I don't own the Hunger Games or anything affiliated with it, all rights go to Suzanne Collins.

Luck: Chapter 2

I wake up next to Prim feeling happy. The only gifts I've ever gotten from anyone outside my family have been from Gale, and those have only been practical foods like loaves of bread. Though I am grateful for them, I've never gotten anything like what Peeta gave me before.

I quickly slip out of bed to visit Gale before its time for school. He greets me warmly and invites me inside. I sit down on the small sofa with him and we begin talking about the people who were named at the reaping yesterday. Gale gets angry quick at the subject so I quickly change it.

"I brought something for you." I said quietly, pulling out the small package of chocolate from my jacket pocket and handing it to him. "There is five pieces" I smiled as Vick walks out of the bedroom, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Hey" I said, hugging him lightly and turning back to Gale.

"Catnip" he said. "How did you get this? Did you trade something for it?"

"No" I said, embarrassed, looking away from him. "It was a present."

"From?" he continued questioningly

"Peeta Mallark. But anyways there's one for you, your mom, Vick, Posy and Rory." I said.

Gale was glaring at the chocolate like it was his enemy. "I don't want it. I don't want anything from one of your little admirers." He said rudely.

"One of my admirers?" I said, getting mad.

"He stares at you all the time in school, Katniss. He obviously likes and I don't want his food!" he shouts.

"Gale what's your problem?" Im shocked. Why is he so angry?
"You're my problem." He says and stomps into the small bedroom in the house to mope.

Feeling dejected, I put the chocolate on the counter and leave.

Madge and I sit together at lunch, not talking. She's brought some of the strawberries Gale and I sold her yesterday for lunch and while shes eating them, I think about what I will be forced to watch tonight, and wonder what the tributes will be dressed up in this year.

While im pondering that, I hear someone speaking loudly and my curiosity is piqued. To the right, 2 tables away, a boy my age, merchant class, is saying "Fine if you don't have the guts to talk to her, I will for you."

I turn my head to see whats going on, and see the merchant boy walking to our table.
"Hey im Halon and your Katniss" He smiles extending a hand to me. I don't like him. His smile is cocky and annoying. I look past him to see a very embarrassed Peeta staring at me.

"Tell Peeta I said thank you again for the chocolate" I said simply and turn back to Madge.

Halon returns to his table and whispers something to Peeta, who gets wide eyed and flustered and shouts a loud "WHAT?" across the lunchroom. Halon is laughing very hard and trying but failing to hide it. I know Halon must have said I said something else as a joke. Not caring, I stop staring and see Madge is watching the whole thing with wide eyes.

"Hes coming over her" She says in an urgent whisper. Seconds later, Peeta stands next to me, a couple feet away.

"Im soo sorry, he shouldn't have asked you anything like that!" he says quickly.
"What are you talking about?" I say feeling bad for him because he seems really flustered and sad. "He didn't ask me anything, I told him to thank you again for the chocolate."

"Oh" Peeta states simply, blushing now.

"What did you think he asked me?" I inquire.

"Nothing" he says, getting more embarrassed.

"Oh." I say back, dropping the subject.

"You can sit down, if you want?" I offer.

As he pulls up the chair and sits down next to me, I remember all of the things hes done for me, all the times i've caught him staring at me, what Gale was saying this morning and what Halon had just said. I understand now that Peeta has feelings for me and that maybe I could return them too. Gale would be mad but that's only because hes looking out for me like a brother would.

I look over at Peeta, as he engaged conversation with Madge now, and I stare at him. His soft blond hair seems to be growing out, its about halfway down his ears now and I know he will get it trimmed soon like he always does when it reaches that length. I don't know how I know this but maybe, over the years, ive been keeping better track of him than I thought. I look into those eyes, a deep blue ring encircling a lighter blue iris.

As I stare, I realize hes staring right back. I break

the gaze by coughing lightly and looking to the right, staring at the ground and trying to understand the strange, foreign, fluttery feeling I just got in my stomach.

The rest of the day went by in a blur of lectures about the dark days in history and coal mining techniques in another class. As Prim and I get back to our house I realize, with a sinking feeling in my gut, that Peeta and I could never be together. That I must be mistaken somehow because even if Peeta was stupid enough to develop feelings for a girl from the seam, his mother would never allow it. Merchant people stick with eachother and the seam kids do the same. My mom falling for my father and marrying him was a very rare incident. Peeta must just be using me to get to Madge, the mayors daughter. With that revelation, I make my way to the bedroom and lay down in bed even though its only four in the afternoon.

My mother and Prim check on me, making sure im alright and I have to tell them im fine because you can't use the "I think im sick" excuse when your moms a healer. I skip dinner that night and silently hold in tears until the sun sets and I finally fall asleep.