Peeta's POV

"This one looks good," I muse, as I look at the Christmas tree.

Johanna looks at the price tag. "The price doesn't."

"Hey, guys!" Annie calls us over. "This one has a reasonable price and it looks pretty good."

"This could work," Johanna looks at it. "I like it."

"Where's the guy that cuts down the tree and helps us get it in Finnick's truck?" I ask.

We spot him a few trees away and he gets everything set up. Johanna hops into the driver's seat, Annie gets in the passenger seat, and I wind up stuck in the back.

"What time does Finnick's plane leave today?" I ask them.

"Seven," Annie tells me. "He'll have time to help with the decorations."

"I can't believe it's already the sixteenth. How long ago did the building burn down?" I ask.

"Sixteen days exactly," Johanna says. Her phone rings and she picks it up. "Hey, Remy." Silence on her side. "That's because I'm annoyed with you." More silence. "You know why!" I really hate one-sided conversations. "Okay, fine. I'll be there soon."

She turns and looks at us. "Do you mind if we take a little pit stop?"

I sigh. It's pointless to argue with Johanna. In a few minutes, we pull into the driveway of an average house. It's painted yellow, but has red shutters on the windows and a red door. It's one-story and kind of ranch-house-looking.

Johanna walks up to the door and lets herself in. I lean back and put my feet up. "How is that you like her?" I question Annie.

"She has a good heart," Annie says. "And she's kind of hilarious."

"I don't get it," I cross my arms. "How can you see past her . . . bitchiness?"

"You know you're kind of being an ass right now," Annie tells me. "She's obviously lost someone she cares about. Why do you think she doesn't dump her stupid boyfriend? She's terrified of not having anyone who cares about her!"

"You sound like a therapist," I frown at her. "How do you know all that stuff anyway?"

"It's Christmas time. Haven't you noticed how everyone else is talking about their families? She isn't. She hasn't said a word about any relatives. You call your brothers on Christmas day, Katniss video chats with her mom and sister, Gale doesn't visit his family for Christmas because he sees them at Thanksgiving, Finnick's going to Kansas City, and my parents and big brother are coming here. How have you not noticed that she doesn't talk about anything that happened to her before college?!"

Annie's right. I didn't notice any of that, but thinking back, I see that Johanna has said practically nothing about her past.

I cover my face with my hands. "I wonder what happened," I murmur to myself.

"Well, you sure as hell shouldn't ask her," Annie instructs. "She and Remy are coming to the car. We never said anything."

Johanna gets back in the driver's seat and Remy gets in next to me. "He's going to help us decorate the tree," Johanna starts the car. "By the way, Peeta, this is Remy. Remy, meet Peeta."

"Hi," I shake his hand. "Nice to meet you."

He smiles at me, but it doesn't reach his eyes. I immediately don't like this guy.

Annie's POV

"We got the lights and ornaments," Katniss calls as she opens the door. We just finished getting the tree to stand up correctly.

"Katniss, this is Remy," Johanna introduces. "Remy, this is the girl who stole my phone and threw a tantrum."

"Oh, my god," Katniss throws her hands up in the air. "Are you really still on that!? You switched rooms for a reason!"

"Why aren't you working anyway?" Johanna asks Katniss. "It's a Monday."

"School let out for Winter Break on Friday," she replies.

"You're a teacher?" Remy asks her.

"Yeah," Katniss shrugs. "Now, lets decorate the tree."

I grab a bunch of lights and start winding them around the tree. Finnick and Peeta get some more, and everyone else starts putting ornaments on the tree.

"Finnick, I think your lights plug into mine," I say.

He hands the end of it to me and I plug it in. "This isn't right. Maybe it's Peeta's." I unplug Finnick's lights from mine and try Peeta's. "Okay, this is better. Peeta, plug your lights into Finnick's, and Finnick, plug the other end into the outlet."

The lights come to life and I smile. "We did it," Finnick stands up and brushes dust off his pants.

"Great job, guys," Gale says to the three of us. "It looks really nice."

I grab a glass ornament from the box and hang it near the bottom of the tree.

"I love Christmas," Katniss randomly blurts out.

We continue decorating the tree for about an hour before all the ornaments are on the tree.

"I should go," Finnick looks at his watch.

"Where are you going?" Remy questions.

"Home," he replies simply.

"Before you go, I want to get a picture," I say. "I've done this ever since I was little. Everyone stand in front of the tree."

I take a picture of them and they quickly separate. Finnick grabs his suitcase and Johanna leaves to drive Remy home.

I really do like the tree.

Gale's POV

"Thanks for helping me wrap everyone's presents," Annie tells me, as she tosses another present under the tree.

"It's not like I have anything better to do," I shrug. "The bar is closed because of the health department. They think it will reopen a few days after the New Year."

"That's too bad," she says. "The pool's closed for renovations."

"Do you teach adults or kids?" I ask her.

"Both," she replies. "I like the kids more, though. Their sweeter."

I get up and walk into the kitchen. Katniss and Peeta are sitting at the table, arguing about something.

"Peeta, Batman would obviously beat Spiderman in a fight!"

"Not a chance," Peeta crosses his arms. "Spiderman would kick Batman's ass."

"What do you think, Gale?" Katniss asks.

"Batman would win in a second," I tell them.

Peeta raises his hands in defeat.

Finnick's POV

"She was totally flirting with you," Sylvia insists as we drive through downtown.

"No, she wasn't," I roll my eyes.

"Finn, you are so stupid! Everyone is always flirting with you! How do you not notice it? It makes me wonder how you'll ever become a doctor," she teases.

"I sure as hell know why you're becoming a lawyer. You can never shut up!" She punches my arm playfully.

"You are so mean to me," she jokes. "Are we almost there?"

"We can see the house! Do you have eyes?" I laugh at her and she blushes.

We pull into the driveway and climb out of the rental car. We grab our suitcases and walk up to the front door. "Mom! Dad!" I call. "We're here!"

"Everyone's in the living room," I recognize the voice as my Aunt Susan.

Sylvia and I walk into the living room and are tackled with hugs. There's Tom and Kayla, our nineteen-year-old cousins, Aunt Susan and Uncle Chris, Grams and Gramps, and my parents.

"Oh, my," Aunt Susan comes up and hugs us both. She grabs my shoulders. "Finnick, when did you get so handsome? Sylvia, I can't believe you're a fully grown woman now! I remember when the two of you were playing in my inflatable pool!"

I chuckle and hug the rest of my family. I bring my suitcase up to my room before going back downstairs.

"I want to catch up on how all of you are doing," Mom says, as she sits on a chair in the living room. "Tom, Kayla, how's Harvard?"

"It's amazing," Kayla gushes. "Everyone is so smart and helpful! It's really a great place."

"I completely agree with everything Kayla said," Tom smiles at all of us. Those two are geniuses.

"What about you Sylvia? Are you excited to become a lawyer?" Dad asks.

"I really think it's perfect for me. It's exhausting work, but it's what I love to do. I mean, what's better than keeping innocent people out of jail?"

"Finnick," Mom smiles brightly. "How's medical school?"

I tap my fingers against my bouncing knee. "About that, I'm not in medical school anymore." Jaws drop around the room. "I left because I didn't like it. It wasn't what I wanted to do."

My mother keeps a steady tone, "And what do you want to do?"

"Modeling." It barely comes out as a whisper but everyone hears it.

"Get out!" My dad screams at me. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"You're kicking me out of Christmas because of my career choice!?" I ask, incredulous.

Before Dad can say anything, Sylvia stands up and touches his arm. "Daddy, calm down. This is Finnick we're talking about. Your son. Finnick. The one who made sure nothing got broken when Kayla, Tom, and I were acting like idiot. The one who babysat us when you had to work late. The one who kept us from burning down the house. Prom King. High-school valedictorian. Finnick. Your son."

"He is no son of mine," Dad glares at me and I cover my mouth in shock.

"Uncle Jaymes, this is ridiculous," Kayla joins the conversation.

"Yeah," Tom backs her up. "This is the modern day. You can't just claim he's not your son anymore."

"I can and I will," Dad continues glaring at me. "Get out."

"Yeah, okay," my mouth still hangs open in shock. "I'll just get my stuff and then I'll be out of your hair."

"No. Get out, now," he growls.

"Dad, I know you're mad, but my apartment burned to the ground. That's pretty much all I have," I remind him.

I go upstairs to get it and hear yelling behind me. I hurry outside.

I feel tears well up in my eyes and let myself cry. I almost never do and it's good for you. I can still hear yells from inside the house.

In a few minutes, Tom, Kayla, and Sylvia come outside. "We called a cab to come pick you up," she sits down next to me and rubs my back while I cry. Tom and Kayla do the same.

"He's right," I mutter after I stop crying. "My life's a mess. I have five fucking roommates. Katniss and Johanna hate each other. Johanna's boyfriend is convinced that Gale and I are trying to rape Johanna. I wake up every night to Annie thrashing around and muttering! But I like it! I like the excitement in my life."

"Tell us more about your roommates," Tom pats my shoulder. "It will make you feel better."

"Well, Annie is a swim coach. I drive her to work everyday because I work at the pool a lot. She saw her brother burn to death in the fire, and is my real roommate. She sleeps in the same room as me. Peeta's a baker. He's really nice, and cares a lot about being well-liked. Gale is a bartender. He's the quiet type. I don't know much about him, but I think he has a crush on Johanna. I don't think he realizes it, though. Johanna is a sculptor. She's a bitch but I like her alot. She's a really interesting person. Last is Katniss, and she's a music teacher. Her dad died when she was eleven, but she has a mom and a sister."

"I hope we can visit you sometime soon," Kayla smiles at me. "I want to meet your roommates."

The yellow taxi pulls to a stop in front of the house. "We'll call you on Christmas, okay?" Sylvia hands me my suitcase. "And sorry about Dad. He'll forget it in a year or so."

"Let's hope."

I am very proud about this very long chapter. It was pretty sad but I think it was good. Please review!