A/N: I thought I would explain a bit before I go on. Gale doesn't have a crush on her, at least not in the sense that he feels comfortable showing it. Any feelings he has for her are very deep down. He saved her out of compassion because he's a human being, because his mother drilled respect for women into his head at a young age, and yes, maybe a tiny crush. But it is very much still true that their relationship is awkward and he is resentful of her. Any contact with Madge is a begrudging for him. This relationship isn't going to be extremely romantic, at least not for a while. I mean, that's how I'm trying (hopefully succeeding?) In writing this. I guess you can interpret it how you want, though.

He awkwardly thrusts a bucket of strawberries into my hands. I look from to bucket to him, at a loss. He grunts in annoyance, and looks away uncomfortably. I raise my eyes to look at his, surprised that I see a mixture of concern and annoyance in them. The annoyance I understand, but the worry? How do you interpret that? Gale's a mystery.

I move to retrieve some of the coins we keep by the door for these deals, when a hand grabs my wrist. I look at him, surprised, and he snatches his hand back as if he was burned. I wait, look at him questioningly and he sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. God, that hair. I wonder what it feels like.

"How are you?" he grudgingly asks.

"Fine." I say softly.

After a small pause, in which I decide whether or not to elaborate, I say, "Thank you. For- you know." I think I blush. Damn this pale skin.

He nods once, seemingly unsure, and nods again as if to reassure himself. Or me? He turns abruptly and walks away, without his money.

"Gale!" I call, once I realize this, "You forgot your money!"

He keeps walking, but the slight jerk of his head and the slight slowing down in his walk at the gate tells me that he is purposefully ignoring me.

I huff, and resolve to give it to him tomorrow at school.

Oh God, I think. School.

The next day, I wake up late. As I rush around my closet, trying to find something suitable to wear, I attempt to put my hair up to make it look like anything other than the bird's nest it was when I woke up. I grab my bag, a small pastry from the kitchen, and I'm off.

Thankfully, the incident has been kept between the Everdeens, my father and Gale, so I don't get any weird stares. At least, not any more than I usually do.

I pass Peeta, the baker's son's locker, and say hi. He walks with me to my first period and we make small talk. He's a sweet guy, really. And I see the way he looks at Katniss, it's adorable. It makes me wish that she had the time and mindset for a relationship, I think they'd be perfect together.

I make it through the school day. At lunch Katniss still looked at me a bit like I was a wounded animal, but I guess that's to be expected, though I wish she'd just forget about it. Like I'm trying to.

At the end of the day, I'm waiting outside by the lockers for Gale. I brought the coins he ignored. I am determined to pay him back. If I can't pay him back for rescuing me, then I can pay him back for the damn strawberries. He emerges from a classroom, with his younger brothers in tow. I know the older one's name, Rory, but I can't seem to recall the other one's.

I walk over to them, and set a determined look on my face. Gale sees this and quietly tells his brothers to go on.

"You forgot your money." I say, accusingly. Suddenly I'm angry. I don't really know why.

Gale looks at me, disinterested. "You know I did it on purpose."

I don't know what to do. I can't owe him, I can't. "Gale, you take this money or- so help me!"

I am so angry I'm shaking. My body doesn't seem to know whether to punch something or cry.

Gale seems to realize this and puts his arms around my shoulders, guiding me to the side of the building, by some trees. He makes shhh-ing noises, but I'm still angry so I push hard away from him. My hand flies to my hair. I take a deep breath.

"What's you deal?" Gale says. "I thought you'd be happy not to pay me. Not to 'give your money to a Seam rat'."

I snap back towards him, incredulous. "Gale, I owe you! I can't even dream of paying you back for what you did for me, for showing me compassion when you absolutely didn't have to? But I thought I could at least help pay it off with these!" I jiggle the coins. "Here I am, admiring you, for your bravery and your kindness, and you still think that I don't care? You think that I don't care about what you did for me? Gale Hawthorne." I let out a frustrated laugh, running my hand through my hair. "You really are a mystery."

All throughout my outburst I didn't look at him, too afraid of what I'd see. I finally get the courage to look up at him, and what I see surprises me.

He looks uncomfortable. Surprised. And a little bit impressed?

"You don't have to pay me back, Undersee." He grumbles.

I sigh, my anger gone. "You're not the only one who hates being indebted to people, Gale." This words have a double meaning of course, because of my family's debt to the Capitol. The debt that they won't ever let us pay off because they want the leverage. I hope he understands, because maybe he'll realize that we're not so different. That I'm not the cookie-cutter rich girl he thinks I am. That I have problems, too.

But I don't know if he understands, because all he does is nod, and turn and walk away. He seems to be doing that a lot lately.