Arrows in the Dark

It's Just Money

What ends up happening later that night is i drink myself silly and then make a fool of myself. As soon as my parents left i climbed the stairs to my room carrying my bag, bumping it against the stairs not bothering to pull it up higher. Thankfully the bottles didn't break. I open my bedroom door not bothering to close it after me. Nobody's home. Nobody will see. Slowly i pull the bottles from my bag my hands shaking ever so slightly. I set them out on the floor in front of me. I pull my knees up to my chest and eye them carefully. Do i dare? I put four of them away glancing back down at the one i left on the ground. It's a pretty sizable bottle. I don't want to drink too much of it. Just enough to maybe black out. I pull out a knife and twist off the cork. It makes a small popping sound as i open it. The liquor smells foul and i almost don't want to drink it.

Squeezing my eyes shut and taking a deep breath i put the bottle to my lips and take a big drink. Almost immediately i want to spit it back out. The liquid burns my throat and makes my eyes water. It slides down my throat and i shake my head back and forth like that will help somehow. When the feeling passes I'm left with a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I stick out my tongue with a disgusted face. Why anyone would want to drink this stuff I'll never know. I wait not really feeling any different. Maybe i have to drink more. Mentally preparing myself i bring the bottle back up, squinting at the walls across from me. The process repeats. Suddenly I'm running around the house, the second bottle of liquor in my hand. The first is standing on the counter looking sad and lonely all by itself and i mean to give it a friend.

The second bottle makes friends with the first and they make friends with a third. Suddenly it's my fourth bottle of alcohol and I'm outside walking in circles. Or running. Something. I'm doing something outside. I can't remember. I can't think. It's almost blissful but Peeta. I can still see his eyes. The fifth soon follows the fourth bottle. I'm quite proud of my collection. I don't remember finishing the bottle. I don't remember setting it down and i definitely don't remember walking outside, but when I'm pulled back into reality that's exactly where i am.

Everything's black and i freak out for a bit before realizing my eyes are closed. I must really be under the influence. I crack one eye open and then another. The brilliant bright dots of light confuse me. Before i can deduce if I'm crazy or not i hear a shuffling sound off to my right but i don't have the energy to see what it is. It continues and i sort of hope it's a wild animal coming to kill me. I think I'm outside but am i in the woods or the Victor Village? Suddenly something blocks my view of the brilliant specks of light. A face. With dirty blonde hair and a confused look on his face. Peeta? Is that his name. "You're blocking the view." my voice sounds distant. Far away. detached from my own body.

"Oh sorry." his face disappears from my view. That's when i realize what the bright lights in the sky are. Stars. How could i forget? His face ducks back into view. "What are you doing?" he asks still confused.

"What are you doing?" i ask putting emphasis on you. Peeta doesn't say anything.

"Is this what we're doing?" Peeta asks. His voice is far away. I don't know if i answer. I don't think i do but Peeta sits down next to me. I hear the crunch of gravel under his boots as he does so. I lift my head slightly. I can barely make out the outline of his body. In the distance i can see the lights on in Haymitch's house. I drop my head back down onto the pavement. "Are you ok?" Peeta asks suddenly. He glances over his shoulder at me. Even in the dark his eyes retain their brilliant blue.

"Why wouldn't i be?" i ask grumpily.

"You're acting funny and you were running around earlier." he tells me. I snort.

"You were watching?" i ask not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Yes, I haven't seen you run like that since the games. It was a bit odd. At some points it looked like you were dancing." i shrug my shoulders and go back to looking at the stars. I don't remember but if that's what he saw i won't deny it.