Against All Odds (A Hunger Games Fan Fiction)

10. Show Strength, Not Weakness

10. Show Strength, Not Weakness

       For a change, it wasn’t just Johanna and Jade in our apartment. Also joining them were our stylists, Alden and Harper. It was a nice change, seeing someone else who liked me. I was the first to see them since I was the first to cross the threshold. I saw Jade at the dinner table, Alden and Harper conversing on the couch, Johanna was with Jade. Harper and Alden turned their heads to notice we came in.

            “Oh good, you two are back!” Jade chirped, springing from her chair to scurry to us. “I thought you were going to miss din—Bridget, what happened!?”

She finally notices. “Oh, this?” I felt the tender spots on my face.

            “Dear lord, Bridget,” Jade gasped. She looked very hesitant in touching my face, as if it’d crumble if she attempted to touch it.

            “What are you whining about, Jade?” Johanna hissed. She came and saw my face. Her eyes turned cold. Johanna Mason wasn’t happy. My appearance was attracting everyone over like flies, because Alden and Harper migrated over. Harper put her hands to her mouth in shock; Alden was the second person to actually touch my face.

            “You poor thing,” he sympathized. “Harper, get some tissues from the bathroom.”

            “On it!” Harper dashed away, nearly tripping herself in the process.

            “Why do I get the feeling the story you are about to tell me is a station training gone wrong?” Johanna sighed irritably.

            “How bad does it really look?” I whined, ignoring Johanna’s question. “You all make me sound like I look like a monster or something.”

            “You don’t have a headache do you, or blurry vision?” Jade panicked. I shook my head.

            “Let’s get you on the couch,” Dan suggested.

 It seemed we all herded as one on the couch, Daniel and Alden on either side of me. Alden was still examining my face, probably distraught over how this would affect me in the days to come. Harper came back with pretty much the entire box of tissues. Alden started wiping the blood off from my mouth and nose. I hadn’t even felt the blood trickle along my skin in a creepy-crawly way.

            “Pinch your nose; it’ll help stop the blood. Does anything feel sore, Bridget?” Alden asked me quietly.

            “My jaw kind of hurts,” I said softly, sounding real nasally. I hated that. “I didn’t lose a tooth or anything, did I?”

            “Let me see. Open.” I opened my mouth wide. “Nope, you didn’t lose any, thank goodness. I would have punched the person who did this to you.”

            “Alden, honey,” Harper sighed, “you are anything but violent.”

            “When it comes to messing up my tribute assignment, I take it personally. She’s like my daughter, Harper.” Alden’s green eyes looked to be lit with protectiveness. I didn’t think Alden considered me that way. I never thought of him to be a father figure, just a friend really. I felt appreciated, knowing that Alden considered me like family even though we hadn’t even spent a week together.

            “But you can’t protect me, you’re only my fashion designer,” I said carefully. My jaw throbbed.

            “Don’t talk so much, sweetheart,” Alden said softly. “Harper, go get a bag of ice.”