Chapter 22
-Cassidy-
I close the locker lid. I don't need any books with me home today. I'll be home from school tomorrow and tomorrow is Friday and I don't go to school Saturdays and Sundays, so that's good, I won't miss that much.
I start walking in the corridor from my locker to get out of school. They told me to hurry home when school ended today.
When I walk they come. Oh no. Not today.
"Hey Cassidy! Are you going home to mute dumb daddy now?" Roger asks mockingly.
I'm not turning around.
"I can't see why you have to know", I sputter to him while I continue to walk forward.
"The chick is in a bad mood today, Roger!" Chris shouts mockingly, but I'm always in a bad mood around them.
Chick?! What the hell?
I ignore them and walk through the entrance door, and end up on the schoolyard.
"Cassidy! Stop!" Kimmie shouts.
Yeah right! You would like that huh?! I think sarcastically.
They reach me. Bibi takes a hold of my arm and forces me to stop.
"What the hell do you want?" I ask angrily and turn around.
Roger, Chris, Kimmie, Bibi and Melina arestanding there with mocking expressions.
"Daddy's little girl has a bad temper", Melina teases cruel.
I hate them! I hate them! I hate them!
"Leave me alone", I sputter at them.
"Is mute daddy's girl sad now? Daddy doesn't talk to little girl, hmm?!" Kimmie says with a pretend baby voice.
I hate them.
They just love mocking me because of my dad. They know that he can't talk, but they don't know why, so they should just shut the hell up!
I don't show them that they actually hurt me with what they say about my dad. I love him so much and I don't care if he can talk or not. Words or no words, he's my dad.
And just because he can't talk, doesn't mean that others can mock him, especially not when they don't know the reason why he can't talk!
I keep the tears inside with difficulty and keep the hard expression on my face, to not reveal myself to them.
"Daddy is just too stupid to be able to talk", Roger says winning.
I look at him. Oh how I want to give him a hefty slap here and now, no matter if the others fights back.
I even raise my hand before I hear a hard voice behind me.
"WHAT did you say?"
I turn around and see Finn Odair stand there. He's really angry. He hates it when someone mocks my dad because he can't talk.
He talkes one step forward and end up right next to me.
"I didn't quite hear you", he says, but it's clearly visible that he did.
Roger suddenly looks a bit scared.
"Uh ... I, I uh..."
"Finn Odair!" Chris breathe out.
Finn is one of the most popular and hot guys in school, in addition, he's eighteen years old and a last year student. I'm almost the only girl who doesn't faint and make a fool of myself when he walks by.
"In person", Finn says chilly.
The makeup dolls Kimmie, Bibi and Melina begins to fix their hair and blink fast with their eyes.
Hah! They look so stupid when they do that.
"Don't talk crap about thinks you don't know, especially about my uncle, or I will in person make sure that you'll regret it deeply", Finn threatnes. "Got it?"
Roger and Chris nods so fast and hard that they look like foolish puppets. The girls doesn't seem to have heard what he said. They just stand there and stare at him, I can swear I see Melina start to drool.
"Good", Finn says and he takes a hold of my arm and pulls me away.
Why does he keep doing that, like I can't walk by myself?!
I pull my arm away from Finns grip.
"Thank you so much, now everyone will think that I can't defend myself", I hiss at him as we begin to walk towards Victor's Village.
I know I should be grateful, but Finn is still chilly to me at home, he doesn't call me mean stuff anymore, he mostly ignores me, and now he's defending me? What's that about?
"Sorry", he says and doesn't sound as chilly to me as he use to.
I frown.
"Because you defended me or how you behave towards me when we're not at school?" I ask angrily.
"Both, I guess", he says.
I raise my eyebrows. What now? He hasn't apologized to me in ... What is it now...? FIVE years, since I was eight, and now he decides to do so? What?!
"Why haven't you said that before?" I ask coldly.
"I don't know, I guess I didn't want to sell my pride", he says, laughing a bit. "I guess it's time for me to swallow my pride now".
"Yeah I think so too", I snap at him.
"Cassidy I'm so, so sorry", he says, sounding almost begging.
What's with him today? Oh well, I guess I can forgive him. I've actually been waiting for him to apologize.
"Okay sure", I say, smiling. "But only if you stop being such an idiot!"
"I really do promise", he says, smiling big.
The next thing he does surprises me most of all. He pulls me towards him for a hug.
I hear someone shout behind us.
"You guys hurry up! The train leaves in half an hour and I think you might want to get dressed before we leave".
I pull myself away from Finn. It's Uncle Haymitch. And I also notice that we've actually reached the village already.
I laugh and hurry home.
***
It gets pretty boring on the train.
We're heading to the Capitol. Aunt Katniss and Uncle Peeta are going to be interviewed by Caesar Flickerman, for the first time in five years, and they also decided to introduce, the now four year old Willow for the entire Panem and also that Aunt Katniss is pregnant again in the fifth month. I for one doesn't really understand how they've managed to keep Willow a secret for this long.
And maybe it's stupid for mine and Finn's families to join them just for them to be interviewed, but Caesar is in fact interviewing me and Finn as well. Don't ask me why, because I have no idea, but I guess we'll know tomorrow when the interview takes place.
Uncle Gale and Aunt Julie decided to come with us because everyone else are going, but they're really happy that they don't have to be interviewed.
"Oh I don't want to run after her again", Aunt Katniss sighs when Willow runs away from us in the train again.
Uncle Peeta laughs and gets up but Finn stops him.
"No I can do it", he says, laughing. "I like it".
He runs after Willow.
Yeah he really does like it, because he still loves her so much. I do too, she's so cute.
"Will ran away again", Hunter laughs happily.
He's six now but he still uses the nickname he gave her the very first day she was born. But he's the only one who calls her Will.
Finn comes back with a laughing Willow sitting on his shoulders. She has a tight grip on his hair.
"Hahahaha Finn is strooooong", she laughs.
Everyone starts laughing, it's really hard not to, Willow is just too charming.
"Yes he is", Aunt Julie laughs.
She's also pregnant and is going to give birth only about a month apart from Aunt Katniss the doctors said.
"There won't be any cameras when we arrive", Uncle Peeta tells Uncle Gale, who must have asked. "Plutarch said that he would keep them away, so that's nice".
It really is. I won't ever forget my first meeting with the cameras. Ugh. But I have to get used to it, especially now when I see that we have arrived to the Capitol.
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So this was the end of another chapter that I hope you enjoyed to read.
But what exactly did you think? Good or bad?
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-Josephine 💋