It's A Jungle Out There

Chapter Twenty Three

Wattpad is behaving like a bit of a bitch right now so I'm struggling to get proper formatting on my chapters. I'm sorry if some of my work isn't paragraphed or new lines isn't taken, it's because once I paste from my word document onto here, everything gets smushed together.

Chapter Twenty Three

I'm called to Principal Snow's office not long after I attacked Cato. There was really only time for the girls and myself to leave the cafeteria and find Madge before Snow's secretary came looking for me. I saw it coming. It wouldn't have taken long for word to have reached Snow. I'm not an idiot. However, if he thinks that I'm going to cooperate with him then he's fooling himself. Whatever he has to say, I don't want to hear it.

 I sit in front of Snow with my bad leg propped up on a small green stool. I've fucked it again, I can feel it. At my next appointment the doctor will tell me that I've wrecked my leg and I'll never walk again. Okay, maybe I'm being overdramatic, but right now it hurts like a bitch. I fold my arms and stare at Snow defiantly.

"Katniss," Snow sighs, "how far you have fallen."

I don't answer.

"Are you going to tell me what happened between Cato and yourself or do I have to force it from you?"

I quirk my eyebrow at Snow, daring him to try. Typical of him to only include Cato because he was directly involved in the dispute. Snow left out Gale-even though he basically ignited the whole situation-just to protect his stupid football team and their winning streak. All of this just in the name of making sure the school looked good.

"Don't be difficult, Katniss," scolded Snow, "just tell me what happened."

"Cato made an inappropriate comment about Peeta's illness," I say. "What did you expect me to do?"

"Nobody knows about Peeta's condition," Snow says patiently. "They only know that he went into cardiac arrest. No student besides yourself know the true extent of his illness. Don't lie to me, Katniss, I don't appreciate it."

"There's many things I don't appreciate," I throw back. "Like your complete support of the food chain idea that has smashed this school to pieces. Or the fact that you value the football team over everyone else. Or that you second handedly supported those who bullied Peeta and his friends. Doesn't mean you're not going to change, does it?"

Snow stares at me, not at all happy with what I have said. I glare back at him, deciding that if it was the wrong decision then I'm going to go through with it. Snow lifts his pen and pulls a slip out of a top drawer in his chest. He writes something down and hands the slip to me. I look at the piece of paper with a frown.

"What's that?"

"Katniss, you are hereby suspended from this school for the next fortnight. If you set foot on the premises before this time is up then you will be expelled. Do you understand this?" Snow says slowly and deliberately.

I stare at him, waiting for the punchline. His snake like eyes show no sign of a lie.

"What?!" I explode. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm deadly serious. Your blatant disrespect for your fellow classmates is a disgrace that I can't ignore any longer," says Snow. He grabs my hand and slaps the slip into it. "Now get out of my office and immediately leave the school grounds."

"What about homecoming?" I ask.

A flicker of a smile crosses Snow's face. "What about homecoming?" he replies.

"I can still go, right?"

"Where does homecoming take place?"

"In the school."