"Bellona can we talk now?" Festus called after her, rushing behind her as the girl ran to the Academy. But Bellona only brushed him off, hurrying toward the auditorium as she looked for her friends.

She couldn't have liked Festus, right? It was utterly ridiculous. Mrs. Creed just read the situation wrong, the girl thought, letting her mind scramble again as she scanned the crowd. Festus had barely been a friend less than 24 hours ago. There was no way she could've fallen in love with him that fast.

"BELLONA!" the boy continued to cry out, heaving as he tried to catch up. Was she always this fast?

"Can't talk, sorry!" Bellona called out, running and grabbing onto Vipsania and Lysistrata's arms.

"Hey!" Vipsania called out, furrowing her brows before noticing who was pulling her.

"Bellona? What the hell? Why aren't you in your uniform?" asked Lysistrata, looking at the girl in concern as Vipsania began to laugh.

"More importantly, why is Festus also in his pajamas and running after you?" Vipsania teased, smirking as she looked the girl up and down.

Bellona's eyes widened in embarrassment, shaking her head profusely. From the corner of her eye, Bellona could see Festus now being forced into conversation with Pup and Hilarius, but his gaze still remained on Bellona.

"Shut up," Bellona muttered, biting her lip as she looked around to make sure no one was listening to them, "It's not like that."

"Really?" Vipsania asked, continuing to tease the girl. Lysistrata, however, continued to watch her friend with a look of concern.

"Okay, well it's kind of like that but not as gross as you're thinking," Bellona replied defensively, earning a gasp from Lysistrata.

"Bell, no," Lysistrata muttered, covering her mouth in shock as Vipsania squealed.

"Bell, yes. Please, tell the class what happened," Vipsania insisted, smiling brightly as she leaned in closer. Bellona let out an exaggerated sigh before leaning closer.

"Okay, but you two better promise not to tell anyone," Bellona insisted, clenching her jaw as she noticed them nod their heads immediately.

"Okay, so last night I went to Festus's after I got in a fight with my Father and he calmed me down, and then I woke up this morning in his bed and then he kissed me and I freaked," Bellona rambled, speaking so fast that the two could hardly keep up.

"He kissed you?" Lysistrata asked, eyes widening in shock as she looked toward the curly-haired boy. Bellona begrudently nodded.

"Did you kiss him back?" Vipsania asked, smiling as if she were enjoying the drama. Bellona looked to the ground, saying nothing.

"Oh my god, you totally did," Lysistrata muttered, feeling shock after shock. Bellona let out a groan as she began to tap her foot anxiously.

"Was he a good kisser?" Vipsania asked, smiling brightly as she looked over at Festus.

"Well, she kissed him back. Of course, she thought he was a good kisser," Lysistrata muttered, stating the obvious. But Vipsania shook her head.

"Shut up, I want to hear her say it," Vipsania whispered, causing Bellona to groan again.

"Yes, okay. He was a good kisser," Bellona admitted, earning a squeal from Vipsania as her face heated up. Why was she admitting all of this?

"Wait, are you two together?" Lysistrata asked, somewhat displeased that her friend had been seeing someone without her knowing.

"Oh god no," Bellona shot back, shaking her head profusely, "It was just a stupid mistake."

Vipsania furrowed her brows, glancing between the two in pajamas before speaking.

"But you like the way he kissed, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. But that doesn't mean anything. People kiss all the time without being in a relationship," Bellona defended herself, faltering over her words slightly. Vipsania eyed Bellona cautiously as she bit her cheek.

"Usually they kiss because they like each other though," Lysistrata added, contesting Bellona's nonchalant attitude. Vipsania eyed Bellona cautiously as she bit her cheek.

"What did Festus say after it happened?" Vipsania asked, nodding toward the boy. But Bellona didn't dare look over.

"Nothing," Bellona admitted, "I ran out of the room before he could and then his ma saw us-"

"His ma saw you leave his room?" Lysistrata asked in disbelief, earning another laugh from Vipsania.

"She caught me leaving and forced me to stay for breakfast. Weirdest breakfast of my life," Bellona admitted, visibly cringing at the memory.

"Well, what did she say?" Vipsania asked the girl with a smirk.

"She thought we were together. Told me to be careful and not hurt him and all," Bellona admitted as if it had been the most outrageous thing she had heard. Vipsania and Lysistrata exchanged a knowing look before turning back to their friend.

"Bell, it seems like Festus likes yo-"

"No. That's not possible," Bellona denied, shutting down her friends, "We're not even really friends."

"You have been spending a lot of time together," Lysistrata admitted, earning another sigh from Bellona.

"Because we have to. Our tributes are working together," Bellona defended herself again.

"Bell, admit it. He walks you home. He's brought you food. He looks for your attention in class," Lysistrata listed as Vipsania chuckled, "He likes you."

"No."

"Yes," Vispania shot back, "And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you like him back, Bell."

"Absolutely not!" Bellona whisper-yelled, gaining the attention of a few people around her. Bellona grunted before lowering her voice again.

"I don't like Festus. There's no way."

Her two friends once again shared a knowing look.

"I don't know, Bell," said Vipsania, "You talk about him a lot."

"I do not," Bellona defended herself, folding her arms.

"You kind of do," Lysistrata admitted, earning a stare from Bellona.

"Well, that's only because of how annoying he is," Bellona shot back, causing Vipsania to smile again.

"And you went to his house last night instead of one of ours. Admit it, Bell. Festus means something to you," Vipsania replied. Bellona bit her lip in response.

What could she say to that? She didn't know why she ended up at Festus's house last night. She just did. And the only reason she ever talked about Festus was because he pestered her so much. All she felt for Festus Creed was annoyance.

"I don't like him, okay?" Bellona admitted, getting defensive again.

"Don't like who?" a voice called out. Coriolanus. Bellona clenched her jaw before turning around.

"No one," Bellona replied, folding her arms as she looked at the beat-up boy, "Not that it's any of your business."

Coriolanus bit the inside of his cheek as he glared at the girl.

"Right, well I didn't come here to talk about your boy troubles," Coriolanus admitted, "I need to talk to you."

From behind her, Bellona could hear Vipsania groan as Lysistrata pulled her toward their chairs.

"What about?" Bellona shot back, faking innocence.

"You know what about," Coriolanus replied, nodding toward the television. Bellona, however, only rolled her eyes.

"I have nothing to say to you Coriolanus. I saw what you did last night," Bellona shot back. Coriolanus took a step closer to her, fury in his eyes as his heavy breath hit her face.

"It was out of self-defense, you know that," Corionalus shot back, gritting his teeth as he looked at her. Bellona only chuckled, eyeing the boy down.

"Yeah, right. We both know that boy was down before you finished him off. Admit it," Bellona taunted, refusing to back down from a man like Coriolanus.

"You better not tell anybo-"

"Coriolanus. Bellona," Festus's voice rang out, forcing Coriolanus to back away, "What's going on here?"

Bellona gritted her teeth, avoiding Festus's gaze. She didn't know what was worse, confronting Coriolanus or being 'saved' by Festus.

"Nothing, we were just about done here. Right, Coriolanus," said Bellona, waiting for the blonde boy to head off. But of course, he didn't.

"I was just talking to Bell here about strategy. She just didn't seem to like my ideas," Coriolanus replied instead, looking toward Festus, who eyed them carefully.

"Oh my god, Coryo. What happened to you?" Hilarius asked, walking over when he noticed the commotion. Coriolanus bit her cheek before smiling.

"Bike accident," the boy replied, earning a scoff from Bellona. Festus, too, seemed confused, furrowing his brows as he looked at the boy's injuries.

"We need to get to our seats," Bellona announced, scurrying off to where Lysistrata had gone. Festus instantly followed, taking his seat next to Bellona as he eyed the girl, but unlike earlier, he remained quiet, trying to figure out what had really gone down with Coriolanus last night.

"Oh my god," Lysistrata muttered, eyes on the screen, "The poor boy from Eight. What do you think happened to him?"

"It's odd. Usually, they'll show us the replay of the death," Vipsania added, furrowing her brows curiously, "Do you think something bad happened?"

From next to her, Bellona could feel Festus's eyes on her, but of course, she remained still.

"It was probably just one of Coral's kills," Coriolanus cut in, using Festus's tribute as his cover.

Bellona scoffed, rolling her eyes at the boy's comment.

"Yeah, Coral's."

Festus continued to watch her, gaze flickering between her and Coriolanus as he tried to read her expression.

"Oh don't worry, Bell. I'm sure it could've been Mizzen too," said Hilarius, taking her frustration as jealousy. Bellona only laughed, keeping her mouth quiet after that.

As much as she would like the others, especially Festus, to find out about Coriolanus's horrible actions, admitting it in front of a large crowd was probably not the best idea.

"Well, I just feel bad for his family. They'll never know what happened to him," said Lysistrata, frowning as she looked at the young boy's body.

"Oh, they'll know what happened to him," Bellona added, forcing Coriolanus to turn his head to her angrily, "These stupid games killed him. He was pretty much dead the moment his name got pulled from the pile."

The group went silent for a while after that, soaking in Bellona's words as they glanced up at the dead boy. As much as she had liked making Coriolanus squirm, Bellona couldn't help but feel sorry for Bobbin. His already slim chances in the game were taken away from him by someone who wasn't even meant to be playing.

But then again, Coriolanus was known for cheating.

"Bell? Why's your dad here?" Vipsania asked, pointing toward the front stage. Instantly, Bellona turned her attention toward the front, pulling herself out of her thoughts.

And there he was, front and center. Strabo Plinth.

Oh fuck.

-

a/n: this is either a really fun chapter or a really boring one,,, Idk yall you guys decide </33

vipsania and lysistrata as bell's angel and devil on her shoulder?? they lowkey ate bell up this entire chapter,,, but she did redeem her girlboss status with coriolanus... one thing about bell is shes gonna eat when it comes to taking down coriolanus

anyways, i hope you guys like this chapter,,, thank you for reading like always !!!

love you guys,

hannah <33