Chapter Text
"What happened to all your books?" Mum demanded when she saw my water damaged books spread across the kitchen table.
"I fell into the pool." I lied.
"You fell into the pool?" She shook her head in disappointment. "God, Katniss, you're so irresponsible."
She picked up a textbook and flipped it open.
"They're all entirely ruined." She said. "We'll have to replace the lot."
"I know, Mum." I said. "I'm sorry."
"Don't think you're getting out of it that easily." She yelled. "I'll pay for them now, but you're going to get a job to pay me back. Maybe that'll teach you some responsibility."
She stormed out of the room. A moment later we hear her office door slam closed.
"Why'd you do it?" Prim asked.
"Do what?"
"Take the blame. You could've told her the truth."
"Because if she found out I was pushed she'd storm down to the school and demand something be done about it."
"Wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"No." I said. "It'd make the way they treat me so much worse."
Prom nodded but didn't look convinced. Thankfully, she didn't say anything else on the matter.
Later that night, when I went to close my blinds before bed, I noticed something odd on Peeta's window. His blinds were closed but taped to the glass was a piece of paper. The words on the paper, printed in a neat, practical handwriting, were only visible because of the light coming from my room.
'I'm sorry about this afternoon.'
Yeah, right. And pigs can fly.