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Author's Note: Thanks to those of you who reviewed and followed/favorited! Let's just get right to it, shall we? We'll catch up at the end.
Katniss
My lids flutter open to the song of a bird perched outside my window. I lay in my bed a few minutes longer than I normally would, listening to the soft, whistled melody. A yawn escapes my mouth, and I decide to sit up and stretch. My legs swing over the side of the bed, and my feet find the floor. Then I remember.
Damn it. It's Friday.
I've been absolutely dreading Friday. I even tried to change my mind – three times! But Madge wouldn't hear of it.
"I've already asked them!" she reminded me each time I tried to get out of this incredibly torturous situation. "They're looking forward to it."
Madge hadn't wasted any time once I'd agreed, and had invited the Mellark brothers to her house the very morning after our discussion. That's likely because she knew I'd take it back if given the chance. I've naturally refused to say more than one word at a time to her throughout the week… which might be satisfying if Madge seemed to care. Instead, she seems more giddy than usual and refuses to be put off by my sour demeanor.
With a sigh, I push myself up from my bed and make my way to the small chest of drawers that houses my clothes. I don't even know what to wear. Why does it matter? I don't know the answer to my own question. It shouldn't matter.
Still, I rummage through my clothes until I find a decent pair of hunting pants and a clean forest green shirt. I slip into the clothes and instantly reach my hands up to twist my hair into its typical braid. They work by habit, tucking and weaving strands in and out.
I slip out of my room and make my way to the kitchen where I find Prim already waiting for me, her golden hair tied into two pigtails. I smile at her and smooth out a bit of her hair as I pass her. I pull my leather boots onto my feet and lace them.
"Ready to go?" I ask Prim. In truth, I'm not ready to go. I wish desperately that I could play sick today, but I know Madge would see right through it. And besides, I don't actually want to ruin anything for her. Prim nods and hops down from her chair, and we make our way out the door.
We chat easily as we walk to school. When we arrive, I follow Prim to her classroom before making my way to my own. I have math first, and I take my usual seat in the back. Before long, Madge joins me. She turns toward me in her seat, her eyes full of excitement.
"Katniss, thank you for doing this for me. I owe you," she whispers.
"You more than owe me," I remind her, glaring at her.
"Oh, will you lighten up? It's just one evening. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that Peeta and Rye are going to walk us to my house after school. Isn't that great of them? We're going to meet in the square after the whistle."
I shake my head, but not in irritation this time. "I have to take Prim home, first." I contemplate the idea of just staying home with Prim. It might be my only chance to escape.
"Oh, that's right," Madge says, pursing her lips in thought. "Well, that's okay. You'll just have to meet us after. I think I can handle them both for a little while," she grins, causing me to nearly roll my eyes at her. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't complain about it, that's all," she shrugs her shoulders, laughing.
"I see." Since when did Madge have these thoughts about boys? She'd never shown them until now.
A few more people enter the room and take seats in the front, and I make the mistake of glancing up and realizing that one of them is him. I catch his eye by accident and quickly look away. For a moment, I wonder what he thinks of the get together that Madge has arranged. He's known about if for several days, but hasn't brought it up or attempted to speak to me about it. I'm glad. I don't know what I would say if he did.
Our teacher calls class to order, causing Madge to stop whispering to me. I'm secretly glad. I'm not sure that I could have taken any more talk about the torture that I'll be going through in just a few hours. I internally hope that school drags on today. But, of course, it doesn't. In no time at all, I hear the whistle that dismisses us. I rise and escape from the room as quickly as I can. I make my way to the spot where I meet Prim and see that she's already waiting for me.
I reach for her hand. She takes it and we walk together back toward the seam. Every day, on our walk home, we pass the bakery. And every day, Prim begs me to look at the cakes and cookies through the window. I always give in, and today is no different. We stop outside the first window and Prim all but presses her nose up against it.
"How was school?" I ask her while she's admiring the frosted cookies.
"Not bad," she says, her free hand twiddling with one of her braids. "I had a writing test today."
"Oh? And how'd you do?"
"Katniss, it's writing. It was easy," she informs me, shaking her head as though my question was unnecessary.
I laugh. "Alright, alright, I'm only asking!"
"Well, it was a stupid question," she responds, looking up at me in amusement.
"What was a stupid question?" A voice to my left causes me to jump, and I turn quickly to see who it belongs to. My muscles tense as I catch sight of his blue eyes, and my grip on Prim's hand tightens. I'm sure she notices, because she looks up at me, but she doesn't say anything. Isn't he supposed to be with Madge and Rye? He's waiting for an answer, and before I can choke one out Prim speaks up.
"Katniss asked if I passed my writing test," she responds easily, giggling as though his presence isn't a strange occurrence at all. "But of course I passed it. I got the best marks in class."
"Best marks in class?" he repeats, turning his attention to my little sister. He squats down so that he's closer to her height, bracing his elbows on his knees, and smiles. "That's impressive. I think that deserves a little celebration, don't you?"
Peeta fishes into his pocket and pulls out a small, flat parcel wrapped in paper. He extends his arm toward Prim, and she takes it from him gingerly. Her eyes widen as she unwraps it, and a huge smile spreads across her face.
"Katniss, look!" she exclaims, holding up what he handed to her so that I can see. It's a frosted cookie cut in the shape of a flower, and is every bit as beautiful as the ones in the window that Prim admires each and every day. I can see the excitement plastered on her face.
"That's really pretty, Prim," I say to her, finally finding my voice. "Just like you. Did you say thank you?"
"I was going to!" she says, and I watch on in amazement as she turns back toward Peeta and throws her little arms around his neck. "Thank you!" she exclaims, grinning from ear to ear. I'm not sure if he knows just how happy his gift has made her.
He wraps one arm around Prim in response as though he's known her all his life. In reality, this is the first time he's ever spoken to her. I take advantage of his momentary distraction, using it to let my eyes linger on his broad figure that's now embracing my sister. I don't know how to react.
"Did you make them?" Prim asks him when he releases her, holding the cookie near to her face so that she can admire it up close. She's only ever seen them through the window.
Peeta nods, still crouched down. "Every last one," he responds. "I decorated everything in the window."
"Wow, really?" I can hear the amazement in her voice. I'm surprised, too, but I don't voice my thoughts. "They're all beautiful. Katniss and I stop to look at them every day on our way home from school! Don't we, Katniss?" She pulls me back into the conversation, and I have no choice but to answer her.
"That's right," I agree, because there's nothing else I can do. "Prim, we should get going. You're supposed to help mom with some patients this afternoon, remember?"
"Oh, that's right! Thanks again for the cookie!" she beams.
I take Prim's hand, and just when I'm certain that we'll escape he says something unexpected.
"I'll walk with you."
I halt in my tracks, turning to look at him incredulously. "Why?" I ask bluntly, frowning. I'm not sure what's going on.
"That depends," he responds. "Do you want the real answer or the fake one?"
"Now that's a stupid question," I retort.
"Well, if you must know, Madge sent me to, and I quote, make sure that you don't escape," he said, shrugging.
"Of course she did," I huff, crossing my arms across my chest. "Well, you can go tell Madge that I don't need an escort."
"You can tell her that when we get there," he responds, "because she also told me that if I show up without you she'll give my share of dinner to Rye. I'll walk with you." He repeats his earlier statement.
"Great!" Prim exclaims before I have a chance to say no again. She grabs his hand and drags him forward, skipping along next to him.
Oh Prim, why are you so friendly? I think, holding back a groan. I sigh and fall in step beside them. Thankfully, Prim does all the talking, asking Peeta all about the bakery.
"But how do you get all those colors?" I hear her question, and I can see that she's hanging on the answer as though her life depended on it.
"It's not hard," he tells her. "You just mix some food coloring into it. For the really bright reds and purples you actually mix the icing with berry juice – I could teach you sometime, if you want."
"Oh, would you?" she exclaims, staring at him with wide eyes. I'm starting to worry that Prim's going to go into shock from all this extra excitement. Peeta just laughs and tells her that he'd be happy to.
Finally, we enter the Seam, and I might be content if I could dart into the house like Prim does. Instead, I have to accompany Peeta back into town, and this time I won't have the help of my little sister. Yes, I realize how pathetic that sounds, but I don't care. I don't know how to react to the boy with the bread.
I notice that he's gazing interestedly around as we take the east road out of the Seam. I realize after a moment that he's probably never been here before. After all, what reason would a merchant have to wander through the poorest area of district twelve? I'm mildly impressed that his expression is one of interest rather than one of disgust.
We walk in silence for some time. It feels awkward to me, but I get the feeling that Peeta doesn't feel awkward at all. "You're sister's nice," he comments easily as pass into the merchant district.
Well, I suppose if I have to talk, Prim is the easiest subject for me to discuss. "You made her day," I tell him. "Giving her that frosted cookie."
"I always see her staring at them," he laughs.
"You didn't have to do that," I say.
He shrugs in a nonchalant kind of way. "I wanted to."
I don't answer. I'm glad that Prim's happy, of course. But this only means that I owe him one more thing. I'm relieved when he doesn't try to pull me into further conversation. Finally we arrive at Madge's, and as much as I've been dreading this, I'm glad that I at least won't have to be alone with Peeta any longer. Suddenly, it makes sense that she wanted me to join her and Rye in the first place.
"Well it's about time!" Madge exclaims as she opens the door to let us in. "Thanks for watching her, Peeta."
"I don't need watching – "
"Happy to help," he responds lightly, cutting me off. He steps past both me and Madge, leaving us standing at the door.
I shoot her a glare the moment his back is turned. "Why did you do that?" I hiss at her.
"Do what?" she asks innocently.
"You know what."
"Because you wouldn't have come," she says simply.
She knows me too well. I let out a frustrated breath and follow her inside.
"I figured Rye would be by the food," I hear Peeta say from inside, and as I pass into the house I catch sight of Rye Mellark stuffing a handful of strawberries in his mouth. I might be tempted to laugh if I wasn't so irritated with the situation.
The Mellark brothers look extremely alike – fair skin, blonde hair, blue eyes. The only real difference is that while Peeta is broad, Rye is lean like Gale.
"Ah, there she is!" Rye exclaims the moment he sees me. "The bearer of squirrels. I owe many a good meal to you, Miss Everdeen."
I hesitate, because Rye has never spoken to me before, but words form more easily than when Peeta addresses me. After all, I don't owe Rye Mellark anything. "Including those strawberries," I say.
"What?" he questions, gazing down at the bowl of fresh strawberries in mock awe. "Do my ears deceive me? Katniss Everdeen, bearer of squirrels, has also picked these delicious berries? I'm impressed – a girl of many talents."
"Actually, Gale picked them," I tell him, raising an eyebrow at his eccentric manner.
"Did I say delicious?" he says. "I meant to say sickening. Sorry about that."
Amazingly, I feel a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. I decide that I like Rye. Madge quickly jumps in and shoos us all to the table. She's cooked the rabbit that I traded her into a stew, and serves us each a bowl and some bread.
"Peeta and Rye are to thank for the bread, of course!" she informs me, smiling.
I manage to make it through dinner without having to say much. Rye does most of the talking. I avoid talking to Peeta, because it makes me uncomfortable. I'm not sure if he notices. He doesn't seem to, instead adding in his own comments in response to whatever Rye says. As a pair, they're actually very funny. I also notice that Madge and Peeta seem to be good friends. I've never seen them interact before, but it's obvious that they're comfortable around each other. He teases her every now and then and she smacks his arm in response.
"That was excellent," Rye announces when he finishes, pushing his bowl away from him and leaning back in his chair.
"Katniss brought me the rabbit," Madge informs him, smiling and taking his plate into the kitchen.
Rye turns his gaze on me and looks like he's about to over-compliment me again. Before he has a chance to call me the bearer of rabbits, or something like that, I tell him, "Gale caught the rabbit."
The speed with which his expression falls nearly makes me laugh. "Of course he did," he glowers, sighing. He then throws me off guard by asking, "You guys are kind of a thing, huh?"
"What?" I say, furrowing my brow. "Me and Gale?" I notice Peeta's eyes flick toward me interestedly, his smile faltering only slightly. Why would it matter to him? He doesn't say anything, but Rye does.
"Yes, you and Gale," he says. "You're always together. The girls at school are always complaining about it. They're always gushing over him." I can hear the slight irritation in Rye's voice, although I feel certain that if I spoke to any girls besides Madge they'd be gushing about Rye just as much as Gale.
To my surprise, I feel an uncomfortable heat rise up my neck when he mentions the girls that pine after Gale. I faintly recognize it as jealousy, but push it aside because it doesn't make sense. Why should I be jealous? "We're not a… a thing." I inform him, frowning. I still feel Peeta's eyes on me, but I don't meet them.
"Of course not!" Madge jumps in, saving me from certain humiliation. "I'd know about it, if so." She brushes off the topic easily. "I want to go out into the garden."
I'm surprised to see that the sun is near to the horizon when we step out of the house. The sky is strewn with hues of red and orange. I'm surprised to see that Peeta's eyes are drawn straight to it, a look of small wonder on his face. Rye is the last to escape the house, and the moment he does he takes Madge's hand, pulling her toward the far corner of the garden. She shoots me an apologetic look over her shoulder and goes with him. I know that I'm not supposed to follow them.
I make my way toward the garden fence, away from Rye and Madge, and lean my arms on it. I wonder if I can leave now – Madge doesn't seem to need me anymore. Lost in thought, contemplating my potential escape, I don't notice him join me until his arm brushes against mine.
I flinch at his touch, but he doesn't seem to notice, and he doesn't move away. He leans against the fence next tome. He's much too close to me, and I feel warmth rise on my cheeks. He acts as though he hasn't done anything abnormal, and I don't distance myself simply to avoid making the situation any more awkward than it already feels.
"It's my favorite color," he says. His voice is soft and relaxed, and it draws my attention. My eyes shift to look at him, but he isn't looking at me. He's still looking at the sky.
"What is?" I ask him, not sure what he means.
"The sunset," he says simply without looking at me.
I furrow my brow in confusion. "The sunset is your favorite color?"
"Mhm. What's yours?"
I hesitate before answering, but finally say "green." It feels too simple compared to his, but to my surprise the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile.
"Why do you avoid me, Katniss?"
The question throws me off guard and causes my chest to contract, and I look away from him. I remain silent for some time before I finally force out "I don't avoid you."
Peeta laughs. "Of course you do. You won't even look at me. Every time I talk to you, you hardly respond."
He's right of course. He doesn't seem angry – just curious. I can't answer him, so I just say, "Why do you talk to me?"
"I talk to everybody," he says, shrugging.
"I'm not like everybody," I say quietly, looking at my hands.
I feel his eyes on me before he says, "True. That's why I talk to you. Or try to, at least."
His response intrigues me, and I risk a glance at his face. My eyes meet his, and for once I make an effort to hold the contact. He looks so calm, so relaxed. I wonder if I look as uncomfortable as I feel. I'm not sure what makes me bring it up – perhaps it's his kind blue eyes gazing so easily into my own – but before I can stop myself, the words tumble out. "Why did you do it?" I wish I could take it back.
It's clear that he knows what I'm asking – I can see in his face that he does, in fact, remember the bread. "Because you needed it," he responded. "Because I could."
Like I said before, being around Peeta Mellark severely hurts my pride. Now, it's particularly wounded as he points out that I needed him. "You burned it on purpose," I say.
He nods. "Yes. It was worth it."
"Why?" I find that I need to know his answer.
"Because you're still here," he says, shrugging, as though it's the simplest answer in the world. I can almost picture Prim in my mind informing me that my question was stupid. "Did you mean it before? When you said you aren't with Gale?"
I don't see why this matters either, but I answer him. "Of course I meant it. Why would I lie?" I respond.
He nods and falls silent. His eyes return to the sky, and I wonder what's going through his mind. Why does he care if I'm still here? Why does he care if I'm with Gale? Suddenly, I'm extremely aware of where our arms are touching. To my confusion there's a part of me that enjoys the sensation of his skin brushing gently against mine when he shifts his weight. How does he not even notice?
Before I can think about it in too much detail, Madge and Rye join us. I turn quickly as I hear them approaching, breaking the miniscule contact between Peeta and I. Madge is trying and failing to hide the grin on her face. Her fingers are still laced between Rye's.
"Peeta, we should probably get back to the bakery. Mom's expecting us."
I watch as Peeta's face stiffens slightly at the word Mom, and I can't help remembering the bruises he used to come to school with when he was younger. It only lasts half a second before his face relaxes again. I wonder if I imagined it – I just can't picture Peeta angry. He seems to… well, too good for that.
"You're right," he says, nodding. He turns to Madge, offering her a smile. "Thank you for dinner – although I'm sure my brother's thank you was better," he adds with a smirk. Madge blushes a light shade of red, but Rye just catches his brother's eye and grins. I just shake my head, not really wanting to think about it.
"No, thank you for joining us!" Madge says sincerely. "See you around?"
"Definitely," Rye tells her, releasing her hand and heading toward the garden gate that leads to the road. Peeta follows him, but not before catching my eye and offering me a smile. I'm frustrated when it sends a wave of warmth through my body.
Madge and I watch until the brothers are out of sight. The moment they are, she rounds on me. "He likes you," she says boldly, grinning at me.
"Of course he doesn't," I tell her, shaking my head. "He just didn't want to bother you guys."
"Oh, Katniss, you're a smart girl, but you're very naïve."
I sigh and have to stop myself from rolling my eyes at her. "Just remember that you owe me for this. I have to get home and make sure that Prim's had dinner. I'm hunting tomorrow, so I'll be by to trade."
"Will you be trading at the bakery tomorrow, too?" she asks me, grinning slyly.
This is going to get old fast. "Yes, Gale and I will probably trade with Mr. Mellark tomorrow, and that's only if we catch any squirrels."
"Mhm," she says, and I can see that she's not convinced. I don't feel like spending my evening attempting to change her mind, so I thank her for dinner and say goodbye. On my way through the garden gate, I hear her call after me. "Say hello to Peeta for me when you see him, Katniss!"
I don't answer her. This is going to get very old, very fast.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Once again, I hope you guys made it this far. And once again, if you did, PLEASE REVIEW! This story is kind of a just for fun one for me, but I live to read your reviews and the more I receive, the more consistent I'll be about working on it. Hope this chapter is decent for you guys. I promise you all, the Peeta/Katniss fluff is to come, as is some Peeta/Katniss/Gale conflict. But that's a bit later. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave your reviews! Let me know what you think! Thanks for those of you that gave this a shot. Happy reading =)