It's A Jungle Out There

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

"The new head of pastoral care will be having a talk with the Seniors about mental health later this afternoon," Ms. Trinket explains during form class the next day. Mental health? Why would she want to talk to us about mental health? I get enough of that from Dr. Aurelius every week! "Mandatory attendance. You'll only be missing careers class and study anyway so there is no excuse for missing it."

Well fantastic. Not only do I have to meet Dr Aurelius this afternoon but I also have to listen to the new head of pastoral ramble on about mental health! Is this because of the suicide rumours? I lean forward and try to catch Ms. Trinket's eye but she turns her back to the class to fill out some papers. I glance at Clove and she quirks an eyebrow, clearly having the same thought process as me.

"Oh, that's right," Ms. Trinket suddenly says. "Katniss, you're expected at Mr Snow's office after form class. Something about a fight with Glimmer?" A couple of snickers come from the back of the class and I clench my fists to resist the urge to spin around and flip them off. "Weird. I could have sworn you girls were friends."

"Times change, Ms. Trinket," Clove explains. She lifts her butt off her seat and tries to look at the sheet Ms. Trinket read the message off. "Anything on there about me?"

"No. For once you're in the clear Miss Jettison," Ms. Trinket smiles.

I scowl as Clove sits back down. Glimmer must have only complained about me, the little witch! I should have expected it, really, but I had honest to God thought that Glimmer had an equally displaced hatred towards myself and Clove. Glimmer, Clove and I were all friends at one point. Unless Glimmer had always hated me and just . . . didn't express it during our 'friendship'. Surely all the calling signs would have been there if she had? Glimmer is a spiteful bitch, surely if she did hate me, I'd have noticed during our friendship? Surely!

"Clove, answer me honestly," I whisper once Ms. Trinket has went off to do her own thing for the remainder of the period. Clove leans forward so her ear is closer to me and I repeat, "Answer me honestly. Does Glimmer hate me?"

Clove pulled a face and made an, "Ehhhhhh," noise before saying, "Probably maybe not so, uh, yeah. She did. Like she never really liked you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I exclaim.

"I was sworn to secrecy," Clove shrugs. "I'm sorry. If you had made me promise to do the same thing-which you have done-aren't you comforted by the fact that I do do what you tell me to do? Especially secrets wise."

Clove has a point. However, I can't help but feel annoyed by the fact that I never knew that Glimmer hated me. I thought I was susceptible to such things. I knew when Johanna started hating me. Bonnie made it completely obvious when she started hating me by throwing dirty looks in my direction and swinging Twill around so their backs were turned to me whenever I pass. I even knew when Madge started growing a dislike towards me, mainly because of my crush on Gale.

Madge's parents are from Spain originally and moved back when Freshman year began. Madge gets looked after by her Nanny who has practically raised her since she was a toddler anyway. The only time Madge goes back to Spain is when there is something up with her parents that makes it absolutely necessary for her to go back to Spain, which seems to have happened now. Every time she has gone away to Spain, I've jumped on the opportunity to drop hints with Gale. I've never had the chance to think about how guilty I should feel for doing that until now . . . I wonder if her parents are ok. She's been gone for weeks now.

Glimmer, however, mustn't be as conspicuous as I thought. Then again, maybe she can be sneaky when she wants to be. If she's been spreading lies about myself and Clove after we went separate ways, what's to have stopped her from doing so before then? Who knows how many rumours that have involved us came from her mouth. And, when I think about it, she has done her fair share of bitching about Clove as well. Although she must have bitched about me even more and said worse things because she's never sworn me to secrecy.