Strictly Prohibited ➳ THE HUNGER GAMES ✔️

|10| Foul, Loathsome, Evil, Little Cockroach

Chapter 10 x

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Storm's POV

I know that I couldn't stay with the Delucan siblings. Cashmere would have let me, in fact, she'd even offered. It wasn't her I worried about. It was Gloss's constant sneering, the knowledge that he would see me as coward depending on them. Besides, that would only confirm Hyperion's theory that I was closer to the people in the districts than other Capitolians. So instead I found a modest little apartment in downtown District 1 and spent most of my inheritance money on renting.

It is two months after the 74th Hunger Games before I see Gloss again. Cashmere is a constant – she liked to check up and make sure that I was fitting in well, a courtesy I wish I'd had the sense to extend to her back in the Capitol. She comes around once a week and we would have coffee. I quickly find that despite our differences, Cashmere and I are what you could probably call friends. It is something I'm not used to. I have plenty of acquaintances back in the Capitol, but not really many people I could trust.

"Lexus Kyden is having a dinner function tonight." Cashmere sits across from me and stirs her latte. It feels odd. It feels like we are normal people, something I am not used to. We'd always seen the Victors differently in the Capitol, but now I am beginning to understand Cashmere. Gloss, on the other hand – humiliatingly enough, my feelings for him haven't waned, but I also feel like he was a box I am never supposed to unlock. Pandora's box, maybe.

"He's the jewellery maker?" I inquire, earning a nod from Cashmere. I know most of the wealthier families and people in District 1. Lexus is no exception. He is a pompous man who seems to think he had the world under his thumb. He has never participated in the Games, but is renowned for befriending District 1 Victors. As District 1 produced luxury items, a man with a company as large as Kyden Jewellers is generally seen as very wealthy indeed.

"It will be boring most likely," Cashmere says dryly, finishing off the last dregs of her latte and inspecting her mug. "It'll be a chance for you to socialise, though. As you're supposedly here on a progress report, it would make a lot of sense to attend."

Sometimes, I wish Cashmere wasn't so smart. She seems to have everything pieced together, everything except her own life which is crumbling around her. I know there's no point in protesting. I haven't been out since I arrived in District 1. It might do me some good to get into some social circles. Cashmere regards me with a slightly amused expression, for a moment.

"Gloss is coming."

"Cashmere!" I exclaim, embarrassed. I feel like a schoolgirl with a childish crush on an older boy. My feelings for Gloss Delucan are still jumbled and confused, and I have no desire to try and sort them out. He clearly doesn't feel the same way, so what's the point in trying? I try and mask my humiliation by taking another sip of my cappuccino.

"What?" She raises an eyebrow. "You've been hiding from, don't pretend otherwise. I promise he's better now, Storm. He's home in District 1. He's not as volatile. Please, just give him a chance."

I sigh heavily. That's the problem, though. I would give Gloss a thousand chances to prove himself and he would destroy them all. He would hate me if he knew the extent of my feelings, so I'm never going to tell him. I don't feel like being mocked or despised for something I can't help. Cashmere's got me trapped in a net, and I feel like she's trying to pull Gloss and I together no matter how much we want to be apart.

"Alright. I'll come." I set down my mug and rake a hand through my brown hair. It's not something I look forward to, but at least I know I have plenty of clothes for the occasion. Perhaps that's one of the positives of being a Capitolian. Cashmere beams across at me and I shake my head at her bright white smile.