Hadassah

katniss everdeen

The doorbell rang, and I practically jumped up to get it. Shelly was finally here! When I opened the door, she was grinning with her backpack slung over her shoulder and her curly purple blue hair was messy

“Hey, Haddie!” she said, pulling me into a hug so tight I almost lost my balance.

“Hey! Get in here,” I laughed, dragging her inside. We went straight to the living room where my dads—Pops (Isiah) and Dad (Butker)—were sitting on the couch watching a game. Typical. They barely glanced up when we walked in.

“Guess what, Shelly? I’m officially the only single person left in our grade,” I said, collapsing onto the couch and covering my face with my hands. “It’s so annoying.”

Shelly plopped down next to me. “Wait, really? What about that crush on Mahomes?” she teased, poking my arm.

I groaned. “That doesn’t count! He’s, like, ancient, and he doesn’t even know I exist. Plus, he’s a football superstar. Meanwhile, everyone else in school is holding hands, going on dates, and I’m just… here. Alone. Single as a pringle.”

Shelly laughed so hard she snorted. “Okay, but what about George? He’s always around, and you two are basically inseparable.”

Before I could answer, George walked into the room, his straight blonde hair a little messy and his shirt slightly wrinkled like he’d just finished drumming. “Did someone say my name?” He gave a  cute  smile that made my stomach do a weird flip.

“Ugh, yeah. We were talking about how I’m the last single person in our grade,” I said, trying to sound dramatic but feeling that flip in my stomach again.

George’s eyes lit up, and he raised his hand like we were in class. “I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!” He said it so earnestly that Shelly and I burst out laughing.

Pops looked over from the TV and raised an eyebrow. “Is that Katniss Everdeen I’m hearing?”

Dad smirked, shaking his head. “I think it is.”

I rolled my eyes, my face still hot from laughing. George just stood there with that grin, and for a second, I wondered why my heart was beating so fast.

George stood there, still grinning as Shelly gave me a look, eyebrows raised and lips pressed together to hide her smile. I could feel my face turning redder by the second, but before I could say anything, George took a deep breath.

“Okay, but seriously, Haddie,” he said, stepping forward and suddenly looking a bit nervous. His eyes darted to Shelly for a moment, then back to me. “I was kinda wondering if, I dunno, maybe you wanted to go out with me? Like, for real.”

The room went silent. I felt my brain freeze like someone had just hit pause. Did George just ask me out? Pops looked up from the TV, and Dad’s smirk turned into a surprised smile.

“Wait, what?” I managed to say, my voice coming out way higher than I intended. Shelly's eyes were practically sparkling, and I could tell she was holding back a squeal.

George rubbed the back of his neck, shifting on his feet. “Yeah, I mean, we hang out all the time anyway. And I really like you, Haddie. More than just friends.”

I blinked, trying to process his words. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was echoing in my ears. “You like me like that?” I asked, still stunned.

“Yeah,” George said, his face turning pink. “So, what do you think? Wanna go out with me? Maybe to that new pegahs your pops talking about?”

Dad coughed, clearly trying to hide a laugh, and Pops shot him a look that said, Really?

I felt a smile creep onto my face, and suddenly everything felt warm and kind of perfect. “Yeah, George. I’d like that.”

“YES!” George said, pumping his fist in the air like he’d just won a game. Pops let out a whoop, and Dad finally burst out laughing.

“Looks like we’ll need to set some ground rules,” Pops said with a wink, and George and I both groaned.

Shelly just leaned over and whispered, “Told you so.”

And just like that, the single pringle phase was officially over.