Stay With Me...

Chapter 10

🔻Peeta's POV🔺

I'm sliding my boots on and about to zip my coat when I feel a pair of arms wrap around my neck.

"And where might you be going?" Katniss asks still holding on to my neck. I grab her hand and kiss it. Then I spin myself around and wrap my arms around her waist.

"Well... I was planning on taking a quick walk before you woke up, but now that you're awake, I guess I can't do that."

"Oh, well I can come join your little walk can't I?" She asks. I kiss her forehead.

"Of course you can!" I finish zipping my coat and I grab hers. She puts it on and we walk out of the door.

Hand in hand we walk the streets of district twelve.

I kick around debris and trash and I inhale the smell of nature. Except instead of beautiful, light, fresh smelling nature it's a dark, heavy, and old smelling, broken down town. And although it looks as if should just be torn down, I feel comfortable with it. I feel at home.

"Do you want to walk down to the new Hob? I heard they rebuilt it." She asks.

"Sure. Do you have any money? We could help give them a start on business." She looks up at me and smiles. "What?" I ask cluelessly.

"You're just so sweet." She sticks her hand in her coat pocket and pulls out money. "Yes. We can defiantly do that."

"Ok then, let's go." I drop her hand and run.

"Peeta!" She grunts. "Get back here!" She screams and giggles at the same time.

"Come on Katniss! Your not going to let the bread boy beat you are you!" I yell back at her. I begin to slow down and catch my breath. I turn around expecting to see her behind me but I quickly whip my head forward as she passes me. I run faster but realize that I honestly don't have a chance against an hunter girl who has spent her life running. I slow my pace to a jog and eventually meet up with Katniss at The Hob. "What was that for?" I ask her.

"You were right, I couldn't let the bread boy beat me." She laughs. I gently shove her shoulder and laugh.

We walk inside and instantly I can just feel the difference. Greasy Sae, like always, is the first one that I see. I plant a smile on my face knowing that it is all better. We start walking to the first table and all of the sudden Katniss stops. I turn and look at her and she has a nervous and scared expression.

"What wrong?" I ask.

"Hey... um, w-why don't we go home. I've gotten really tired all of the sudden." She says staring at the object. I follow her eyes and I stare straight into Gales. I take a step back.

"Yeah, sure." I say grabbing hold of her hand. "Let's go." I turn around and I'm about to step out of the door when I here his voice.

"Hey Katnip! Peeta." He yells across the market. I don't know if we should ignore him or respond. Before I could make up my mind Katniss turns around and she plants a fake smile on her face.

"Hey Gale. What are you doing in 12?"

"Well, my job requires me to go district to district and check up on how well they are getting along. This is my last stop and honestly, it's probably the worst. I mean seriously, what have you done to it?" He chuckles. That made me a little mad.

"Well we are trying our best Gale. Not everyone has much of a family here... especially now after the rebellion. We are all just now starting to get things together. It doesn't help when someone from a high class district comes and insults us." Katniss snaps back.

"Hey now Katnip. No need to get mad. This is my job now. I'm just doing my job." He responds with a faded smile.

I have decided to just stay out of this.

"Oh right. And were you just doing your job when you sent the bomb that happened to kill Prim." My heart stopped. Katniss just brought up her sister. She has only done that a couple times since I've come back to 12.

"Katniss are you still mad about that? I have told you a million times it was not meant to kill your sister! I'm sorry!" He says raising his voice.

"But it did Gale! It still killed her! She is still gone! And she is not coming back!" Katniss yells as her tears come falling down her face.

"Katniss I don't know how many times I have to say sorry! I DID NOT KILL PRIM!" He screams. He grabs the glass vase of of the table and clutches it hard.

"YOU DID GALE! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ADMIT TO YOURSELF THAT YOU KILLED HER!" She screams. I see Gales eyes become big and red. He is about to cry. He raises the vase above his head. This brings my mind back to when I raised the block above my head and slammed it down on Katniss' head. I stepped in and I grabbed his wrist.

"Put it down Gale!" I yell fighting his overpowering strength.

"Let go bread boy! You got lucky with the girl but don't think you're about to get lucky against me." He tells me as he brings his arm higher up and with all his strength, brings it slamming down onto my forehead. The glass digs into my head. The last voice I hear was Katniss as she screams my name.

"PEETA!"