Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙀 —𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘺—
𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙏 of the night, I wallow in my own choices. I'm constantly reminded of Johanna's words— and even Cato's. And for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to make a decision, or sleep.
So, for what it was worth, I stayed up, staring at the ceiling. That was- until I fell asleep.
I rise early the next morning, expecting for Johanna to barge in, and demand for me to get dressed for my last day of training. But, to my confusion and utter relief, she didn't.
I get dressed quickly, and slide into the dining room without so much as a peep. Aspen sits at the table with a distant look in his eye, not acknowledging my presence. I roll my eyes in spite, grab an apple, and perch myself on the couch.
"Where's Johanna?" I ask, awaiting a response as I stare at the wall.
"She's with Finnick," Aspen replies, finally looking to me.
But I don't meet his gaze.
"Can we please talk about this?" He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "I hate that you won't talk to me."
"There's nothing to say," I shrug, still keeping my eyes on the wall. "You made your decisions, and I made mine. End of discussion."
"No, there's tons of things I need to say," He frowns, moving in front of me. He bends down in front of the couch, and meets my eyes. "And I'm going to start out by saying I'm sorry, Case."
"You don't get to call me that, and you don't get to say sorry," I glare, crossing my arms over my chest. "I've dealt with too much over the past few days, and I refuse to let you put me through it again."
"I would take it back if I could," He takes my hand in his. "Please, Casey, please. It kills me to know that I've caused this much damage to you. Just listen, okay?"
"No!" I snap, shoving him away from me as I stand. "I don't want to hear your pathetic excuse of an explanation! You don't deserve to even talk to me after how much pain you've caused."
"I know, and I want to make it better-"
"Make it better?" I chuckle darkly. "You think you can swoop right in and make it better? You left me! I had no one! But now that I have River, you want to team up again? As if I'd let you!"
"Casey, I'm trying to protect you! Why won't you just listen to me?" He clenches his jaw, his body going rigid.
"You think this is about protection?" I ask incredulously. "Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. But if you haven't already noticed, I can defend myself. And if I ever need help, River will be the one beside me."
