It's A Jungle Out There

Chapter One

The bell drives through my ears like the screech of a banshee. There isn't relief in release as once I have pushed away from my desk, I remember that today is double math in the morning day. I groan and smack my forehead with the heel of my head. What is it we're even doing now? Algebra? Wait, or is it that Pythagoras stuff?

"It's Trig, Katniss, we're doing Trig," Clove snickers. I lean against the locker beside hers, waiting for her to retrieve her books from inside. My own math textbook is clutched in my arms, weighing at least a ton. There are over 500 pages in the damn things. How could there be so much for just one subject? An infinite amount of numbers? More like an infinite amount of pages!

"Trig? Is that the triangle stuff?" I ask.

"Nope, that's Pythagoras," Glimmer grins.

"Oh man, that's not a good sign," Clove laughs.

She's right. It isn't. Oh well, I don't need math where I'm going. All I need is to pass most of my other subjects to get into College and then focus all my attention on becoming an actress. Or a singer. I haven't decided yet. One thing's for sure, it's going to be big.

Gale Hawthorne passes us and I straighten up. He's with the usual suspects; the rest of the football team. He smiles at me and my insides heat up in excitement. I return it, maybe I little too enthusiastically, and brush the stray hairs back away from my face. When he's completely passed, Glimmer and Clove squeal.

"Oh my god, he was totally checking you out!" Glimmer gushes.

"You think so?" I reply, staring after Gale in longing. Gale and I have been exchanging looks and signals ever since school began in fall. Now summer was rapidly approaching and I am holding out for him to ask me to go to Prom with him.

"Mmm-hmm," Clove confirms. "You lucky duck."

"He's soooooo hot!" Glimmer sighs, twiddling her hair while staring after the football team, like every other student in the hall. District High practically worships the ground the football team walks on and I don't blame them. They're Gods among humans, that's all there is to it. I'm blessed to be deemed worthy enough to cheer for them.

"You think he'll ask me to Prom?" I ask.

"He'd be an idiot not too!" Glimmer laughs.

I flick my braid over my shoulder and grin. "I know," I say. "Let's just hope he realizes that too." The second bell rings and dread fills me like a disease. "Well, it's time to enter the gates of hell."

"May God have mercy on us," Clove sighs, slamming her locker shut with a flourish. "We're going to need it."

~IAJOT~

"Katniss, you're failing Math."

I snort. This isn't fair. I've done my time, I should be released out into the glorious arms of break. Why is Mr. Abernathy wasting his time telling me things I already know? "Tell me something I don't know," I say.

Mr. Abernathy leans back in his chair and takes a drink from his metal flask. It's no secret that there's Vodka in there but no one would dare point it out. Especially since the school's grade average for math has soared to 95% A*-C ever since Mr. Abernathy started teaching the subject. "I don't think you fully appreciate how dire an issue this is," he says.

"Dire? It's Math," I say flatly. "I won't be needing it anyway."

Mr. Abernathy narrows his eyes. "Katniss, you do realize that most schools won't accept you if you have an F in Math? Unless, of course, you're willing to re-sit it in College, which would require learning the whole course all over again."