Social Casualty

Chapter 24

I was once told that it only takes one second for your whole life to change. I don't remember where I've heard that, perhaps I said that to myself, I can't tell. Well, no matter, it's not true. One second isn't enough for your whole life to change. Nor one day, or one year. There is only one thing that can change life, and I'm not talking about love or success (although those can feel pretty good to), and to me, that thing is Katniss Everdeen. And somehow, in one night, she managed to change everything.

It was around one in the morning, when a call from Katniss woke me up from my deep slumber. At first, I thought about just ignoring it, but today, I'm glad I didn't.

"I'm waiting for you down here. Hurry up!" were the first words I had heard from Katniss in that month, and I can't really say what motivated me to do as she said, maybe it was because of how much I had missed her voice, and Katniss herself, or maybe it was because I had been feeling particularly miserable for some time then. So I did, I put on a pair of pants and shoes, and sneaked out, like I had done quiet a few times before, always to see Katniss, and went downstairs.

Katniss was waiting for me in front of the building's door. That night had been full of surprises, one of them being Katniss's choice of clothes that night. Her belly was noticeable back then, the baby would be coming in a few months, and so Katniss's stomach was swelling up every day. The red leotard she was wearing made it even more noticeable. A cape the color of fire hung in her back, and a yellow mask was drapped around her neck.

"I would've thrown rocks at your window but, you know, you kinda live in the 15th floor." she said. I hadn't said anything at first, too cautious and stricken to even move from the entrance steps of my building.

"What are you wearing?" I asked her.

"What on earth do you mean? I'm the Girl on Fire!" Katniss's smile lit up her whole face, and in that moment, I had just wanted to treasure that moment, take a picture of her face and keep it with me forever. Thinking about it now, it feels silly, considering from then on, every single day, good or bad, I'd always be able to see her smile. She was (and still is) breathtaking. Under the streetlight, her hair had looked almost auburn, as if it had been on fire. Yes, Girl on Fire did suit Katniss Everdeen better than anyone.

"Aren't you mad at me?" I asked her, when I finaly managed to take in the sigh in front of me, and keep it safely storaged in my mind.

She shrugged. " A little. But I guess it's not entirely your fault you can be kind of a buthead at times. Besides, Finnick told me you had the most noble of interests with ignoring me. A little cheesy though, don't you think, Peeta? I'm sure I can handle your pretty much self-destructive way of being. I'm tough enough."

"Did Finnick also tell you I kinda have the hots for you?"
Till the day, I still regret not telling Katniss Everdeen about my feelings for her in a more affectionate way, but I guess those words must've been enough for her, because she blushed.

"Don't worry, he didn't skip any detail. I guess I should also tell I kinda have a tiny huge crush on you too. But that might be pretty obvious, because I am sorta performing a really romantic freakish gesture for you. Well, it's not really romantic, more freakish than anything else, but you know the meaning." Her gloved hand was extended out for me. "Let's go?"

"Shouldn't it be the guy performing the grand romantic gesture?" I asked.

"Normally yes, but as I said, you are kind of a buthead, besides, if we get hungry, you pay for the food. I'm not going to spend a nickle on you."

That night, we didn't go anywhere, and we also didn't do much, but Katniss's presence was all it took for me to feel like myself again. It's hard to explain precisely what changed in those few hours before dawn, but by the time the sun rose, it was all different. Katniss was beside me, lighting matches and watching the blaze slowly take over, while telling me everything she had wanted to tell me during those times we weren't talking. Her pregnancy, and how she was scared about giving her baby up for adoption, how her mother still didn't trust her much, and, of course, her latest feud with Glimmer.