Summary: After seeing Katniss and Peeta kiss, Madge comforts Gale. One shot.
"You don't have much competition anywhere," Katniss whispered to Peeta,leaning in to kiss him. Their lips collided,and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
It was then that Gale switched my plasma screen TV off. He didn't say anything,only glowered at the carpet like it was responsible for all his troubles.
I felt so sorry for him. I knew he had feelings for Katniss,and seeing her kissing Peeta on the TV must have been torture for him. A part of me believed the whole thing was fake,though. I could see it in Katniss' eyes when she admitted her 'true' feelings for Peeta. Lies. Deceit. I guessed it was some kind of strategy their mentor had come up with,to help them get more sponsors. But Gale didn't see it that way - he believed their romance was genuine. And I saw how much it broke him.
"It really bothers you,doesn't it?" I murmured to him.
"Leave it,Madge," Gale snapped.
I sighed,knowing I couldn't possibly convince him that Katniss and Peeta's on-screen romance was nothing more than just a ploy to gain sponsors. Something to delight the Capitol,as if sending in children to fight to the death every year for their entertainment wasn't enough.
I decided the best way to go about this was to try and make Gale believe it didn't matter.
"Gale,come on," I said. "It's not a big deal that they kissed."
Silence.
"It's like if we kissed," I continued quietly. "No one would care."
Gale turned to look at me for the first time. "I would."
I chewed the inside of my cheek,wondering how I should react to this. Okay,so maybe I had a little crush on Gale. The key word here being 'little.' But what's the point in liking him,anyway,since he loved Katniss? And although the chances of her coming out of that arena were slim,I knew that if Gale and I were ever to try and pursue a relationship together,he'd never let go of Katniss. Not truly. When we kissed,he'd probably think of her,never me...
I snapped myself out of the imaginary world I had conjured in my head. Gale seemed to have regretted his words,too,because he was blushing a deep crimson colour.
"You would?" The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.
Gale shrugged. "Guess I would. It's not every day a guy gets to kiss the mayor's daughter."
For some reason,this rubbed me the wrong way. Was that all I was to him? The mayor's daughter?
"It's that all I am?" I asked. "The spoilt,bratty little mayor's daughter?"
"No!" Gale shook his head. "Madge..." He took my hands in his. His hands felt rough and dry,but I loved the feel of them. "Madge,you're not spoilt or bratty. And you're much more than the mayor's daughter,believe me."
I pursed my lips. "And you're more than just the boy who brings me strawberries."
He chuckled a little. "Thanks. Appreciate that."
I giggled. "Come on,it's getting late. You should be heading back home. We've got school tomorrow."
He rolled his eyes teasingly. "Always the responsible one."
I smiled. "See you,Gale."
"See you,Madge." He grinned back,and for a moment,it was like he'd forgotten all about Katniss kissing Peeta. He was...happy,almost. It felt good,knowing I was making him feel that way. Making him feel better.
I walked him to the front door,where he bid me goodbye. But not before he kissed me on the cheek.