Disclaimer: I don't own the hunger games…although I wish I did.

"Kndblkbi?" I was standing in the middle of the forest the sun shone down warming my face and all of a sudden everything went silent and the voice came from behind me.

"Katninib?" the voice said again. I started to run towards the voice and came face to face with a giant pink monkey.

"Miss Everdeen!" the monkey boomed jolting me awake.

"Yes prim what?" I looked around the room and realize that I wasn't in bed; I was in the middle of English class with everyone's eyes fixed on me.

"Are we keeping you awake Katniss?" the teacher glared at her from in front of the classroom as people started laughing and whispering to each other.

"No sorry," I instantly picked up my pen and started writing in my notebook avoiding the giant wet patch where I had obviously started to drool.

"Okay okay back to the book," the teacher instructed as she started droning on about the sub text of the book and the inner working of the characters I felt my eyes getting heavier and heavier but then something hit the side of my face and fell onto the desk in front of me.

WAKE UP CATNIP was scribbled across the paper in the bad handwriting that could only belong to one person.

I don't even remember meeting Gale Hawthorne he has always just been there. I guess we met because our fathers worked together in the factory on the outskirts of the district. Five years ago there was an accident with the machinery that our fathers were working with causing it to explode killing them instantly.

Looking across the classroom to where my best friend sat I saw him smiling at me shaking his head.

What I mouthed. His smile widened and he pointed at the piece of paper that was in my hand. I poked my tongue out and went back to pretending to listen to the teacher.

This time it was the bell that woke me up.

"You need more sleep Catnip," Gale said as we exited the classroom together.

"I don't get it you work the same shifts as me, have the same classes why aren't you as tired as me?" I questioned Gale as we made our way to our next class.

"I am just superior," he said laughing. I loved his laugh it was deep and infectious if Gale laughed then it was hard not to laugh as well.

"Its because I do all the work," Gale and I work at a supermarket we stock shelves, work the check outs and pocket as much out of date food as we can get. Our families needed all the help they could get Gales mother worked cleaning other peoples houses and made some money but it was not enough to support Gale and his siblings. My mother broke after my father died she hardly leaves the house my paycheck is the thing that keeps us alive.

"Yeah but see I am that good at my job it only looks like I am doing nothing," he says laughing again.

"Sure it does," I joke.

"Working tonight?" he questioned.

"Nope gonna see if Miss Grosman wants me to do anything for her," the old lady across the street always has little job that needs doing around the house.

"Gotta love old lady money," he flashes a giant smile which I think was more for the benefit of the group of girls entering the classroom than me.

"Yeah she is getting on every time I do something for her she gives me more money got $50 for changing a light globe the other day," I felt kind of bad taking the her money but she insisted.

"I need myself an old lady, wanna share!" he said looking hurt.

"Back off she is mine!" I poke his chest.

"Okay okay," he laughed, "Working the weekend?"

"Both days open till close," I smile next weeks pay is going to be good.

"Me too," he says putting his hand out for a high five "Might be able to afford meat this week."

"hmmmm," I turn and walk into the class "You coming?" I say when I realize that Gale isn't following me.

"I'm not in this class," he laughs "I got shop."

"Oh why did you walk all this way then," the shop class was right next to the English classroom.

"Just wanted to talk to my favorite person," he flashed a smile and ran off down the corridor.

"No running Mr. Hawthorne," Mr. Cinna yelled after Gale.

"Sorry sir," Gale yelled but didn't slow his pace.

"After you Katniss," he said smiling at me.

"Thanks sir, " I said darting into the classroom and finding my seat.

Social studies is my favorite subject, not for what was being taught but for who was teaching it. Mr. Cinna was my favorite teacher, he knows how to really connect with everyone and he isn't one of those boring teachers that recite passages from texts of makes you answer a million questions looks at the world differently and that is the way he teaches.

"Hiya class," he puts a massive box on the floor next to his desk the climbs onto this desk and crosses his legs.

"So how is everyone?" he says smiling causing the class to erupt into a chorus of chattering students answering his question.

"Good good," he says after a few minutes causing the class to quieting down.

"Today we are going to be starting our projects now in previous years the project in this class has been to research a part of the community and report back to the rest of the class what it is they do and how they contribute to society," he says causing groans to fill the classroom.

"I know right I mean who wants to hear about Delly's grandmother bowls club or the car club that Daniel belongs to when we don't even properly understand the people in our own classroom. I mean you guys have been in school together for what lets say 5 years maybe more maybe less but if I ask any of you what Katniss favorite color is or what Peeta wants to do when he finishes high school would anyone know?" he paused as people began to talk.

"Anyone?" he questioned but there was no answer. "Katniss what is you favorite colour?"

"Green," I can feel my cheeks turning red and my ear burning as the whole class is looking at me again.

"Nice and Peeta what do you want to do after you graduate from this lovely institution?"

Peeta Mellark had been in my classes at school from the very beginning but we had never been friends we had only ever spoken once. Just after my father had died I was sitting in the yard at school, mum had been getting worse and worse she just laid in bed there was next to no food left in the house and I had been giving what was left to my little sister Prim. I hadn't eaten in days. For one brief moment I allowed my self to feel hungry to realize that my father was truly gone and that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better and I started to cry. My body shook uncontrollable and tears rolled in streams down my face I didn't know what to do. When I felt an arm reach around my shoulder and pull me closer to them.

"Are you okay?" I looked up and through the tears I saw it was Peeta.

"I'm so hungry," I didn't know why but I buried my face in his chest and sobbed.

"Here," he said pushing something into my hand "Have this."

I looked down to find three dinner rolls wrapped nicely in wax paper in my hand and I didn't know what to do; by the time I realized what he had done for me he was gone. It was then I decided that I wasn't going to fade away; I went home that night and forced my mother out of bed to start looking after her family herself for the first time since my father had died.

In a way I owe Peeta my life and deep down I hate that.

"I want to go to business school then open a bakery," Peeta voice broke through my train of though.

"Nice plan now did anyone know that?" Mr. Cinna questioned causing people to shake their heads.

"This is my point," he smiled reaching down to the box on the floor and pulling out a fish bowl with little pieces of paper folded neatly inside. "Inside this little fishy bowl is the names of half the people in this class the other half I have here," he waved a piece of paper.

"Now what is going to happen is," he jumped off the desk gentle placing the fish bowl where he was sitting. "I'm going to call the names of people on my list, they are to some up and choose a name from the fish bowl whoever you pick is going to be your partner, no swapping, no complaining, whoever you pick your stuck with. Through out the rest of this class you are going to work closely with this person we are going to get to know each other, we are going to work through problems together, hopefully we are going to gain a deeper understanding of someone else in the school," he was smiling from ear to ear now.

"Now before we start I'm going to give you your first task that will be done as individuals I want you to write down everything you know about your partner. You may know nothing, which is fine, but next class we are going to get up in front of the class and the partners are going to share what they know about each other. Everyone cool?" he questioned. I was dreading this I prided myself on being disconnected from people at school well everyone except for Gale who was really my only friend.

"Okay Delly your first come up the amazing bowl and pick your partner," he said and I watched her get up from her seat and pick a piece of paper out of the bowl.

"Who's the luck person?" Mr. Cinna asked.

"Leif," Delly's voice shook as she read out the name.

"Nice," Mr. Cinna said scribbling something down on his paper and called the next person. I really didn't care who was partnered with who I was only listening for my name.

"Katniss your next," he said excitedly. I made my way from my seat at the back of the class to the front people seemed to be paying more attention than I was or perhaps they were all hoping that I didn't pull there name out of the bowl.

Taking a deep breath I dropped my hand into the bowl feeling around for a second before closing my hand around a piece of paper.

"Who's it going to be?" Mr. Cinnas asked.

Turning to face the class I bring the paper up so I can see the name written in perfect golden ink.

PEETA MELLARK I read it over and over again hoping that it would change but it never does.

"You going to share?" Mr. Cinna asks.

"P-Peeta" I stutter over his name.

"Peeta," Mr. Cinna points to the blonde haired boy in the second row with his mouth slightly open and a look of shock on his face. "You and Katniss buddy."

I completely avoid even looking at Peeta as I make my way back to my desk and the next person makes their way up to pick out a name.

"Katniss is there something wrong?" I was still staring the little piece of paper.

"I'm fine," I looked up to see Mr. Cinna sitting on the desk in front of me. I don't know what's wrong I was fine this was this was a stupid school project who cares if Peeta saw me cry he probably doesn't even remember.

"Class finished a while ago, you sure your okay you have been sitting there just staring at Peeta's name."

"Oh I didn't realize," I looked around the room and he was right we were the only ones left.

"You can tell me what's wrong you know I won't tell anyone it will just be between us," he looked concerned it wasn't a look that I see often.

" Do you think there is a way that I could have another partner," it was worth a try.

"Is there something wrong with Peeta? Has he done something to you? Hurt you?" he questioned.

"No" I really didn't know anything about him he might be a serial killer.

"Look Katniss I have noticed that apart from Mr. Hawthorne you don't seem have many friends. Now I'm not saying that it is a bad thing but Peeta is a nice kid and this might be good for you. Just give him a chance it will be good you'll learn a lot I am a teaching genius," he said jumping off the desk. "Now get out of my classroom!" He laughed.

Hope you like it please please review and tell me what you think.