A Road Trip to Remember (Katniss and Peeta Story)

Part Eleven: Find Katniss

***Peeta's POV***
Katniss walks out of the house and without her here, I feel like the intruder. Someone who doesn't belong. We wall just kind of stand there, hoping she will come back I guess, but she doesn't. I know I just met everyone, and I should look to them for answers, but they look to me.
"What do we do?" Prim asks. I can't just tell her I don't know.
"Prim, you stay her with your mom. Climmer, Clove, Joanna, and Annie? Go see if you can find Katniss. Marvel, Cato Finnick? Come with me. We are going to go talk to Gale." I say and no one questions me. I don't know why they would listen to me but they do. The girls leave the house in search for Katniss. I was able to get Clove's phone number if they did find her. Us guys walk to the kitchen to talk with Gale and find out what happened.
"What do you think it was?" I ask I think Cato.
"I have an idea. Come on." He says walking inside the kitchen. We see Gale sitting on the counter drinking a bottle of water. He looks up when we walk in and Cato goes to him right away.
"Did you do it?" Cato asks knowing something that no one else does.
"Yeah." Gale says looking at his water.
"Well, we saw how she reacted, but did she say anything?"
"Not really." Gale sighs.
"What exactly happened?" I ask and I get a glare from Gale.
"You would want to know wouldn't you?" He snaps.
"I want to know why the girl I just drove across country, who was so excited about seeing you all just left her own party." I say.
"Well, if you must know, I told Katniss how I feel about her. I told her that I have loved her since we were 12 and then I kiss her. She didn't say anything; she just left." Gale says and my heart sinks. He loves Katniss too? My chances with Katniss now have just been crushed. Katniss has known him longer, she is much closer to him, so his chances of making her happy are higher. I should have known I would never get her.
"Why do you think I would want to know?" I ask trying to get off the topic a little.
"Oh shut up Peeta. It's pretty obvious you like her." Gale says.
"Okay, Finnick? Marvel? Were we not all wondering the exact same thing?" I asks them and they nod. "And Gale, who said I liked Katniss? I don't remember that coming from my mouth."
"Don't even dude. We all know. We saw you at the Reds game. I can only imagine what happened back at the hotel." Now I'm pissed.
"You think I would use Katniss for her body? You think the only reason I drove her here to see you was to get in her pants? If that's all I wanted, I wouldn't use Katniss for that! She deserves a lot better!" I all but scream at him. I can't stand being in the same room as him, so I storm out of the kitchen and out the front door. I remember Katniss telling me about a lake in the woods so, without any direction, I go to find it. Just as I'm entering the woods, I hear footsteps coming my way. I jump behind a tree and pray I'm hidden enough. I listen to the footsteps coming closer and make out some voices. The first one I notice is Katniss's.
"Katniss! Are you going to tell us what happened?" Clove asks.
"He kissed me, and I freaked out." She says and I feel me chest get tight.
"Any of us would have, but did you like that kiss?" Annie asks and I listen closer.
"I don't know. It didn't feel like anything I have felt before but I can't tell if it was good or not." She says.
"Katniss? You have never kiss anyone except, now Gale, and..." Joanna trails off and I look around the tree. Katniss is sitting on a rock with the girls around her. She looks up at them and Glimmer gasps.
"OH MY GOSH KATNISS! IT'S PEETA ISN'T IT! YOU LIKE PEETA DON'T YOU!!?" She squeals.
"Shh! I don't want him to hear you say that!" She hisses.
"How can he hear me if he is in the house?" Glimmer asks. I laugh to myself. Maybe a little to loud and I realize my mistake. They all turn their heads in my direction and I smile shyly. They all start running towards me and I panic. I don't know where to go so I look up. I'm leaning on a freaking tree Peeta you idiot. I grab the first branch and pull myself up. Apparently adrenaline works well for me because I have never climbed a tree in my life and I'm already halfway up when I look down to see them all standing at the trunk. They look like they are talking and a figure starts her climb. She is quick, like a squirrel. I see the braid in her hair and I relax. It's Katniss. I stop climbing and sit on a sturdy looking branch. I sway a little and I get a little scared being 40 feet in the air. I sit for only a few seconds until Katniss is sitting next to me, tear marks on her face but also a small smile. This could be very awkward.
"Hey." I say.
"Hey." She says.
"Listen, I heard basically everything." I say.
"I figured you did."
"Look Katniss, I don't like you like that so you don't have to worry about things being awkward between us." I lie as best as I can.
"Oh really?" She asks.
"Yeah." I say even though it is killing me.
"Well, that's good then. We can be friends." She says smiling and I feel hurt. I smile and I don't let the pain show. "Now let's get down from here before we die." She says.
"You go ahead. I'll be down in a minute." I say looking for a minute alone.
"Okay, just come to the house when you are done alright?" She asks and I nod. She climbs down and I'm sure she can't hear me, I let out a small cry. It's more of a yelp from the pain in my chest. I thought she liked me. I thought she had feelings for me, but I guess I was wrong. I let a tear fall from my face and I look down at Katniss who has reached the bottom of the tree. The tear falls down towards the ground and I wipe the rest away. After a few minutes, I climb down the tree.