Never Yours (Peeta Mellark X Reader)

Bonus 2: Your Mom's POV

Surprise, surprise! Your mom's going to be involved in this story now! Okay, well, I might as well put a bit of perspective out of the arena. So enjoy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin!"

Crowding around the small television in my house, I sat at the edge of my seat in fear, my hands clenched together. Delly, in the meanwhile, bit her lip, her eyes never leaving the screen. Yes, I invited Delly here to watch this with me. I can't stand seeing my daughter, her friend, at the edge of peril. Of course, I still had to worry about Peeta at the same time--what if they do end up killing each other?

"How could he just do this?!" Delly screamed randomly, making me jump. "How could he just divert his feelings for Katniss? Did he really love her all this time? And I thought he and (Y/N) would make the best couple!"

I only nodded solemnly as I heard Delly cry. True, I've seen (Y/N) and Peeta at ease with each other all the time. Being best friends, it was expected. But Delly had a point--every time I saw the two of them together I could have sworn they had a chance at being way more than friends. The way Peeta looked at her in the eye...the way they held each other's hand...would they still have a chance at that, now that Peeta claimed to love Katniss?

For the time being, though, I didn't dare say anything. Both of our eyes were fixated on the screen, giving us a good view of all the tributes standing on their metal plates. After a while, I saw my daughter now, her knees bent in preparation to sprint from the plate when the gong sounds, and I smiled. Here was my daughter, standing so strong now with a high training score under her belt and such a determined face set to the Cornucopia--and I couldn't be prouder. Whether she dies at the Cornucopia or not, I'm glad to have raised her to become who she is.

The gong finally sounded now, and she scooped up a loaf of bread and a sheet of plastic, then she ran for a backpack, engaging herself in a fight with a boy from 9.

"Give it!" I heard her mutter, kicking him in the gut and away from the bag before he coughed up some blood and dropped. I saw her eyes widen now as she turned face to face with a Career tribute--and suddenly...I'm scared. For a moment, I thought she would actually make it out of the bloodbath alive...but what if she doesn't?

"CLOVE?!" I heard her scream, edging closer to a bow and a quiver of arrows, quickly slinging those on as another tribute--another boy, not Peeta--screamed out to her, "What are you standing there for?! Run! Go go go!"

To my surprise, she obeyed, running away with the girl, Clove, and a few more people in the group. But before she could make a few steps out, a hand pulled her to the ground and flipped her over.

"Prepare for your demise," another boy, I think from 5, growled at her.

"NO!" I screamed, running to the screen, unaware of Delly's blank stare at me as I watched my daughter up close nocking an arrow and shooting it into the boy's heart.

"I don't think so."

Then she picked herself up, retrieved the arrow...and ran off with the Career pack.

"You really think she took Peeta seriously? That he really loved Katniss?" I asked Delly, turning back to her and returning to the couch.

"Well...his eyes always seemed to glaze whenever we mentioned her name," Delly recalled, running a hand through her long blond hair. "But being the good guy he is, I know he didn't mean to hurt (Y/N) intentionally. Yet I've seen her in great depression before. Remember when...your husband died?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. "Yes. She and I...we were devastated. But we kept each other going," I recalled.

"This is different though. This is the whole idea of love," Delly murmured. "If Peeta really broke her heart, there will be NO WAY their friendship would be regained. It's a close to zero chance."