One-Shots (The Hunger Games)

One Shot 6

Peeta

I'm not the one to get impatient quickly, but I am ready to rant at the pizza delivery guy. I ordered the pizza a good hour ago and they still haven't delivered it. Johanna has been nagging since I put down the phone and Finnick is getting irksome too now. Annie, on the other hand, has been patiently waiting and watching TV while filing her nails.

"You know what, Peeta? When that bell goes, I'm getting the door. I'm gonna teach them a lesson." Johanna says for the one hundred time this half hour. I could let her get the door, but they'd probably never deliver here again.

"No, I'll do it." I say, checking my watch again to tell the guy how long to took.

"You? Pfrt, please. You couldn't hurt someone if there was a gun to your head." She retorts.

She's right. I wouldn't hurt someone if it wasn't needed, but I think I'd punch a guy if it meant Katniss Everdeen would notice me. It's not exactly normal to have a crush on someone for longer than a decade and never have talked to them.

She's in my maths this year and always sits on the second row to the left all the way in front. We don't have designated seats, yet she always, always sit there. Of course, over time my friends have found out about my crush on her and like to inform me on her every move. Annie has PE with her and says that when partnering up, she always chooses this blonde, Margo or Maddie I think is her name. Finnick has science and biology with. Being the Finnick he is, he made a beeline towards her the first day of school when he saw an empty seat next to her. She is "cold" and "pretty much emotionless" according to him. Johanna doesn't have any classes with her, however her locker is across from hers and she likes to inform me about what she's wearing everyday. It changes everyday, but her boots and "that damn complicated braid" are always on the list.

"Forget it. I'm gonna start praying." Johanna rises from the couch and squats down to her knees. Right before she can say anything, the bells goes and with a jump she rises to her feet. "You see! It worked!"

I ignore her and speed to the front door. Before opening, I take a deep breath and make sure I have enough money in my pocket.

I put on my irritated face and swing the door open. Well damn.

In front of me stands none other than my crush Katniss Everdeen in a red Bartolomeo's Pizzaria polo, a white cap, two pizza boxes balanced on her left hand, and a sportive smile on her face. Her teeth are really white, so white that I almost blind myself.

Maybe it's something on my face, or maybe Johanna is acting weird behind me, because that smile soon leaves her face and she looks almost stunned for a moment.

"H-hey," I splutter, noticing the way she loses balance of the pizza boxes.

"H-hi. Sorry it took so long. The, ah... traffic was terrible and I uhm... I came from Downtown." My mind races and I'm pretty sure she has noticed my eyes dropping to her lips several times while she talked.

"No, no, no. That's f-fine. I understand." Some kind of weird choking or laughing noise escapes my mouth and I instantly feel the heat crawling up my neck and ears to my cheeks.

"Ah, well. That'll be $30.99." Those stormy eyes of hers flit all over my face and I have the sudden urge to run to the bathroom and check if I have any pimples. But I can't move. I find myself glued to the floor and while my body is on shutdown, chaos is going on in my mind. My eyes are locked on hers and for a moment I feel like I don't have any guests, or responsibilities, or homework, or stress, or anything else.

"Yo!" Johanna's shout is what snaps me out of my daze. "What's taking you so long?" Soon enough she is standing behind me and far too close for my liking. Her knee even bumps into my calf.

"Oh, uh..." Katniss' eyes shift between Johanna and I, and I swear her gaze focuses a second longer on Johanna's messy hair. "I-I'm sorry for interrupting." Something between disappointment and chagrin washes over her face.

Oh no, no, no! I can't believe she thinks Johanna and I are together, or hooking up. Neither of those two are good. Johanna's high-pitched cackle is the first thing to break the tension.

"Me? And him? Not if we were the last two people on earth," Johanna sniggers at the end and walks back to the living room. Her comment hurts my feelings a little, but I ignore the blow to my ego.

"We're not together. She's j-just a friend. Nothing else. Really."

"Oh, okay." I'm pretty sure I can see relief in her eyes, but she bows down her head a little and the porch light isn't strong enough to light up the part under her cap. The cap isn't needed, though. The sun setted a good hour or so ago, but I guess it's part of the uniform, which she looks so cute in. I never knew a the name Bartolomeo could look that good on someone's shirt. But it does. "Uhm... The money for the pizza," She mumbles, lifting the pizza in on her hands. Her wrist must be hurting.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Right." I dig my my pocket and hold up a fifty dollar bill. Her slender, black-nail-painted fingers pick the bill from my hands and she hands me the pizza boxes. Under the boxes, our hands touch I nearly pull away from shock. "Keep the change."

"But it's like ten dollars." I says, pulling the bill from her bag that is slung around her shoulder.

"It's a tip," I chuckle nervously. The pizza isn't that warm anymore and I consider telling her so she'll come back with new ones so I can see her again, but I don't want to trouble her. It's already 9 PM and it's a Tuesday.

"Wow. Uhm, thanks." Now she lets out a little laugh and I practically drop the pizzas, though her arms instantly move and grab ahold of the boxes.

"Sorry, I'm kinda clumsy." I mutter.

"That's alright. Well, enjoy the pizzas." She waves a little and slowly turns around.

"Thanks." I take a step back and start closing the door when I hear her call out.

"Wait!" She grabs a pen from her bag and nabs the receipt from the side of the top box and scribbles something on it, then putting it back in its place. "Bye now!"

She jogs down the few stairs and I close the door behind to see all my friends storming over to me. They bombard me with a series of "How did it go?", "What did she say?", and "Did you ask her out?".

I ignore them, snatch the receipt, and now literally drop the pizzas much to Johanna's complaints.

Her handwriting is cursive and she makes little circles above her I's.

1-800-575-573

Call me,

Katniss xx