Galaxies | Cato Hadley

Chapter Three

CLOVE OFTEN CRIED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

She would never cry in front of someone. Never. Crying, to her, showed mental weakness. She didn't need that. Her height and body size already gave her a physical disadvantage. So she cried to herself behind closed doors where no one could hear. Lately, she'd been crying more.

She'd gotten over Wren ages ago. In fact, the wedding was the only time Clove felt happy in a while.

But after, Clove still felt her heartache.

A knock on her door caused her heart to momentarily stop. Her hazel eyes snapped to the nearest clock. It was four in the morning.

She opened the door and saw Marvel in tears leaning against Wren. More like Wren was holding him up. Marvel reeked of alcohol, Clove could smell it on him from a mile away.

"What's wrong?" Clove asked. Marvel began laughing so loudly that Wren had to slap her hand across his mouth.

"This idiot is piss drunk."

"I can see that," Clove moved aside so Wren could shove Marvel forward. "Why?"

"Glim-Glim's pregnant with my kid," Marvel hiccuped. "I'm gonna be a Dad."

"Not if you develop a drinking problem," Wren bit at him. "Man the fuck up Marv."

Marvel sat down on the floor in another fit of laughter. Wren sighed and looked at the shorter girl. "I was sneaking into the kitchen with William to find some sugar cubes when we found him and a bottle of whiskey."

"Got any more of it?" Clove asked her.

Wren shook her head. "Dumbass damn near drank all of it and spilled the rest on himself."

Clove looked at the half-passed-out Marvel. "So he's really going to be a Dad?"

"Not if he acts like this," Wren said. "I'll be dammed if he turns into a drunk."

Clove eyed him. "I doubt it. Marve's a good guy. He'll step up when needed. Probably the initial shock getting to him."

"Why'd you want the liquor?" Wren asked the small girl. She could tell my Clove's reddened eyes that she'd been crying.

The girl from Two sat down on the floor a foot away from Marvel. She pulled her knees toward her chest and watched as Wren copied her actions. Clove sighed. "Finch and I aren't together anymore. Or at least I don't know if we were ever together. Anyway, what we had stopped."

"I figured something happened. I ran into her and she was crying a while back," Wren informed Clove. Clove looked at her.

"She seems fine now," Clove snipped. "She's been hanging around those assholes."

"If you love them, let them go. If it was meant to be they'll come back."

"She hasn't," Clove's voice was small. "She hasn't come back to me."

"Did you put yourself in her shoes? Maybe she's scared of admitting she likes you to others. Maybe it was considered wrong back in Five, as it was in the other Districts. It was only accepted in the Capitol because I mean look at them. They dyed their damn skin different colors." Wren ranted. Clove soaked in all of the words.

"I just don't get it. We are at war. Wouldn't she want to be happy with me? We could die again at any moment. Why die hiding who you are?"

Wren shrugged her shoulders. "I wish I knew, Clove. Some people aren't as strong as you are."

The girl's silence was broken by Marvel sitting up.

"What if I fuck up?" He asked. "What if I'm a shitty father?"