Never Yours (Peeta Mellark X Reader)

Chapter 10--Broken Promise, Broken Friendship

Guide:

(F/Flower): Favourite Flower

(F/Fruit): Favourite Fruit

"I love you, Katniss Everdeen."

Those five words suddenly made you feel light-headed and dizzy as you sat still in your seat, shocked at Peeta's public love confession for someone who was not you. A flash of memories immediately occupied your vision--your very first day of school at 5 years of age when Peeta first approached you, wanting to be your friend; the first time you and Peeta held hands out of comfort; the first time you visited the bakery with him; every single hangout with him until the day before this year's reaping; and every single moment after when you felt so close to Peeta it hurt you to think of leaving him. Immediately, as soon as they flashed through your mind in full colour, they faded away to a greyscale. You knew he made that promise that evening before training, that he would never hurt you.

And what did he do? He hurt you. He deliberately broke his promise without even knowing it. Clenching your fists, you stared up at yourself on the TV screen and willed yourself not to cry. You knew you couldn't. Then you recalled Haymitch's lesson from yesterday and recalled how he wanted to show your vulnerability to the Capitol--was this what he meant? If so, then that is a very cruel way to do it.

You weren't ready to give into that yet. Not while the cameras are still rolling and displaying your reaction live, across the country.

"Katniss Everdeen..." Caesar let the name roll around in his mind. "You don't mean the sister of the female tribute originally reaped to represent your district?"

Peeta nodded. "The very same. I knew it from the moment I saw her for the first time outside my bakery one day that I had to help her, and that I would do anything to save her from misery."

Leave it to Haymitch to prove that you weren't anywhere near being a true fighter! How could Peeta just do this to you right now? How could he just reject all those years of friendship just to loudly profess all over Panem that he didn't love you, the best friend that everyone saw you two as?

"You know, Peeta, only one would ever come out of the Games," Caesar finally said. "And I'm only hoping that you'd get enough support to pull through."

Peeta nodded again with a sad smile. "I hope so to. Thank you, Caesar."

The buzzer sounded for the final time, and as Peeta turned to head back to his seat beside you, you deliberately bowed your head and closed your eyes, not willing to acknowledge him anymore. Any hope of you two ever being together has finally been dashed, crumbled, faded into nothing. All you felt within you now as the anthem of Panem played for the final time, rising with the other tributes in a standing position, was an empty void.

How dare they.

The moment the anthem was over, you followed all the rest of the tributes off of the stage, and immediately took off your heels and dashed away, running past the rest of the tributes and your escort and mentor and stylist team until you reached the elevators, the first one there as it took you up to the penthouse floor. A second later after you left the elevators, Peeta and the rest of the team appeared. By the looks of their faces, they must have been worried out of their minds. But before anyone could say anything, you grabbed Peeta's shoulders and pinned him to the back of the wall.

"HOW--COULD--YOU?!" you screamed. "So that was your plan for separating us in interview training, right? Just to prove me a weakling? Maybe you already have by professing your love to another girl! And to think that I, as your best friend, could be your best bet of getting you out of there alive!"