Since the Beginning

Partners in Crime

Chapter 3

~Katniss POV~

We walk downtown, hand in hand eating sticky Popsicles as they drip down our fingers and wrists. I like holding Peeta's hand. It's warm but not sweaty. We just got back from the meadow and got ice pops from Greasy Sae. We go there everyday, to talk about secrets ad play in the flowers and sometimes in the creek. It's August, so it's not to cold. It's perfect.

"Whaddya wanna do." I say with a mouthful of Popsicle.

"Hm. I don't know. Maybe we can-"

"PUPPIES!!!" I shriek, pointing at the pens and pens of puppies and fully growns in the opening. I pull him as I sprint towards the open adoption. "PUPPIES PUPPIES PUPPIES!!!!" I scream.

"PUPPIES!!" He screams with me and we run up to the adoption table, standing on our toes to see the lady running it.

"Oh, hello!" She says cheerfully. Her name tag reads "Myers".

"Hi!" I say. "Peeta, can you give me a boost?"

"Sure thing," he links his fingers and I step into them, hopping up on the table and sitting cross legged.

"Hi, me and my friend here would like to take one of your puppies, please." I say as professionally as I can. He chuckles.

"I'm sorry, honey, but you must be eighteen or older to adopt a puppy without an adult." I think about this.

"Darn it."

"Now if you will, please get off of my table." Peeta helps me down and he walk sadly away.

"I'm not done that easily!" I declare angrily.

"Yeah!" Peeta says, just as angry as me. "But what do we do? We're not eighteen." I dig in my pockets.

"I saw this on a TV show once. They have them a lot of money to let them into the club even if they were underaged."

"What kind of TV do you watch?!"

"The smart kind. Empty out your pockets, what do you have?"

"Uhm...I've got-oh, bubbles! A paperclip and a Smartie."

"Hm. I've got some string, a piece of lead and a half a yoyo."

"Will that be enough?"

"Yeah it will! Come on!" We run back towards the lady and I hop back on the table. She sighs.

"You can't have a puppy. You're not old enough." I wiggle my eyebrows at her.

"Maybe this will change your mind." I push her the pile of stuff. She makes a face and sifts through it. I give Peeta an excited thumbs up and he grins excitedly.

"Are you trying to bribe me with...bubbles?"

"They're really good bubbles!" Peeta adds. She doesn't look happy. She looks mad. She gets out of her chair and lifts me off the table, standing me next to Peeta. She grabs us by our ears and we let our a pained yelp, whimpering as she pulls us to the sidewalk.

"Listen kids. I've got a business to run, now no more games, come back with a legal adult or don't come back at all, I couldn't care less." She bites angrily, storming back to the adoption area.

"Whatever happened to service with a smile?" Peeta pouts, rubbing his ear tenderly. My own ear throbs as I touch it gently, only to jerk away from my own touch.

"Is your ear okay?" I whisper.

"No." I shake my head.

"Mine either." We sit in the curb sadly and rubbing our sore ears. "I just wanna hug a puppy! Is that too much to ask!?" I shout angrily.