Seducing the Careers

Breakup

I must've lost consciousness along the way, because the next thing I feel is Beetee shaking me awake.

"Hmm?" I ask, groggily.

"You good, Toni?" he asks.

"Never better, Beetee" I say, slightly slurring my words.

"Chip. He uh, he just lost" he informs me.

"Wow. That's sad. That's very sad" I say.

"You gonna be alright, Toni?" he asks, sitting down next to me.

"Yeah, well. We knew he wasn't gonna win anyways, right?" I say, laying my head on the table.

"I'm tired. I think I'm gonna go back to bed" I say, closing my eyes.

"No, no, no. Come on, kid" he tries to pull me up.

But then I hear an announcement that wakes me up.

"Attention, Tributes, attention, The regulations requiring a single victor have been suspended. From now on, two victors may be crowned, if both originate from the same District. This will be the only announcement" says Claudius.

"What?" I ask, bringing my head off the table.

"What, that's not fair" I complain.

"Hey, you guys hearing his?" Johanna scoffs, walking over to us.

"When Chip died, Katniss did the three fingered solute. They were gonna kill her, but I guess Haymitch spoke to them. Said that her young love with Peeta could be something to root for" Beetee explains.

"Something to root for?" I say, incredulously.

"Where was this treatment last year? I could've..." I cut myself off when I look at Johanna.

"It's just not fair. I thought I was the Capitol favorite. Why does the Girl on Fire get everything handed to her on a silver platter?" I complain, still drunk.

"That's how fast the Capitol moves on, Toni. Calm down, you're starting to sound like a spoiled brat" Haymitch teases, hearing me from his station.

I groan and look at the nearest screen.

"Oh look, they found our cave. That was our cave" I say.

"Toni, you don't own the cave, you know" Johanna inputs.

"Yes I do, Jo. It's where I saw her last and they're, I don't know- they're ruining it" I struggle to explain it.

I reach over for a bottle of white liquor when Johanna catches my wrist with her hand.

"I think you've had enough, Toni" she says with authority.

I scoff and push her hand off, grabbing the bottle anyways.

"You're the one who brought me here, Jo. Thought you said I needed to unwind" I mock.

"Yeah well I didn't know you'd react like this" she defends.

"I hear Haymitch does this all the time, and no one gives him shit for it" I argue.

"Yeah, well Haymitch is a lost cause. No one's got any hope for him" Johanna says. 

"Hey!" Haymitch comments from his station. It seemed he and a few others were the only ones left working.

"We're just joking over here, Mitchie. Don't be so serious" I mock with a baby voice.

"Hey, Toni. I'm serious. The you from a year ago would never drink like this" Johanna says.

"Oh you mean the me that was getting raped every day? What a great girlfriend you were, Jo" I mock.