Burrying the Past

Chapter 17

Peeta's POV.

I quicken my pace, realizing that, by now everyone is already waiting for me, and wondering if I just got lost in my way home, or something worst happened. Sometimes I feel like walking around in the early morning or in the death of the night. So I don't tend to tell Haymitch that I left, not wanting to wake him up. Today, at 5 in the morning I left the house and went to that small pound I discovered some time ago.

Just like I predicted, when I turn the corner, Finnick's car is already parked infront of the house, and Katniss is sat on the stairs of the front porch, with her arms crossed.

"There you are!" she says the moment she notices me approaching. "Where have you been? Everyone's been waiting for you! We're about to loose the plane." Katniss starts scolding me, and I kiss her, in attempt of shutting her.

"The plane will wait." I state. Katniss looks at me, a small smile in her lips, but she immediatly covers it with scowl. I chuckle and walk inside, with Katniss trailing behind me.

"Finally Peeta! About time you decided to show up. I was thinking I had bought the plane tickets for nothing!" Haymitch says, trying to cover up the fact that he was actually worried about me.

"Yeah, let's just go." I say.

"Hey, Peet." Finnick greets me, standing up from the couch, with Gale following his lead.

"Everything's already in the car. It's time to go." Gale says, heading outside. I nod, and walk behind him, entering in the backseats of the car. Katniss follows behind me and sits next to me.

"Squeeze! I need space." Gale orders us, before getting in the car and sitting next to Katniss.

"Why couldn't we order a cab? Finnick's car is tiny!" Katniss grumbles, since she's almost sitting in my lap, and her legs are awkwardly bent besides Gale.

"Hey, don't complain. It was me who had to wake up at 6 in the morning to drive you to the airport!" Finnick argues. Katniss huffs, understanding he's right. Finnick is the only one who could drive us to the airport. I don't have the driver's license yet, I'll be starting the classes here in a month, when the doctors think my concussion won't be risk anymore (although it's been long gone for a while now), Gale never took it and isn't interested in taking it in the near future. Even if he never said it out loud, I know it has to do with the loss of his father in that accident. Haymitch's license was taken from him, when he was caught driving drunk some years back. Katniss does have the driver's license, but she simply doesn't have a car. So Finnick volunteered to drive us to the airport last week, and of course, everyone agreed to that.

"Are you excited?" Katniss asks, smiling at me, her face inches away from my nose. I raise my eyebrws questioningly, not understanding her question. Katniss sights "For your brother's wedding? I'm sure it'll be nice for a change." she explains. I shape my mouth in a 'o', in understading, and shrugg.

"I guess. I kinda want to see Eddie again." I mumble, looking out the window, hoping my answer was enough for Katniss to understand that I don't feel like taklking right now. But, obviously, Katniss notices something is bothering me.

"What's wrong?" she asks me, her face switcing to a worried expression.

"Nothing." I say, not taking my eyes, from he car's window.

"Where were this morning?" Katniss asks again, and I can feel her loosing her patience. I look at her, no more seeing her smiling, or giving me one of her worried looks. Instead she looks at me, a huffy expression starting to appear on her features.

"I just went on a walk." I answer, starting to feel somewhat defensive, with all the questions she's asking. I try to controll my scowl, so that it's not to obvious to understand that I'm starting to loose my nerves.