Hunger Games 2

Dayton arched a brow at her request before he sighed. "I don't smoke that much," he grumbled, but he knew she was right. He was doing it and doing it often. It wasn't going well. He sighed and leaned against the wall. "Why did I get stuck with her?" he whispered under his breath. He thought back to about a year ago. He remembered a guy his mom had been with, one that lasted longer than a week. Actually, he had moved in. Then, his mom had gotten pregnant but lost the baby. The guy left after that but he had heard something one night. He wasn't sure how it came up now but it did. "Take the baby and never come back," his mom had said. "Never show your face again, Xander Matthews," she had continued. Dayton snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. How had he forgotten? Then he remembered.....his mom had slipped him some pill after the conversation, and he had forgotten everything up until that morning. She had told him the same lie and fed him more lies.

Aimée sighed when he spoke, and she shook her head. "I know you don't, but still. I am willing to keep that promise going if you are," she said, and she closed her eyes to try and get rid of a head ache she was having. After a few moments, she looked back at him. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Dayton, are you okay? You are zoned out," she told him. She wanted to know what he was thinking about, but she wasn't going to ask him. He wouldn't tell her.

Dayton raked a hand through his hair and sat down, rubbing his hand over his face. "I was thinking," he whispered, after a long moment. "Have you ever wondered why someone wants to keep something from you?" he asked, creasing his brows together. Why would his mom force Xander to take the baby and go? Why would he agree? Why was he told the baby was miscarried? "I just don't understand," he muttered, frowning. He had a brother or a sister somewhere out there.

Aimée gave him an odd look after he spoke. "Yeah, I have before, but I never really do get answers when I look," she told him, and she watched him for a moment. "Dayton, what's going on? If you think that I'm keeping something from you, I'm not," she said to him. She didn't want any more bad blood between them than there already was. They both needed to just calm down and listen to each other.

Dayton shook his head and stood once more. Sitting still just wasn't working for him. "No, no that isn't what I am saying," he said with a long sigh. He raked a hand through his hair. "I have a sibling, or had a sibling. My mom told me she had a miscarriage but...I think she lied. I remember hearing something," he whispered under his breath, shaking his head. "But she had made me forget. Why do I remember now?" he whispered to himself. It just didn't add up.

Aimée looked up, and she listened to him for a few moments. She could see his mother telling him that. "Do you think she did the same thing to you that she did your father?" she asked him quietly. She didn't want to bring up his parents since she was a bit worried he would yell at her, but she was just curious. She slowly tried to sit up, but once again, it didn't work out. She cried out and quickly lied back down. The heart monitor beside her was picking up speed.

Dayton shook his head and sighed softly. "I guess," he whispered after a moment. It only made sense since he hadn't remembered until now. Maybe it had worn off. Or maybe stress broke it. Who knows. Either way, he knew he wanted to find this sibling of his. When Aimee tried to get up, he reached out to stop her. "You shouldn't do that."

Aimée tried not to think too much about the pain, but everything hurt. She closed her eyes once more, trying to block out the pain. "Dayton, what was it like? What was it like to see me like that?" she asked him quietly. She knew that she never wanted to see Dayton shot and dying. She bit her lip nervously, now regretting asking. How stupid was she?

Dayton cast his gaze to the ground and tried to shake the memory away. "I hated it. If Tyson hadn't beat me to it, I would have tried to kill her," he whispered under his breath. She had taken so much from him. He almost killed Aimee, he didn't have his father, and his only sibling was who knows where. "I wished I knew what to do," he muttered, shaking his head. He wanted Aimee to stay; he wanted to find his sibling; he wanted to kill his mom. It didn't look like any of that was going to happen.

Aimée looked over at him as he spoke, and she bit her lip. She held his hand tightly, and she thought for a few moments. Maybe she could convince her mother to let her stay. She would just need a good place to stay. "Maybe I can stay with you and help you. My mom doesn't know I'm at home half the time. Maybe I can convince her to let me stay. I just need someone responsible and willing to keep me," she told him, and she squeezed his hand. "I could held you with all of this," she said to him.

Dayton glanced up when she spoke and held her hand, squeezing it slightly. "Do you really want to stay?" he asked, unsure. She could just be saying that. He didn't want to force her to stay if she didn't want to. He thought back to when he had been struggling for a place to stay. He could always ask Tyson...or Mackenzie had mentioned that Drake guy. "What if Drake Sherwood let you stay with him? I am sure he would let you if Mackenzie asked as a favor."

Aimée listened to him, and she thought about what he said for a moment. Maybe that was a good idea. Drake seemed like a really nice guy, and if she was being honest, her mother would make her stay with anyone just to get he rout of her hair. "I'll see. Listen, thank you so much, Dayton," she told him, and she smiled lightly at him. She honestly had no idea what she would do without him.

{thirteen years later}
Noah sat down in class, but he wasn't paying attention. No, he was watching one of the girls in his class. Yeah, it sounded creepy, but it wasn't, was it? She was just so beautiful and smart, and he wanted to get to know her. He was way too shy to speak to her, but his friends were blunt enough to make subtle hints to her. They were embarrassing too. He jumped up in shock when someone started clapping in his face. He soon realized that it was the teacher. "Mr.Sherwood, just because your father is the president doesn't mean that you don't have to pay attention in my class. Would you care to share with us what you were thinking?" she asked him. Noah looked down, trying to keep his face from turning red. "Nothing," he muttered.

Dayton nodded and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Don't mention it," he said sheepishly, sighing. "Thank you, for wanting to help," he murmured, raking a hand through his hair. Not many people wanted to help him all that much. He was used to it by now but still. "I am sorry," he whispered after another long moment. He really had missed her.

--

Astrid was scrawling the notes down on her sheet of paper. One of her friends leaned over and whispered in her ear, "That guy keeps staring at you." Astrid already knew this; she knew him too. Everyone knew Noah Sherwood. He was the son of the one and only president, which was the reason why she hated him. She had been raised to hate him. Her father never gave her a legitimate reason why he wasn't fond of Dimitri Sherwood. But if he didn't like him, then she shouldn't either. Still, it wasn't much of a reason. She threw a glance back at him and faked a smile and waved before turning. She couldn't suppress a laugh as he was scolded. "Looks like Star Student isn't as perfect as he seems," she whispered to her friend.

Aimée smiled up at him, and she shrugged. "You don't have to thank me for it," she told him, and she looked up at him. She was honestly just happy that he wasn't mad at her. "You don't have to thank me," she told him, and she reached up to kiss him. It hurt, but she didn't say much

Noah watched as the teacher gave him a glare before resuming to her lesson. He was trying to jot down some notes, but his friends beside him where poking and kicking him. "Noah got in trouble," they said with a smirk, and he rolled his eyes. One of his friend kicked him rather hard. "Now's your chance. Don't be a wimp," he said, and he pushed him forward. He hadn't even noticed that the bell had rung. He quickly grabbed his books, and he ran a hand through his hair before he walked over to her. "So...Astrid...Do you want to catch a movie sometime?" he asked her. He tried to ignore his friends that were watching rather creepily by the door. He needed better friends.

Dayton sighed and cracked a small smile. It was the first real smile he had had in a while. "I still think I should," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. He then returned the kiss before he lightly nudged her to lie back down. "You shouldn't. That can't feel good," he whispered, sighing. She had a wound that needed to heal. It wouldn't do any good if she moved around a lot.

--

Astrid had just dropped her books into her book bag when Noah came over. She arched a brow and leaned against her desk as she listened to him. "Oh, Noah," she said, sighing and patting his arm. "I...," she began, but she could see the pointed look her friend was giving her. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her before she turned to Noah again. "I may consider it," she said simply before she moved past him. When they were a safe distance away, her friend asked, "Are you serious? Because if not, I think I may actually consider that myself. Noah Sherwood is..." Astrid shook her head and tuned her out. Sure, he was cute, but as her father always said...he was the enemy.

Aimée looked up at him whens he spoke. "Yeah, it hurts a lot, but I think it's worth it in the end," she told him, and she lied back down, trying to gain some of the strength back. "I know I sound pretty stupid, but I want you to know that I really do feel that way. I'd go through all of this pain and even more if it meant that would could actually have a happy life," she told him, and it was all the truth.

Noah smiled lightly at her answer, and he quickly followed her out. "Hey, maybe I can get your number. A friend of mine is having a party tonight. Maybe you could come? I'm sure they wouldn't mind inviting you," he said, and he glanced back at his friend who was trying to give him the hand signals that he was supposed to learn. Each signal meant a different pickup line. The one he was given right then was probably something really corny since his other friend slapped him and said something to him. He then looked back at Astrid. "Your friend can even come," he said, and he looked over to her. "What's your name?" he asked.

Dayton shook his head and reached out and took her hand. "I don't care if it is worth it or not, I don't want you getting worse. I had to fight to get in here. It must have been pretty bad if they wouldn't let me in," he said with a long sigh. It was irritating. He would have strangled the doctor if he hadn't made it there. Her next words forced a sigh out of him. "Aimee," he said with a long sigh. He reached out and caressed her cheek.

--

Astrid thought they had gotten away pretty smoothly when Noah continued to follow them and spoke again. Well, the boy really must like her. If she didn't realize that before, she sure did now. "I don't think I w-" she began but her friend elbowed her in the side. She gritted her teeth as her friend spoke, "We will be there." She then glanced over at Astrid to give her a pointed look. Astrid forced a smile and crossed her arms. "Yeah...I guess I will, uh, show up," she said, pulling out a piece of paper and scrawling her number down. Her friend grinned and said to Noah, "I'm Piper." Astrid resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her friend as she handed the paper. "It was nice talking to you Noah, but I have work I need to do, and I am sure Piper does as well." When her friend was about to reject that, she waved, grabbed her friend by the wrist, and headed for the doors.

Aimée smiled up at him lightly. This boy really did care for her too much. He seemed to love her. She had never been loved by anyone besides her father. She placed her hand over his when he spoke her name, and she bit her lip. "Do you love me, Dayton?" she asked him after a few hesitant moments. She was terrified that she had asked the wrong question or maybe it was the wrong time. Was she going to seem creepy? Of course she would!

Noah smiled lightly as he followed her and her friend. When her friend spoke, he extended his arm. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you Piper," he said. When he got her number, he quickly put it in his pocket. Oh boy, if only his Dad could see him. He remembered stories of when his father was just a bit older than him, but a whole lot more awkward. Heck, he asked his Mom for their first kiss. He couldn't help but laugh a it as he remembered the stories. Now that work had clamed down, his father spent more and more time at home, and that was good on both ends. He, and probably all of Panem, could see that his father was getting tired and stressed. He needed a break.

Dayton was shocked by her question. He had to take a moment to just backtrack. Did he love her? He had never been in love...much less loved someone. Sure, he had come close with Mackenzie. But now it was more of an awkward friendship with her, and he didn't normally have friends that were girls. Yet, Aimee...he cared about her. Finally, he said, "Yeah, I guess I do." After he said it, he realized that it was true. He did.

--

Piper shook his hand and flushed. "Of course, Noah," she said with a wide grin. Astrid had made it halfway down the hall at that point and grumbled under her breath when she realized her partner in crime hadn't followed her. "Piper!" she called back. She glanced over her shoulder to see Piper sheepishly waving. "Bye!" Piper called out to Noah before she raced off to catch up with Astrid. Astrid whispered under her breath, "Could you be any more obvious?" Piper tilted her head to the side. "I am sorry if you don't like one of the cutest boys in school. How could he be anymore obvious."

Aimée was a bit surprised by his answer. She hated to say that, but she was. She wasn't really sure if he loved her or not, but now that she had a clear answer, she felt better. "Well, I love you too," she told him quietly, and she took his hand once more. She tried not to laugh a bit. "You know, Dayton, you are one of the most awkward people I have ever met in my entire life," she told him, giggling a bit. It hurt, but she would be fine.

Noah watched them leave, and he took a deep breath. He couldn't believe that he had not only gotten her phone number but also got her to go to the party. His friends walked up to him and clasped him on the back. "Come on, Noah. We have a party to get you all fancy for," he said with a smirk, but Noah looked a bit concerned. "I thought it was supposed to be casual. I can be casual on my own," he said, and his friend rolled his eyes. "All you ever wear are jeans, combat boots, and under shirt, and plaid. Please, wear something else for once in your life." Noah laughed a bit, and he shook his head. "Nice try," he told her.

Dayton half smiled at her words and leaned over to give her a kiss. It was nice to actually love someone for once. He had never thought he would have wanted to be in love. He thought he would always just bounce around girl after girl. But that was before her. He had never felt like this before. It was a nice change. He rolled his eyes at her comment. "I am so not awkward," he said, puffing out his chest. "I am just socially challenged when it comes to emotional girls."

--

"This one or this one?" Astrid mentally groaned as Piper held up two dresses. She was being incredibly picky, and Astrid was in no mood to pick out her outfit for her. "Pick one, for crying out loud," Astrid muttered in response, standing to straighten her own dress. Piper rolled her eyes and muttered, "Someone is grouchy. If you really don't want me talking to him, you could just say so." Astrid rolled her eyes and touched up her lipstick. "I already told you, my dad would have a stroke if he knew if I even gave my number to the guy, much less talk to him." She didn't mention the fact that her father hated the Sherwoods in particular. Her friend just happened to think he was overprotective. When her friend finished up, she sighed with relief. They had gotten ready at her house, and they told their parents they were studying. After they were finished, Piper lead the way out the door. Astrid pulled out her phones to find the directions to the party.

Aimée tried not to laugh too much since it hurt, but she couldn't help it with him. Sure, you just keep on telling yourself that. Whatever floats your boat," she said with a small smirk before she started laughing again. She placed her hand over her side after a moment, and she gave him a half smile. "So, what is this Drake guy like?" she asked him after a moment or two of silence.

Noah stood in the mirror looking himself over. His friends of course picked his outfit. It wasn't something that he would normally wear, but it was just for that night. He ran his hand through his hair as he thought of ways he could mess up in front of Astrid. Well wasn't he just a positive person. As soon as he thought that he looked good, he placed the ring that he always wore. His father said that it was a good friend of his grandfather's ring. A name was engraved into it, but he could never read it. He looked down at his phone when he got a text. He quickly raced down the stairs. "Dad, I'm gone. Josh is picking me up," he said, and he hugged him before kissing his mother's cheek. He then headed outside to the car.

Dayton smirked and nodded his head. "I will," he stated matter of factly. He chuckled softly and shook his head. What a turn around. Maybe it was better to just laugh and smile. At least for a little while. He was never happy nowadays. When she asked the question, he frowned. "I actually don't know him well. I've only met him once when I dated Mackenzie. He didn't really like me," he said sheepishly. But then again, no one really liked him.

--

Astrid smiled as they reached the party. Luckily, Piper had been right. It hadn't been far at all. Although, she still couldn't wait until she could drive; it wouldn't be long now. She stepped inside and was instantly abandoned by Piper. "Okay, thanks. Friends forever, they say. And then they desert you," she muttered under her breath. That's fine. Maybe she could find another possible friend. She at least could hope, right. She grabbed a bottle of water from a cooler and went to sit down. She couldn't help but wonder if Noah was there. It would be ironic and even a bit irritating if he didn't show up, but she wouldn't let that get to her. She didn't like the guy anyway, right....right?

Aimée listened closely as he talked about Drake. "From what I have seen, he looks like a nice guy. Heck, all the people in Mackenzie's family are nice," she said as she thought about it. She was really jealous of her. Mackenzie had everything. A great family, an amazing boyfriend, amazing friends. She wanted a life like hers. At least she knew that she could check on thing off of the list.

Noah soon got to the party. People surrounded him, noting on his change in attire. One of his friends clasped him on the back. "For once you don't look like your Dad," he said, and Noah just nodded. He wanted to be just like his father. He dressed like him, he tried to act like him. The same friend took his wrist. "Never mind, you still have that stupid ring on," he said, and Noah rolled his eyes. He soon caught sight of Astrid, and he walked over to her, sitting down beside her. "So, where is Piper? Could she not come?" he asked her, offering her a smile. It was nice to get away from his friends every once in a while.

Dayton nodded and half smiled. "Yeah, I guess he is. He probably just doesn't like me because of how I am," he said, sighing. He thought back to his mom and shook his head. He would double hate him if he knew about his mother. He leaned back in his chair and offered her the best smile that he could. "But I guess it doesn't matter. I am used to it."

--

Astrid was sipping on a bottle of water when Noah came up. She arched a brow and capped the bottle. Well, she hadn't expected that. "No, 'hey' or 'nice to see you?'" she asked sarcastically. She then shrugged and answered, "She ran off the moment we stepped inside. Who knows where she is." She placed the bottle of water onto the coffee table in front of her and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why do you ask?"