Perfect Imperfections

Chapter Nine

Peeta POV

'Aren't we a pair? You, stuck with a girlfriend you hate and me, with my heart broken into little pieces!'
'Fin, she didn't want to be your Physics partner. If you think this is heart break you might have some problems in the future.'

Finnick just rolls his eyes and slumps further into his homeroom seat, mumbling to himself.
'What was that Fin?'
His green gaze meets my blue one and I find a look of despair there. 'She hates me. How do I make her not hate me?'

Sighing, I take in my friend who is having one of his serious moments, the ones only I know about. He really is in a hard situation; I've seen him be attracted to plenty of girls but I can tell something's different with Annie. He really genuinely likes her but the issue is that she hates him because of the front he puts on and I really can't see a way out of this situation bar going to Annie myself and explaining things. Of course, Finnick would have my head if I did that.

'Try not asking her on a date straight away, try being friends and let her see the real you.'
'You think it will work?'
'If she sees the real you it's bound to work.'
'Thanks man. Now on to my second question: how do you become friends with someone who hates you?'

I'm about to reply when a bag of chocolate bars drops onto my desk; looking up, I find Katniss looking innocently back at me, her beautiful mercury eyes sparking.
'And what's this?'
'This is five dollars worth of chocolate. You're welcome.' My confusing must show because shes soon speaking again. 'I found the money in the bag so I spent it, I know you wouldn't let me give it back, and now I don't owe you. See you in biology!' And then she's gone.

Before I can even turn back around to face Finnick, he swipes the bag of chocolate and takes a bar out.
'Ooh! Wispa's! Your favourite!'

He's right, Wispa's are my favourite, something I had mentioned briefly to Katniss the other night at the smoothie place. Even though it's just a silly little thing I told her, she still remembered and that brought a small burst of joyful warmth to my heart. I think of my present girlfriend who probably doesn't even pay attention when I tell her how my day was, let alone my favourite brand of chocolate.

'Now I have a question for you Fin. What the hell am I meant to do? I'm stuck with this girl I don't even like, let alone love, whilst the girl of my dreams, since I was five, is becoming more damn perfect each day?'
I hear Finnick sigh from where I have my head placed face down on the desk in despair.
'Man, aren't we a mess, huh?'

-*-*-

'Today, we will be dissecting a pigs heart to finish up our topic on the respiratory system. One between two in your partners please, diagrams are at the front along with equipment. Begin.'

'Yes! Dissection!' I look across to see Katniss grinning wildly at me, her eyes and nose crinkled. 'I'll get the heart!' And with that she takes off in the direction of the pile of hearts. Smiling at her excitement, I go to the back of the room to get us lab-coats and goggles. When I return, Katniss has already gathered everything we need and is bouncing on the balls of her feet, waiting for me.

'This is the reason I took biology.' She exclaims as she puts the lab coat on and fastens the strap around her goggles before starting the lab work.
'The only reason?'
'Pretty much. I think I want to go into biology in the future though, something to do with animals.' I glance across at her, it's still strange when she tells me about herself. I'm so used to just admiring her from afar that getting to know her is some kind of dream.

'How about you? What do you want to do?'
I'm ready to feed her my usual lie about wanting to do Biology of Sport but something in her face makes me hesitate. She's looking at me like she's genuinely interested in what my answer will be, something I've never seen directed towards me before.
'I uh- well I really want to go to a culinary arts college and take a business degree on the side so then I can take over my family business or start a restaurant or something.'
'And what's the issue? Why did you hesitate answering?'
'Well, my parents don't want me to do that, they said they won't pay for my college fees unless I study Sport.'

Katniss pauses in slicing through the septum of the heart and looks up at me, her expression softer that usual.
'They should support whatever you want to do, it's your life, not theirs.'
'In an ideal world sure.'
She pauses for a moment, 'Could you get a scholarship? Is that possible?'

'I never even considered that, it's so unlikely and hard to get.'
'Well, my uncle works at a university and he handles scholarships. I'm sure if I asked he could help advise what you would need to do to get one, he's doing it for me.' The niceness in her statement hits me to the core.
'You'd do that do me?' My voice catches slightly at the end, making me sound pathetic but she doesn't mention it, just smiles back, 'Of course, your life should be what you want it to be. I'll talk to him this weekend.'
'Thank you so much, I can't even begin to-'

I'm so focused on thanking her that I don't notice what my scalpel is doing, it slips bursting a vein causing blood to spit out all over us including in her hair and on my glasses. She looks at my red specked form and her laughter rings around the room; she leans up and takes my red stained glasses off to wipe on her lab-coat.

'This is why we wear goggles Mellark.'
'Shut up Everdeen.' I laugh back, flicking her braid over her shoulder so blood flicks all around her in a circle.

How does she have the power to always make me feel better?

🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬

Maybe you're getting the title now? The point of it was that Katniss considers Peeta having a perfect life but as she gets to know him better she realises not everything's as it seems. People never have a perfect life, no matter what front they put on (this counts for real life too mind).

I'm not too keen on this chapter but I've already written the next update so I'll upload quickly

Until later,

Olivia x

Wonderwall, Oasis

So maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
'Cause after all
You're my Wonderwall