Not in our Favor-Hunger Games

Chapter 23

My arms immediately fling around the shorter girl pulling her into my chest. I breath in deeply as her she wraps her arm around me. I rest my chin on her head my nostrils filling with the scent of her.

"Oh Clove..." I murmur into the girls hair, my hand moving up to gently stroke her back. I kissed her head softly for the first time in what felt like an eternity. My mind seemingly forgetting the abandonment.

"I don't know what to do Ives," she said her voice was soft completely opposite of her normal cocky tone I was used to. Even though she was upset the joy of having her in my arms again tried to over power my want to take care and comfort her.

"You could quit," I whisper but I know she couldn't if she wanted to. You either get kicked out or have the 'opportunity' to go to the games. Especially with parents like Cloves I bet the second they found out she wasn't working hard enough she'd be beaten and bruised.

I remember when me and Clove first got together she got distracted by me and wasn't working at her normal intensity. Her parents found out and her face, arms, back, and torso were bruised and scratched.

She shows up to my house and told me what happened. I wanted to kill them. But I didn't, because even though they were assholes Clove loved them. It happened a few other times since then but nothing too severe each time, I held her, I iced her bruises and cleaned her

"You know I can't."  She tells me, I slide my hand against her waist and hear her wince. I feel my blood boil as it always does when she's hurt. I pull away from the hug my hands resting gently on her hips.

"Let me see?" I ask softly. My hand goes to cup her face, I gently brush my thumb across her freckled cheek as I look into her soft eyes.

For the first time; I'm guessing since the sick feeling in my stomach had finally gone away I noticed her red eyes and stained cheeks. I leaned down gently placing a kiss on her cheek.

She looks between me and the door before her hands go to pull of her jacket to reveal the purple and green bruises on her arms. And then to lift her plain white shirt. I hear her breath hitch has the shirt slides across a cut on her side. My eyes scan her body, a boil starting in my blood.

"Turn," I say the sound barely coming out. She spins showing me the lashings on her back. This beating was bad, one of the worst I'd ever seen. Probably because she was so close to the games, and wanted to give up. She turns back to me with teary eyes.

My thumbs brush under her eyes wiping away the tears, I hold her face in my hands as I try to calm down.

"Come on, let me help you." I offer her my hand and lead her to my kitchen. I help her into the counter, before I go to get supplies to clean her up.

I put some alcohol on the cut, before stitching it. Usually her injuries didn't require stitches but sometimes it got bad.  I heard her wince, I wanted to hold her hand but I needed to keep steady.

"Is that your dads?" She asks taking a swig of the vodka "Much nicer than the usual stuff, victor upgrade?" I couldn't really tell if she was joking or just distracting herself.

"Um it's mine actually," I murmur as I seal some gauze onto the wound.

"Since when do you drink," she asks laughing slightly. Clove had drank as long I could remember but I had always declined. I never wanted to drink or do anything remotely 'bad'.

"Since we broke up," I say a pit hitting my stomach. The pain of the break up stung again again, I stood up from where I crouched and grabbed the bottle taking a swig before handing it back. "You should be good."

I say as I put the supplies I used to stitch her up away. An awkward tension fills the air, neither of us willing to look into the others eyes.

"Clove?" Cora's voice said excitedly running into the kitchen a bright smile on the little girls face. Clove yanked down her shirt and jumped off the counter. I watched as Clove picked my sister up and spun her around.

"Hey kid. You're back from school early," I say running my fingers through the little girls hair.

"Yeah i dunno. They just let us leave early ." She said, as she walked over to get a snack from the fridge. She grabbed an orange and handed it to me to peel.

I couldn't help but smile as she recounted her past few weeks to Clove. Cloves eyes never left the girl smiling and nodding as she spoke. Although Cora was only two years younger than me it still felt like I needed to care and protect her.

"Thanks for peeling my orange. I gotta go to training wanna walk with me Clove?" Cora asked. Before I went to the games the three of us would walk together.

Clove and I would leave school a few minutes early so we could pick up Cora and my brother. Then we'd walk to training. I kinda forgot that they probably still walked together while I was gone.

"No. I'm not going today. Maybe tomorrow." She smiled. Cora nodded and we followed her to the door and watched as she walked away.

"I should get going I guess," clove said turning to look at me. I didn't want her to leave again I couldn't handle it. Even though this entire encounter had been awkward it felt better than being alone.

"You don't have to," I murmur looking towards the ground. I watch as her hand reaches out to entangle with mine.

"I don't want to."