Chapter 27: Prom Night Attacks

Disclaimer: I don't own THG.

Clove:

She looked pale. Clove shouldn't have picked a coral dress. Or was orange? Whatever the color, it did not do anything to help the fact that she was pale, deathly so.

Maybe I should have gotten a spray tan...

No, that made it seem like she actually cared. She was only going to prom because her friends demanded she be there. That way, they could all 'make memories together'. Annie's words, not hers.

Deciding to give up on the dress, Clove moved on to inspect her nails. She had worked hard on them the night before, choosing a matching coral nail polish. She was horrified when she noticed that she had already ruined a nail on her left hand. Thinking quick, she grabbed the nail polish bottle and began her work. In two seconds, the nail was perfect. Unfortunately, the smell of nail polish lingered in her room.

I'll just open the door and let the air in.

Clove pushed open the door to her balcony and went back to adding the finishing touches on her attire. Then, she heard it.

A snapping branch and a loud yelp.

Oh my god. Someone's breaking into my house!

Back when she turned fourteen, her father had given a her a very special gift. A baseball bat. He insisted she keep it in her closet, in case anyone tried to get into the house while he and her mother were away. She thought nothing of it until that moment.

Clove grabbed her bat and ran out to the backyard, looking for the intruder. She saw someone lying in the grass, a broken branch next to them. They must have fallen from the tree next to her balcony.

"Who are you?" She called. "Get up and don't move. I've got a baseball bat, and let me tell you, I know how to swing it!"

The person on the ground moaned and Clove debated whether or not she could get closer. Maybe they were hurt. Her more caring side won and she moved forward. She gasped loudly when she saw who it was.

"Cato? What the hell, you broke my tree!" She threw down the bat and helped him up.

"Your tree? Really? I just fell and you're worried about a tree?" He rubbed his back as he stood.

Clove huffed angrily. "Come on. We're going inside, it's getting dark out and we have to see if you broke anything."

Once inside Clove hurried to find some ice for whatever it was he broke. Cato didn't appear to be in any pain, so her worry was kept at bay. Instead, she let her curiosity take over.

"Why are trying to break into my house?"

"I wanted to talk to you." He replied.

Clove glared at him. "You couldn't have called? Or maybe, knocked on my door like a normal human being?"

"Nope." He iced his wrist. "I had a plan."

"So, you're plan was to fall off a tree and die?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Look, you're going to have to leave. Thresh will be here any minute and I'm going. Delly's probably waiting for you."

"First of all, my plan was to climb up to your balcony. Like in that play. And second, I told Delly I was sick. "

Clove blinked, once, twice; until finally, she understood. Like in that play...Romeo and Juliet. That was the worst place to look for advice.

She hit him in the arm. "You're such an idiot, that tree would never hold you! And why surprise me, I hate surprises! I was going to attack you with a baseball bat!"

Cato rubbed his arm and frowned. "I was trying to be romantic!"

She couldn't quite find a response for that.

" Clove, I don't want you to go to prom with Thresh. I know we're not exactly...a couple, but I think we could be. If you wanted. Maybe."

Clove crossed her arms, a scowl on her face. On the inside, she was satisfied. Really, she loved hearing this.

Katniss had been right, the whole friends with benefits thing had been a mistake. It was pretty much dating, while still seeing other people. Clove didn't want to see anyone else. She liked Cato. But she couldn't tell him. That would have risked hearing a repeat of what her last 'boyfriend' said. She wasn't going to be the loser this time.

"Don't take romantic advice from Romeo and Juliet, Cato. You should have read the ending." She said. "But okay. I'll go out with you. No more sneaking around, no more trying to make me jealous, because I know that's what you were trying to do with Delly."

"And it worked, don't deny it." He smirked at her.

Clove rolled her eyes. "Fine, it worked. But you were jealous of Thresh, so we're even."

He grinned and pulled her in for a kiss. "Prom?"

Clove shook her head. "I've got something even better in mind."

She drove her new boyfriend all the way to the emergency room. Turns out, when you fall from a tree you do get hurt. The result was an injured wrist, which luckily, would be all better just in time for the Quarter Quell football game.

Katniss:

Just one more second...Perfect!

Katniss pulled the strawberry out of the chocolate fountain and popped it into her mouth. So far, prom wasn't as awful as she thought it would be.

Thresh had given her a ride and told her that Clove had ditched them. It was her loss, there was a chocolate fountain!

Everyone was having fun and Katniss had to join in on the dancing. She danced with Gale, Finnick, and even Marvel, who was not that bad once you got over the corny jokes. And all the while, she didn't have to cross paths with Glimmer or Peeta. She wasn't upset with Peeta, but that didn't mean she didn't feel jealous that he was Glimmer's date.

"Kat, you need to stop hogging the chocolate fountain. There's a bunch of kids that just walk by, checking to see if you've left." Haymitch said. As one of the school employees, he and Effie had been asked to chaperone the prom.

"I'm not gonna eat, them. They can chose to come over and share the snacks. And maybe you should have gotten two fountains." Katniss replied while dipping a marshmallow into the delicious chocolate.

"Effie was in charge of that." He said. "She's busy counting up the votes. Didn't know you were running for prom queen."

Katniss almost dropped her snack. "What? Since when?"

Haymitch shrugged. "I don't know. I don't see what the big deal is with prom. It's just a bunch of hormonal teenagers grinding up on each other and listening to loud music."

Kantiss laughed. "Still mad about not winning prom king? Well, I'll be fine here with the chocolate, so you can get back to chaperoning."

"I am chaperoning." He said.

Katniss scowled. "I meant everyone, not just me."

Haymitch shook his head in disapproval, but did return to his job.

As Katniss continued her abuse of the snack table, Effie came on with an announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has come!" She had an envelope in her hands. "I have in my hands, the names of this year's prom king and queen."

Slowly, she opened the envelope. "This year's prom king is...Peeta Mellark."

There was clapping as Peeta took his crown and waited on stage for the prom queen to be named.

"And this year's prom queen is...Glimmer Sinclaire!"

Good thing I didn't win. That would have sucked.

Glimmer smiled brightly and accepted her crown. But she did something unexpected. She took Effie's microphone. Effie immediately took it back.

"Sorry dear, no speeches." The woman said. Glimmer took the mic once more.

"There's no rule against it. Freedom of speech, Ms. Trinket." Glimmer faced the students. "Hey everyone! I'm gonna steal a scene from Mean Girls and give you all an acceptance speech, so here it goes." Her smiled never faltered. "I know you're all waiting for me to scream and tell you to mind your own business. But let me say it nicely: shut up, I know what you're all hiding. Yup, those rumors about me being a bitch are true, I can be if you ask for it. But other than that, I'm human. My parents are human, yes, they are divorcing. Yes,my dad cheated, you all heard it on TV saw it on magazines and what not. He's an actor, he's famous. But he makes mistakes. Everyone does, so get over it."

She paused to let it sink in.

"Anyway, I think it's obvious that I've made a lot of mistakes. I have no regrets, this is high school, it's the time for stupid mistakes. But I'm going to stop making one, though." Glimmer turned her green eyes to Peeta, who stood on stage. "Peeta, you're really nice, but I'm breaking up with you. It's over." Some people in the crowd laughed, others cheered.

"Oh, and I can't break this thing apart, so no one is getting crown pieces. Sorry. Thanks for voting!" Glimmer walked off the stage as though nothing happened.

Katniss could feel their eyes on her. People were staring at her, easy to find since she was wearing her bright red dress. She could feel her anxiety climbing. She had to act fast, she had to save herself. So she ran right out of the ballroom.

Next chapter up on Saturday. Thanks for reading and reviewing, guys! I really appreciate it! :)