December 13

"Excuse me? I need this gift wra-" The blond customer was cut off by the short, pixie-haired girl behind the counter. Her back was to him while she worked, but she held up her hand and gave a quick, petulant wave.

"Just a minute. Yo, Kat!" The rude girl hollered to the back. "Need some help up here! She'll be with you in a few," she said without glancing his way.

A minute later, a beautiful silver-eyed girl with long, wavy, chestnut tresses emerged from the back and sidled up to the counter to help the handsome customer. She stared at him for a moment, not uttering a word, waiting for him to speak.

"I, um, need this gift wrapped, please," he said after he cleared his throat.

"Which paper would you like?" the girl asked, pointing out the various styles posted to the back wall. After hearing her voice, he wondered if his ears would ever be graced with another so melodic and fluid. She didn't seem like a person of many words, but when she did speak her words must be worth listening to.

"The silver plaid looks good." he replied.

"Any bows or ties?" she queried.

"The blue one." He wondered what color she liked. "U-unless you have a favorite color?"

"It doesn't really matter. The customer is always right, so blue it is," she replied matter-of-factly, her sight busy on the task at hand.

"It matters to me," he responded to her gripe without thinking about his words. She looked up at him warily, and he felt uneasy under her gaze.

"Green. I like green. Happy now?" her remark was abrasive, but he was rarely caught off guard.

"Yes, actually. Can I have a green bow instead?" The girl eyed him curiously.

"We're all out of green," she said as she went to work wrapping the small box, topping it with the original blue bow he had requested.

"Jo, your turn," the girl said as she finished. She tapped her co-worker's shoulder, letting her know it was time to check out the patron, then disappeared from where she had come. Jo turned her attention to the man Kat had been helping, and let out a string of expletives upon seeing him.

"So, I could have been waiting on you this whole time, huh, Blondie?" Jo's eyes roamed his body up, down and all around, letting him know he was being thoroughly checked out. "So what's your name, hottie?"

"It's Peeta," he said unaffected. He'd had his share of lascivious girls come on to him, and thought he much preferred the girl named Kat to this overbearing, forward one.

"Well, Peeta, that'll be five, sixty-nine," she quipped, accentuating the cents owed. He ignored her crude remark.

"So, your friend, Kat, is she-"

"Not gonna happen, Peet. She's more closed off than area 51." He processed her retort.

"It's Peeta," he corrected his name sternly. "So she's not seeing anyone?"

"God, you blondes are so dense. I bet you have lots of fun, though, huh?" She smirked at her own words and wagged her eyebrows up and down.

"Here's five, seventy," Peeta remarked in the same manner she had earlier, placing the cash on the counter. "Keep the change." He picked up his gift and began his trek out of the store.

"Hey, Blondie!" He heard Jo call to him. He braced himself but turned back to face her anyway.

"I like you," she admitted. That, he understood. "She's not seeing anyone." She grinned and saluted him military style, then turned back to her work. Satisfied with her answer and her seeming helpfulness, Peeta walked out of the store with a smile on his face.

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I love reviews. What did you think about Peeta? What about Jo? I try to write her without too much language. Curse words are not my taste, so I have to try to get creative with her and still keep her in character. It's a fun challenge! More on the way...