𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐈𝐄 ━━ finnick odair ✓

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧. ( salud )

  "Faraday, stay with us." Ronan snaps impatient fingers in front of my face.

I pull myself out of the lull I've fallen into.

"I hope our company isn't really this boring to you," Grant says.

"I'm awake, I just zoned out," I lie, blinking hard to clear my drowsiness.

"You know, I almost believed you. Maybe poker is working after all." Ronan looks at me overtop of his hand of cards. "It might have convinced me if I didn't wake up to the sound of Gloss letting his door slam shut behind him almost every night for the past two weeks. Doesn't seem like either of us is getting uninterrupted sleep lately."

So much for Gloss's promise of trying to exercise subtlety in his visits. I knew it was a long shot to expect him to actually deliver, but I can't help but to feel disappointment regardless. I'm glad that our group is the only one in the lounge, I can't imagine having anyone else hear this conversation.

"Aww, look at her blush." Grant reaches out a finger to poke at my pink cheeks.

"Maybe you should try coming to visit him in his room instead, I doubt you'd be so inconsiderate. Unless that would mean that other noises would keep me up instead." Ronan sighs dramatically and the corner of his mouth quirks upwards.

"Leave the kid alone." Blight comes to my rescue.

"I think this is the appropriate level of teasing for this topic," Ronan defends. "I can't sit idly by and bite my tongue as I watch the most bizarre pairing I've ever seen do the midnight dance every night."

I bury my face into my hands, cards long forgotten on the table below me.

"It makes a lot of sense to me." Grant's eyebrows wiggle at me, attempting to pull me out from between my fingers. "He got you into drugs and clubbing, what's sex on top of that but a next step?"

"I'm not into drugs and clubbing, I tried each of those once," I protest.

"That's not what the media is saying." Ronan shakes his head.

"What?" I do drop my hands now.

"Don't tell me you haven't seen it on the TV programs," he says, disbelief gracing his features. "They've got a whole camera's worth of pictures from that night out the two of you had together."

"I don't watch that kind of TV." My mouth is parched.

Usually I rely on Fierian to keep a finger on the pulse of my public image, but he's been busy with Giovani's press in the aftermath of the fashion show.

"I'd recommend that you don't choose to start right now." Grant cringes.

"What images do they have?" I insist.

While both Blight and Grant shake their heads discouragingly, Ronan makes quick work of searching up a tabloid on a nearby tablet. He hands it off to me after only a few clicks. I'm greeted by the image of myself taking the bright pills from the girl in the beginning of that night. My heart drops. I scroll next to see the image of her and I kissing through the throngs of people. The next few are me drinking with the tattooed man and ultimately ending up pinned below him on the leather couch. Somehow even more unsettling are the pictures they have of me and Gloss, first kissing in the club, then sharing drinks at the bar.

How much of this is being broadcasted to the districts? Is Piper seeing these? Or my father? As my level of panic rises, I find myself even thinking that Diego must be feeling completely justified in his evaluation of my character. This in turn leads me to picture Santiago's face, which is somehow heartbroken though I've never seen that look on him before. It's mighty bold of me to assume he'd even care at all.