I could hear Prim and Gillian playing down the hallway. "Be quiet, guys!" I yelled down the hallway. I heard a knock on the door. Katniss. I went over to the door and opened it. "Hey," I said. "Did you just walk here?"
"Yeah, I'm going to go say good-bye to Prim, too." She said. She walked down the hallway and put her stuff down in Gillian's room. "Bye, Prim." She said. I walked down the hallway and saw Katniss and Prim were hugging. Whenever I saw someone hug Katniss, I just imagined it was Gale... stupid jealousy.
I ran back to the seat I was sitting on. Katniss came out and went straight for the door. "Wait," I said. She waited by the door. "I really really like you." I said quickly. Katniss was frozen. "You what?" Katniss asked. "I really like you." I said again. She looked at me, like she was confused. It actually wasn't obvious that I liked her. Everyone thought I liked Glimmer, because I did in second grade to fifth grade, but still. People change. Plus, she started dating Marvel, but they broke up today.
"Peeta, I thought you liked Glimmer." Katniss said. People change! I wanted to yell, but I didn't because she would for sure hate me. "Katniss, I've actually always liked you." I said. Lies. But I didn't want her to know she was always my second choice. She may still be, but I can't tell anymore. I guess now that I'm telling her this, Glimmer's my second now. I don't actually have a third, which would be very convenient if I had a third so I could chose her instead of Katniss or Glimmer.
It was eleven, and when my parents knew Galen and Prim we're asleep, the took me outside. "Did you finish making the bread at the bakery today?" My mom asked. Danget. I forgot which meant they would hit me. They hit me for things that don't really matter to me. They seemed to just like to punish me, because my mom has to cover it up for school. "No...I'm really sorry I'll do it right now, just please don't hit me." I pleaded. My dad went back inside right when my mom slapped me across the face. It had probably been ten minutes by the time she was done.
I rushed up to my bathroom and looked in the mirror. The bridge of my nose was purple, swollen. I could barely hold open my right eye, puffy and blackened, followed by small bruises trailing from my cheeks down to my neck. I got in bed and couldn't lay on my side. I tear rolled down my bruised cheek and stung it. Who could live like this.
