Teenage Memories.

The One with the Big Mess.

Katniss loved her friends—she truly did—but there were moments when her patience wore thin. She wanted to murder all of them with a lettuce hammer sometimes. Each time she thought she was resolving one problem, another one popped out of nowhere, creating an unending cycle. This happened because her friends asked for advice and then proceeded to ignore it. Every single time.

Her family situation wasn't good, and that stressed her out as well; her mother liked to disappear for days, leaving Katniss in charge of her younger sister, Primrose. She loved her sister, but raising her wasn't her responsibility. Katniss complained about that a million times already, but her mother never listened. She wouldn't leave Prim alone, and her mother knew that, so she took advantage of the situation.

She went from home to school, and from school back home. When she hung out with friends, Prim often went with her. Her friends were used to that. However, it infuriated Katniss every time her mother heaped the burden of household chores and Prim's care on her. And as the cherry on top, her mother also complained about her personal problems with her. That woman was constantly complaining about everything and everyone; nothing was beautiful or joyful in her life. She was miserable, and she blamed the universe for it.

Despite understanding that her mother's life had been difficult and her traumas influenced her actions, Katniss couldn't justify her mother's behavior or the way she treated her. Every day, Katniss fantasized about packing her things, taking Prim, and escaping to a distant place, never to see her mother again.

Her father stood as the sole defender against that woman's cruel words. Katniss couldn't recall a time when her mother hadn't been mean to her. However, during her younger years, Katniss didn't fully grasp certain things, lessening the impact of her mother's behavior on her.

But that was the last straw for Katniss. She had asked her mother a week in advance to take care of Prim for just one night—a single, miserable night. She even called her before going to the party, and her mother assured her she was on her way, telling her to leave without worries. However, worries persistently followed her. Katniss couldn't find a moment of peace, and it was all because of that woman.

Her mother never came home; Prim spent the entire night alone. Katniss was more than sure that her mother must have stayed at some bar, drinking until she lost consciousness—one of her favorite activities. Every day, she forgot she had two daughters waiting for her at home. Although recently, Katniss had managed to distance Prim from her so that she wouldn't expect much from their mother anymore and wouldn't be deeply hurt by her.

When Katniss arrived home and saw Prim in her bedclothes, her blond hair disheveled, her face swollen from crying, and her awful cat in her arms, she couldn't help but feel helpless. Helpless for not being able to make her mother react for once, to stop drowning in her misery, and to be brave enough to climb out of the pit she was in.

Katniss always thought that it was easy for parents to say they would die for their children because dying is easy since you no longer have responsibilities on this earth. She believed that parents should be able to face life's challenges to provide the support their children need, not the other way around. Children weren't supposed to be the support for their parents. She never trusted her mother, and she had her reasons; every day added another reason to the list.

Peeta squeezed Katniss's hand tightly, and she felt like she might crumble at any moment. She had always done her best to shield Prim from experiencing what she had gone through. Her mother had always taken it out on her—she had been the one to endure all the blows, both physical and emotional. She would have had to kill her to get to her sister.

Katniss didn't want Prim to feel the things she felt. She didn't want her to believe that it was impossible for someone to truly love her. She didn't want her to feel alone and inadequate. She didn't want her sister to spend her whole life trying to please someone who couldn't even control their own existence.