A/N: I have a question for you guys: How do you deal with haters? I've been arguing with people on Youtube about the Hunger Games Peeta or Gale debate but I want to stop before it gets bigger than I want it to. What do you guys do to stop yourself from getting annoyed or frustrated with haters? I could really use some advice. And please don't say 'haters gonna hate' because I know that's true but I need measures to help myself ignore them.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.

Entering school again is jarring. It feels like every eye is on me, watching my journey from the door to my locker. I wanted to stay at home. I asked Mum if I could skip school and come to the hospital with her but she told me no. That I'm in my last year of school and my grades are what matters. I was annoyed-and I still am-but fighting with my mum is like trying to have a conversation with a brick wall. So here I am, lumbering to my locker like a social piranha. No one dares approach me. No one dares to speak to me.

Except one.

"Is he alright?" Clove asks. It could be misinterpreted as trying to get the latest gossip to spread around but I know Clove like the back of my hand. The way her top lip twitches on the right side and her eyes flicker worriedly. She's genuinely concerned about Peeta.

"He went into cardiac arrest," I explain to her. "It could be months before they let him out of hospital."

"Jesus," Clove mutters, running her fingers through her hair as we make our way to form room. "What was it? Do they know?"

I shake my head. "No, they don't. They're trying to find out though." Besides the fact that the doctors, myself, my mother, and Mr Abernathy now know about Peeta's eating disorder I still feel like it's my job to keep it secret. I'm not letting rumours run wild around the school about him. Especially where it involves his illness.

"This school is fucked up," Clove declares. "Have I been wearing a sleep mask or something? Has it always been this way here? I mean, for fuck's sake, they couldn't even let them accept a reward without starting a fight!"

"It's our fault," I conclude. "We should have recognized what we were doing earlier than this."

"I can't believe I treated people this way. I almost want to run to the hospital and tell Peeta that I'm sorry." Clove looks at her black sneakers as they slap against the floor with every step she takes. "I want to tell them all that I'm sorry . . . Do you think it's too late?"

I shrug. "I don't know about the others," I say. We stop outside our form room and I take a deep breath to smooth down my nerves. "But Peeta will forgive you."

Clove seems to brighten at this. "Do you think so?" she asks.

I nod firmly. "I know he will."

If he can forgive me-the girl who created the nickname that caused his illness-then he will forgive Clove. Clove never really pushed him or the others that hard. She would insult them behind their back and maybe push them around a little but never to the extent that Glimmer and I did. Out of the three of us, Clove had always been the most level headed. Which is strange because she was always the one who took on the physical fights with people. I'm glad that she wants to change her ways like me. Maybe it's not much but two people retuning themselves will hopefully make the world of difference.

We enter the classroom and I'm immediately bombarded with a million and one questions.

"Is Mellark alive?"

"What exactly happened?"

"Did you see him after he collapsed?"

"Is he dead?"

I wave them all off. They don't care about Peeta. They just want to know to have something to say to their friends. The only people I am going to tell the full story to are his friends at break. The people who would actually care and won't find the first person to gossip to about it. I don't know whether they know about his anorexia but judging upon Finch's reaction, I don't think they do.

I don't need to tell my classmates anything anyway. As soon as the bell rings, Ms Trinket enters with an ashen face. Even with her ridiculous pink make-up she looks glum. She puts her handbag down onto her chair and sits on the edge of her desk. She looks at us solemnly and sighs.

"As you all know, last Friday at the Past to Present Ceremony your fellow classmate Peeta Mellark collapsed and was taken to hospital," she explains. Clove reaches across the space between our tables and pats my hand. The small gesture settles me a little and I smile at her in appreciation. "I'm sure there are rumours flying around about what really happened . . . The truth is he experienced cardiac arrest that has left him in bad condition in the hospital. I don't want to hear any more untrue stories bouncing around the school now that you all know. I can't and won't stand for gossip."

Ms Trinket's plea is futile. Even telling the students the truth will prompt rumours. Why did Peeta go into cardiac arrest? What caused it? Really, the truth will make it much worse than if she had just left it alone. But I feel like every form teacher has been instructed to do the same with their students. Everyone was at the P2P ceremony. Everyone saw Peeta fall. There would obviously be questions and the teachers think they're doing the right thing by answering them. They haven't. They've just made it so much worse.

It's difficult to concentrate on my morning lessons. Clove does most of my work for me, saying that she knows the equations we're supposed to use and can just do them for me. My mind is completely focused on other things. I know Peeta wouldn't want me to fluff my studies but I physically can't focus. Not without the knowledge that he's going to be okay . . .

Break time comes but it feels like it's been years. I tell Clove that I'm going to find Peeta's friends. She understands and we head off in different directions. I look for Johanna, Annie and Finch outside. I don't know if they all hang out together or not but I search everywhere I can think of.

I find Johanna and Finch at one of the lunch tables, a chess set sitting between them. When I approach, Johanna doesn't sneer or crack an insult. She raises her eyebrows and says, "We heard, you know."

"I know," I reply. Finch moves up on her bench and pats the space beside her. I gratefully sit down and lay my crutches on the gravelly ground beneath us. "I just wondered if you wanted to hear the full story."

"Do you know it?" Finch asks, green eyes gleaming in the morning sunlight. Huh. She's actually kind of pretty. Her orange hair looks smooth and falls down her back in a lovely stream.

I nod. Johanna is weary of me, knocking one of Finch's pieces over with her own. "Check mate." When she focuses on me, she says, "How do we know you're going to tell the truth? Why do you-of all people in this godforsaken school-know what happened to Peeta?"

"I wasn't supposed to find out," I tell them. I shift uncomfortably under Johanna's gaze. "If he had wanted to tell someone, I'm sure he would have went to one of you guys first."

"Find out what?" Johanna asks suspiciously.

I look around. "Where's Annie?"

"Not here," Johanna says immediately. "Find out what?"

Whichever way I tell them this, I'm going to come out as the bad guy. I'm probably going to walk away from this table with a black eye when Johanna discovers the truth. I put my hands on the table and fiddle with my fingers to distract myself. "Peeta . . . hasn't been eating. For a long time now. He never elaborated to me how long but I would guess it started Junior Year. On Friday his doctor officially diagnosed him with anorexia."

Finch immediately puts her head in her hands, pressing them against the table despondently. "I can't believe this," she whispers.

"I can," Johanna says stiffly. "We've never seen him eat since he lost all his baby weight. Since his nickname has clung to him I suppose this sort of thing was inevitable." She lifts her eyes and glares at me. "And it's you and your people's fault!" she hisses.

My eyes drift to the ground shamefully. "I know," I say quietly.

"Don't expect a pity party either, Everdeen. I know you're reforming or whatever but it doesn't excuse what you've done to him!" Johanna continues.

"I don't expect anything from you," I reply. "I just thought you had a right to know the truth. I haven't told anyone else because who knows what sort of shit storm will come of it. The rumours are bad enough as it is."

"What caused the cardiac arrest?" Finch asks meekly. She isn't angry as much as upset.

"The doctor said hypertension," I answer.

Finch nods. She doesn't need it explained the way I did. Johanna taps her fingers impatiently against the table. I watch her wearily, wondering how long it was going to take before she explodes at me. I tense, preparing myself for the inevitable punch but instead, her eyes drift from where they had been pinned to the chess board and meet mine.

"I don't blame you," she says. "I'm sure he doesn't either."

I'm so taken aback I almost don't find words to respond with. "What?" I say stupidly.

"You weren't the only person to call Peeta fat, Katniss," Johanna explains to me. "Kids teased him long before you fabricated 'fatboy'. In Elementary and even a little before that. You weren't all that bad back then. You piling on top just didn't help. Especially not with . . ." She trails off and huffs angrily.

"Do you think she . . .?" Finch trails off as well. She and Johanna lock eyes, seeming to have a telepathic conversation without me,

"I wouldn't put it past her," Johanna eventually huffs.

"Put past who? Are you talking about me?" I demand to know.

Johanna shakes her head. When she doesn't answer my question, Finch says, "We're talking about Hayden Mellark. Peeta's mother."

"What about her?" I ask.

Finch shakes her head. "I can't say."

I wonder if Hayden ever called Peeta fat. She seems like a horrid woman, I too wouldn't put it past her. Nor would I be surprised if I heard that she had. I pluck one of the smaller pieces off the chess board since the game seems to be over and play with it anxiously. "Will you tell Annie for me?" I ask.

Johanna nods. "Yeah, we will," she says. I nod my thanks and pick up my crutches. Finch gives me a little push as I heave myself up, helping me keep up when I'm up. "Hey Katniss."

"Yeah?"

Johanna doesn't look at me, instead picking up the chess piece I left on the table and pockets it. "Feel free to come to me after school. I can tutor you while Peeta's not well."

Her offer overwhelms me and almost sit down again. "Are you sure?" I ask her.

"Of course. Any friend of Peeta's is a friend of ours."

"Wow . . . thank you," I say gratefully. Johanna nods curtly. Finch smiles weakly, clearly still upset over what I've told them about Peeta.

I decide to take the long way around the school. Even though I should really be using the shorter way because of my leg, I need the fresh air to clear my head. The long way takes you around the back of the old school mobiles which are desolate and have green sludge crawling up the walls. It stinks but at least it's away from the rest of the student body.

I'm brushing thickets and vines out of my path with my crutches when I see the outline of two people. Probably two students who snuck out here for a blow or something. As I get closer, I see that I am half right. They're kissing, holding each other so tight it's almost as if they believe someone is going to snatch the other away.

When I'm near enough to hear the squelch of swapped saliva, I stop dead.

Oh my god.

Is that Annie and Finnick? As in Finnick Odair from the football team and Annie Cresta the English Whiz?!

My foot crunches against a branch and they snap apart. Annie gasps in shock and immediately looks to Finnick, who's glaring at me like I chucked a football at his head. He pushes Annie away like she clambered onto him herself and that he had no part in it whatsoever before marching past me and hissing, "You saw nothing!"

"Finnick!" Annie pleads, rushing past me as well as she runs after him.

I stand frozen to the spot for at least ten minutes after they leave.

What the hell did I just witness?

A/N: Ladies and gentlemen, we have Odesta! XD

Please review with your thoughts and a piece of advice for me if you can!