You Are My Mockingjay- Watty's Finalist 2013

Senior Wishes

The last weekend before school was to start the gang got together for one big bash before the hectic days of what school would take over.  On a sunny Saturday afternoon they were to meet up at the basketball courts to play some hoops.  Teams were made of two: Cato and Clove vs. Katniss and Peeta.  At first they were going to do boys vs. girls but the guys knew they would whip the girls butts.  So they tried to balance it out just to make it fair. 

"You ready huh you ready?!"  Said Cato who traveled the ball between his hands to confuse Peeta. 

  Peeta crouches down to position himself to get the ball.  "Bring it!"  Said Peeta chuckling as he stood by Cato.

   "Pass it!"  Shouts Clove as Katniss tries to keep her blocked.  Instead Cato turns makes a fake left, turns around and dribbles the ball down the court for a basket.  His lanky and long arms makes him spring upward with no faultier. 

  "Yeah baby what do you think of that?! Cato shouts as he falls back down to the ground with a huge grin. 

  A burst of joy comes running towards Cato as Clove comes up to celebrate their point.  "Not so fast...buddy."  As the ball is quickly grabbed and taken down the court towards the other end.  Peeta tosses the ball onto the back board of the hoop and lands in the net.  "Wahoo!  How do you like that?!"  Peeta says as he celebrates his now point victory.  Cato is not impressed and shows a bit of a scowl face. 

  "What was that?  We weren't even ready."  Cato states. 

"Hey you gotta be prepared for anything that comes at you right?" With a smirk as he twirls the ball on his right pointer finger.  Peeta says proudly.

  "Oh well if you want to go like that then I'm game lets see what you really got there Peeta."   The two face to face with both intensity and defiance. 

  "You guys if this is going to get messy...I'm going to sit out on this one."  Clove shouts as she just never thought fighting or rough housing was worth anything, especially what she had seen with her own eyes.  Pointing to the bleachers she heads toward the bleachers where Katniss too made a deep thought. 

  "Me too, I'm going to chill over there."  As she points to the bleachers. 

"Oh come on girls!"  As they tried to encourage them to come back.  But the girls just waved at them, feeling no remorse on what the decision they had made.  "Now what?"   Peeta says blindly at Cato for a minute.  The boys gazed at the bleachers and looked at the same for the boy who could due the best bet.  Marvel Mason, Marvel Mason was a tall but skinny guy no more 5'7.  A guy who befriended Cato, Peeta and the others during their sophomore year.  It was on their first day of tryouts for the wrestling team.

Flash back to their sophomore year:

  "I can't believe you talked me into doing this."  As Peeta puts on his head gear on ready to take on a practice match.  "I mean this is insane what were about to do."

  Cato chuckles with a small laugh and pats him on his knee.  He knew his friend was going to act cowardly about this whole thing but he knew too that he was the person who could truly do it well.  "Calm down, this is nothing.  I mean it's just tryouts." 

  But Peeta still wasn't certain that Cato's facts were right.  In fact it just made him more freaked out. 

  "Come on buddy you can do it."  Shouts Cato as he sluggishly moves up to the front of the mat.  Low and behold the first contender was Marvel.

   "Shake hands guys."  Said the ref standing between the two. The match up consisted with constant flips and twists that at one moment either or could go on forever.  But in the end it was Peeta who made a fake move and got control of Marvel and pinned him to the ground.  "1....2....3...4....5.. winner!"  Peeta gets raised up by the ref from his right hand.  Peeta breaths in heavily as he sees people cheering for him.

   "Hey great job man!  I've never seen someone last that long.  I hope we both make the team."  Said a breathless Marvel who congratulated him.  The two clasp hands together and went to the opposite sides of the room. 

  High fives came to Peeta when he sits back with Cato.  "Great job man!  I knew you had it in you."  But Peeta couldn't respond due to chugging some water from his water bottle. 

  "Cato Marshall against Drake Smith."  Said the ref once again.

  Drake Smith was just about the same size as Cato but stockier in the legs and leaner in the arms.  "Can you do better?"  Peeta asked questionably. 

  "Piece of cake."  He scoffs as he takes his sweat shirt off.  With no hesitation and fierceness he goes up there practically pins the guy down with one take and wins.  "And that's how it's done."  He says mockingly with a sly of a smile.  As it turns out all three of the boys made the team and almost made the championship that first year.

**Back on the basketball court**

  "So you nervous about your senior year Katniss?" 

  Clove says as she sets down her bottle on the bottom bench below her feet.  "I guess it depends on what your expecting from it.  I mean if your talking school wise then yeah I am a bit.  Because it's our senior year and I want to pull out reasonable grades for collage.  But if your talking about daily life situations then no, I'm not.  Things happen for a reason that we can't control and we must accept that."  Katniss pulls her ponytail out and puts it into a one sided braid.  For though as old as she was she still enjoyed her braid. 
Peeta thought she was silly to do such a thing.  But it never bothered her for him to tease her.  "What about you?"  She says looking at Clove, who had her head facing the opposite in deep thought. 

  "Me?"  She shrugged her shoulders.  "Ya I guess, so much is going to change I'm sure but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that you know?"  Clove looks at the boys who were battling for the ball.  Peeta was between Marvel and Cato looking like a lost monkey in the middle.  "I like what we have, and I don't want that to go away."