Hope in District 7

Chapter 8

MASON

I was lying down on my bed, staring at the nightly lit ceiling. Memories kept flooding back to me, but only one kept nagging at the back of my head.

Like it did every night.

The teacher was going over the same old mandatory “Why the Hunger Games Exist” topic in History class; the Treaty of Treason.  

I was faintly hearing her, catching only a phrase or two. Everyone knew what happened. We were all so tired about hearing the same thing over and over.

All of the districts got together and decided to overthrow the capitol, blah, blah, blah. They failed. So the Capitol, in punishment for their uprising, perform a yearly event known as The Hunger Games. They take our children, one male and one female from each of the twelve districts, into custody and put them to compete in a publicly viewed death match, until only one remains alive.

What does that solve? Nothing. In my opinion, it’ll just cause another rebellion.

Anyway, while I was fading in and out of class, the door to the room opened and I saw Riley walk in arm in arm with Xander. My back tensed up. When did this happen? They never talked much. And he hadn't been in our division of class up until the ending of last semester; the semester right before this past summer.

“You’re late,” the teacher said. “It’s the first day of school.”

“We had some minor complications,” Xander replied.

“We?” The teacher motioned to the desk across from me. “Please enlighten us.”

Riley turned pink. “I sprained my ankle on our way here. There was a a little ditch that we weren't aware of and Xander carried me all the way to school.”

“Oh?” Our teacher’s hair was tightly picked up in a bun, her face stretching out along with it. Her eyebrows arched back more than usual.

“Yeah,” Xander chimed in. “But she wouldn’t let me carry her into the classroom. So she’s standing.” He now brought his arm around her waist, supporting her as they walked to the desk.

My hands balled up into fists. I turned away.

“It slowed us down a bit,” Riley said quietly as she finished explaining.

I wouldn’t turn to look at her, even though I was tempted when she was so close that I could sniff the familiar scent of cream and strawberries. I winced, feeling the ache rise to my chest.

Xander sat down in the desk behind her, and that’s when it dawned on me. I was replaced. She found someone new. I never saw her that summer, I realized. She never came back to the lake where we would hang out all the time. I waited for her every day, to see if she would come around, but she never did. Riley was off with Xander. That whole summer, instead of me, Riley was off with Xander…

My hands hurt from the pressure I was putting on them, but I didn’t care.

I was replaced.

I snuck a glance at her quickly, but she was already looking at me; her eyebrows furrowed in apologies. She was still bright pink, her brown hair over one side of her face. She seemed guilty, showing up in the arms of another.

I looked away. She should feel guilty. It wasn’t fair what she did; saying she couldn’t talk to me and seeing me altogether. But knowing Riley, I was aware there had to be a legitimate reason; and I kept to that unknown reason, because I wouldn't bare it if what we had was lost over nothing. 

Every day after school, I took a shortcut in the woods, and that day as I was walking home, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me behind a tree.

“Riley,” I gasped, seeing the familiar head of hair in front of me. I didn't hear her sneak up behind me at all.