*Winter break is great really. I get to stay home and bake for a month. Today I made all kinds of bread and cakes. I have so much extra. I'm gunna give a few cakes and pies to Katniss. Wait here's this whole charity thing. I don't want her to think that. I'll make her trade me something for it. Hopefully she won't be offended.*
Today I'm gunna go hunt with Katniss again. If it's anything like the last time I should be excited. The nerves that were in my stomach last week are lighter this time. I ate a full breakfast and now im ready to just enjoy the day with my friend. No stress.
Of course the "no stress" thing doesn't go over so well. As I walk closer to the gate I see Gale standing with Katniss. He looks at me like he wants me gone from Panem. It's awkward for sure but I put a smile on my face. When I get there I introduce myself and shake his hand. He gives me a handshake that's almost too hard. Katniss looks more tense than usual.
"Ok, let's go", she says nervously. We walk for a few minutes in silence until Katniss picks up a conversation with the 2 of us.
"Gale you were on the wrestling team a few years ago right?"
"Yeah. I was pretty fucking good too." He gives me a condescending look. I look interested.
"Nice. Did the team place?" I ask.
"Ahh. No. Some kid on the team got beat so we lost."
"That sucks", Katniss adds in almost too cheerfully. We settle down for breakfast. My second breakfast. I make my spread and Katniss and Gale eat. I munch on an apple. Gale doesn't talk while he eats. Katniss and I start conversing about The Hunger Games.
"I know the kids that got called last year," she says. "They were my neighbors. They got axed right at the cornucopia. Sad. By Careers." As she's talking I see Gale grow more tense while eating.
"That's horrible. I admit I try not to watch the games but it's everywhere. The peacekeepers brought in a television and made my parents show the games in the bakery. It sucked. Who wants to eat while watching people starve?" That must have been it for Gale. He slammed the bread he was eating on the floor but I pretend not to notice. Katniss pays him no mind.
"I watch it with my mom. It always seems to be one of us Seam kids. The ones in your area don't need tessera like us." The ones in my area? I hope she doesn't think im a snobby rich kid. "But you're lucky. I'm never jealous of money because I know people are born into it. It's no one's fault," she adds. I feel like she added that last line in for Gale to hear.
"Yeah well just about every single snob in 12 pisses me the fuck off" Gale chimes in. Oh shit. I hope he's not trying to start a fight. "Do you ever go and feed the people who starve in 12?" I wanna say yes I do but I don't. We all need to support ourselves. That's not fair, especially in 12 where people can barely have ends meet. I don't answer. He's really pissing me off though. I can't stand this fucking asshole right now. Katniss looks a bit angry.
"It's not his fault," she snaps "He was born into a bakery."
"Well he should thank his mother for giving birth to him". Ok were not gunna be talking about my mother.
" Let's leave my mother out of this" I say more forcefully then I should of.
He stands up. "What the fuck do you think? You think you can come here with a basket of food and steal Katniss away. I've known her since she was fucking born! You think your money can buy her?"
" Gale Stop!" Katniss says. She starts to talk to him in his ear. He shoves her away. That's enough no one is gunna touch her.
"Lay off her she didn't do anything to you! If you know her so much you should treat her a bit better," I say. I get up. No one is gunna make me look like a punk.
"Oh yeah. What are you gunna do about it fagot?" He gets nose to nose with me. Right after I think he's gunna do it and punch me I hear buzzing.
"Tracker Jackers!" Katniss yells. We all start running. MY heart is racing. I've heard about these little shits before. They kill. We keep running. I start thinking about what a dick Gale is to her. How can you just shove a woman like that? How can you treat a person who is supposed to be your girlfriend so bad? What the fuck is wrong with this kid?
I feel one buzz next to my ear. That sets me into overdrive. I sprint my ass off. Gale and Katniss both follow my lead. I can't run this long. It looks like Gale is having no problem though. I see he tries to hold Katniss hand as they run. She pushes it away. Good girl. We get to the gate and split up. Gale stands next to the gate and Katniss and I duck behind trees on different sides of the gate. I count them out. 5 tracker jackers. They look like floating acorns. There so huge for bugs. Katniss looks so tired.
"Gale gets behind a tree!" she shrieks. He ducks under the gate and runs.
"PUSSY!" I shout as loud as possible. He responds giving the finger while he runs home. " Throw snow at them!"
I don't know where I got that idea from. But, we do. I throw mounds and mounds of snowballs. So does she. They start dodging but we get them. We do it until there all buried.
I stand up. "Rest in peace." I giggle. It was forced but just trying to make things light.
"You were great Peeta. I would have never thought of the snow and with the whole Gale thing I'm so sorry. He's a hothead sometimes but he means nothing. He's just jealous of your part of 12. This is what he does. He gets mad and then he roughs me up a bit" Her voice cracks. " I told you he wouldn't be with us but when I gave some squirrels to his mom she asked who my new partner is. She's so nice I just told her a friend was helping me. He got so mad he pushed me to the floor and screamed at me." Her last words are barely hearable.
I can't believe what im hearing. He abuses her. I run over to her. Shes still on the ground and she's crying. I sit down with her and hug her. This should feel like I wanna make a move but right now im just trying to comfort her. She cries on my chest for about 10 more minutes. Finally she gets up and we walk back. My arm is still around her. We walk in silence. We get back to the place we set up. We collect all of our stuff. It's midmorning. We do hunting and fishing like last time. The day gets happier and we talk more about baking, hunting, and school. Thank God no more Hunger Games talk. No more Gale talk. But I still think about him in the back of my head. I bet she does to. Only I think about him in anger. I wonder if she does to. As the day finishes I give her the rest of the leftovers I baked. Before she takes it I hold it above her head.
"I want 2 squirrels." I say with a smile on my face.
She shrugs, and giggles. " You got it". We walk back to my house.
"Thank you for everything" she says. She hugs me again. This time I have a warm feeling in my gut. It last for around 10 seconds. Then she does something I never thought she would do. She kisses me. I feel like my lips are going to explode. I am so happy. I almost have to stop the kiss cause I keep smiling. I don't know if the kiss lasted a few seconds or a few hours. Im in a trance. Im in the warmest place I've ever been except standing outside during the winter night. She finally pulls back. Then she whispers. " I don't wanna be with him anymore. But I was doing it for my mom but not anymore. I want you. Do you want me?"
What is she kidding? " Yea. I definitely do". I pull her in for another kiss and this time I open my mouth. She opens hers it's a great feeling. After a minute she stops again.
"You're to good to me", she says with a smile on her face. "See you again next week?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way" She runs off. I feel like someone just made my dreams come true. And she did. She kissed me. She wants to be with me. No him. I love her. I want her and need her. Now I have her. Still it's bittersweet. As I turn to walk into my house I'm jumped by Gale and his friends.