Katniss opens the door to the diner, glad to be in from the cold.

She hates being the last one to arrive, standing like a fool in the foyer, scanning tables for her group of friends. She can feel a sea of eyes looking at her with pity, as though she's been abandoned by everyone who knew her.

"Katniss! Over here!"

Finally she spots Annie, leaning out from a booth in the corner. She's grateful her friend is watching for her, because she never would have found them in that location.

With a sigh of relief she makes her way over to the table. She removes her winter jacket and hangs it on the hook beside the table before sliding in next to Annie.

She looks across the table at the rest of their party. Finnick is sitting in the corner, directly across from Annie, arms up on the back of the booth and a foot up on the seat with his knee flexed. Next to him, clinging to the edge of the seat, primed for a quick getaway, is a boy she's never seen before. He's wearing a leather jacket in an amber hue, a style more suited to a character in a 1970s TV show than a modern 19 year old boy. A deep orange baseball cap sits on his head, the brim pulled low, preventing her from seeing his eyes as he looks down at the table. It also hides his hair, which must be cropped pretty short to be completely covered.

"You must be –"

"Peeta." He looks up finally and meets her eyes. His are shaded a bit by the brim, but she can see they are a deep blue framed by long, golden lashes. "Hi," he says with a small voice, before looking back to the table where his finger is tracing patterns in the condensation on his glass.

Finnick puts his leg down properly and throws an arm around Peeta's shoulders, pulling the boy closer and foiling any escape attempt. "This is Peeta," he repeats, moving his arm around his neck and choking him slightly in the crook of his elbow. "One of my best friends! Well…" Peeta shoves him in the chest, and the two boys straighten up and lean their elbows back on the table. "At this point he's vying for the title of my only best friend; Darius is dangerously close to getting bumped from his post after ditching us tonight."

Katniss has known Darius, Finnick's other best friend, for longer than she's known Finnick. He's a security guard at the hospital where she works most weeknights. There's only one coffee kiosk open at night, and it's located across from the main security desk where Darius is stationed. The friendly redhead would chat with her when she stopped by for a tea, and would offer to walk her to her car when she worked late.

But this is the first time she's met Peeta, even if she has heard a lot about him from Annie and Finnick.

"It's nice to finally meet you," she offers, giving him a small smile.

He looks up for just a moment, holding her eyes in his gaze, but doesn't smile back. He simply says, "Yeah," then goes back to tracing shapes on the table.

Annie does her best to break the tension. "Well, Johanna's on my shit list, too." Johanna was Katniss and Annie's other best friend. For weeks now, Annie and Finnick had been trying to get the three girls and three guys to get together. "She couldn't make it either, so I guess it's just going to be the four of us tonight."

After ordering drinks and a couple of orders of fries for the table, the group starts up a lively conversation about the party Finnick is going to be hosting for New Year's Eve. Peeta stays noticeably silent through the discussion, replying to any questions with a one word answer, and only smiling slightly when Finnick pulls him in for a noogie.

Katniss finds it odd that Peeta's not saying much, especially after Annie had talked him up as a sweet, friendly guy with a gift for small talk. Katniss isn't much good at it herself, so she finds it hard to chat up the relative stranger in front of her.

The topics change again to music and sports, and Katniss and Finnick start on their typical banter. The two have developed a playful competitive streak that comes out whenever they hang out.

"Oh, come on, Kitty Kat. Everyone knows the birthplace of baseball is Cooperstown."

"Wrong!" Katniss raises her eyebrows in triumph. "The first baseball game was actually played in Hoboken, New Jersey."

Finnick rolls his eyes. "Technicality. Fine – what's the birthplace of basketball, smarty pants?"

"Springfield, Massachusetts," she sing-songs. "Hockey?"

Finnick smirks. "Canada. How about football?"

"Well, that depends," Katniss replies. "Do you mean American football? Or international football?"

"Well, that depends," Finnick mimics in a high pitched voice. "Which country are we in again? Because I believe when I played in high school, winning States three years running AND gaining the MVP award, we called it soccer."

Peeta chuckles while Annie rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's bragging. Finnick blows her a kiss.

"Did the 'V' in 'MVP' stand for 'Vain'?" Katniss teases.

"Oooh. Touché." Finnick cocks his head admirably. "Alright, that's it, Everdeen," he declares, leaning in close. "You and me. The ultimate battle: staring contest. First one to blink has to bow down to the true victor."

"Oh, you're on, Odair. Someone has to knock you off that pedestal you've climbed onto." They shake hands while Peeta eyes the two of them curiously, giving Katniss a frown before sighing and looking away.

"Now try not to fall in love with me, Katniss. I've been told my eyes are just magical."

"I'm right here!" Annie calls out with a laugh.

He blows Annie another kiss before getting in position. "On the count of three. One… two…"

Katniss leans in and braces herself on the table. "Three."

The two stare at each other – Katniss stoically still as a statue, Finnick doing his best to smolder her without blinking. This goes on for a minute until the waitress returns with their fries, setting them on the table in between them. Finnick turns away for just a second at the interruption to give the waitress a wink. "Thank you, darlin'."

"Ha!" Katniss shouts happily.

Finnick groans and puts his head in his hands. "It's not fair! I've got to keep my public happy!"

"Just face it, Odair. I bested you."

"Fine." He looks up and gives her his most charming smile, dimples showing in his cheeks in spots she's never noticed. "You, my dear, are the ultimate victor."

"Thank you-" she starts before Finnick cuts in again.

"But, sweetheart," he purrs with an exaggerated wink. "We all know it's just because you couldn't look away from my beautiful face." He bats his eyelashes at her dramatically, and the two of them share a laugh.

"Ugh." Peeta lets out a disgusted grunt from beside Finnick. "On that note, I think I better find a restroom before I throw up."

Katniss watches as Peeta retreats from the booth. He steadies himself for just a moment, then walks away with a slight limp.

"Well?" Annie's voice pulls her from where she's staring at his retreating figure.

"Well what?"

Annie leans in closer. "What do you think of Peeta?"

Katniss looks between Annie and Finnick, their expressions eager. "He seems… nice enough."

Annie nods, waiting. "And?"

Katniss groans. "I don't know, Annie, okay. He hasn't said two words to me the whole time I've been here! "

"He's shy," Annie explains, looking toward Finnick, who nods. "He's got some self-esteem issues, but when you get to know him, he's just the sweetest guy ever."

"He's the best friend a guy could have," Finnick affirms, "but he just doesn't believe it sometimes. Between his leg and all the crap with his parents…" He doesn't explain further, but Katniss glances at Annie and nods in understanding.

"So... Finnick's got this best friend, Peeta..."

Annie looked through a rack of scarves, while Katniss followed behind, carrying the bags with a bored expression. She had agreed to suffer through a shopping trip in exchange for some rare one-on-one time with her friend.

"He's just the sweetest, funniest guy you'd ever meet. I think the two of you would be perfect for each other!"

Katniss rolled her eyes. Annie had been dating Finnick for a few months now. Was it some kind of law that friends in new relationships always felt obligated to fix you up immediately? Like they felt guilty for being so happy?

"There's just this one thing you'd need to know first…" Annie said with some hesitation.

"What?" Katniss asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Well… he's only got… one… leg." Annie looked sheepish.

Katniss squinted her eyes. She envisioned a boy hobbling around on one foot with a crutch like Tiny Tim, then mentally berated herself for the stereotype. "O…kay."

Annie continued on. "It was a long time ago; he was in an accident when he was really small. He's got a prosthetic but it's just like his real leg. When he wears pants, you can't even tell, and he's only got a hint of a limp most days."

Katniss shrugged, the shock of the information already passed. "Okay, Annie, I get it. That certainly wouldn't stop me from dating anybody. Sheesh, do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"No! Of course not." Annie shook her head. "I just thought you should know. It makes him kind of shy around new people. He's very self-conscious about it."

Katniss could imagine it must be hard to be different. "I understand."

"No, the whole thing kind of messed him up, physically and emotionally." Annie explained. "His parents didn't want to accept the diagnosis, and they kept bringing in different healers and priests, trying to save his leg. Finnick said his mom stormed out when the doctors finally insisted they had to amputate. She said Peeta didn't pray hard enough."

"What?" Katniss and her own mother had their issues, but she couldn't imagine a parent treating a child like that. Especially when they were going through something so traumatic. "That's awful!"

"I guess his dad made her apologize, but the damage was done. Ever since, Peeta's the kind of guy who never really believes he's good enough, you know?"

Katniss mumbled in agreement as Annie led her off to look at a bin full of colorful socks. She was even less focused on the shopping trip now, thinking instead of a little boy in a hospital bed, trying to save his own leg through sheer will power.

"Annie filled you in." Finnick isn't accusing so much as feeling her out. She can tell he is just trying to protect his best friend.

"Yeah," Katniss admits. "And I don't really care about the leg or any of that. I just can't decide if I like someone based on a few nods and one word answers."

"I'll allow that," Finnick says. "But you wouldn't rule it out?"

Katniss raises her eyebrows. "Finnick, I'm a 19-year-old girl who's never had a boyfriend. I wouldn't rule anything out at this point," she deadpans.

He laughs and reclines into the corner of the booth again, his arm up on the back of the seat. "Fair enough, Everdeen. Fair enough."

A few minutes later, Peeta slides back into his side of the booth. Katniss notices he finally removed the baseball cap, revealing short ashy blond hair cropped close to his head. His eyes flit up to meet hers and in the light she can see they aren't just blue, but flecked with bits of gray and gold. They study each other for just a moment before looking away to focus on the french fries.

After the food has been devoured, Katniss is feeling the effects of her second iced tea, and excuses herself to the bathroom. She studies herself in the mirror while washing her hands. Her outfit is typical for her; a loose flannel shirt over a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and her long dark hair in a braid. She never really wears much makeup, but she went through the effort of throwing a little mascara on tonight; Annie claims it makes her slate eyes stand out.

As she approaches the booth, she hears her name. Hanging back, she waits to see what they're talking about. She can hear Peeta's voice in earnest; it's the most she's heard from him all night.

"I don't know... For someone so small, she's awfully full of herself. I mean what was all that sports trivia crap? She's kind of a know-it-all."

"Aw man, you know how I like to egg people on. She's just better at dishing it back out than most." She's hurt, but slightly relieved to hear Finnick defending her.

"And she's not all that pretty. She's kind of … plain."

Annie speaks up for her next. "I told you before, Katniss isn't into makeup and clothes and all of that. She's just a real person. What you see is what you get."

"And come on, Peet. 'Not pretty'? Even you can't deny that she's a beautiful girl."

Peeta sighs, but doesn't deny Finnick's comments. "So what if she is? We'd never work, Finn. I don't know why you're pushing it."

"We're not pushing anything, Peeta," Annie insists. "We just thought-"

"Listen, I appreciate it, Annie, but I don't need a pity date from her or anyone else." Peeta's voice softens. "I'm happy for you guys. Really, I am. But I'm not ready for a relationship right now."

"Got it! No relationship. And no pressure," Finnick replies. "We just want our friends to be friends, too. All of us. You, Katniss, Darius, Johanna. There's no reason we can't all hang out sometimes."

Katniss decides she's been lingering long enough and moves into sight of the booth. She slides in next to Annie, refusing to look up at Peeta. His cruel words keep echoing in her head, and she can't seem to keep the scowl off her face as she thinks about it.

The group settles the check and heads out to the parking lot.

"So, anyone up for a game of bowling?" Finnick asks.

Peeta groans. "You know I hate bowling, Finn."

Katniss doesn't even want to entertain the thought of spending more time with Peeta tonight. She pulls her keys from her purse and gives Annie a hug. "Sorry to cut the night short, but I've got to get home. Gotta work in the morning, and I'm kind of beat."

"Are you sure?" Annie whines.

"Yeah." Katniss turns to Peeta, who has been watching her from his spot beside Finnick. "It was nice meeting you."

Peeta closes the distance between them and holds out his hand. After a moment's hesitation, she puts her smaller hand in his. She's relieved when he grips it firmly; she hates a limp handshake. His hand is warm and strong, and squeezes hers slightly.

"It was nice meeting you, too, Katniss."

As their hands separate, his fingers graze hers lightly. They're calloused, but there's a softness to his touch.

Katniss laughs Finnick off when he tries to hug her and tells Annie she'll call her later. She climbs into her car and adjusts the mirrors, catching sight of Peeta gazing in her direction as Finnick talks animatedly.

As she drives away, she thinks about the handshake and how oddly intimate it had felt. But she also can't help but replay Peeta's long silences, clipped replies, and cruel comments.

No matter what Annie and Finnick think, Katniss knows they are wrong: she and Peeta Mellark are anything but perfect for each other.