Our Love Could Be Lethal

Act II: Crazy Wins

Major TW: Mentions of S*xual Assualt

Chapter song: "Maneater," by Nelly Furtado

Finnick's POV

It takes at least twenty minutes for Johanna to stop laughing at me after Tavia tells me to shut up. After being in the Hunger Games, it's all water under the bridge though, because it's not really a big deal compared to really anything I've experienced in my life. I'm honestly just worried.

"She is so losing it," Johanna chuckles. "Did you know, that the other night when you were out on a date, she tried to get a Sponsor--" she trails off into a bit of laughter and grabs onto me so she doesn't fall over. "She tried to get someone to sponsor a saw so that she could cut the girl from 12 out of the tree!"

That's new information to me. "What?"

"I always knew that she was messed up in the head just like the rest of us, but I think she actually might be crazier than me, and that, my friend, is saying something," Johanna is perhaps a little too entertained by Octavia at the moment.

"Go back to the saw thing..." I tell her.

"Don't worry seaweed brain, she's Octavia. She's going to bounce back and be just fine. This whole Career thing? It's just an act. We both know that. When push comes to shove, she's one of us. Always has been." Johanna must've seen the look of worry on my face because she raises her eyebrows and scoffs. "What? You don't think so?" I don't even get the chance to try and defend myself with an answer, because Johanna jumps right into her next sentence. "You need to give her more credit, Finnick." She lowers her voice and whispers, "We both saw her last night blubbering like a baby because of that Rue girl." Johanna gives me one last hard pat on the back which I know I'm meant to feel the full force of. "Besides, shouldn't you be worrying about yourself?"

I furrow my brows. What on earth is she on about now? "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on Finny, she's not the only one pretending to be a Career this year. I've seen you hanging out with them too, talking like them, using their lingo, doing the weird blood rituals," she teases. I give her a pointed look. I don't like being called Finny and she knows that. It makes me think of my pet fish with one fin that died when I was a boy. "My point is, you're being a hypocrite."

I scoff and look around, not knowing where on earth that all came from. "You told me you hate when she acts all Career-y."

"I do. I hate it, it makes me want to punch her in the face, it makes me want to throw an axe in her face, it makes me want to kick her, in the face," she says, counting each item on her fingers. "But it's just that. An act. And if all she has to do is a couple of songs and dances to save her brother, I'd say it's a pretty good deal."

I don't want to say it out loud for fear of Johanna calling me a hypocrite again, but her words really do make me feel better. I was worried about her the minute they hired her to be a trainer at the academy after she'd vowed to never step foot in that building again because I thought they might...I don't know...suck her back into it. I was always against the idea since I thought it would be bad for her to be back in a place that caused her so much trauma in the first place. Willingly going back there for the sake of her brother is brave. See, that's why I've been worried. I was scared that putting her back into the ideology that broke her in the first place would try and find a way to break her back into place.

But Johanna is right. I need to give her more credit. She's stronger than that. And the words she told me last night, coupled with Johanna's words now, and Plutarch's words a few nights before, really puts me at ease. Last night, if anyone but me had heard what she said, her insinuation that the Games need to be stopped, she would've been strung up for treason. Not something I'd ever want to imagine, but true.