cooler than you.— [alex/sammy]

[Deleted]

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I realized something with Thad being gone. I've been kind of a dick to Sammy. I was so focused on being cool and making sure my friends like me that I've been ignoring Sammy. And now? And now he doesn't have Thad. I wanted to try to make things right, to let Sammy knows he has someone to talk to about everything going on right now.

I took the plate of leftover chocolate chip cookies that Quinn made and knocked on his door a couple times before just letting myself in. Sammy was laying on his bed reading. Kind of reminded me of Thad, always reading about the Hunger Games. I wondered how Thad was doing right now. The way he took care of that redhead kid reminded me of the way he always took care of us. I hope the kid makes him feel a little less homesick.

I sat down next to Sammy on his bed, giving him a small smile as I set down the plate of cookies and grabbed one, taking a bite out of it. He was a lot less energetic and talkative and Sammy after Thad got reaped. I wanted my little brother back, even if he was annoying sometimes. I loved him, annoyingness included. And I hoped us hanging out might be enough of a distraction to try to get him back.

"Quinn made us some cookies with her grandma and I thought I'd share some with you. After all, they're for the cool kids so we don't need to give Larry and Harmon any. It's been a while since we've hung out so I was hoping we could chill or something."

I had set some aside for the rest of the family, but Sammy didn't need to know that. All he needed to know was that I had chocolate chip cookies for him and that I wanted to hang out with him. He spent years asking me to hang out and I spent years rejecting him because he was a "little kid" or "not cool enough". Yet, I'm friends with Quinn who's his age.

Though in my defense, Quinn is just different. She's like the coolest girl I know to where she's not even like a girl she's more of one of the guys which makes her extra cool. She can wrestle like a guy and beat people up like a guy. Plus she doesn't mind running around outside in the dirt and the mud like a dude. Meanwhile Sammy sometimes acts a little more like a girl if you ask me.

alexander ‘alex’ pepperwood

[ table by ulla ]
[ 425 words ]

[bailee]

sammy pepperwood

I usually didn't mind The Hunger Games. The excitement of choosing your favourite, placing bets with all of your friends on the schoolyard, tiptoeing after bedtime to watch the nighttime running of The Games (don't tell anyone, but that was my favourite part - all of the action happens at night and I'm always the first one to know all about it). But seeing Thad Pepperwood flash across the screen, score of six, a missing ear, that scary guy from District Two and that one ginger kid who reminded me a little too much of Alex...

It all was too much for me, knowing those short three minutes spent in the Justice Building may have been the last I'd ever see him. So I banished those thoughts away, bury them inside my books, and let my fretting disappear into the wayside. I had to be tough - for Thad, as tough as he was through the television screen. Worries were wasted energy.

My door opened, and in came Alex with a pile of cookies. The smell of the cookies enticed me more than Alex's presence did - I didn't hesitate to grab one (or two) as he sat down on my bed and began chatting.

"MMMPPFFhhh Alex, these cookies are so good. You should tell Quinn thank you for me," I said, as crumbs spilled down my chin and onto my sheets. Alex rarely ever wanted to hang out with me - and when he did, he never hesitated to tease me. It annoyed me - but it was better than the feeling of loneliness. "You know, Quinn's in my class. Her parents are victors. Everyone thinks she's so cool 'cause of it, and I'm like, once Thad comes home, think of how cool we're gonna be. It's gonna be like, instant popularity."

And with that, I offered Alex a toothy grin, crumbs and chocolate chips spilling down my mouth clumsily as I grabbed for a third cookie (what, my metabolism is super fast!).

We were runnin' onto somethin'
And we didn't say "forever, " but it's all we wanted
You were so in love with simple things
And now we're searchin' for the fire, drippin' kerosene

[Deleted]

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When Sammy brought up Quinn being cool specifically because her parents were victors, I wasn't sure how to feel. I never really thought that was what made her cool. Regardless of who her parents are, Quinn is Quinn. If anything her parents having a cool daughter like her is what makes them cooler - victors or not. Like Thad, he's cool. Him being a victor won't change the fact that he was always cool. After all, he's going to be a victor. I know that he is.

Sammy chomping down cookies as fast as he could reminded me that we really aren't that different. I really liked the cookies too and also ate a bunch when Quinn was over. In fact, I grabbed one as he was finishing up talking about popularity. I wasn't necessarily quiet, but I'm quieter than Sammy. Though, that isn't hard to do. That kid will talk your ear off. I've tried saying let's see who can be quiet longer and he immediately just says he loses.

After Sammy finished up, I swallowed the rest of my cookie and answered him. I completely forgot about the end of it when he was talking about our own future potential popularity. I was already pretty popular - after all, I'm a cool guy - so I didn't care too much about this. Though, I know Sammy has struggled with making friends. I keep telling him he needs to talk less and listen more, but he sees that as me just being mean to him.

"Quinn is definitely cool, but not because her parents are victors. She's cool for a ton of reasons, Sammy! Like she's obviously really good at baking. And she's super fun to hang out with. She doesn't mind going outside and getting dirty or wrestling or anything like other girls. And she's suuuper funny, not as funny as me of course but she's funny. And she has a really pretty smile. Yeah she's just like cool, Sammy."


I didn't realize this at the time, but as I talked about my friend, the smile on my face grew. And a light pink came to my face, though it was a little hard to see on my skintone it was definitely visible. It's not like I had a crush on Quinn or anything, I just wanted Sammy to realize how cool she was. Though, I'm not sure how I feel about them hanging out. They just have such different personalities. Plus, what if she decides she likes hanging out with Sammy more than me and I lose my best friend? Maybe it's selfish, but I just don't want to lose my best friend.

Then I remembered that Quinn wanted me to come over to dinner sometime and felt a little nervous. Maybe I'd be fine if it was just her and her grandma. But either or both of her parents being there? It didn't scare me but it definitely was intimidating. I mean, they're victors. And they're also her parents. What if they decide they don't like my jokes and don't let Quinn hang out with me anymore? I feel like she would anyway, I've heard her complain about her ma a few times. Nothing too bad, just normal teenage complaining.

alexander ‘alex’ pepperwood

[ table by ulla ]
[ 539 words ]