The Strings To My Heart

3

She shook her head and then grinned. "They are good though." I stayed at the brownies, but Katniss took advantage of the drinks, a side of her I didn't think I'd ever see. Bottles of wine and different champagnes lined the tables, and Katniss didn't hesitate to grab the first bottle that caught her eye.

Not the first bottle. Bottles. She grabbed bottle after bottle until the first table was over half empty. At first, she sat down in a corner of a room, slowly drinking from her first bottle. The purple wine seemed to seep into her quickly, Katniss soaking it up like a sponge. At the end of her second bottle of the purple wine, her teeth were tinted purple and so was the area around her lips.

"Maybe you should stop drinking," I said, attempting to take away the bottle. Instead, she growled at me, like some kid acting like a tiger. Swiping my hand away, she slurped from the bottle until it emitted a gross gurgling sound.

She set down the now empty bottle and stood up. More like wobbled, because she acted like she had two left feet. I grabbed her shoulders to balance her, but she shrugged me off again. I realized it was probably best to not get involved.

"Woah, Katniss." It was Finnick, who had finally decided to join the crowd. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Not as much as you'd think, actually," I replied. "But she's definitely in to have more." By then, a crowd had gathered in the center of the large room in the midst of the tables. Katniss was in the very middle, dancing like there was no tomorrow.

At first it was just the simple disco, slightly embarrassing. But the crowd, who all had undoubtedly had some to drink as well, came in with the hype, cheering and clapping, handing her more bottles of wine and champagne.

Bottle after bottle of alcohol crashed to the floor, breaking into millions of delicate glass pieces. Katniss chugged without stopping. Once she finished one, someone handed her a stray bottle and the process started again. Over and over and over. I really wanted to do something, but instead I continued to back away.

Soon, Katniss had had at least ten, definitely more, bottles. As she was dancing, she began to sway, but the smile never moved from her face. The cheers only got louder and louder and people drank more and more until the room stank of alcohol. I knew at that moment that I hated (hated was a strong word, but it was the right one) college parties.

Finally, Katniss stopped the drinking. I thought maybe this whole craziness was over but it only got worse from there. She called my name, loud and pitched, but slurred and depressed. "PEEETTTAAA!" I could barely understand what she was saying myself.

She looked at me straight in the eyes, her cold, drunk face clicking with mine. My head shook vigorously back and forth, begging her to somehow keep my secret. She sounded like a gargled zombie, but soon, the name would come out clear and everyone would know.

For a quick moment she looked confused, like she had completely forgotten the whole fake ID thing. She snapped her head away, licking her lips, then stared right back at me, still dancing around and clapping along to the crowd. Finnick came and stood by my side, his mouth dropped in horror and shock.

As Katniss's mouth opened again, she locked eyes with Finnick and I knew this time she would completely give us away. To distract her, I rolled another bottle of champagne her way, which I probably shouldn't have, but it worked and Finnick and I pushed deeper into the crowd so she couldn't see us.

Marvel's house was bigger than it was given credit for. Aside from the huge center space where the drunk party goers were, rooms lined the hallways in the back and there was a huge kitchen in the back of the house.