You Are My Mockingjay- Watty's Finalist 2013

*Glimmer Eyes on Cato/Haymitch

Class ends and everyone started to move on to their last few classes of the day.  "So we'll talk about what will do later then?  Shall I text you?"  Said Clove as she grabbed her bag pack from the shoulder of her chair. 

"Sure thing just call me later."  Clove yanks onto her strap from her bag and puts a string of hair behind her ear. 

"Okay talk to you then, oh, good luck in Mr. Haymitch's class."  She said as she pulls away and heads out the door not realizing Glimmer was watching the two of them. 

"See you around pal!"  Peeta says patting Cato on the back with Katniss right beside him.

"Later!"  He says scrambling his things into his bag.  Cato cocks his head up just as Glimmer stands not but feet away. 

Patiently she stands there for a second and makes her way over to him.  "Hi I don't think we've met, I'm Glimmer."  She pulls out her hand to shake Cato's which he takes. 

"Cato, welcome to Capitol High."  Glimmer unlike most girls don't stand as nearly close to Cato's hight but she pulls out a good 5' 7. 

Glimmer fiddles with her binder that rested against her chest.  "Yeah it's a big adjustment, but I think it will go well." 

Cato starts to turn to the side to get past Glimmer so he could walk out the door to go to Haymitch's math class.  "Well I better get going, my next class is one I can't be late for."  He starts to slide pass when Glimmer stutters. 

"Do- do you mind if I walk out with you?  I mean if that's ok I'm still trying to figure out the campus myself."  Cato skims at her face seriously but not firm to we're he agrees. 

"Sure follow me."  He said as he waved his hand over to encourage her to follow.  Together the walked in the hallways of the school using small talks.  "So where did you move from anywhere far?"  Cato says as he stopped at the water fountain to get a sip of water. 

"No not really just from a small town up state.  My father got transferred from his job to here.  He's a Interior designer."  Glimmer waves at Vixen who was watching from afar who stood by her locker.  "What about you?  Have you always lived here?" 

He nods.  "Yep born and raised.  I never really go anywhere though except around town.  I'm like a home body kind of guy.  But I'm into a lot of things like hiking, basketball, wrestling and working out."  Glimmer tries to not chuckle at his last response but couldn't help it for it just slipped out. 

"Ah yeah I can see that."  Cato smiles and cuts between two guys that were talking about some book about astronomy.  "So do you like your partner in Leadership class?"  Cato asks Glimmer.  

Glimmer was shuffling through her books but jolts quickly to look up at him.  "Um yeah I guess he seems cool, kinda weird though in a way.  Why do you know him?" 

He laughs in not a surprised response.  "Yeah, he's one of my buddies.  We do a lot together along with a couple of other people who is in our class." 

Curiosity comes inside of Glimmer.  "Oh yeah who else?" 

He pauses for a minute to gaze his next move in the hallways for there was a fork in the halls.  "Um well the girl who is my partner she and I have been friends since grade school and then theirs Katniss Everdeen the one with the braid and Peeta Mellark.  We all met through church youth group."  Faintly Glimmer nods. 

"So your all one big happy family kinda huh?!" 

Cato smirks.  "Yea I guess you can call it that."  Cato and Glimmer take the left side of the hall and shortly finds Mr. Haymitch's class.  "Well it was nice chatting with you, see you in leadership class tomorrow." Once Cato realized he was just inches away from his class.  A big smile appears on Gimmer's face as if she has just realized how adorable he was not to mention hot. 

"Yeah sure thing see you then."  Slowly she twists around and skips slowly down the hall to her French class that is not until after she looks back at Cato and smiles.

Cato had a reputation to always being late for Haymitch's class but with the warning that Principle Snow gave him a few days ago he knew he had to prove him wrong. Cato arrives in the classroom with more then three minutes to spare, knowing he was early he proudly gives a smile to Haymitch who was finishing up a math question on the chalk board. "Well, well, well, look who is actually on time today...this is my lucky day I guess."

Cato just smirks bigger as he holds tighter on his bag pack strap knowing his instructor was just making more of a deal then what it was. Yet Cato doesn't say anything forward and swerves into the third row of seats two from the far left. Once the bell had rung Haymitch smacks his lips a couple times a thing not only Cato thought was annoying but half the class agreed to call him smacking Haymitch. A boy by the name of Bryton chuckles as he tires to write down the questions from the board.  Since Haymitch had no idea what the laughs were about all he does was to try to get them to settle down by reminding his students on what it takes to be successful. "So in that reason I have decided to give you all a pop quiz after you do this warm up exercise."

The once laughter that was going on began now to become groans and people leaning back into their chairs. Cato sighs a bit too, not really too sure if he was prepared himself. Once the warm up exercise sheets were passed down to the front something stops him in his tracks. A thought occurred to Haymitch that he never thought he would come forward it.  Usually he carries this pride and almost arrogant look on his face but at that moment as Cato and the others stared at him it was something they had never seen before. Slowly pacing the floor in front of his desk he stops in the middle making him sit on top of his desk with his head slightly down. With a deep breath he bravely confesses a personal feeling.

"I know you guys probably see me as lunatic kind of guy, who thinks I'm just this down right unfair person. But let me just say I know what it's like to be your age, confused, how your afraid you won't be accepted." Pausing for a moment he takes a deep breath and scans the room, mostly to the board from the back wall to keep him focused. "I was brought up poorly and my possibilities getting a education was very slim. When I got old enough I got a part time job at a grocery store. It wasn't easy and I didn't enjoy it, but it was something I had to do. I was the oldest in my family and knew I had to provide for my family."

At the verge of a tear coming close down his cheek a voice perks up. "Where was your dad?" A girl by the name Abel.

Cato kept his eyes on him the whole time, wondering. "My father left me and my mom and sisters when I turned eight. Since then I have not seen him. But let me tell you this, every night when my father left I made a promise to myself to never be like him, never to leave the important things in ones life and to strive for all that I did. After a few years from working at the store I studied at home, it wasn't easy but eventually I caught up. And what do you know after five years after my class graduated...so did I." Haymitch summons across the room a couple times eyeing at all his students. "So, how about we try class effort again shall we?"

The room stays mostly silent for the rest of the class period as they all saw him differently right then. As the students took the pop quiz Cato wished he had taken Cloves offer on night before to do a night studying. Within finishing the pop quiz the students were to take up their papers to his desk. Cato approaches Haymitch's desk slowly and as he brought it up towards his face Haymitch speaks without looking at him.

"Mr. Marshall now you know why I had you take my class again, I did it mostly cause I know you can do better and you have the potential to be even greater then you can see."

Cato nods and kindly but quietly thanked him as he goes back down to sit at his desk.