The Year Before

Chapter 2: Pressent Day

POV: Y/n
*10 years later*

Peeta and I are best friends til this day. I became really close friends with this one girl, Katniss Everdeen. She has wavy black hair and beautiful grey eyes and lighter skinned than me. Sometimes I think that Katniss and Peeta would make a cute couple, but what the hell am I talking about.

Occasionally I'll sleep at her house and she'll sleep at mine. So does Peeta, but his mother isn't the biggest fan of me, I could never tell you why, I've done nothing wrong in front or to her.

Although I know for a fact she doesn't treat Peeta right.

Peeta decided he's gonna stay at my house for the weekend, he doesn't like listening to his witch of a mother fight with his innocent father. This happens a lot to them so he stays at my house very often.

"Are you planning on going hunting with Katniss after school?" Peeta asks

"I think so, why?" I ask

"No reason" he says cockily

"Um okay then" I say with a chuckle

As Peeta and I walk to school, we are silent. Usually we'll talk about the most random things, but it didn't feel like that kind of day I guess.

POV: Peeta
As y/n and I walk to school, we are silent, I guess we don't feel like talking today which is weird for us, I mostly don't feel like talking for some reason, but I think she took the hint.

We understand each other that way, she's the only person I trust, and I'm most likely to be the only one she trusts. I'm dreading to go to school today, every day Y/n talks to Katniss Everdeen when we get to school. I get too awkward and nervous around her, because I've had a crush on her ever since I was 5. I usually just meet Y/n at lunch and then after school.

The rest of the day was boring, nothing interesting ever happens, district 12, the starving district. The kids around me seem worn out and depressed, because the reaping of the 73'rd annual Hunger Games is just around the corner.

As we walk to Y/n's house after school, I see Katniss waiting at Y/n's front door in her hunting clothes with her hair in her usual braid.

"I guess that answers my question." I say

"Huh? Oh! I guess Katniss and I are going hunting." She says.

We make our way to her house, I walk into Y/n's house as if it's my own, not acknowledging Katniss.

I see Y/n walk up her stairs and come back down in her hunting clothes. I watch as they head out and walk towards the woods. They're pretty similar, her and Katniss. Both stubborn, loves hunting, smart, and some what the same skin tone. Except... I have a crush on one of them.

POV: Katniss
Hunting. I love to hunt. Especially with Y/n and Gale. Gale has to work most of the time so I'm lucky to have Y/n to hunt with me as well.

"So what's our goal today?" Asks Y/n

"Hopefully some squirrels, maybe a rabbit." I reply

"I'll go set a snare over by that tree trunk." Says Y/n

"Okay I'll go get our bows" I say.

We have to hide our bows and arrows, it's illegal to carry them if your not a peacekeeper. We hide them in a hollow log and cover them with dirt, leaves, and some moss.

We split off in the opposite direction. I watch as she sets a snare, she carefully makes her way back in my direction and we wait.

"So! How was your week? It is Friday after all!" I say

"It was okay I guess..." she says with a sigh.

"What's been going on?" I ask

"Peeta" she says in a worrisome voice

"What about Peeta?" I ask.

I remember 4 years ago, when my father died I was 11. My mother gave up on parenting my sister Prim and I. The district gave us very little money to help my mother get a job, but she didn't, we ran out of food and was slowly starving to death, Panem was never the nicest to district 12. I couldn't get any wild animals, I didn't know how to hunt yet. I remember digging through the bakery dumpster and a crabby woman rushed outside with a broom and shooed me away, screaming at me even. Then I saw him, throwing burnt bread to the pigs in a pen beside the bakery. He looked side to side as if seeing if the coast was clear. He tossed two loaves of bread in my direction. He saved my family and me.

I turn to her. She turns to me with a look of concern.

"He just hasn't been acting like himself. He's been staying at my house more than usual, and that's not a bad thing, but there's always some sort of a bad reason." She explains

"Oh, I see. Maybe you could ask why." I say.

"Maybe" she says with a sigh.

We start to head back. We didn't catch anything but we got to spend some time together. It's first time in a while I hung out with a girl my age that I'm comfortable with.

"My father has been distant lately" she suddenly says.
    I've never been good at helping people with advice or comforting others.

"Oh yeah? Hm, maybe he's stressed about something." I say like as if I know what to say

"Hm Maybe. He's just been having more temper issues. But I never know what about, he seems to enjoy having Peeta over. For all I care, I'm just glad they get along for how much time he spends over there." She says

"Heh yeah" I chuckle

"that's always a plus." I say positively.

We stop at my house and say goodbye, then I just watch as she walks away into the night towards her house.