Just to warn you there is a bit more cursing in this chapter and also itsmagical1327 has helped me with this chapter and other chapters to come.
Haymitch:
"Please! Come on guys it's just one movie! Besides the tributes are training all day so it's not like we will be missed!" Johanna Mason of District 7 begs Finnick and Chaff and I.
"Johanna... it's a chick flick!" Chaff states.
"Yeah... And we are mentoring in the 71st Hunger Games... Way to state the obvious." She says with a 'well duh' expression.
Finnick sighs "Well I'm not heartless so I guess I'll take you."
Chaff and I look at each other, pitying Finnick for being the bigger man. "Fine we'll go too." I tell them giving in.
"Awesome! I'll go get ready!" Johanna exclaims.
"You know for such a hard ass your very feminine." Chaff tells her.
"So sue me." She smiles at him triumphantly before the elevator doors close behind her.
I'm standing behind Finnick who is sitting on one of the couches so I slap the back of his head.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"
"Getting us into watching that stupid chick flick!" I tell him.
"Sorry!" He says sarcastically.
Bridget:
"Preston come on we have to see this movie! It's a Vivienne Lockhart movie! And we need you to be our third person so we can get cheaper tickets!" Peyton begs her brother.
"Yeah please Preston?! I'll buy you candy and some popcorn!" I offer.
Preston looks at my puppy dog face and seems to be thinking something over before he says "Fine. I'll go."
"Yay! I'll get my purse and sweater then we can go!" Peyton tells us.
We all go to the elevator as we were deciding what to do on my floor after the tributes went to training. Peyton gets off at Eleven and Preston and I press the first floor for the lobby. The elevator stops on the victors lounge floor and Finnick walks in. He sees us and smirks.
"Shut up Finnick. We are just going to the movies with Peyton who, at the minute is getting her purse." Preston rolls his eyes at Finnick.
"Okay." Finnick smirks.
"What?" I'm lost at what Finnick is getting at.
"Nothing." They say in unison. Creepy.
The elevator doors open at the lobby and Finnick walks over to my father, Chaff and Johanna Mason. I wonder where they're going. Not 2 minutes after the victors leave, Peyton comes so we all get a cab to the movies.
"I'll have a large popcorn and..." Preston thinks before turning to me. "Would you like a drink or something?"
"I can pay for myself." I tell him.
"No it's okay I want to." He tells me with a smile.
"Fine." I give in "I'll have a small coke and some junior mints." I tell him smiling.
I look over at Peyton who has a questioning look on her face. "What?" I ask but she just shakes her head. Oh well.
We get to the screen just in time to realize our dads and Finnick and Johanna are seeing the same movie. We ignore it until we get to our seats that happen to be right in front of them. This should be fun.
I sit in front of my father with Preston on my left who is sitting in front of Finnick and Peyton sits on my right and is in front of Chaff. I notice Johanna isn't there.
"Hey guys… Where'd Johanna go? " I ask the adults behind me.
"She went to the bathroom. Why?" Finnick questions.
"Just wondering." I tell him.
"Hey guys! Whatcha doing?" Johanna asks the other victors mockingly.
"Waiting for this stupid movie start." Chaff replies gruffly.
"Daddy! Never call a Vivienne Lockhart movie stupid!" Peyton says in a 'spoilt brat' tone.
"Damn straight!" I tell her.
"Bridget!" Haymitch starts to correct me.
"Don't bother trying to correct me when I cuss because you can't stop me." I tell him before looking at Finnick. "Hey Finnick, you mother fucking son of a bitch."
"Why me?" Is all he asks.
"Because I didn't want you to feel left out in our conversation so I used you for my example." I tell him with a devious half smile.
"Whatever Bridget." He says rolling his eyes containing a smile.
"Shut up the movie is starting!" Preston tells us as the lights dim and people shush each other around us.
Haymitch:
As we watch this chick flick, apparently it has some gore though, Preston seems to get more relaxed with Bridget. I watch him fake a yawn and stretch to put his arm around her. That kid did not just make 'the move' on my daughter. Shit just got real.
I'm holding a box of jelly beans so I take my least favorite out, butter popcorn, and throw it at his head. He turns around and I glare at him until he removes his arm. This kid might just get on my nerves. I consult Chaff.
"Did you just see that?! Your kid made a move on my kid!" I whisper to him.
"Haymitch. They. Are. Teenagers. Get over it." He tells me before paying attention to the movie again.
At one point some kind of bad guy comes out to attack the girl so her boyfriend goes to beat the guy up but gets beaten up instead. At that point Bridget clutched Preston's arm and he smirked so I threw another jelly bean at his head which wiped the expression right off his face.
Now that the movie is over we have to walk down stairs so its understandable that Bridget, being clumsy, trips when she gets to the bottom and falls into Preston. They stand there with her in his arms and stare into each others eyes laughing. Although Bridget does look slightly embarrassed. But still I cough to let them know I'm there.
We all walk out and split two cabs back to the training center so Peyton, Finnick, and Johanna take one cab and Bridget, Preston, Chaff, and I take another. On the ride home Preston whispers something in Bridget's ear which makes her howl with laughter. I want to punch this kid straight in the jaw. But instead I warn Chaff.
"You better stop your testosterone filled teenage son before I punch him in the jaw." Luckily Bridget didn't hear that but Preston did so he contains himself while Chaff smirks at my protective fatherly-ness.
"Chill man." Chaff tells me.
"Chill man? Dad you aren't 17. Don't say that. It's embarrassing." Preston tells Chaff. This makes Bridget giggle.
Preston looks down at Bridget's hand and starts to separate her fingers out.
"You would look nice with a ring." He says to her. "That was not supposed to make me sound gay. I swear." He says defensively. I know what he means 'You would look nice with a ring.' Grr flipping cradle robber.
"Thanks." She says with a bubbly giggle while he plays with her hands. He's getting on my nerves.
Finally we get to the training center and Bridget goes to the eleventh floor with Peyton to talk about the movie so I pull Preston back in the elevator and take him back to the twelfth floor. He starts to protest before he sees the serious look on my face. I drag him into the living room and sit him on the couch as I take my place across from him.
"Sir, I'm so sorry and I know I crossed some sort of line and it will never happen again I swear." He tells me.
"Thank you but that's not why I brought you here. Yes I'm pissed about that though." I tell him.
"Then what did you bring me here for?"
"Do you actually care about Bridget or is she just some girl that caught your eye?"
"She's not just some girl but I think it's still too early to be able to tell if I deeply care for her but yes if she was in some sort of danger I'd help her." He looks me in the eye meaning every word. Damn kid. I need to hate him!
"Were you purposely trying to get on my nerves today?"
"No sir." He grins. "That was a plus."
"Hmm. I want you to know that if you brake my daughters heart... I will personally brake your neck with my bare hands."
"She hasn't even expressed any interest in me yet."
"Oh. I thought you two had already hooked up. Well then if she does."
"I promise I won't hurt her Mr Abernathy."
"It's Haymitch."
"Okay then may I go now Haymitch?"
"Fine but if you touch her prepare to have a broken hand."
"Yes sir." He tells me right before he steps in the elevator and closes the door.
Well fuck. I need a drink.
Bridget:
"I liked the part where that guy went to attack her and her knight in shining armor came and took a beating for her and I'm pretty sure Preston liked that part too." Peyton tells me with a smirk.
"What? Why would you say that?" I ask confused.
"Oh come on! You clutched his arm! He also made 'the move' on you during the movie."
"What? What move?"
"You know 'the move' were he fakes a yawn and a stretch so he can put his arm around you?" Peyton looks at me expectantly.
Now that I understand what she is getting at, it all makes senses. No wonder Haymitch gave him evils!
"You mean he... He... You think he likes me?" I ask Peyton.
"Well done sherlock! That was figured out a while ago by me and Finnick." Oh that's what he was getting at in the elevator earlier.
"How long have you thought he liked me?"
"Since the day you met so about three days now."
"Oh."
"Oh my gosh! I have to set you guys up on a date!" Peyton starts to interfere.
"No! No interfering!"
"Fine." She says with a devious smile.
"I mean it! Let it play out by itself. Besides I don't think he likes me, I mean we've only known each other for a few days." Now that I think about it he is kinda gorgeous.
We hear a knock on her bedroom door and its Preston. He wants to know if I want to practice on the guitar more. Peyton winks at me and glare at her but she just rolls her eyes.
"So. Where did you go?" I ask Preston when we get to his room.
"What? When?" He asks innocently.
"You didn't get off the elevator when we did."
"Oh. Haymitch needed to ask me a question. That's all." He smiles at me.
His smile makes my heart skip a beat. He's so sweet! NO STOP IT BRIDGET! You need to be thinking about how to comfort Summer not about how gorgeous and dreamy and sweet some guy is!
"Oh okay."
We go on with the guitar for a while before Preston looks at me and smiles.
"Whatcha thinking about?" I ask him.
He blushes. "Nothing."
"Tell me!"
"No. It's stupid."
"I don't care! Tell me."
He sighs. "I was thinking about how pretty you look today." He blushes even more than before.
"Yeah okay. Don't lie." I laugh.
"What? I swear I was."
"Thanks but are you sure you aren't seeing things?"
"I don't think I understand?"
"I'm not pretty." I tell him, still laughing.
"Oh well I can assure you that your wrong." He tells me still blushing.
"Thanks." I give in.
After practicing a little longer, I leave because Effie will surely take my head if I'm late for dinner. I get there just in time to sit down for the entrée so Effie lectures me for missing the starter. After dinner I go back to my room to shower and brush my teeth. I get in bed and fall asleep quickly.
I'm standing in the square in district eleven. I've just watched the escort pull a girls name I can't remember out of the reaping ball. The escort walks over to the boys ball and pulls out a slip of paper with a devilish grin and licks her lips before letting out an evil laugh while staring at me. She steps up to the microphone and slowly and evilly says:
"Preston Hannagan."
"NO!" Someone screams. I realize it came from me.
"Preston!" I scream.
Everyone ignores me and peacekeepers take the two tributes into the dark mold infested Justice Building. I run into the room where Preston is. He is standing there waiting.
"Preston! You can't go! I can't lose you!" I tell him without thinking.
"I can't do anything about it! Please just promise me you will be there for Peyton and my dad if something happens to me."
"No! You can't think like that!"
"I'm sorry Bridget. Just know that I..." The peacekeepers start to pull me away before he finishes so I thrash around screaming.
"NO! STOP! NOOOOOO! AHHHH!"
I gasp for air as I bolt up right to find Preston standing over me looking worried.
"Bridget! Are you okay?" He asks with terror in his eyes.
I hug him and he returns the hug after a moment of hesitation. "Yeah. I had a nightmare. Wait... How did you get in my room?" I look at him puzzled.
"I was going up to the roof for some air because I couldn't sleep and I heard you screaming and your door wasn't fully closed." He tells me.
"Oh. Well I'm glad." I tell him with tears streaming down my face.
"What's wrong, ba... Bridget?" He asks.
"My dream was that you were reaped." I tell him like I'm a small child.
"Huh. My dream was the other way around."
Oh. Maybe Peyton was right. Crap. I have a crush on Preston. How? Oh yeah he's gorgeous, sweet, and everything I want in a guy. No! I need to focus on Summer. But he's so damn gorgeous.
"You were going up to the roof right?" I ask Preston
"Yeah."
"Mind if I come with?"
"Not at all."
We head up to the roof and I walk over to the garden and sit under a large oak tree. Preston sits next to me. We sit in silence for a while just listening to the twinkling of wind chimes.
"Preston?"
"Yeah Bridget?" His water blue eyes stare into my dark brown ones.
"What do you think of me?"
"I think your beautiful, kind, caring, confident and strong. But it doesn't matter what I think. It matters what you think of yourself."
"I don't know what I think of myself."
We sit in a comforting silence for a while before I look over at Preston who is already staring at me. His eyes twinkle in the moonlight and his full lips stand out from the rest of his gorgeous face. I have no idea what I'm thinking but I stare into his eyes and slowly lean my head into his so that our lips are millimeters apart. I let him decide the next move and he moves his lips closer to mine. I close my eyes.