Sorry for a long wait on this chapter. I feel so bad but school got crazy again so i'm sorry! CATCHING FIRE THIS WEEK AH! I got them midnight tickets ;D

Anons:

Guest: LIke i said i'm sorry for the long wait on the update :/

S: I know, it was really sad for me to write. I admire Peeta so much for not lashing out at people for how his mother treated him. I know what you mean. Thanks! :)

Chapter 20 "The Fall Out"

Finnick's POV

It's a beautiful fall day today. The leaves on all the trees outside are nearly all gone. It's been a week since Thanksgiving, and I can already smell Christmas in the air.

In the hallways, there's a different atmosphere. Everyone seems so much more cheerful, which isn't so odd considering that winter break is just around the corner. I enjoy the cheerfulness in the air, although some people I know don't need it. They have their own.

"Afternoon, sunshine," I greet Annie as she approaches my locker.

She smiles and gives me a peck on the lips.

"Dinner tomorrow night at seven sharp. Be—what's with the frown?"

I quickly put on a smile for her. "What frown?"

"Don't give me that crap, Finnick Odair. What was that frown about?" She asks with a sad expression. "Do you not want to have dinner with me and my parents?"

"No, no. Of course I want to have dinner with you guys," I tell Annie honestly.

"Then what's the problem?"

"No problem, Annie. Just…is this going to be a regular thing now?"

Annie scrunches her nose at me. "What do you mean?"

"Friday night dinner with you and your parents? I've been there every Friday since the first dinner I had with them." Annie frowns at me. "I'm not saying I don't enjoy the dinners," I quickly add. "I do, I'm just curious."

Annie thinks for a moment before responding with, "It can be a regular thing. If that's what you want."

"I'll be happy to go as long as your parents want me here."

"Oh, they want you there." A smile returns to Annie's beautiful face. "They love you so much, Finnick. After that first dinner all they could talk about was how perfect you were."

"Me? perfect? Not the first time I've heard of this."

"Conceited much?"

I just smile.

Annie kisses me goodbye as the bell rings for the next period. Annie's off to her math class and me, I'm off to history with Peeta.

History class is as boring as ever. The only thing getting me through this class is the fact next period is drama, the last period of the day.

As the teacher goes on about a war or some shit like that, I try talking to Peeta and bring up going over to Cash's place afterschool.

Cashmere invited all the victors and the careers over to her house today. She said something along the lines of, 'I'm planning an ice-skating day with everyone and I don't give a damn if you all have a problem with each other. You all better come or I'm going to kill you.' There is no doubt in my mind that Cash is serious.

"Part of me is a little terrified of Cash, so for sure I'm going," I whisper to Peeta. Plus Clove will be there. She's been avoiding me lately, so I'd like to see what that's about. "And I know you'll go anywhere Glimmer's going to be, so..."

"Actually…I don't think I'm going."

"Why?"

Peeta just shrugs and continues to take notes on what our teacher is saying.

I'm not going to let this go because I'm a good friend…and I couldn't care less about history.

"If you don't tell me I'm going to bother you until you do, Peety." Peeta hates it when I call him that. "So tell Finnick your troubles."

"Do you think I'm stupid for still hoping Glimmer might ask me out again?"

Okay, Peeta doesn't waste any time.

"Not stupid just…" I take a moment to choose my words carefully. I don't want to upset Peeta. "Optimistic. Now what does this have to do with Cash?"

"She thinks I should stop waiting around for Glimmer and just move on already."

To be completely honest, I wish Peeta would move on. They had their date more then a month ago. Its pretty obvious Glimmer isn't interested.

"Is that what you want?" Peeta shakes his head. "Then don't. Screw Cash. Who cares what she says? It's your life."

"I just wish I could get her off my back about this."

Light bulb.

"Here's what you do," I start off. "You ask Cash out—"

"I don't like Cash."

"I wasn't done. Cash would never say yes. So she thinks you're trying to move on when in reality you aren't, because you know Cash will say no. Genius, right?"

"Seems like a lot of trouble."

I shrug and go back to taking a nap in history class.

After class I meet Annie at locker and we head to eighth together. I tell her about Peeta's little problem, and to my surprise she finds it very interesting.

"Cash was kind of rude to tell Peeta that," Annie says as we enter drama class.

"She's not wrong."

Annie nods with a frown. "I think Peeta would realize that once he actually tries to move on."

"He won't."

Annie smiles. "He will. All he needs is a little push. I'll make sure he'll gets that push he needs."

I raise my eyebrow. "What are you going to do?"

The bell rings starting class.

Annie pokes my nose. "You'll see."

Class starts with Cinna's usual song of the day because not only is he the drama teacher, he's also the music teacher. We spend the rest of the class period going over the monologue project that was assigned when we came back from Thanksgiving break. Everyone was assigned a partner and one person would write a short monologue for the other to perform to the class. The monologue had no limits. Cinna wanted the writer to write what they wanted for a monologue.

I was paired up with Cash. I wrote a two-paragraph monologue about a girl who thought she was a fish. The class laughed as Cash did her dramatic reading of it. Cinna was smiling during the performance, so I take that as a good sign. Thresh wrote a monologue about a man going off to war and Peeta performed it incredibly well. After their performance I zone out of class. It's not until Johanna steps in front of the room that my attention goes back to the class.

…

"Johanna!"

I rush after her out in the hall after class.

Johanna cross her arms and raises an eyebrow at me. "Yeah, Finn?"

"That was amazing," I breathe out. "You were amazing! You're a really great actress, Johanna."

"Thanks?"

"Who wrote it?" I ask. "Who was your partner?

"Clove."

"Clove?" I ask a bit shocked. "Clove wrote that?"

"I know. It's a bit shocking someone who's such a bitch can write something so powerful like that. But I'm thankful she did. The way she wrote it, she made it really easy for me to play the helpless act."

Clove's monologue was very…dark. She wrote of a monster stealing the innocence of her character. When Johanna performed it, I felt as if she was speaking from experience. It's now I'm realizing that it only seemed that way because of Clove's writing.

I spot Clove with Marvel down the hall. They seem to be arguing. I say a quick goodbye to Johanna and rush over to Clove.

"Will you just let it go," Clove pleads to Marvel.

"I can't," Marvel says. "You need to talk to someone."

"That's why I have you."

"That's not what I meant."

"Hey, Clove," I say interrupting their odd conversation.

Clove cross her arms against her chest. "What do you want, Odair?"

I shrug. "I just wanted to say I was very moved by your writing. It was very—"

"Sad, yeah. You're, like, the fifth person to tell me that," she interrupts me.

"Not sad. I was going to say…real."

"Well, it was no fish girl but thanks for your input," she says rather sarcastically. "Now go away."

She's ruder than usual today.

"Did I do something wrong, Clove?" I ask. "You've been avoiding me for the past two weeks and you've been different."

I don't know what happened with Clove, but she's been completely different. I'll admit she wasn't the nicest person in the world, but lately she's colder than usual. When I see her in the hall and greet her she turns the other way and acts as if I don't exist. I've even seen her do the same thing with Cato.

"I don't know what you're talking about, and frankly I don't care what you're talking about or about you." Ouch, okay, that hurt. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than waste my breath on you."

Clove turns away from me and I place my hand on her shoulder to prevent her from walking away. Suddenly, Clove roughly pushes me into the lockers. My head hits the locker hard and I can feel a lock pressed into my back. I stare at Clover in shock, and she just stares back at me for a moment before walking away.

"Don't take it to personally," Marvel says to me as he watches Clove leave. "Clove's had a lot on her mind lately. She'll come around."

I can hear Clove shout Marvel's name in the distance and with that Marvel leaves.

"Finnick," Annie says, appearing by my side with Peeta. "Are you alright?"

I nod as I move away the lockers.

"What did you do to her?" Annie asks. "I don't think I've ever since Clove that angry."

"I didn't do anything," I say. "I just told her I thought her monologue for Johanna was amazing."

"She wrote that?" Peeta asks.

"Wow," Annie says. "Impressive."

"You sure you're okay?" Peeta asks me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No blood no foul."

"So, Peeta. Tell Finnick the great news," Annie says with a smile.

Peeta forces a smile on. "I have a date with Cash."

I raise my eyebrow at Peeta. "You asked her out?"

I didn't really think he'd take my advice. I for sure didn't think Cash would say yes, but the way Annie is smiling I can tell she had something to do with that.

"Isn't this great?" Annie exclaims. "Two of our friends going out. Oh, Oh! We can go on double dates—wait no. We can go on triple dates with me and Finn, Jo and Gale, and Peeta and Cash. Wouldn't that be so much fun? All the great memories we can have…" Peeta and I share a look as Annie rambles on about a triple date. A triple date sounds like the worst thing ever. A double date with Johanna and Gale is just weird enough. "…I'll talk to Cash and Jo about setting that up. Maybe if Gloss can get a date he can join us too!"

"That sounds great," Peeta says with his fake smile. "I should be getting home, so I'll see you two at Cash's place tonight."

"Wear something nice for Cash," Annie shouts as Peeta runs off.

"What did you do?" I ask Annie with all seriousness.

"I convinced Cash to say yes to Peeta," Annie admits. "Don't judge me. This is the push he needs."

"I thought Johanna was the one who meddles in Peeta's life," I say, only half joking.

"Oh, she did. It was her idea. Speaking of Johanna, I'm supposed to go to the Hob with her before going to Cash's, would you like to join us?" Annie asks, hopeful.

"Sure," I say. "As long as we don't spend the entire time looking at shoes."

"No promises."

I'm at the Hob with Johanna and Annie for an hour before we go over to Cash's. We're the first to arrive, then Peeta, and then it's Gale.

"I need a night where the five of you will be available," Cash says. "Gloss and I are good any time, but I was thinking the next Friday."

"Cash, not to interrupt, but I thought the other Careers were going to be here?" Johanna asks exactly what I was going to ask. "Not that I want them here. I just want to be aware if I'm going to have to see them next week other than in school."

"They won't be," Gloss says quickly. "Let's get back to planning—"

"No, because apparently the little bitch doesn't need me, and I'm not even worthy of the title Career," Cash says angry.

"Cash and I may have had a falling out with Clove earlier," Gloss mumbles. "Things got out of hand."

"Out of hand? All I did was ask her why she's been so distant lately and she fucking lashed out at me," Cash tells us. "She called me pathetic and said that all I cared about was myself. She said I was nothing but fake and she's sick and tried of pretending to like me for Glimmer's sake. She stormed out and all her little followers went with her."

"To be fair you didn't ask Clove with concern, you asked her with attitude," Gloss says. "Obviously she is going through something and didn't need that."

"Shut up," Cash snaps. "You're just saying that just you have a crush on Clove."

"I do not have a crush on Clove."

"Please. If you weren't such a good guy you'd be trying to steal her away from Cato."

"Cash," Annie says. "Forget about Clove, Marvel, Cato, and Glimmer. You don't need them."

"Annie's right," Peeta says. "You have us. You're one of us."

"Let's forget about evil Clove and plan whatever special day you had in mind," Johanna says.

They go on and plan next Friday, looking at every little detail. I throw in an idea here and there, but I'm not fully a part of it. I can't help but think about what is going with Clove. It isn't just me she's been keeping distance from. Something happened that she doesn't want to share with anyone. Whatever it may be, I hope she's okay.

Clove's acting odd which i guess you may have thought would happen after her Thanksgiving.

Next chapter is going to be a bunch of fun! ICE SKATING! :D Also a new couple is coming ;)

Please Review :) And i hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!