𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 [𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫] 🔞

ꜰɪꜰᴛᴇᴇɴ: ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ

-3 years ago-

Coriolanus was fifteen when he first saw you.

He remembers the moment clearly, how he was immediately drawn to your beauty and presence. He stole glances of you at his seat in class, his mind completely distracted by the sight of you. You were new to the academy, he had never seen you before in his life. You intrigued him more than he would ever admit.

You mumbled quiet words to yourself as you jotted down notes from the lecture. Feeling his stare on you, your gaze shifts as you make direct eye contact with him.

His heart skips a beat when he suddenly found himself caught in your gaze. He had not realized just how long he'd been staring at you until your eyes met, feeling embarrassed for being caught in the act. Yet, he never looks away. The world around felt as if it was disappearing momentarily as he tries to maintain eye contact.

You flashed him a small friendly smile and awkwardly waved at him.

His cheeks became warm from the simple action. He looks away, feeling suddenly shy. His heart was racing in chest. He was not used to feeling this flustered by a girl.

His eyes drifted back to you, wanting to see if you're still looking at him. He was both relieved and disappointed that you were in fact no longer looking, but he tells himself that it's for the best. He resolves and tries to focus on the lecture.

After class, Coriolanus sat down with a few of the other male academy students. He was not particularly fond of their company and only associated himself with them for image purposes. Thus, the reasoning as to why his face always appeared a little sour while listening to their conversation.

He watched you from his seat across the room, restraining himself from staring too obviously. He saw Sejanus talking to you, inviting you to sit with him and an unfamiliar emotion emerged within him. He was aware he shouldn't feel that way considering he knows nothing about you, but somehow he can't help it.

"-Did we lose you, Snow?"

Coriolanus could feel a blush creeping up his neck, hoping that the other guys didn't notice him staring at you. "What? Sorry, I was lost in thought."

"Checking out the new girl huh?" Hilarius asks with a little grin.

He avoids looking over at you and Sejanus, knowing that his friends won't buy his flimsy excuse. He makes a dismissive gesture with his hands. "No, just observing."

"Nonsense, we all know he studies everyone like a book," Festus says this, turning his head in your direction. "Besides even if he was, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

The implication that Coriolanus would be unable to pursue you if he wanted to makes him tilt his head out of curiosity. "What do you mean I wouldn't be able to do anything about it?"

"Haven't you heard? Her family is from the districts."

"Yeah supposedly they're from four or something like that. They're all the same thing, really."

Coriolanus' heart sank a little at this revelation. There was no way you were district. You had so much... class. He had been taught his whole life that the residents of the districts were all distasteful through every aspect of their lives. But you were the opposite of everything he had been told by his family and instructors.

He sighs, acting like this is not a big deal to him, but he can't fully suppress the disappointment in his voice. "Seriously?"

"So?" Apollo says.

"So?" Festus starts, looking at him with wide, offended eyes. "She's the lowest of the low merely camouflaged as one of us. You can ruin your family name by being associated with her in the slightest. Why do you think Sejanus has been the only to bother befriending the girl? She's hot but off limits if you want a future in the Capitol."