#the power outage really mess with people over because the bakery called us to come and get the cake since they were going to close

[candybunnieholic]

Even though it started off pretty rocky, I still have a lot of fun for my birthday because I went out to eat with my mom earlier since my auntie and little brother was busy but he said that he's going to get me the iPhone 14 so that's really cool.

[everlarkrealornot]

The PANEM Initiative, Chapter 15

I was on a roll so I figured I would just keep writing! So here is an update way sooner than normal!

The Initiative had all these rules for matches during their year of ‘courting’ and each rule had five million exceptions and each exception had another million exceptions. For example, Couples will talk for 20 minutes each day, either face to face or by telephone – texting does not count. For those who are not within a short distance of travel to each other, these exceptions may apply: power outages, no internet connection or cell phone service, time zone issues,…ect. For those who are capable of seeing each other every day, these exceptions may apply: death in the family, serious illness, family emergencies,……and so on and so on and so on for each rule and each exception.

Every rule and regulation that was bent or broken by matches resulted in deductions from their stipends they were given the next year. Many couples used these stipends to buy or rent their first homes, so compliance during the courting year was relatively high. As couples were expected to become established, working members of society, the stipends decreased in amount each year, meaning that one mishap could greatly affect their next stipend. During the first ten years of marriage couples could earn add-ons that were dependent on life events and developments. Having a child earned a couple the highest add-on amount (twins doubled it, triplets tripled it, ect) while things such as going to college, getting a degree, or starting your own business had varying add-on amounts. Most matches after their 10th anniversary stopped receiving stipends with the exception of the couples that continued to have children or individuals who made scientific or technological advancements.

Every exception to every rule had to be approved by the couple’s match coordinator. If the request was denied by the coordinator, the couple would be penalized for ignoring the denial. After the first ten years of marriage, when stipends and add-ons were no longer in play, a match’s family became the next easiest target to direct the repercussions toward. In the early days of the Initiative, people found out quickly that the rules and regulations were not things to be messed with or ignored.  

While Peeta was enrolled at WVU he was allowed to stay on campus for up to three weeks at a time, with the exception that allowed him to stay on campus for up to six weeks when he first moved to campus (of which he only stayed for four). Their minimum face to face time had been lowered during the months that he was at school and was raised during the times that he had breaks (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break). They were still required to talk every day for 20 minutes, but were allowed to skip up to one day every two weeks for certain exceptions (midterms and finals were included in the list).

Knowing that Peeta took the Initiative’s rules very seriously, Katniss stared at her phone waiting for a call. Peeta had texted her when he got to campus just to let her know he had gotten back safe but had been ignoring her calls. It was almost nine o’clock when Katniss finally tossed her phone aside and grabbed her laptop. She signed into her PANEM account and opened their shared time logs. As she had concluded by his lack of contact, Peeta had filled in that communication slot with midterm and she could see that Effie had already approved it. She cursed at herself as she snapped her laptop closed. She spent the rest of the night with one eye on her phone hoping he might send another text. No such luck.

When they talked the next day Peeta told her he thought it might be a good idea for him to stay on campus for the next three weeks. Katniss knew he was mad but was still shocked by his suggestion, assuming he would have wanted to come home and talk about it face to face. She didn’t push the matter further only telling him she understood. He thanked her and hung up. When she dropped her phone on the bed she could see the call’s details blinking on the face of the phone indicating the connection had been terminated – the length of the call had been twenty minutes exactly. Peeta must have been timing the conversation.

For the next week their conversation was awkward and forced, making twenty minutes seem like an eternity, both relieved when they could hang up the phone.  Katniss dreaded their evening talks with Peeta asking her politely how her day had been and her asking for the fifth time how things were going with the professor who was a jackass. She would have preferred him screaming at her or telling her off (he certainly has the right to she thought) to the mindless small talk that they were currently so fond of.

Gale had also been ignoring her but she couldn’t deny her relief when she called and it went straight to his voicemail. She knew they needed to talk but she wasn’t sure she was actually ready to be that open about her feelings or the consequences that would follow her confession. In baking terms, she not only wanted the cake, but she wanted to eat it too.

 It had been over two weeks since she had seen Peeta and because Gale was ignoring all forms of communication from her, Katniss had a lot of time on her hands. She hadn’t forgotten Gale’s words in the park, “you should probably be working as an actual Chef not a baker” and had been desperately searching the internet looking at jobs. Every chef posting was looking for someone with experience in a restaurant or culinary training – of which she had neither. She had found one promising ad looking for a personal chef who could “follow simple recipes” and who had their own set of “personal, family recipes”. But it really didn’t matter even if she got an interview because she couldn’t just abandon the bakery.

Her phone vibrating on the desk snapped her out of her own little world and back into the present. She stretched over from her place on the bed and knocked it off the edge of the desk, catching it clumsily before it smashed into the floor. Peeta’s smiling face appeared in the middle of the phone screen. She quickly checked the time, it was just after seven, the last two weeks he had been calling at almost ten so he could use the excuse that she needed to get up early for work as the reason they needed to end their conversation.

“Hey.” She saved the job ad to her favorites and closed her lap top.

“Hey…” He said, clipping his greeting off weirdly.

“What’s up?” She rolled on her back and pulled a blanket over her feet.

“My dad called and he finally has a petition review date.” This news should have been a relief to the Mellarks, it meant the divorce petition hadn’t just been denied and that Henry’s case was at least going to be considered.

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Katniss asked.

“Yes, but it’s this Thursday.”

“Oh, wow,” was all Katniss could manage. Usually petition review dates were scheduled months out in advance, not two days in advance.

“Yeah, my dad says he’s prepared but Rye called and said he seems really nervous.”

“Are you coming back for the review?”

“Yeah. I called Effie and asked her if she could get me out of classes for Thursday. She said it was no problem…and suggested that you come along.”

“Oh, what about the bakery?” If Henry, Ryen, and Peeta were all going to the review, wouldn’t she need to be at the store?

“Dad said he was closing for the day.” Peeta waited for her response. She hadn’t been planning on having any part of the Mellark’s divorce already knowing how much Mrs. Mellark despised her. “I would be really grateful if you were there.”

“Of course I’ll be there.”

--

After closing the bakery the next day so Ryen and Henry could go pick up Peeta, Katniss nervously walked to Gale’s house. She had been planning on talking with him sooner but he was still snubbing her calls and she was tired of being ignored. That and she didn’t think she could look Peeta in the eye if she didn’t have this conversation with Gale now.

She found herself on the back porch of the Hawthorne’s before she realized where she was. Normally she would just let herself in but for the first time in her life she felt like it would be rude in light of the current state of her relationship with Gale. She sighed heavily and walked around to the front door and knocked.

“What are you doing knocking on my front door?” Gale’s mom, Hazelle, smiled brightly and pulled her into a big bear hug. “Did you forget how to open a door?”

“No, I just…” Katniss didn’t know what to say. Hazelle had always been like a second mother to her, taking care of her mother after her father passed, making sure that she and Prim were fed properly, and that they didn’t have to worry about paying their bills while their mother was finally recovering, but that didn’t mean they talked about personal problems.

“Ahh," Hazelle nodded in understanding, “Yes. Gale has been in a rather foul mood the last couple of weeks.” She turned around and headed back towards the kitchen, nodding to the stairs as she went. “Go on up.”

“Thank you.” Katniss managed weakly. She slowly climbed the stairs, hoping not to make too much noise or trip on all of the items that belonged to Gale’s younger siblings. She stopped outside his bedroom and knocked. He must have assumed she was his mother or one of his siblings because he said come in. “Hi.”

He didn’t move from his spot in front of his computer where he was playing some short of combat game. He didn’t even look at her. She wasn’t sure he had even heard her at first.

“Ignoring your texts and calls wasn’t a big enough hint that I don’t want to talk to you?”

“Oh, no. I got the message loud and clear.” She stepped around a pile of clothing that she couldn’t determine if it was clean or dirty. “But I needed to talk to you.” He continued to look at the computer screen, but Katniss could tell his concentration was off of the game as he had already died twice. She took a deep breath and focused on the words that she had prepared. “Gale, you’re my best friend and I can’t imagine my life without you, but I haven’t been honest with you.” He died again. “I didn’t want things to change between us – I know how you feel about the Initiative. I know how you feel about Peeta, but I am hoping that you can move past that because I still want you in my life.”

He still hadn’t looked at her.

She swallowed hard and took another deep breath.

“I do have feelings for Peeta. I like him. A lot. And if you want to be in my life you are going to have to accept that Peeta is going to be there too, not only because he has to be but because I want him to be.”

He finally turned to her and for a moment Katniss thought he was going to say something. But then he died on the computer and he refocused on the screen. Katniss scowled and slammed the door behind her as she left.

--

She checked the time as she slipped out of the Hawthorne’s without another word. The guys should be back with Peeta by now and she needed to see him. She took off at a slow jog but was full out running by the time she burst through the Mellark’s front door. She staggered into the kitchen, gulping for air as Ryen and Henry gave her looks of concern. She waved them off and forced a smile, which probably looked more like a grimace.

“His room?” She asked after bringing her breathing back to normal. They both nodded and she gave them a thumbs up. She forced herself to walk up the stairs slowly even though all she wanted at the moment was to see him. “Hey,” she said after closing his door.

“Hey…I was just going to call you.” He waved his phone a little before putting it on the table.

Neither of them moved for a moment.

Then they were crashing into each other, their lips desperate for the other’s, as their hands pulled on at their shirts and pants.