i should hate you

the zoo

cassi had left her house early the next morning. she had hoped to get the library to research some of the previous games before she had to go to school. the fact that she avoided her parents by waking up so early was just an added benefit in her mind. 

as cassi reached the library her eyes scanned the room. it was nearly empty. to the left there sat a small girl with brown hair, her head buried in a book. as she looked to the right her eyes widened. coriolanus. cassi walked over to him, figuring that it was more awkward to say nothing than to just approach him and possibly learn what he was doing here so early.

coriolanus looked startled as she tapped on his shoulder. his face relaxed when he saw cassi standing behind him, shifting his body to face her as she came to stand next to the table.

"what are you doing here so early?" cassi questioned, eyes shifting from his face to the brooks sprawled on the table.

"i could ask you the same question cass." he spoke, closing the book that was open on the table. she read the cover of the book, it was one of the same books she came to read. the history of the hunger games.

"i asked you first," she spoke, a sly smile coming onto her face. "come to get a leg up with the tributes?" cassi questioned.

"maybe i did." coriolanus answered. 

the fact that he wasn't giving her a straight answer frustrated her and he knew that. coriolanus loved to get cassi worked up. knowing he was one of the only ones who could push her buttons gave him a sense of pride. as he watched the gears in her head turn he debated telling her about his plan to meet his tribute. he figured she would pose no threat in this aspect, there was no way that she would be willing to wait at the train station all day only to meet people from the districts, plinth prize or not.  

"i'm going to meet lucy gray baird later." coriolanus spoke again after a beat of silence.

"yeah, we're all meeting them later." cassi spoke, rolling her eyes. not understanding what coriolanus was saying.

"no, i'm going to the train station. i'm going to introduce myself to her, try to get to know her." coriolanus responded. cassi's face formed into something of disgust and something else coriolanus couldn't really decipher. 

"what?" was the only thing cassi could get out at that moment. what he didn't know is the jealousy that burned inside her chest. why did he want to get to know her, should would likely be dead in less than a week. she shook her head, she had to remind herself that these tributes were people to. "maybe i'll get lucky and lucy gray will kill you, leaving the plinth prize all for me. maybe she'll serenade you to death!" cassi shifted her tone to one of a teasing nature as she taunted him. coriolanus rolled his eyes at her but he didn't know what to say in return. he knew she was joking but the mention of her wishing death upon him upset him. 

"after seeing your tribute there's no way you'll get the plinth prize either." coriolanus spoke, hoping for cassi to be upset as he was. cassi had a questioning look on her face, she didn't understand what he was getting at. "guy like that, big ego, even i could see it at the reaping. he'll run straight for the middle and die after the first five minutes, at least lucy gray is smart." coriolanus explained, taking pleasure in the way cassi's face dropped.

"have fun with your song bird." cassi mutters before walking to the other side of the library. coriolanus watched as she disappeared down one of the aisles of books. 

he couldn't help but wish he wouldn't have spoken so negatively to her. maybe then she would sit with him instead of glaring at him from across the library. 

----

after her trip to the library this morning cassi went to the academy like any other day. however, today they would be talking about mentoring the tributes. dr. gaul would also be making an appearance to speak on the games themselves.