Finding the Missing Piece: Book 2

Chapter Thirty-Two

Peeta POV- (A week later)

(Texts to group)

"Hey everyone! Katniss and I are back in District 12. You probably have heard that Katniss's mother is no longer in 12 and was
generous enough to give us her home. I was wondering if this Friday you all would like to come over to our house for a little get together. Katniss has been having a hard time adjusting to everything again and I think this will be good for her. If you can make it please let me know."

I send the message to everyone in the group and continue my shift at the bakery.

Katniss has had about three more bad nights since the first night and we have been back over a week.

I feel so bad for her.

I was hoping moving back would help her overall but so far it hasn't.

I am enjoying being back at the bakery and the extra time I get to spend with my Dad and Katniss.

"Hey, Son." Dad says, walking into the kitchen.

His expression is sad.

I look up, "Oh, hey Dad." I say.

"Peeta, I don't know how to tell you this..." He starts.

My eyes widen, "What?" I ask, terrified and hoping he will tell me quicker.

"Someone came by earlier to see you but it was when you were out on a delivery."

"Who was it?" I ask.

He takes a deep breath. "It was a girl. She said she knew you and that her name was Dally? She told me that Katniss has been cheating on you." He says sadly.

My heart drops and then races.

"Delly? Delly told you this?" I ask him, frustrated.

He nods and gives me a frown, "She said that Katniss has been sleeping with this guy she knows for awhile now." My father says.

I furrow my brows angrily.

"Dad, Katniss wouldn't do that. And Delly, she and her friend are the reason we left Five."

"What?" My Dad asks, completely confused.

"Delly was the one reporting Katniss along with her friend Dylan."

"You're kidding?"

"No. Dylan has a major crush on Katniss and Delly has a major crush on me."

"Son, if they came all the way from District Five, I would be pretty worried."

"How the hell did they find us?" I ask frustratedly, slamming my fist on the counter top.

"Peeta, I don't know. You may want to check into all of this more. This girl was pretty serious so for your sake, just be cautious." He says, walking out of the room.

I let out a frustrated groan, taking off my apron and walking out the back door.

I can't believe my Dad has even a smidgen of doubt in Katniss.

I need to get home now.

I thought that they'd leave us alone after we left and for them to come all the way here is ridiculous and scary.

I speed all the way home and run inside to find Katniss asleep on the couch, she had another bed night.

Relieved, I lean up against the door.

The amount of anger that I feel towards Delly and this Dylan guy is indescribable.

And the amount of frustration I feel towards my Dad at the moment is like none I've ever felt before, at least for him.

I go into our bedroom and look up Delly's number in a phone book I accidentally took from Five.

I block my number and call her.

In about two rings she answers.

(On the phone with Delly)

"Hello?" She answers, in her snobby voice.

"Delly?" I say angrily.

"Peeta?" She squeals happily, as if we were old friends.

"Delly, I swear that if you or Dylan that if you ever come anywhere near Katniss, my family or I ever again, I will take care of it myself and I can tell you it won't be pretty. Especially Dylan!" I say sternly into the phone.

"Oh, Peeta. What happened to the sweet college kid I knew?"

"Don't." I snarl.

"Did that girlfriend of yours make you like that? If you need to get rid of that thing, I know a guy that will gladly take her off your hands." Delly says, in a fake sugar sweet voice.

"No, what changed me was two crazy strangers stalking my girlfriend and I." I say angrily.

She giggles, "Oh, we aren't strangers, Peeta. You and I aren't."

I scoff, "I talked to you like three times, which I now regret. All I have to say is you both need to leave District Twelve and go home." I say and hang up, angrily throwing my phone across the room.

The glass phone shatters into a million tiny pieces and a few seconds later, I hear Katniss holler from the living room.

"Peeta! Is that you?" Katniss calls, obviously startled.

I open the bedroom door, "Yes, I'm sorry."

I walk downstairs and over to her.

"Peeta, what's wrong?" She asks me, knowingly.

I sit down next to her on the couch.

"Katniss, I'm just going to warn you, that you're going to be extremely mad." I say truthfully.

Her face falls, "What's going on, Peeta?" She asks.

"Delly came by the bakery this morning and talked to my father." I start, "She fed him lies. She told him that you have been cheating on me and sleeping with Dylan." I say.

Her eyes widen, "Peeta, you know I would never do that. I'd never do that to you-please, don't believe them." She begs me, still flustered from the night before.

I pull her into a hug, "Katniss, calm down. I know you'd never do that. I didn't believe it for a second." I say truthfully.

"I bet your Dad believes Delly, doesn't he?" She asks, shaking her head.

I nod my head. "He just told me to watch out." I say, kind of disappointed in him.

Even a little bit of doubt in Katniss is too much.

"Peeta, why does he believe her? Didn't you tell her why we left? Did you tell him about Delly trying to get you to cheat and Dylan and your fight the first day?" Katniss asks me.

"I did. He didn't say he believed her but he told me to check into it but we both know that means some doubt." I shrug.

"Exactly and that's too much for me. He should know me better than that."

"He's just watching out for me, I know but I'm still upset. I didn't even finish my shift because I was afraid they might find out where we live and show up here." I say.

Katniss just looks down and stares at the floor, "They're ruining us, Peeta."

I pull her into a side hug, "I promise that I'm going take care of it." I assure her.

She sighs deeply.

"Oh and I also need to order a new phone." I say.

"What happened to yours?" She asks.

"I called Delly and chewed her out a bit. She kept acting all sweet and flirting with me and I got angry and threw it across the room."

Katniss snorts, shaking her head at me.