Learning to live

Learning to live: rehearsal dinner

I felt physically sick thinking about Johanna an gale's conversation before, an Annie still hadn't shown up. Maybe coming to district 4 was a bad idea.

"Kat? You ready?" Peet asked knocking on the bathroom door. He wore a a light suit with a pearl white shirt that fitted perfectly.

"Wow you clean up good" I joked.

Luca toddled in after peeta wearing an almost similar suit.

"Well don't you look handsome" I Said scooping Luca up.

"katniss, peeta?" Effie almost sung.

"In here" peeta said

Effie warmly smiled at us, her hair looking darker than usual an a simple dress, unlike the ones she used to wear.

"well dont all of You look beautiful" she said.

"Not you pretty boy" haymitch said.

"Yeah well I look ten times better than you do" peeta said back.

"Eh" haymitch sarcastically said.

"well come on then, lets take some pictures an go down" Effie smiled gesturing a youngish looking photographer.

"This is Clara" Effie said greeting the young girl

"Hello" she said timidly

"hey" I said shaking her hand, peeta following.

Clara took a few pictures of me an peeta, then me peeta an Luca then me an haymitch an all of us.

"okay then lets go down" Effie chirped.

We all made our way down to the rehearsal dinner, with no sign of Annie an still silence from Johanna an gales room.

We walked into the surprisingly beautiful room, with our friends sat around different Tables.

Annie sat on the table that, me peeta, Effie haymitch, delly thom, gale Johanna and Pollux an Tammie were also sitting at. She looked up smiling, sadness in her eyes.

"Hey Ann you okay?" I asked hugging her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, great actually" she laughed a little

I looked at her confused but happy.

"hello" she said in a baby voice grabbing Luca.

"Come on, lets all sit down" peeta said warmly.

"Do you think Johanna an gale will turn up?" I asked peeta.

"Why what's happened ?" Annie asked before he could reply.

"Her an gale had an argument, worse than Monday nights" I tiredly said.

"Well I know Johanna an she wouldn't miss this" Annie convincingly said rubbing my shoulder.

"I've, I've never heard her that upset" I said still shocked.

before Annie could reply, a pale Johanna walked into the room, her hair done up nearly in a bun an a red flowing dress to her ankles. Anybody who didn't know Johanna as well as me, Annie, mel, daisy an delly would think she was absolutely fine. We all knew she was not. I caught Melissa's eye an she gave me the 'signal' the facial expression we all did when something was up. Melissa stood up walking over to Annie, tapping daisy on the shoulder on the way. Nodding her head upwards gesturing for daisy to follow her, I watched Melissa coax Johanna to the bathroom before getting Annie an delly to come too.

Once we were all in the bathroom Melissa barricaded the door shut.

"What?" Johanna sighed rubbing her forehead.

"You know what" I said.

"I'm fine" Johanna said.

"No you're not! You forget I know you Johanna mason an you are not fine" Annie pointed her finger at Johanna.

She just shook her head like she was about to cry.

"Me an gale, we're not together anymore, it's over" she just shrugged tears in her eyes.

"Oh babe" Melissa said hugging her.

"Here drink this" daisy passed Johanna her jack Daniels.

Johanna knocked it back with out a second thought.

"Well that's that, lets go have your rehearsal dinner" Johanna said swallowing back her tears like nothing had happened.

"Johanna it's okay to cry, it's okay to be sad" delly told Johanna.

"Well you know me I spring back" she forced a smile, you could tell she was finding it hard not to cry.

"no you don't have to everybody cries Johanna nobody has to be strong all the time, including you. We're all here for you" daisy told Johanna

"Yeah well I have a reputation to keep up 'Johanna mason badass victor from district 7'" she tried to laugh but ended up crying instead. "Urggh" she angrily said placing her hand over her eyes. "What is wrong with me, I don't do this!" She snuffled

"We all do honey" Melissa said handing Johanna a tissue.

"men are idiots" daisy told Johanna.

Johanna just nodded.

"Come on let's go, no point crying all night it won't changed anything" Johanna said whipping her tears an patting her face to get rid of the blotchiness that surrounded her cheeks.

"That's the spirit!" Melissa said. "Next round is on me!"

"I don't think so, you're not all being hungover at my wedding tomorrow" I told them all.

"Yeah yeah" Melissa said unbarricading the door.

Melissa walked out first, then daisy

"I'm serious Melissa" I shouted after her.

I watched Johanna walk out of the toilets with a fake smile on her face, looking over at Annie to see f she was thinking what I was thinking. Johanna really is broken.