O, shoot! I'm sorry. I'm totally ruining the interior!'

'It's ok,' he reassured her. 'I will ask William to clean it when I get home.'

'William?' she echoed.

'My dad's chauffeur. He's taking care of all the cars.'

'O.' She made herself as small as possible, feeling miserable. For a moment, she had allowed herself to swoon away by the luxury that surrounded her. But now hard reality took over. Who was she, anyway? Just an ordinary girl, who happened to be on a school full of rich kids.

He noticed her change of mood. 'He, something wrong? You suddenly look so dim.'

She shook her head. 'No. I'm just tired, that's all.' She closed her eyes again, listening to the music that now filled the car. It soothed her somehow, like it always did. Apparently, Peeta liked the oldies. 'The Stranglers, isn't it? '

'If you don't like it, I can switch it to something else,' he offered immediately, already leaning forward to push another CD in. But she just smiled.

'No, please, leave it on. My father use to play this kind of music all the time when I was little.' She settled back again, enjoying the song. 'It holds some nostalgia for me.'

'You and your family are close then?'

She nodded. 'Once we were.' A sigh passed her lips before she could stop it.

'Once?'

'My dad passed away when I was eleven. I…I don't want to talk about it if you don't mind.'

'O. I'm sorry. I didn't mean too…' He didn't finish the sentence.

Ok, this topic obviously led to a dead end. What else could they talk about?

'Do you have any hobbies? Besides archery I mean.'

'Well, I like to sing. Me and my best friend started a band… I think… two years ago? We're with the five of us now. We're not great, but we make pretty good music if I say so myself.'

'I'll bet. Could you sing something for me then?' The question was out before he realised it. Taken aback, she blinked in shock. 'No. Don't get me wrong, but I do not like to sing before strangers. Sorry.'

'But I'm not a stranger, now am I?' He gave her a quick look before he fixed his eyes back on the traffic. 'Please? Just once? I can image you have a lovely voice.'

'Yeah right. You're teasing me.' She bit her lip, grappling with herself. Why did she find it so hard to sing in public? 'Maybe some other time. But what about you? Do you have any hobbies?' she rebound the question.

'Well…' Rubbing his neck, he tried to answer her without sounding stupid. '…I like to paint.'

She patiently waited for more to come, but apparently, that was it. 'To paint? You mean like art? Landscapes and stuff?'

'Yes, but more fantasy then reality actually.' He sighed. 'I prefer to use my imagination. It's just my way of escaping the real world, even if it is just temporary.' He smiled ruefully. 'You must think I'm a dork, right?'

'No. No, I don't.' The genial smile she gave him was genuine this time. 'But I'm surprised. Who would have thought that even rich kids need there escape from reality sometimes?'

'Trust me, having money is not all there is in life.'

She nodded. 'I guess so…Though I never would have pictured you as a fellow artist. You seemed more…well, like a worldly kind of guy. I don't know.'

Magde was right. He is very nice. I just can't believe he's one of the Richies.

He grinned, shaking his head. 'Fooled you good, didn't I? No. I'm not really a party animal; I leave that to Marve and Cato. Don't get me wrong, I like a good party now and then. But my Friday night isn't ruined if I can't go out and get wasted with the guys.'

'Hear hear.' She grinned also, feeling more and more comfortable in his presence. She almost felt sorry when he took the last turn left, driving into the quiet street that led towards her home, knowing the ride would soon be over.

He pointed at the white condo on the end. 'That's your place, right?'

'Yeah.' When he stopped in front of it, she opened the door, hoisting herself out of the vehicle. 'Well, I will take no more of your time then. Thank you Peeta, for everything. I'll see you later at school.'

She was about to stumble towards the lane of her house, when his voice called her back. 'Wait!' Taking the keys out of the ignition, he opened his own door to step out of the car. 'Katniss, before you go in…'

She watched him coming her way, wondering what he wanted to say. When there was just a few feet of distance between them, he stopped. 'Now that I know were you live, would you mind if I visit you later? I mean after school?'

Her heart made a funny leap within her chest, resulting her to grasp for air; she didn't know how to respond. Desperate to give herself some posture, she tugged a mussed string of hair behind her ear as she looked back into his eyes. He was waiting patiently for her reply. Shit. How could she ever say no to those pleading blue eyes?

'Uh…I suppose so…'

'Great!' The smile he gave her was a mixture of relieve and pure joy. It dazzled her. 'Well, I guess I'll see you tonight then.'

'Yeah, I think so…' she mumbled as she waved him goodbye, all the while pondering about what just had happened. What the hell did she just agree to? What was she thinking? If he would come over, he would see the difference between his life and hers. He would see she was just ordinary.

So what? A little voice inside her head asked. He knows you're not rich. Hell, he has seen your house already! And if he's so snobby to look down on you just because of your lack of money, then he's not worth of your friendship anyway. Right?

She sighed. A well…

About to stroll back towards her house, she noticed something familiar from the corner of her eye. She took a second glance at it when her eyes widen. There, just parked across the street, stood a blue station wagon. What was it doing there?

Shivering from a sudden draft, she stumbled to the front door as quickly as she could. She almost dropped her keys in her hurry to open it, and when she finally got in, she closed the door, leaning onto the cool wood for some support. The walk had obviously been to much; her ankle was killing her!

With the pain, a pang of rage came over her when she thought about the boy that was responsible for it. That damn Cato. It was all his fault! That pompous swine! How dare he, broadcasting such lies about her, inciting the other students to bully her?

'Asshole,' she muttered, sinking towards the floor as tears began to cloud her eyes. 'ASSHOLE!' She screamed into the empty hall, expressing her feelings towards him. She had to let it out, otherwise her rage would consume her. She felt so furious.

'Catnip?' She abruptly stopped her tirade, her view blurred as she looked up at the dark-haired boy, standing motionless in the doorpost. 'Gale? What are you doing here?'

Within seconds he was with her, holding her in his arms as she continued to cry, not being able to stop. 'I wanted to talk to you about last night. Prim let me in.'

'Shit, is she here?' Katniss tore herself away from him, wiping her eyes with her sleeve in a miserable attempt to make herself presentable again. He shook his head, cupping her stained face with his hands to claim her attention.

'Don't worry Catnip, she not here. She left a few minutes ago with a friend of hers.'

'Good. I don't want her to see me like this. It's bad enough you have to witness it.'

She closed her eyes, trying to get a grip on herself again. Her nose was running badly, causing her to sniff almost every second. He offered her a tissue from the tissue box on the dresser nearby the door, which she took gratefully.

'So, are you going to tell me what happened today?'

She shrugged. 'There is not much to tell. Really. Just some kids at school where bothering me. That's all.'

She dragged herself to the living room before he could stop her, intending on launching herself on the first chair available, when she saw the stranger, sitting casually on her mothers couch. She stopped. Great. Things only seemed to get worse.

'And who is this?' she asked, looking over her shoulder at Gale as she waited for an explanation. The boy hurried himself to introduce them to each other, but the man opened his mouth before he could utter a word.

'Hi Katniss. My name is Haymitch, Haymitch Abernathy. Nice meeting you. Although I see its not exactly the best time,' he added, referring to scruffy clothing. 'I know worn is hip nowadays, but is that the latest fashion?'

She blushed under his disapproving gaze.

'You know the guy I told you about yesterday? The guy from LA?' Gale reminded her, getting a bit nervous. He knew he had to act very careful now, would he not have her freaking out again. 'Well, when I told him you weren't convinced yet, he insisted on seeing you today.'

'O Gale, how could you?'

She shook her head, not wanting to hear more. Turning towards the man in front of her, she continued: 'Look, mr. Haymitch, Abernathy, whatever your name is…I'm sorry for wasting your time, but I don't think this is going to work.'

'Katniss, please, just listen to the man for a sec…'

'Some other time Gale. Not now. Please. Don't you see I'm tired? All I want at the moment is something to ease the pain, a hot bath and some sleep. That's not much to ask, now is it?'

Gale wanted to protest, but the man only nodded, getting up from his seat.

'Alright then. We will go. But you and I will have our talk little lady. I've listened to the demo your friend has given me, and believe me when I say it's one of the best I've heard the last couple of years. You have the potential to become a real singer; don't let it be wasted cause you don't have the guts to develop it!'

He nodded to Gale. 'Come. Better let her rest. Apparently, she's had a rough day; she needs it.'

As he retreated from the room, Gale followed hesitantly, casting one last look on Katniss as she pouted. He wasn't angry with her; all she saw was sadness reflected in those grey orbs of his. 'Please Catnip. This is just a once in a lifetime opportunity. Don't let your fear get in the way.'

She didn't respond.

a/n; One word: Wow. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw all the fanfiction emails in my mailbox. I must say it motivated me a lot, so this time, I tried to update sooner. Again, all those who reviewed on my latest chapter: thank you!

Stay tuned.