Peeta always enjoyed the days he picked
up is children from school. The walk home was always pleasant, and
the kids usually seemed extra cheery right after school. Never
before had Peeta arrived at the school to find one of his children
sitting in front of the building with tears running down his face.
Peeta was crouching down in front of
his son before he even realized the other boy's presence. Colby,
Nickel's best friend, was watching Nickel with a worried look on his
own face.
"What happened?" Peeta
directed the question at both boys.
When Colby realized that Nickel had no
intention of answering, he spoke up. "Some boys were bothering
him. They said stuff about you and Mrs. Mellark being famous and how
Nickel could never live up to you guys. They said he was a loser."
Peeta gritted his teeth and reminded
himself that going after these boys wouldn't solve anything. His son
was more important right now. "Nickel, none of that is true."
Peeta didn't really expect those words to have much of an effect,
but there wasn't much else to say.
"I know that," Nickel quietly
remarked. "But it still felt bad."
Peeta sighed, "The hurt will go
away as long as you remember it's not true." He glanced around
the schoolyard. "Where's your sister?"
"She went after the boys when I
told her what happened."
Peeta knew that couldn't be good.
"Stay here for a minute," he told Nickel. "I'll go
find her."
It didn't take long for Peeta to find
Dani standing in front of three very terrified young boys who quickly
scurried away when Peeta distracted Dani. Instead of scolding her as
Dani was obviously expecting, Peeta just led her back over to her
brother before they headed home.
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