"She's creepy," Gale told Katniss before first period. They were outside her locker at the intersection of the A-wing and the B-wing. "I feel like every time I happen to look at her, she's staring at me."

"Maybe you're imagining it? I see both of you everyday and I've never noticed it."

Gale scoffed. "And you're the most observant person all of a sudden? Mellark practically drooled over you for years and you never realized he liked you until he asked you out. Anyways, I think she's a creep, what with her weird school-marmy-meets-lolita sense of style. Could you maybe tell her to stop? Or that I'm not interested? Just thinking about her eyes gives me chills." Gale mock-shivered and Katniss frowned at Gale's comment about Madge's style. Sure she was a junior in high school who wore her hair in perfect ringlets tied with a ribbon. Sure she wore poofy knee-length tutu-like skirts. Sure she liked to wear turtlenecks and pearl-buttoned cardigans with said tutu skirts. Madge's style was…unique, and Katniss loved Madge for it. It was part of what made Madge, well Madge. Gale rubbed his face tiredly. "Please, Katniss?"

She sighed.

"I guess I could drop a hint or something, but I really don't think she likes you like that anyway."

"Well, I think she does, and I don't want her to. It's uncomfortable how she's always so cheery and eager when we talk."

Katniss scowled at Gale's snubs and was about to reprimand him when the warning bell rang. She quickly said goodbye to Gale and headed towards her next class. As she turned the corner, she saw a familiar blonde ringlet-ed poofy-skirt-wearing figure scurrying away.

"Madge!" Katniss called. Madge didn't turn around. "Wait up, Madge!" Katniss jogged to catch up with her. When Madge finally turned around, her face was flushed and her eyes were watery.

"Madge! What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Madge answered quickly, her voice but higher than usual. "I think I'm getting seasonal allergies or something." She swiped at her eyes. "I'm just gonna run to the bathroom really quick. See you at lunch?" She ran off before Katniss could even respond.

"Was that Madge?" Katniss's boyfriend, Peeta Mellark, appeared as Katniss watched Madge's retreating back. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to her temple.

"Yeah. I'm not really sure what's happened, but she seems off." Katniss paused for a beat."You don't think Madge has a thing for Gale, do you?"

"No,"

Katniss breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sure Madge has a thing for Gale."

"What?" Katniss exclaimed. "How do you know? Did she tell you?"

"Well," Peeta began. "Have you seen the way she looks at him? She kinda reminds me of myself sometimes, all those years I spent watching you from afar when you didn't even know I existed…" Katniss shoved Peeta's arm away from her shoulders and turned to stare at him, eyes round as saucers.

"Oh crap."

"What?"

"She heard us."

"Who?"

"Me and Gale. He told me he thought she was creepy and made fun of the way she dressed. He told me to tell her he wasn't interested." Katniss smacked her forehead and groaned. "I'm so stupid! I never even noticed! I'm a terrible friend."

Peeta patted her arm. "There there. You're not stupid, just oblivious."

Katniss groaned again and went to go look for Madge in the bathroom.

-00000000000000000-

Madge felt her tears slowly subside as she sat in a stall in the girls bathroom. The more she thought about it, the less sad and the more frustrated she became.

Gale Hawthorne was an ass. An ass who had dreamy gray eyes and looked like he belonged in a freaking shampoo commercial. As she sat in that stall in the second floor B-wing girls bathroom, Madge wanted nothing more than to slap that lazy smirk off Gale's beautiful face.

Who was he to insult her clothes? Call her a creep? This was a free country: she could look at who she wanted.

But that was just it. Madge didn't want to stare. Somehow, her eyes were just drawn to Gale, like protons attracted to his negativity. Literally. In the years she had been friends with Katniss, Gale had never said one nice thing to her. Sure, he also hadn't been mean outright, but he was always coldly taciturn, borderline pugnacious. She wasn't even sure why she liked him.

Madge laughed a little at her own silliness and helped herself to a generous ribbon of toilet paper. She blew her nose noisily and stood up. He didn't deserve her attention anyway.

As Madge emerged from the stall, Katniss entered the bathroom. She hurled herself at Madge, wrapping her arms around her.

"I'm so sorry! I should have known-don't worry about him, Madge, he's an idiot."

"It's okay. After all, I didn't tell you." Madge stood stiffly in Katniss's arms.

"What's wrong?" Katniss asked, pulling away to look at Madge. "You're mad, aren't you?"

Madge laughed. "No, I just haven't washed my hands yet."

"Who cares?" Katniss paused. "You didn't actually use the bathroom, though, right?"

"No...but I did blow my nose." Katniss sighed and hugged Madge again.

"Whatever. I can deal with some Madge-snot." The two girls giggled and Madge hugged Katniss back

"I'm going to pummel Gale to a pulp later,"

"Don't," Madge whispered. "I don't want him to know."

-0000000000000000-

Gale peered warily into the cafeteria. He searched the crowd of students for those familiar blue eyes that were always watching his every move. Surprisingly, Madge was nowhere to be found. Katniss wasn't there either, he noted with dismay.

It wasn't that he still liked her, or at least he didn't think so. He no longer felt like punching Peeta when he saw them together. He would even go so far as to admit, albeit reluctantly, that Peeta was a nice guy. Nowadays, Katniss was more like a younger sister and a friend that he wanted to keep an eye on. Figuring that Katniss was off somewhere with Madge or with Peeta, he took his lunch tray and strode over to his friends.

"Sup, bro," Thom grinned as Gale sat down. "I see your little fan isn't here today." Gale groaned.

"Don't remind me. I asked Katniss to help me out, so I hope that's the end of it. It's weird." Thom's smile grew.

"I wouldn't mind having a pretty girl like Madge Undersee stare at me. So what if she's a bit old-fashioned? It's cute."

"Ugh, please. You don't know what it feels like to be under constant surveillance. I'm telling you, she isn't normal." Gale took a bite of his hoagie.

"So you'd be okay with it if I asked her to Winter Formal after break?" Thom blurted out suddenly. Gale nearly choked on his food.

"Madge? Undersee?" he asked incredulously. He shook his head. "If you're into stalkers-in-the-making, go ahead. I don't know why you're even asking me."

The rest of the meal passed uneventfully, but Gale had an unsettled feeling at the pit of his stomach.

Eh, it was probably just the school's wonky lunch meat.