Together ~ A Clove and Cato story ~

Chapter four (Clove POV): Sick Days and New Friends

                         I wake up to the sound of rain, a downpour outside my cracked window. For a moment, I forget. I forget the blood, the pain, Cato, my atrocious Father, and my night of tossing and turning. For a minute I think that maybe it was all a nightmare, a fantasy my mind created to scare me half to death. But then I sit up, and the pain in my tailbone is so instantaneous, that I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out. I slowly turn to sit on the edge of my bed, rubbing my eyes to clear the fogginess. A note rests on my bureau, along with a bowl of rough tesserae grains. I limp over and pick up the piece of paper. It reads,

Clove,

I'm sorry but I had to go to work. Your Father is still not awake, and he might not be for a little bit. You are out of school for two weeks. Don't forget, asking for help doesn't make you weak. I will see you tonight. Be careful.

I love you,

Mother.

                        I pick up the bowl of grain and casually chew each bite, discovering that the rainstorm outside has come through the leak in the ceiling and is dripping down to the floor. I can't do anything about that, but I can get dressed, so I pull on a pair of black pants and a red short-sleeved shirt. These clothes are a huge improvement over the stuff I wore yesterday. I comb my fingers through my hair as I crawl back over to my bed. I busy myself by watching for a flash of lightning outside my window and counting the seconds till the thunder rumbles. By the time the afternoon rolls around, my Father still hasn't woken up, which I am perfectly fine with. I hear the front door creak open and my heart leaps, hoping my Mother was released early because of the weather. I hear the squeak of the stairs and my door opens. It is not my Mother who comes into my room and sits on the foot of my bed, but it is the boy who saved my life yesterday. Cato.

                       "Hey Clover," He says, smirking, "I didn't see you at school, so I assumed you would be here."

                      "Yeah, I can't exactly go anywhere," I add.

                       "I'm guessing your personality is sarcastic." Cato suggests, inching closer to me, "We will get along perfectly fantastic then."

                     "Why are you here after what my Father did yesterday?" I challenge.

                     "Well, I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He answers, his voice much like it was yesterday when he confronted my Father. "And I think you are pretty cool, so thought maybe we could be friends."

                      I snort and for a second he looks injured. A feeling of satisfaction washes over me when I realize that I love disturbing him. "I have never had a friend in my life." I reply, "How does it work?"

                     He grins, "Well it helps when you know the person, all I know about you is that you are sarcastic, and from District one."

                  "That about sums me up," I state, peering down at my fingers.

                  "There has to be more than that you just don't want to tell me," Cato claims.

                  "As I said, I've never had a friend in my life. And I don't think I would be very good at it."

                 "See, the way friendship works Clover, is that we have to tell each other the deep stuff."

                 "The deep stuff?" I repeat, where is he going with this? "Like what?"

                "Like...what's your favorite color?" He quizzes me.

                "Well that's it, you've crossed a line." I tantalize him, trying my best to look serious.

                "No but seriously, what is it?" He asks.

                "Black." I disclose, looking him in the eyes for the first time. "What's yours?"

                "Red." He answers, "like your shirt."

                "Cool," I reply. He stays for a couple of hours, telling me about how he is training for the Hunger Games, and about how his Mother and Father are divorced. He says that his parents split custody and his Father is a victor. Therefore, Cato is expected to follow in his footsteps. I tell him about how I'm good with knives and how my Father wants me to volunteer someday. Eventually, it gets dark outside, and Cato claims he has to leave.

                "Maybe we could train together. I mean, once you're in advanced with me." He suggests, as he gets up to leave, "If we are both good enough, we could volunteer someday."

              "Together?" I ask.

             "Together." He confirms, "See you tomorrow?"

               "You're coming back?" I inquire.

               "Yeah." He says.

               "Why?" I question lamely.

               "I already told you, I think you are cool" He shrugs, "Bye Clover."

               "Bye," I add.

                Every day is the same. Cato comes over, sometimes bringing apples for us to snack on. He brings me my homework, assists me with math, (which I suck at), and we always end up discussing our family. Cato promises me my Father will stop drinking eventually, and I assure him he will be fine in the games if he has to volunteer. I hate to admit it, but I enjoy his company. And once, when we are doing homework, I catch him staring at me. My heart flutters. No. Never let a boy into your heart, love is weakness. But...is it possible...Cato can be different?