Hunger Games 2

Dayton chuckled and smirked over at her. "Well, I guess that makes you two the dorky couple," he joked right back, shaking his head. He then reached out and gave her another quick hug. "I should get back, but I just wanted to check on you. If you need anything, you know you can just give me a call," he told her before he headed out and went to take his seat by Aimee once more. He took her hand in his.

--

Astrid leaned into his slightly but was still covering her face as she cried. "But if I had been sooner, maybe she would be alive," she whispered in a shaky breath. "And then I keep bringing it up. I know it hurts, Felix. Maybe it is better if I just shut up. I am not doing anyone any good," she continued. Peyton giggled and shook her head. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to," she said, laughing softly. However, his question made the laughter die away. "Oh....I never thought that far," she said, biting her lower lip.

Mackenzie smiled at him, and she rolled her eyes. "I am proud to be a dork," she said jokingly, and she hugged him lightly. "Okay. I hope everything is okay," she said, and she waved before he left. Aimée was looking down at the ground when Dayton came back, and she took his hand, holding him tightly. "I'm scared," she aid quietly.

Noah shook his head, and he hugged her tightly. "Astrid, if it is your fault, it is also mine. I was with you the entire time, so all the blame is on me," he said, and he kissed her head. "I love you so much Astrid, and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that you are okay. I'm never ever going to leave you, and that is a fact, not a promise," he said, and he held her close. Josh sighed, and he took her head. "I'll find a way, don't worry. Noah will be fine with it, right? It's me," he said with a small laugh, but he wasn't too sure.

Dayton rubbed his thumb over her hand and whispered, "Don't be. You have to be strong." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned his attention to Willow, who was out cold. "Is that normal?" he muttered. He glanced at Maria for answers, who only sighed and shook her head. She couldn't help. He dropped his gaze to the floor and whispered, "She didn't deserve it. Mack didn't either."

--

"But that is the whole problem, Noah. If I had stayed away from you, she would have been alive. Maybe even...maybe even the real problem would be gone," Astrid whispered. "I would be gone." She had done nothing to earn Noah's love or trust. She was shocked by the fact that he still wanted to be anywhere near her. "Don't you get it by now?" she whispered. "I will never be the same." Peyton dipped her head and cracked a small smile. "I don't know, Josh. That might make it even worse. You two are best friends."

Aimée gave Dayton a small smile, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sure that she will be okay," she said quietly. She needed to start being the hopeful one sometimes. She glanced down at Willow, and she bit her lip. Willow was like a little sister, and if she wasn't okay, she would be heartbroken. "Come on Wills," she said quietly, and she took her hand.

Noah listened to her, but instead of replying, he pulled her in to a kiss. He held her close to him for a bit. He finally pulled away after a few moments, and he pushed away a few loose stands of hair. "Astrid, baby, I don't care if you are different. I don't care if you are the death of me. I love you, and that is never going to change. I will love you forever," he said before he kissed her once more. She meant everything to him. Josh thought about it, and he gave her a nervous laugh. "True. How about we just keep it down low for a little bit," he said. He would rather not have his best friend breathing down his neck.

Dayton sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He wished he had answers, but all he ever really had was questions. He wrapped an arm around Aimée and waited. And waited. And waited. When it felt like he had waited hours, which was merely ten minutes, he stood. "I am going to get some snacks. Want anything?" he asked Aimée. He couldn't just sit around any longer. He was getting antsy.

Astrid wasn't sure what she wanted to hear. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to agree and just stay away from her, potentionally breaking her heart in the process. Or disagree and insist that they were meant for each other. When he kissed her, the familiarity soothed her nerves some. She rested her head against his shoulder and managed a weak smile. "I just...I'm tired of hurting people, Noah. I am tired of destroying everything I touch," she whispered, her voice cracking. Peyton nodded her head in agreement and took his hand in hers. "Just act as you always would around me. The annoying sister of your best friend. Shouldn't be that hard," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Aimée looked over at Dayton, and she shook her head. "No, I'm okay. Thanks though," she said. She couldn't eat then. Waiting for Willow to wake up just made her depressed. She gripped Willow's hand tightly, trying he best to stay possitive. She was having a hard time though. She closed her eyes and tried to think about Willow waking up. She had to wake up.

Noah looked down at her, and he shook his head. "That's the thing, Astrid. You aren't hurting anyone. You just think you are," he said, and he held her close. He wanted her to be okay. "If you want to make a new start, you can. All you have to do is stay with me baby. I love you, Astrid. We will get through all of this together," he said. He promised her that he would help her, and that was just what he would do. Josh gave her a small laugh, and he took her hand. "Let's go check on them. We can stop holding hand when we get to the door." It was going to be hard keeping everything from Noah.

Dayton hesitated a moment longer, waiting for her to change her mind. "All right, I will be back in a few minutes," he said. When she didn't, he turned and went to go get him a candy bar or something of the sorts. Maybe he would start feeling better if he did something that could take his mind off of the situation. A few moments later, Willow's eyes fluttered open.

Astrid chewed on her lower lip, unsure if he was being completely truthful. Her best friend was dead, and Felix had to pay everyday for it. She just wasn't sure what to do anymore. As he continued talking, she hesitated and dropped her gaze to the ground. "Will it ever be the same, Noah? Will it ever really?" she whispered finally, attempting to keep her voice from cracking. Peyton nodded and said, "All right." She lead the way towards the house. It felt nice...to actually felt wanted. Her father had always been closer with Noah, and now that Noah had Astrid, Peyton was kind of left on the sidelines.

Aimée looked over at Dayton, and she gave him a small smile as he left, but it soon faded away when he left. She just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. She almost missed Willow opening her eyes, but when she saw her, her eyes widened, and she looke down at her. "Willow, are you okay? Do you remember me?" she asked quickly. She hoped and prayed that everything would be okay.

Noah looked down at her, and he placed his hand on her cheek. "Not exactly the same, but we will make it work," he told her, and he looked into her eyes. Maybe he could convince Peyton to finally like Astrid. They could get along and become friends. "I know that Piper wants you to be happy, even if she isn't here," he said, and he held her close to him. He glanced over at Felix who was standing to the side and being a rather good sport while playing the third wheel. Josh smiled down at her before he walked in. "Hey! I was thinking that we could all go outside and play a game. My dad just bought this croquet set that I thought we could try out."

Willow gave her an incredulous look and asked, "What are you talking about, Aimée? Where are we? Where is Day and Ty and Mackenzie?" She furrowed her brows in confusion. The last thing she remembered was bowling. Her attention then turned to Maria and her eyes widened. "Is that...," she began. "Hey, Willow, how are you feeling?" Maria asked. Willow's eyes widened, and she jumped up to shake Maria's hand. "I want to be just like you one day!" Dayton returned with a candy bar and a drink in his hand. He glanced at Willow and relaxed when she seemed back to herself. "I take it that the pill worked," he commented as he sat back down next to Aimée. It was definitely the news he needed.

Astrid cast her gaze down to the ground and sighed softly, nodding. "I hope you are right, Noah," she whispered before she wrapped her arms around him in a loose hug. As he mentioned Piper, a pang went through her. Piper had been one of the sweetest people she knew; she still couldn't comprehend how she died instead of Astrid. She rubbed her eyes to rid of the rest of the tears before she turned to Felix. "Sorry, Fe for being a bit of a drama queen," she whispered, sniffling and slowly standing. Her attention turned to Josh as he walked in with Peyton. She then shrugged and glanced between them. "Sounds good with me," she agreed. She needed to get her mind off of everything.

Aimée let out a long sigh of relief when she heard Willow. Thank goodness and was okay. She looked over at Dayton, and she nodded before hugging him tightly. "Yeah, everything worked," she said, and she rested her head on his chest. She was just happy that Willow was okay. He couldn't help but smile when she saw her run to Maria. "She is so cute," she said with a smile.

Josh smiled when they all agreed, and he grabbed the set. "I'll go get everything set up!" he said, and he raced outside. Felix gave Astrid a small smile, and he shook his head. "No, it's all fine. Don't worry about it," he said, and he followed Josh out. Noah couldn't help but laugh as he watched his friend. "Let's go babe," he said, an he took Astrid's hand before walking out. He look a glance at his sister. She seemed oddly...happy. What happened to make her so happy. Surely it wasn't because they were playing croquet.

Dayton glanced over at where Willow was, talking to Maria. "She never acts like that...even around us. She looks as if she met a movie star," he said jokingly, chuckling all the while. He nodded in agreement to Aimée's comment. He saw Willow like a little sister. "Tyson will be glad to hear that she is okay too," he said, sighing. Tyson took a huge brunt from it.

Astrid cracked a small smile and tried to at least act excited. She could see feel the haunting memories at the back of her mind, but she was managing. She laced their fingers together and headed outside with Noah. Peyton was pulling her hair back out of her face and into a ponytail. "Hey, uh, Astrid, I can give you a few pointers if you need them," she said before she headed out. Astrid rose her brows and glanced to Noah. "Am I dreaming? Was she actually nice to me?"

Aimée nodded in agreement, and she smiled to herself. "Looks like she found a role model other than us. It kind of hurts actually. I miss being the favorite,"she joked, and she leaned against Dayton, wrapping an arm around him. She was just happy that everything was okay. "I'm sure Tyson will be happy to know that she is okay. I think he was really worried."

Noah was shocked by his sister's words, but he smiled to himself. "I would say to just go with it. I mean, this might actually continue. I think you two would be great friends," he said. Hopefully they would get along. He walked outside and helped Josh set up. Once everything was ready, Josh stood. "So, I have never played this, and I have no idea what the rules are, but I will just make them up as I go along. I also thought of this before hand, and I was thinking of how the British play this, so I bought some pastries and hot tea," he said. Felix's eyes lit up, and he quickly went to the tea. "You know me so well, Josh," he said with a smile.

Dayton rolled his eyes and muttered, "We all know who the real favorite was." He sent her a teasing smirk before he kissed the top of her head. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and glanced over at where Willow was talking animatedly about what he could only assume was something from the periodic table. "Yeah, poor guy probably feels guilty. All he wanted was to spend some time with Willow."

Astrid rose her brows and tried to imagine her and Peyton becoming friends. It seemed like a longshot, but at least they took a huge step in the right direction. She went from glaring to...well, sharing. She sat down and watched the two boys set up. Peyton rolled her eyes as Josh spoke. "'Make them up as you go.' Why do I feel you say that to give yourself an advantage?" she inquired with a smirk. She then grabbed one of the pastries and leaned back against the table.

Aimée looked over at him, and she smiled softly. Willow just seemed to lightbulb when talking with Maria. "You stay here and I'll go find Tyson. I'm sure he'll be happy to know that she is okay," she said, and she have him a quick kiss on the cheek before going off to find Tyson.

Josh looked down at Peyton, and she shook his head. "Do you even know me? I am not that kind of person," he said, but a smirk played on his lip. He started to hand everyone a stick, and he looked over at them. "Well, let's get started." Felix was looking over at the tea, and he looked at Josh. "Where are the sugar cubes?" he asked him curiously. "I don't have any. I have a little cup of sugar though," he said, and he was surprised to see the shocked look on his face. "This isn't British tea then," he said, and Josh sighed. "Noah, talk to your cousin," he said, but Noah smirked and shook his head, keeping his arm around Astrid.

Dayton nodded and leaned back in his seat. "All right, baby," he said, giving her a quick hug before letting her go off to find Tyson. Tyson had just walked out of Mackenzie's room, wanting to give her some time to rest. He glanced up in surprise when he saw Aimee. "Hey, how are things?" he asked uncertainly, dropping his gaze down to the floor.

Peyton simply rolled her eyes as she tore off a piece of the pastry and popped it into her mouth. "Sure you aren't," she murmured sarcastically. She took one of the sticks and twirled it around lightly in her hand. Sure, Peyton didn't have training like little Ms. Perfect, but she had played in some sports as well as golfed. So, maybe it was the same concept. As Josh and Felix bickered back and forth, Astrid rolled her eyes. "Fe, it is the same thing. It is still sugar whether in cube form or not."

Aimée smiled when she saw Tyson. "Willow is perfectly fine, don't worry. She woke up a couple minutes ago with a full memory and is now talking the ear off of Maria. Who knew she would like someone better than Day and I," she said with a small laugh, and she gave him a hug. "How is Mack doing?" she asked.

Josh gave Peyton a small smirk. He really wanted to kiss her, but he couldn't in front of Noah. Curse him sometimes. He made it hard to date his sister. He would probably kill him if he found out. Felix stared at Astrid in shock when she spoke. "The same thi- no they are not the same thing! Thinking like that is blasphemy!" he exclaimed, pacing. These people had obviously never taken any kind of class in manors or how to carry yourselves," he said, and he took a sip of tea. "It just isn't the same."

Tyson rose his brows in surprise. That at least comforted him a little bit. He sure did need to hear that good news. He already felt guilty enough, and it didn't help when he was worried about both of his girls. He returned the hug before he pulled away to answer her. "Fine. I left to let her get some rest, or I hope she is getting some rest," he said, sighing.

Astrid eyes widened as Felix began to rant about the sugar cubes. "Fe, calm down," she said, holding her hands up. She then furrowed her brows at Felix's next comment and whispered to Noah, "There are classes for that?" Peyton cleared her throat and stood upright. "On that note, how about we play croquet," she stated as she placed her half eaten pastry on a plate. "And Fe, if you must have sugar cubes, we can make some later."

Aimée listened to him, and she gave him small nod. "Well that's good. Do you want to go see Willow? She right where day and I were before," she said, and she started to take him to Willow anyway. She knew that he would if he said so or not.

Fe looked over at Peyton when she spoke, and he smiled brightly. "You would do that for me?" he asked her with a bright smile, and he hugged her tightly. "You are the best, Peyton," he said with a bright smile. Noah looked over at him and rolled his eyes. "I thought I was the best but we won't taking about that," he said. Josh rolled his eyes but putting one of the balls down. "I'll start!" he called out before hitting the ball and trying to get it through the hoops.

Tyson simply nodded and followed after her. Even though Aimee said that she was okay, he had to see for himself. Willow glanced up when Aimee and Tyson walked over and grinned lightly. "Hey, Ty. Hey, Aimee. Maria said that one day she would teach me to become a chemist to save and help people. Like a superhero. Isn't that so cool!?" she said animatedly.

Peyton's eyes widened slightly when Felix hugged her but she returned the hug. "Don't mention it," she said as she slowly pulled away. At Noah's comment, she stuck her tongue out at him. "We all know I'm the best cousin," she replied with a smirk before she took a seat to wait her turn. As Josh started, she rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't we have established the rules before we started swinging around mallets?"

Aimée walked with Tyson, and she kneeled down so she was eye level with Willow. "I think that's amazing," she said with a bright smile, and she hugged her tightly. She couldn't be happier that Willow was back. She pulled away and let Tyson have his time with her.

Noah shook his head at his twin's words. "Oh, you are wrong there. I am the best cousin," he said jokingly, and she smiled down at her. Thank goodness she was actually trying to be nice to Astrid. Josh looked over at Peyton when she spoke, and he smirked. "The problem there is, I have already swung," he said, dancing off to the side. "Me next!" Felix said excitedly. Josh rolled his eyes at Felix, but he watched him as he shot his ball perfectly into at least two of the rings. "Felix...how did you do that?" he asked him, and Felix smiled innocently. "Magic," he answered.

Willow returned the hug and grinned slightly. Tyson pulled her into a tight hug once Aimée had pulled away and ruffled Willow's hair. "It is good to have you back, Wills," he said. He glanced at Aimée and stood upright. "I haven't seen her this excited about anything since ....well, ever," he said with a chuckle.

Peyton rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Considering I'm the only girl...," she began, faking a hair flip. "I am definitely the best." She stuck her tongue out at Noah jokingly. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as Josh replied. Well, she could definitely pick 'em. As Felix went, Peyton rose her eyes in surprise. Astrid watched and muttered, "Great, now I'm definitely going to go out there looking like an idiot." Where this may be a time Peyton would make a snide remark, she kept her mouth shut and stood to take a turn.

Aimée nodded in agreement, and she smiled to herself. "It's good to know that she at least looks up to someone better than Dayton and I," she said. She just didn't understand at all why she liked them. They weren't the best people around, that was for sure.

Felix looked over at Astrid, and he hugged her. "I can give you a few pointers," he said. "Maybe it would be smart if I gave all of you some pointers before we really get in the game. I mean, it's a lot like golf," he said, and he held the club a certain way. Noah looked over at them, and he smiled to himself. "Peyton, you are pretty good at golf. Maybe you can help Astrid," he said with a small smile. Maybe they could get along a little bit better. Josh rolled his eyes, and he looked over at them. "Fine, we can do some pointers. Please, teach us Mr. Ledger," he said sarcastically.

Tyson rolled his eyes and glanced at Willow, who was basically bubbling with excitement. "The way she acts about chemistry is the way I acted about my first action figure when I was her age," he said, then cleared his throat. "I mean, how I acted when I played, uh, with BB guns."

Astrid rose her brows and muttered, "Okay....so what are we exactly supposed to do?" Felix made it look effortless, but Astrid had played mini golf before with Piper. She could never get past the first putt. Peyton arched a brow and leaned back against the table. "I might be able to show her a thing or two," she said with a shrug. She then glanced at Felix. "Take it away, Fe," she said with a half smirk.

Aimée looked over at him when he spoke, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Ty, I have seen your room. I know you have actions figures. Besides, Dayton told me you were too scared to fire the BB gun?" She said with a smirk, and she ruffled his hair. "Mack probably should knew she I okay."

Felix looked at the group, and he smiled. "I always knew I was destined to be a teacher," he joked, and he started to show them how to hold the club and then how to swing. "Depending on where the ring is, if it is farther away, you hit it harder. Sort of like putting, but the ball is more dense than a golf ball." He then started to teach how to aim. Noah watched everyone, and he smiles to himself. Thank goodness they could all get together.

Tyson rolled his eyes and muttered, "Of course Dayton did." He would have to get him for spreading stuff about him, even if it were true. He didn't want to seem like that much of a dork. At Aimee's suggestion, he nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, I will probably go tell her...."

Astrid listened intently, trying to grasp the concept. But face it, she would probably end up stubbing her toe before she actually did it right. She spoke up after a moment, "Felix, have you played this before?" She arched her brows and couldn't help but smirk slightly over at him. Peyton continued to twirl the mallet lightly, vaguely listening. "So are we actually competing? I think it would be interesting if there was a...eh, prize for the winner."