The Eighty First Hunger Games «MAJOR REWRITING, REEDITING, AND REVISION»

:19: Time To Rave

I laughed at the silly boy as he almost fell off the tree branch we were sitting on. As he went to punch me in the arm, the anthem started playing and I realized how truly late it was.

"Rave, I've got to go. Meet me by the stream tomorrow, noon?" I asked, climbing down. Shoot, I still didn't have any food.

"Yeah. You want your rabbit?" The boy from Nine asked, holding out the large bunny to me.

I shook my head. "Nah, you caught it."

Rave placed it in my hands and gave me a gentle shove down the tree. "It's yours now. Won't your friend get suspicious?"

"Well, maybe. We'll find out. Bye!"

When I got back to where Echo set up camp after a half an hour walk, she was staring at me with her hands placed firmly on her waist. "Where have you been?" She asked, tapping her foot.

"Hunting. Where else?" Hanging out with a boy. Making a friend. Not wasting time.

Echo harrumphed and took the rabbit from me. As she placed it in her bag, I laid down and got comfortable in the den she made of tree limbs.

Only after I heard her breath even out and her body relax next to me did I dare think about Rave.

When I first introduced myself, he was a bit awkward, but he warmed up to me. He was sort of a big teddy bear, or a gentle giant. Although he wasn't as tall as Link, nor as built, you wouldn't expect him to have a death count of zero.

The fact that he had an open shot to kill me gave him my complete trust. I told him about Kay and Panner, Echo/Quenze, and Link. I told him about Frankie, June, and Ellie, about my mom and dad, and about Reil. Most of all, I told him about my disease. He understood, but, thankfully, did not apologize. I hated when people apologized about it. "Sorry" about being sick, losing someone, or anything that makes you feel bad is like saying "sorry that your life sucks. I don't know how to relate at all so I'm just going to apologize that you don't have the things everyone else has."

I liked Rave. He was a great friend. I'd consider him a brother to me, but, somehow, it felt wrong to do that, although I didn't know why.

•

•

•

I took the excuse of going for a run for my meeting with Rave. He was sitting on a rock, watching me approach. We met halfway with open arms, and my friend enveloped me in a hug.

We just hung out, as normal friends would. Pulled a few pranks on the other, pushed each other into the creak, normal things like that. After a few hours, we were sitting in a tree again, eating berries and relaxing.

"So," Rave questioned, "do you have a boyfriend? You didn't mention any."

"Nope. Never have, and probably never will. Why?" I answered, picking at the dry blood on my shoulder. The cut from Link's blade had scabbed by now, but was starting to get tender from all the water I'd been in, thanks to Rave.

"Nothing... I just- nothing..."

I looked at Rave when he gave his response. He was looking at his hands, which he were twisting in his lap. "You sure?"

"Yeah... yeah. It's... nothing." Rave was getting less sure of himself by the moment, so I decided it was time to change the topic, no matter how stupid I was about to sound.

"So, about this weather, huh?"

•

•

•

We kept meeting up for days. I'm sure Echo was as suspicious as the Capitol citizens were eating this up. No doubt our secret meetings were satisfying them, or else I'd probably be charred.

Four days after I first met him, eleven days into the Eighty First Hunger Games, the unexpected happened.

As I was telling him about some weird story I was told by some weird person, he pulled me close and...

Kissed me.

It lasted for a fragment of a second, but I felt everything. The juice from the berries we were eating earlier tainted his warm lips. My head felt light and I forgot my name. I was dizzy even after he pulled away.

"I'm sorry." Rave rushed, preparing to climb down the tree.

"Don't be."

That stopped him. He turned and looked at me, clearly confused.

"Don't be." I repeated.

He went back to his seat on the branch.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because you did nothing wrong."

•

•

•

ERH

MI

GAWD

NO

WAY

:D

That was actual improvised. I was planning Rave, but I wasn't planning romance.

:D

Sorry for the shortness, I have a need for sleep and reading my new addiction: Catching Jordan.

My previous addictions:

The Heartbreakers

Sing To Me

The Angel Within

Pregnant In The Games

Inamorata

The Quirky Tale of April Hail

That's all I remember without looking at my library. Some GREAT books.

Now, off to reading Catching Jordan! This book became my addiction because I finished the magnificent Sing To Me. OH ME GAWSH

Yeah.

Anyways.

Good. Flipping. Night.

(Cue the flipping whale emoji)

🐳🐋🐳🐋🐳🐋🐳🐋🐳🐋🐳🐋

That's all, folks.

Because my charger's dead.

Meh.

Moo.

Filipo97/Lindsey

As Jackson used to say back when Hannah Montana was praised, "I said good day!"

(Later note: I changed the last sentence because I don't want it to be all love and creep and crap. I have people I know reading this. Embarrassing! :P )