ALEXIS BOUNCED ANXIOUSLY  on her toes as she, along with the rest of District 4, waited for Finnick to return at the train station. She wasn't sure what to expect from her best friend. He had been through so much, all of it something Alexis could never understand. She was determined to be there for him even if she didn't understand him anymore.

Beside her stood Rael and Maisie, the small girl holding onto Alexis' hand for comfort. As Alexis looked at the two, she couldn't express her gratitude for all they had done for her the past few weeks. She would never be able to repay their kindness, but she would repay them with all she could. 

The sound of cheers pulled Alexis from her thoughts, her heart pounding in her chest as she pulled away from Maisie and pushed her way towards the front. She wasn't sure if Maisie or Rael followed her, but Alexis didn't care. She just wanted to see him again, to smile at him again and express how grateful she was that he was alive.

Suddenly Finnick was right in front of Alexis as he looked straight into her icy-blue eyes, taking in everything about her appearance from the way her hair flowed over her shoulders to the turquoise shoes she wore. She seemed tired, exhausted even as she stared at him with gleeful eyes, happy for him to be back. But he wasn't the same Finnick that left her that day at the reaping, and he never would be again.

Without another thought, Finnick turned away from his best friend, the smirk appearing back on his face as he continued through the crowd. Alexis' face dropped, replaced by confusion and betrayal. She didn't even notice when Rael put a comforting hand on her shoulder with a sad look as he watched her break before his eyes.

Alexis thought back to the reaping when Finnick had refused to see her then. The moment Finnick was picked was the moment their friendship ended.

"He doesn't want to see me," Alexis muttered in realization at the thought as tears welled in her eyes.

"Alexi-" Rael barely said anything before Alexis pulled away from him like his touch was poison and pushed through the crowd to escape. Rael tried to catch up with her but it was too late as she disappeared into the crowd. 

It wasn't until several hours late that Rael found Alexis hanging off the end of the dock with her small feet dipped in the calm waves below. He was slow to approach her, not wanting to spook her as slipped his shoes off and sat down beside her. 

The two sat in silence for eternity as Rael watched Alexis stare off into the distance, not quite there with him in reality. He followed the direction of her eyes, watching the sun set behind the endless ocean before them. 

"Why did you help me?" Alexis' question caught Rael off guard as he looked over at the broken girl beside him who still stared off into the distance.

There were so many different excuses Rael could tell the girl beside him. He could tell her that he was never one to turn away from someone in need. Or he could say he felt bad for the girl who sobbed as her best friend was sentenced to what seemed to be his death. 

They would all be lies.

The truth was Rael had a crush on the girl since he first saw her on the first day of school with her two perfectly symmetrical braids and blonde hair that shone under the sun. He always thought she had the prettiest eyes, as blue as the ocean before them and always filled with so much joy. Rael liked the way Alexis always wore a smile on her face and had a laugh that was as contagious as the plague.

"I like you," the words were enough to snap Alexis out of her trance as her eyes met his. They were shocked, that much Rael could tell, and he wondered if he had messed up by confessing to her but it was too late to turn back. "I've always liked you, you've just never noticed me."

Rael watched as Alexis observed the boy beside her, eyes scanning over his face as if waiting for him to say he was joking. She opened her mouth only to close it again and repeated the process several times as she struggled to find the words to say.

"I just-," Alexis stuttered as she tried to find the right words to say. "Right now, I just can't-"

"I'll wait," Rael told Alexis, cutting her off mid-ramble as she stared back at him with wide eyes. "And even if you never reciprocate my feelings, I'll still be here for you."

"I don't deserve you," Alexis sighed as she thought back on everything Rael had done for her.

The warmth of Rael's hand on hers brought Alexis out of her thoughts as he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"You deserve everything," Rael's words caused tears to build up in Alexis' eyes until they started silently streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Rael was cut off as Alexis threw her arms around him, pulling him in for a warm embrace and catching him off guard once again. 

"Thank you," Alexis whispered into his ear as the tears slowly dried on her face. She pulled away, her arms remaining around his shoulders as she stared deep into his chocolate orbs. Rael reached up, wiping away the tears from her face like the other day but somehow it felt different that time. 

Eventually, the two ended up staring out into the ocean together, Rael's arm draped around her shoulder as Alexis leaned against his body. The two were content just sitting there together, the company of each other's presence enough for them.

"I just need time," Alexis broke the silence as she looked up at him. 

"Take all the time you need," Rael reassured as he reached up and pulled a strand of hair out of Alexis' face. "I'm right here."

Alexis smiled up at the boy, warmth filling her body and butterflies fluttering in the stomach as he reciprocated the gesture.