Summary: Follow Gale Hawthorne through his childhood years, complete with the usual troubles of a teenage boy in the Seam: food, fights, friends, family, and of course: hot girls. A collection of one-shots before the 74th Games.
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A/N: In no particular order. In some he's a teenager, in some a kid. Some of these are dark, some light and fluffy, and some in between. A series of one-shots for the everyday Gale-lover. ;) (Later chapters may or may not hike this story up to an M rating)
One: HISTORY
Gale looks at the clock and feels startled.
Only two minutes have passed since he last checked?
The clock is rigged. He's sure of it.
According to him, the clock is always rigged during History.
Tenth grade history is fucking useless, he thinks irritably to himself as the boredom threatens to drown him.
He has better things to do with his time than sit through an hour of old Mrs. Roland incessantly spouting bullshit propaganda about the treasonous rebels and the unfortunate Dark Days, no doubt crafted by the idiots that call themselves the Capitol.
So he lets his mind drift to other things. More useful things. Such as that morning's hunting trip with Katniss. And what he's going to do with the money he earned at the Hob (Shoelaces for Vick? Carrots for Mom?). And that hot Town girl sitting two rows in front of him. To be more specific, that hot Town girl's ass.
Mrs. Roland is saying something. She's facing his direction, her thin, chapped lips moving ceaselessly, barking random words at the class. Gale doesn't hear anything though. He sees her, but whatever she's saying is buzzing through his ears, not sounding like anything intelligible.
"Mr. Hawthorne! Mr. Hawthorne!"
Gale looks up. Had she been talking to him?
"Yes, Mrs. Roland?"
The entire class turns to face him. If there had been anyone else in his place, they would've jerked upright, cheeks red, timidly answering the bitch. Not Gale. Oh no.
He lifts his head off the table and leans his back against the squeaky chair with a relaxed expression on his face, shaking the straight black bangs out of his eyes, waiting for the old lady to continue.
She smiles nastily at him. Mrs. Roland has never liked Gale much. Not that he cares.
"So, Mr. Hawthorne. I'm sure we'd all be delighted to hear you answer!" she rasps out.
Answer...what, exactly?
"Could you please repeat the question, ma'am?" Gale asks carelessly.
He can practically see the steam being released from his teacher's head, but nonetheless, she manages to retain her composure and with a sickly sweet voice, she says, "Mr. Hawthorne. What was the reason for the Treaty of Treason?"
How fabulous. The bitch even rhymes.
As for the question itself, Gale knows the "book answer." Everyone does.
The Treaty of Treason was fabricated in order to punish the selfish rebels for attempting to conquer the Capitol and bring down the administrative officials so they could procure riches and resources for the Districts, even when they were being supplied adequately by the government of Panem.
But just 'cause it's in the books, doesn't mean it's true.
And Gale is not much for lies.
"The Treaty of Treason," he starts, making sure his words are as formal and bookish as possible, "was fabricated in order to keep the Districts in line through means of degradation by the Hunger Games and starvation by the sorry supply of food, so that the Capitol could have their riches and entertainment without further... disturbances from the rest of Panem."
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
Gale had given cheeky replies in class before. But none of them had been as treasonous as this one.
Mrs. Roland is standing there dumbly, with her mouth slightly agape.
His classmates are staring at him wide-eyed and flabbergasted.
His friend, Heath, sitting at his right hisses, "What the hell was that, Hawthorne?"
Gale doesn't know himself. He just knows he had to say it.
Finally, Mrs. Roland seems to pull herself together and says, her voice still sounding thrown, "That is...incorrect, Mr. Hawthorne."
Gale is surprised to hear that her voice is devoid of further nastiness. He expects her to send him to the principal's office, so he is even more astonished when she simply says, "Corona Saltzen, would you like to give us the correct answer, please?"
As the girl she called upon gives the so-called "correct answer", Gale's mind is reeling.
Mrs. Roland hadn't punished him because, after everything, no matter how much she despises him, she is still a District 12 citizen.
And she, along with the rest of his classmates, knows that what he had said was the truth, and nothing less than the truth.
Gale has been lucky so far. The things he thinks, the things he says, the things he does...he hasn't been punished for them.
Yet.
Hope you enjoyed that! Reviews would definitely be appreciated. :D