AN: So it's been a while I posted anything on here! This was a spontaneous one-shot I wrote and put on Tumblr, but then I decided to continue it. If it seems a bit disjointed, I apologise - I'm not good at planning stories, and I find they tend to have a mind of their own anyway. I should stop rambling now. I hope you enjoy!

Johanna had a bit of a crush on a certain Katniss Everdeen, but there was no way she was ever admitting that. Not to herself, and certainly not to anyone else. She had her image to maintain. Nobody would take her as seriously if they found out she had this significant chink in her armour. That was how she saw it, really. Having never grown fond of the concept of romance, to her, love was simply weakness. Dependence of any sort was weakness. Johanna Mason stood alone on her own two feet and that was exactly how she liked it.

However, this girl in the year below her was making her doubt her philosophies. She had no idea why she felt compelled to do a double-take every time they passed each other in a corridor. For someone who liked being unquestionably in control of herself and her life, this was out of Johanna's comfort zone, and it annoyed her. It annoyed her to the extent that she began to blame Katniss for her confusions, for her previously nonexistent internal debates.

That was why she had just shoved the girl when she'd been walking past in the corridor. "Watch where you're going, brainless," she snapped, though she was fully aware that the collision had been entirely due to her.

To Johanna's distaste, Katniss had the nerve to meet her gaze, indignant. "You should try listening to your own advice," she replied hotly as she readjusted her braid.

Johanna quirked an eyebrow, as if to double-check that Katniss didn't regret saying that. "I could make your life hell if I wanted to," she said, but still the younger girl seemed unfazed.

"Look, I'm not trying to get on your nerves, I was just pointing out that, actually, you walked into me."

"Do I look like I care?" It was too late once she realised that had been a stupid thing to say.

Now it was Katniss raising an eyebrow. "Well," she said, as Johanna stood there fuming, "I have to say that you do."

Johanna could feel herself getting tenser and knew this was likely only going to go downhill. "Just watch yourself," she snarled quietly. "I'm not someone you want to get on the wrong side of, trust me." Then, trying to maintain some sense of superiority, she strode past Katniss without another word and with her chin raised.

But as soon as she rounded the corner, she couldn't stop herself from peeking back into the corridor and watching Katniss as she walked away with those curiously light steps of hers. Every one of her movements seemed calculated and it stood out to Johanna, who was generally more fond of spontaneity. There was something so graceful about Katniss…

She clenched her jaw when she realised she was slipping back to the wrong side of the love-hate spectrum. She didn't like Katniss, she told herself. Katniss was no different to any other annoying person in the year below, and she should be treated as such. If only Johanna could listen to her own advice.

She didn't know whether she was seeing Katniss more frequently around school, or whether she'd just become more acute at noticing her from a distance, at picking out her face in a bustling crowd. Whatever it was, she wasn't happy. It was hard to set about avoiding someone when you had no idea what classes they took, or how their timetable was arranged. Sometimes it felt like Katniss was purposefully trying to get in her way just to spite her. Johanna knew it was highly unlikely - the younger girl had probably already forgotten all about their conversation - but ever since, she'd felt a need to beat this girl. To prove herself to be better. To show her dominance. It was why she couldn't stand the slightest possibility that Katniss might be toying with her.

She hated what this whole affair was doing to her. Almost constantly, Johanna would be stressing over Katniss for one reason or another. She'd never been like this before. A part of her was almost scared. How long could she take it before she snapped?

Once, Johanna caught sight of Katniss on the school's running track, doing laps whilst everyone else was going home. She watched her from afar, waiting for her to stop and catch her breath, but she never did. She just kept going, and Johanna couldn't deny her admiration. She started wondering who would win a 100m sprint, her or Katniss. Perhaps this was her chance to best her.

Unable to resist the opportunity, she strolled onto the track and chucked her bag to the side. The noise of it hitting the netted fencing got Katniss' attention. She stopped running and stood there, hands on her hips, and questioned, "What have I done to offend you this time?"

"Your running technique, for a start," replied Johanna and she casually began to stretch.

"You run?" Katniss asked.

"I do. And better than you, brainless."

Katniss laughed a little. "Are you always so competitive?"

"Nothing wrong with having confidence in your abilities," Johanna stated evenly.

"Right," said Katniss, sounding doubtful. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're here to challenge me to something. Probably a race."

Johanna wasn't sure she liked the fact she'd just been read so easily, but she hid any sign of discomfort. "Well, now you've inspired me to," she said, loosening her shoulders. "First to the opposite fence?"

Katniss rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly as well. "All right, Mason, you're on."

"How do you know my -?" Johanna began to ask, but Katniss had already taken off. Johanna cursed to herself before sprinting to catch up. She considered herself quite athletic, but clearly Katniss was in good shape too. Part of her wanted to call for a proper start but the majority of her didn't want to give Katniss the satisfaction. Instead, she focused on propelling herself forwards, and breathing in time with her movements. Soon enough she had drawn level with Katniss. She hoped the younger girl would already be worn down from her laps, and she pushed herself a little harder, a hundred percent determined to win.

But as she accelerated, Katniss somehow kept keeping up with her pace. Johanna found herself unable to go any faster. Her leg muscles were burning so much she had to slow down a little. Katniss overtook her in the last few metres, and slammed the fencing with her hand to signal her victory.

"Headstart," Johanna gasped accusingly as she regained her breath.

"Excuse," Katniss retorted in the same tone of voice.

"Legitimate," Johanna continued, before realising how immature this conversation was.

"For all your confidence," said Katniss, leaning against the fence and breathing heavily, "I have to wonder - what actually are you good at?"

Johanna glared. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Everdeen."

"So you do know my name," Katniss mused. "Any reason for that?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Johanna responded with a shrug.

"Come on," Katniss said, "Everyone knows who you are - Johanna Mason, the self-assured badass of the school who hates everyone and everything for no clear reason."

"You're hardly a ray of sunshine yourself," Johanna pointed out.

"You barely know me," Katniss said back. "But I suppose that's true."

Johanna smirked. "People suck, so why bother playing nice?"

Katniss hummed quietly in agreement. Then she tilted her head to the side a little. "You clearly think very highly of yourself, though."

"And I have perfect reason to," replied Johanna.

"All right, then," Katniss said, getting up from leaning on the fence, "Prove it. Prove to me you're any better than I am."

Johanna eyed Katniss cautiously as she wondered how to respond to that. She wanted to wipe that confidently amused smirk off the girl's face, but then she decided that, actually, she would do exactly that.

She threw her body against Katniss', pinning her against the fence, and crashing their lips together.

She could tell from the way Katniss tensed up that she had never seen this coming, and that gave Johanna a much needed sense of satisfaction. Neither, however, was the younger girl making any attempt to push her away. That was good - it meant Johanna didn't have to waste her hands on pinning Katniss' arms down, and could instead grab her waist and pull herself closer.

Finally, Johanna Mason was back on top, and it had never felt better.

When she finally stepped back, Katniss was looking noticeably less sure of herself then she had been before.

"I -"

"Don't even bother trying to tell me you didn't enjoy that," Johanna interrupted.

Katniss blinked, her cheeks reddening. "No, I - I was going to say that I stand corrected."

"Oh really?" Johanna asked with a lopsided smirk, revelling in the fact she now had the upper hand.

"Well," Katniss murmured, "I suppose you could… give me a bit more experience to judge from."

Johanna didn't need to be asked twice.