Enemy? Maybe not...

Chapter 6

I walk out the door with Prim to head off to school, when she asks if Peeta can walk with us again. I start to object when Peeta walks up. 

"Hey little Prim! Would you like a blueberry muffin?" Peeta asks Prim.

"Yes! Thanks Peeta!" she replies taking the muffin and smiling at Peeta.

"Would you like one Katniss?" he asks me. I start to object yet again when he interupts me," It's just a muffin Katniss. I didn't poison it if that's what you're thinking."

"It wouldn't surprise me if you did," I mumble.

"What was that?" Peeta says. He obviously heard me.

"Nothing," I say through clenched teeth as I grab the muffin. I really do want the muffin, because I skipped breakfast. We drop Prim off just like we did yesterday, and head to our school. 

We are walking to the front door of the school when something knocks Peeta off his feet. I turn around and see Gale. Oh great. Peeta recovers quickly and gets up. Gale grabs my arm and pulls me close to him. I try to fight my way from his grasp, but he is too strong for me. Peeta comes up and punches Gale right in the temple, so he falls bringing me down with him. I struggle to get free, but I finally do. I run into the school, past my friends, and run strait to the girls bathroom. Johannah and Annie come running in after me just minutes later to see me crying on the floor.

"What happened?" Annie asks worriedly.

"G-g-gale," I say shakily through my tears.

"I'm gonna kill him," Johannah says angrily.

The thought of what Jo just said makes me smile. Not her actually killing him, but that she loves me enough to protect me.

"I love you guys," is all I say.

They help me wash my face to help with my puffy, red eyes, and we go to first period. I have no classes with any of my friends, so I only see them at lunch. I go into my first period and Peeta ends up sitting next to me again. I try not to look at him, but he's just staring at me. I can see it through the corner of my eye. I look over at him and he looks away immediatley. 

"What?" I say.

"I didn't say anything," he says. 

"Why were you staring at me?" I ask.

"What are you talking about? I wasn't looking at you," he lies. I probably would have believed it too, had I not caught him.

"Yes you were. I saw you out of the corner of my eye. Don't lie," I say starting to get irritated.

"Okay I looked at you. I wasn't staring at you though. That would just be weird," he says.

"Yeah so why did you?" I press him for an answer.

"Because I-" he is cut off by the teacher telling everyone to get our books out.

"Forget it," is all I say.

At lunch, Gale comes up to me again. He grabs my arm and drags me out of the cafeteria. We go near where my locker is.

"Gale! Let me go!" I scream.

"Not until you say you'll go out with me," he says.

"Not even if we were the last two people on Earth!" I yell at him, then spit in his face. He slaps me so hard I know I'll have a black eye tomorrow. I scream out in pain. Gale slams me up against the lockers and kisses me. It hurts really bad and I can't even move because he is practically crushing me.

Suddenly I feel him being lifted off of me and thrown on the ground. There are tears streaming down my face, and I can just make out Peeta through my blurry vision. How many times is he gonna save me from Gale? I know Peeta knocked Gale unconsious, because He hasn't moved sense he hit the ground. I run into Peeta's arms crying, and he just rubs my back soothingly. I feel safe in Peeta's arms and I don't know why. I realize I am Crying my eyes out into my worst enemy's shirt and back away at once.

"Katniss, are you alright?" Peeta asks me.

"Why?" I ask with a shaky voice.

"Huh?" he asks, confused.

"Why have you been helping me? No wait. Why have you always hated me? What did I ever do to you? What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?" I practically scream at him.

"Katni-" he starts but I interupt him.

"Answer me!" I yell at him.

"Fine! I hate your big, grey eyes that light up when you're happy! I hate your long, brown hair that's always in that braid down your back! I hate your smile that lights up a room! I hate that you're so beautiful that every guy drools over you! I hate that I have loved ever sinse we were 5 years old!" he screams at me with tears in his eyes. "Is it so hard for you to see that Katniss? I wish I could stop loving you, believe me I have tried, but I just can't. You're so beautiful and when I first saw you I knew I would never have my chance with you. I'm sorry but I couldn't help but hate you for that. And it's not your fault. It's mine. I'm sorry," he says. The tears are streaming down his face now.

"Peeta, I-" I start but he cuts me off with a kiss. I feel butterflies in my stomach. Sparks are flying all over me. He pulls away and puts his forehead on mine.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. Then he turns to walk away, but this time I catch his arm. He turns back around and I kiss him.

I throw my arms around his middle to hug him. "I love you too," I say with a smile on my face. I'm not sure how true it is, but its too late. The words have already escaped my lips. Suddenly I hear clapping. I turn my head towards the clapping.

"It is about time, Lover Boy!" Finnick says. All my friends are right there. I wonder what all they saw. Oh well. Wait, did Finn just say Lover Boy? He knew this whole time?

"Finn, how did you know?" I ask.

"Lover Boy and I have been friends for a long time. He just never got a chance to hang out with us because you guys hated each other," he responds. Wow. How come I didn't know that?

Peeta and I walk back into the cafeteria hand in hand, and he sits by me with my friends at our table for lunch. When school is over, we walk over to pick Prim up from school, then head home.