The Star-Crossed Lovers from District 12 (Wattys Finalist 2013)

Chapter 9

Peeta and I walk home hand in hand.

“You’re crazy!” he says.

“You said I could!” I say pulling away from him.

“I was thinking about something else, nothing like that,” he says. “You were so doubtful to do this, and now you’re going to do it to make Gale and some girl you just met fall in love? What if Gale doesn’t volunteer? Then twenty three people will be dying under your name! If you do this plan your nightmare that you had last night will become a reality. If it just those two in the end one of them is going to die. And what if neither of them survive? They could both be strong but they could die from disease or from a mutt attack!” he says.

“Peeta relax, Gale will volunteer and you will be their mentor. Since you’re their mentor you will have to do your best to get sponsors for them to send them medicine if one of them does get a disease. And I will just make sure that the people in the control room don’t send any mutts after them. Also I will make the decision to have two tributes live for this one time,” I say. He has disappointment written all over his face.

“What if someone tries to kill them?” he asks.

“That is when their strength and stealth will have to come in. Plus I’m really only doing this for Prim, this is just sort of a bonus. I would never take the job just for that one stupid reason. I thought you knew me better than that. What happened to you supporting me 110% no matter what decision I make!” I say. I run home.

“Katniss wait!” he yells. I run through the front door and slam it shut. I run upstairs into our bedroom and shut the door and lock it. I curl up into a ball and just sit there in front of the door. I thought he was going to support me, then he tells me that I’m crazy that I was going to take the job. He start to knock on the door trying to get me out, trying to talk about what happened but I don’t budge. I stay silent. Eventually he gives up and goes downstairs. We have been married under twenty four hours and we already have something driving us apart. That one question that Paylor asked is putting our relationship on the line. I take off my father’s hunting jacket and I take off my shoes. I put on my robe and my slippers. I think I have been upstairs for a couple hours when I finally decide to go down stairs and make up with Peeta. When I’m half way down the steps I freeze. I see him watching something on the TV. But it isn’t a news broadcast it is a recording of us in the 74th Hunger Games. He was at the part where we were kissing in the cave. I look at him and he has tears filling his eyes. What is he thinking about? Is he thinking about I faked him in the games, or what just happened? Is he thinking about how he felt at that moment, or when I told him that everything was a hoax in the games? The possibilities could be endless.

“Hey,” I say. He looks at me and wipes away his tears really fast and pauses the recording.

“Hey,” he says with sadness in his voice. I begin to walk down the stairs again. I cuddle up next to him.  He puts his arm around me.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“No, I should be the one saying that I’m sorry. I told you I’d support you and I didn’t. I lied and now I feel awful that I made you upset,” he says trying to avoid eye contact with me. I start to rub his back.

“What’s wrong, because you know I hate to see you sad,” I say.

“I just feel that I’m not being a good husband. After just barely a day I’ve already made you upset. That’s why I was watching this, it made me feel that I know I can make you happy and that I can be a good husband.”

“You’re a great husband, and don’t feel so bad. I made you feel a lot worse when I told you that I just pretended to be in love with you,” I say. He looks at me and smiles. I give him a kiss on the cheek.