14
Destruction, Building, and Rebuilding
"He's been with her all week!" Echo cried, urging me to understand. I rolled my eyes and pulled my hand away.
"I don't care Echo, do you get it?"
For the past three days apparently Finnick's been dating some weird girl in the Capitol, it's been all the rage in the gossip chain and television. He's been so charming, so deliciously delightful, so handsome, so personable, on and on and on. And now he's been so into this girl Lacy Templesmith. I had never seen her before, but she looked rich. I couldn't imagine what Fin was doing with her.
The next day they were on screen and he had his hand on her waist. The day after there was a secret picture of them kissing. Then a video surfaced of them making out behind a club. I finally ended up chucking my wedding project at the screen and shouting. Echo and Pearl were sitting at the table, a bemused expression crossing their faces.
"What's wrong Annie?" Pearl asked innocently, "Don't like watching your friend play tongue twister with a Capitol girl?"
I stuttered a few times trying to come up with something witty, but I got nothing. "Be quiet, it's not like that!" Is all I could manage. Pearl laughed and gave me a good natured pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry honey, these feelings pass. All part of growing up."
I left the house in a huff. What was wrong with Finnick? Or maybe what's wrong with me?
Maybe I was wrong about him this whole time. Maybe he is a shallow, womanizing jerk.
After kicking some sand around on the beach and chucking some rocks into the waves, I stormed back inside and pointed my finger directly at Pearl's chest.
"I don't want Finnick at the wedding," I demanded.
"No!"
"Be quiet Echo," I spat, "I don't want him there and that's final!"
Pearl waved her hands and scribbled something on her omnipresent list. "Consider it done." Echo's face got red and she jumped to her feet.
"You're MEAN Annie! Just because Finnick has a girlfriend and you're all jealous doesn't mean he can't come to the wedding!"
I folded my arms and looked away, "He's my friend, so it's my decision."
She stamped her foot, "YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T FRIENDS!"
"Echo, lower your voi-"
"HE'S MORE MY FRIEND THAN YOURS!" I shouted back.
"GIRLS!" Pearl barked, "Lower your voices."
I felt stupid, arguing with a little girl. Echo started crying angrily and turned to face Pearl, "I want him to come."
She smiled and lifted Echo onto her lap, pointing to the list, "Well Finnick is Annie's only guest so far. And you have three. So she gets a say in this."
I resisted the temptation to stick out my tongue at her and left the house, quieter this time. I decided to go to Victor's Village and visit with Finnick's mother, who I'm sure was getting lonely with her son out of the house again. But as I was walking past the square, I noticed a commotion going on near the Justice Building. Peacekeepers and people were swarming to this one area, crying out unintelligible things and flailing their limbs about. I crept closer, trying to see what was going on.
"He didn't mean to take them, he just brought home the wrong package," a middle-aged woman was pleading. She was on her knees in the middle of the circle with her arms around a young boy, probably nine years old. Judging by his blue shirt, he was one of the kids who delivered the rare fish to the Peacekeepers to be specially packaged. A brown paper package was torn open in front of him with large Turbot fish inside.
