Peeta's POV
"Damn it," Kelly curses.
"What?" I ask her as I put the finishing touches on the birthday cake I'm frosting. It reads: Happy 8th birthday, Bobby!
"I burnt the croissants," Kelly replies. "Can you frost the cookies for me while I remake them?"
"Sure," I give her a little smile. "I'm practically done with this anyway."
"Thanks, Pete," she grins. "I really can't afford to get in trouble with the manager right now."
From the other side of the kitchen, Roberto laughs. "If he ever bothers to show up."
"That's a good point," Kelly laughs shakily.
My phone buzzes inside my pocket. I pull off my gloves and look at it. A text from Katniss: Left my lunch in the fridge. Can't have Jo bring it again! Gale won't pick up his phone. Can u get it?
"Um, Kelly, I actually have to go. Can you ask Janice?" I say. "If Pat does show up, tell him I had a family emergency and I'll be back in twenty minutes."
"What's the emergency?" Roberto asks,
"Nothing," I reply. "I need to bring something to one of my roommates. But I doubt Pat would care for that story."
I reply to Katniss's text with: On my way!
I slide into the front seat of my car and hit the gas. The house is really close to the bakery, so it takes almost no time to get there, and within twelve minutes, I arrive at the school.
The cafeteria and the teacher's lounge are right by the doors, so I walk into the teacher's lounge. Katniss is sitting there with another teacher. Her back is facing me, so I say, "Delivery for Katniss Everdeen."
She turns around and grins at me. "Thanks, Peeta."
"No problem," I say.
The teacher with her looks at me curiously. "Which one are you? The baker or the bartender?"
I smile. "How do you know I'm not the model?"
She smiles back. "Because the model's name starts with an F."
"I'm the baker," I say. "And I really should go, because i'm ditching work."
"I'm really sorry!" Katniss calls as I leave.
"Don't worry about it!"
I drive back to the bakery and slip in the back door. "I'm back," I shout.
I walk into the main part of the kitchen and stop dead in my tracks. Pat actually is here. "Pat," I say. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Where were you, Peeta?" he asks, his arms crossed.
"Family emergency," I reply.
"We're getting very busy, Peeta," Pat says, his tone hard as steel.
"It won't happen again, sir," I say.
"I know it won't," he says. "Because I'm letting you go."
My mouth - along with the mouths of Kelly, Janice, Jared, and Roberto - fall open. "Are you firing me?" I ask.
"Yes," he replies.
"Mr. Kirk, Peeta is an amazing baker," Jared defends me. "His decorations on cakes are st -"
"Do I need to let go of you too, Jared?" Pat snaps.
"He made one mistake," Janice says.
"I was only gone for eighteen minutes!"
"Eighteen minutes too many," Pat says. "Get out."
Still stunned, I turn around and walk out of the bakery.
Finnick's POV
"They totally overdid it with the hair gel," I complain as I run my hand through my sticky hair. "Annie, you have to feel this!"
She reaches up and touches my hair. The sticky substance coats her hand. "By God, Finnick! This is ridiculous!"
"I know," I say, throwing my hands up in the air.
"Excuse me," a short, round woman approaches us. "Are you Annie Cresta?"
"Um, yes," Annie replies..
"Great," the woman says. "My name is Sharon Bellefield, I'm with the newspaper. We wanted to do an article on you."
"What did I do that was newsworthy?" Annie asks.
The woman looks puzzled for a moment before answering, "You saved the life of one of the most influential people in the state of California."
"I did? That kid who needed CPR?" Annie raises her eyebrows.
"Yes," the woman, Sharon, replies.
"Of course you get all the credit," I say. "Not me, the one who taught you CPR!" I sigh overdramatically. "I'll go wait in the truck. Just me and my hair gel."
"Calm down, Finnick," Annie rolls her eyes. "I'll be there in a minute."
I grin at her and walk over to my truck. In about five minutes, she slides into the passenger seat.
"Someone's getting popular," I say.
Katniss's POV
I push open the front door and find Peeta lying on the couch. "Hey, Peeta, you're never home this early."
"Pat fired me," he pouts.
"What? Why?" I ask, sitting down next to him on the couch.
"Because I was gone for eighteen minutes bringing you your lunch," he says.
"Are you serious?!" I ask. "That's not okay! I'll be back in about ten minutes."
I pick up my car keys and walk back out the door. In less than three minutes, I get to Peeta's bakery.
"Where is this Pat person!?" I ask the man working at the counter.
"Why?" he asks.
"He can't fire my friend for doing me a favor!" I say angrily.
"Oh, so you're the infamous Katniss," he grins. "I'll go tell him that we have an angry customer. Trust me, I want Peeta to get his job back as much as you do." He sticks his head in the doorway to the kitchen and shouts, "Pat! We have an angry customer!"
A muscled man with shaggy dark hair steps out of the kitchen. "Can I help you?" he asks.
"You can't fire my friend," I say. "He loves his job and he's really good at it! He was just helping me out! He was gone for less than twenty minutes!"
"Peeta told me that he had a family emergency," Pat says steadily. "You don't appear to be family."
"He probably lied to prevent himself from getting fired," I say. "He needs a job right now!"
I smile appears on Pat's face. "I can see why Peeta was willing to risk his job to help you."
"Excuse me?"
"I'll make a deal with you. I'll rehire your friend if you go on a date with me."
"You'll rehire Peeta if I agree?" I ask. He nods. "Okay, fine. One date."
"Saturday night," he says.
Gale's POV
My boss, Haymitch Abernathy, walks into the bar at closing time.
"Hey, boss," Rita says as she clears the tables. "How's life?"
"Life is life. It's absolute fuckery," he replies. "Anyway, I have an announcement to make. Today was the thousandth day this bar has been open. In celebration, my wife insisted that I invite you all to dinner on Saturday night."
"Thanks, Haymitch," I say. "Can I bring a date?"
"Anyone can bring a date," he replies.
"Rita, are you going to bring that fiance we're all dying to meet?" another waitress, Karen, asks.
"Why are you all so desperate to meet him?" Rita asks, exasperated.
"Because we still haven't received our invitations to the wedding," I say.
"How many times do I have to tell you that it's family only?"
"We won't stop pestering until after the wedding is over," Karen informs her. "We're just annoying people."
"So, are you going to bring him?" I ask.
She sighs. "I suppose I have to."
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