Chapter Six- Madge and Katniss
Madge was barely present in her classes for the rest of the day. Sure, her body was there, but her mind was everywhere else. So much had happened in one day, that honestly, Madge was not sure how she was supposed to process all of it.
Gale liked her. Gale had been dumb enough to tick off Katniss. Twice. Gale punched Peeta. Gale had kissed her. He was such a good kisser. 'Granted,' she thought, 'it wasn't as if I've kissed anyone else to have any kind of decent comparison.' Gale... liked her. The way he had looked at her earlier today, like he had won some grand prize right after he kissed her. It had left her speechless. Then, the silly boy jumped the gun, afraid she didn't like him, which was utterly ridiculous. Besides Katniss, every girl in this school had been interested in Gale romantically at least one point in their high school years. When they had went to prom last year as friends, her, Gale, and Katniss, Madge had nearly drooled at the sight of him in a tuxedo.
But, now, of course, she couldn't just have a normal day of easy, breezy daydreams, because Gale had freaked out and punched Peeta in the face. She had thought that he was out of his mind a little, believing that rumor about Katniss, but once he had punched Peeta, she seriously wondered what had gotten into Gale over the last couple of weeks.
She liked Gale, a lot. More than a lot. BUT, she knew that she had to be on Katniss' side for this one. Gale was completely in the wrong for punching Peeta, but if he hadn't, would Peeta freaking Mellark, the other school heartthrob, have told her that he liked Katniss. She was blown away. The girl that she had had to give instructions to for interacting with other more social human beings had managed to garner to the attention of the other boy that practically every girl in the school was obsessed with, beside Gale. She knew that Peeta must see how beautiful, smart, and talented Katniss was. but it was amazing that he had even gotten her to open up to him at all. He had told Delly to invite Katniss Everdeen, the school outcast, to a party, because he thought that she would "have fun". That boy had a lot to learn, and fast, before Katniss realized that if she got rid of him, she would have no more parties to attend for a while.
Madge couldn't help but smile, thinking about the sweet way that Peeta had worried about Katniss and Gale, how he didn't want to make things any worse for Katniss, because he knew that she and Gale were close.
That boy, Peeta, he had a way with words. What was it he had said? That he couldn't be mad with Gale if his intention had been to protect Katniss. Even as far as boys went, this one seemed hopeless. But if Gale had been as hopelessly attracted to her as he had said, and Madge knew social cues. it was going to take massive, coordinated strikes to get Katniss to realize that Peeta liked her. She didn't really know if Katniss liked Peeta, given that Katniss' herself probably had no clue. Knowing Katniss, she probably thought that it was impossible for a boy like that to like her. Madge knew that usually, girls were dead wrong about that sort of thing, when their minds became so absolute. Madge smiled, thinking to herself about how amazing it would be, her at prom with Gale, and Peeta arriving with Katniss. If Peeta and Katniss did get together, they were going to be some sort of celebrity level good looking couple. She sighed, knowing that Gale probably deserved someone prettier than her, with her glasses, and her librarian based wardrobe. He was so adventurous, and what was she? Cautious, like nobody would even believe. Gale helped her to take chances, but she had thought that she had slipped into some kind of daydream when he had kissed her earlier that day. She couldn't blame herself for taking a second to realize that it was real after he had stopped kissing her. He was Gale Hawthorne, after all. She had only been crushing on him for a few... months.
She sighed. It was bad enough that so much drama was already flowing through her thoughts today, but that it wasn't even over. Honestly, the day had made her feel as if she had been dropped into some kind of dramatic TV show. It had been exhausting. When the last bell rang, Madge begrudgingly got out of her seat, gathering her things. The two people that she cared about most in the world needed to get a grip and stop this foolishness. It was getting hard to keep track of all of the people that needed some sort of mediation. She gulped, walking outside.
Katniss walked out right after her. Madge felt Katniss come a stop beside her, while Madge mentally prepared herself to keep the peace as much as possible this afternoon. She felt her heart catch as she saw Gale walking up to them, not to far away, smiling at her, which made her blush, remembering all of the things that had happened between them. She wondered if that had been a one time thing, the time gap making her doubt herself. What were she and Gale to each other now? Were they dating? Were they boyfriend and girlfriend?
"Hello, Katniss, Madge." His smile had vanished and a hesitant, but concerned look came over his face. Let the battle commence.
Katniss, of course, had known that this was going to come, knew that he was going to talk to her after school.
"Hello... Gale." She heard her frustration, but honestly, felt a little numb. All she had been able to think about was Peeta's response, about Peeta telling her that her and Gale were best friends. Him telling her that nothing she get more heated between her and Gale just because he socked Peeta in the mouth.
Peeta was... something else. Peeta's words, fresh in her mind, made Katniss soften a little the more Gale began to talk.
"I'm sorry, Katniss." He looked terrible. Katniss felt her heart pang with guilt about the way that she had treated him earlier that day. She knew she had been wrong to taunt him, but she was upset that she had felt sorry for him. That she had felt more sorry to the guy who was supposed to be her best friend, who had wronged her, than he seemed to feel toward her.
Now, however, Katniss knew that she had been wrong to assume that. That she had made assumptions about Gale and that she had let the anger and the hurt get the best of her.
"Katniss, I know that I've hurt you these past couple of weeks, but I only did that because I didn't want to hurt you." She saw Gale swallow and look down. "I know that you may not believe me, but with everything going on between Madge and I, I heard a rumor.. and I believed it."
Katniss felt confused. "You and Madge?" She looked and saw Madge, furiously flushed, and Gale with a softer happy look in her eyes. "Oh, wow. That's great, Gale." She felt the words come out stale. She was truly happy for them, but it was awkward to congratulate the person that you are furious with for the time being.
She paused. "Wait, what rumor?" Kat knew that she was oblivious to such things. She paid no attention to what other people were saying, in restrooms or as she passed them in the lunch room or the hallway.
Gale swallowed again, the penitent look back on his face. "I heard that you had feelings for a friend, and well, you only really hang out with Madge... and me."
Katniss wanted to go up and slap Gale in the head, but she restrained herself. "Well," she said, harshly laughing, "that was dumb."
Gale just nodded, continuing, "And, I know you would never think so Katniss, but I got worried about that guy, Peeta, liking you. Two weeks ago, I didn't even know he existed and today you hugged him." Her face must have shown confusion, because Gale began to clarify further. "Katniss, you never really hug someone like that unless you trust them, unless you are close to them." He looked down. "I wanted to protect you from this guy, who likes you but obviously won't own up to it."
Madge had been listening and it was going well so far. She saw Katniss, processing the information, but was surprisingly calm. Madge was trying to give Gale a look that said "drop it" when he kept going on and on about Peeta liking Katniss, as if it was some sort of bad thing. Honestly, the boy seemed to be clueless, missing all of her signals.
Katniss paused after Gale had confessed that he was trying to protect her from Peeta. Then, out of nowhere, she started really laughing, so hard she was nearly crying.
"Katniss? What are you..?"
"I... you think... that .. Peeta.." She burst out in laughter again. Gale was getting a little frustrated so Madge tried to explain, to tell Gale what Katniss didn't have enough breath for at the moment.
"She thinks it is .. funny.. that you think Peeta is a threat." Katniss laughed again. "She thinks it is hilarious that you think that Peeta would like her like that, that he would have hit on her." Madge chuckled, knowing how wrong Katniss was, but glad to see that Gale wasn't going to completely ruin everything for Peeta. 'At least this gives Peeta a chance to be good friends with her first,' Madge thought. Her best friend, however, was blind. Katniss couldn't see that Peeta liked her? She laughed a little more, both at her mental conversation and because Katniss' laughter was a little contagious.
Gale looked at Madge, and Madge knew that he must think it was odd that she couldn't see Peeta liking Katniss either. For the time, Madge was just going to have to roll with it. Katniss started breathing again and said, "Honestly, Gale. Peeta is so nice and every stinking girl in this place likes him. He could have anyone, he'd never pick me." Katniss' eyes grew sad for a moment, then she began to chuckle.
"I forgive you, Gale, because apparently liking Madge made you lose your mind." She guffawed again, while Gale reluctantly smiled. He must be glad that she was not mad at him anymore.
"Hey!" Madge yelled in mock outrage. "I don't cause insanity."
"Hate to break it to you Madge, but I think you might if Gale is any indication." She chuckled. "Of course, I am relieved to know that I can start cracking out all of the puppy dog look jokes that I have been working on for Gale. Oh, and," she paused, suddenly dead serious, "if he wants, Peeta gets a free swing."
Gale, thank goodness, just nodded.
"If you ever, and I do mean ever hurt him again, without asking me first," Katniss' voice had turned cold. "I will end you." Then she started smiling again, saying, "I think I'll give you looovveeebirds a little time alone. Madge," Katniss looked to her. "I expect details. How could you not tell me?"
Madge just laughed, blushing. "I'll have a report for you by tonight," Madge said, feeling relieved that the day was almost over.
Katniss knew, given the circumstances, that she should be happy to have Gale back, to be friends with everyone again. But one last thing began to weigh on her conscience.
"Gale!" She called his name as he and Madge started to walk away. "I am sorry about earlier. I was mad. I.. I am sorry for hurting you like that, it was wrong." She looked down, knowing that she would feel better when she walked away. "I was upset, because... you are like my brother. Then, out of nowehere, you wouldn't even talk to me. I just.. it hurt a lot more than I thought it would. I was upset because... I rely on you a lot. I need you." She looked up and saw the shocked look on his face. "Never do that ever again," she said quietly. "Please."
Gale broke away from Madge and strode over to her immediately, hugging her tightly on the spot. "I care about you too, Katniss. I am so, so sorry that I hurt you. I will never," he pulled away to look at me, "never do that ever again." She knew that he was telling the truth, she could hear the sincerity in his voice.
She just stepped back, smiling a little to herself. "Good. See you both tomorrow."
She turned and walked toward the city bus stop, trying to think through the day. Gale and Madge, she understood. Instead her mind kept coming back to Peeta. Peeta this morning in the art room, Peeta at lunch, Peeta telling her that she was smart and pretty and talented, Peeta getting punched because of her, feeling no anger, and lastly, Peeta asking her for help on his math homework. The guy, well, frankly was too good. Katniss didn't get it. Didn't he realize that she had only been in her life for one real day of friendship and already she had gotten him harassed and socked in the jaw, as well as the fact that he seemed to believe that he was obligated to be her friend, to spend time with her. She thought that he was a great guy, but she didn't understand how he could be so light and breezy all of the time. It was like nothing ever got to him.
She wondered how that idea, of them being friends, how that was going to progress over the next week, the next month. She wondered if he would realize that she was a social pariah, if he would become bored by her, leaving her behind to spend more time with Delly or other more.. social people. She knew that Peeta seemed to love parties and big groups of people, where she could not stand to be around so many people at the same time. She didn't like feeling as if she couldn't hear her own thoughts or having to be nice and make small talk with people who weren't even really interested in her, just interested in having a good time.
Peeta, Katniss decided, was going to be a good friend, if she decided to let that happen. Should she even try to fight it? Peeta was a good guy, so it is not because of him that she would stay away, but rather because of herself.
She had always thought that Peeta was attractive and watching him today with Rue, well, she had truly been impressed. In her head, she pictured what it would be like for Peeta to meet Prim, for them to laugh at her expense, for him to prod conversation out of her sister the way that he had with Rue. This hope, or whatever she should call it, was the reason that she wasn't positive that being friends with Peeta was a good idea.
She climbed on the bus, hearing the coins click into the collection at the front, then worked her way back to her seat, thinking about what she could say that might make Peeta give up on wanting to be friends with her, which lasted her until the bus arrived at her stop. She gathered her things, walking unfocused toward her house. She heard someone calling her name and she focused on the voice. She looked up, toward the sound, and saw her mother, with a somewhat impatient expression on her face.
"Good, you are home. Prim is inside. I have to go to work." "Sure, Mom." I wasted no time on fluffy speeches. Ever since Dad had died, her mom could barely even pretend to want a personal relationship. Katniss knew that her grief had been hard to deal with, but it had forced Katniss to become the parent. To make sure that her mom ate, that the bills were paid, that her mom was ready for work and that Prim did her homework. She became the person who ran the home. Recently, her mother seemed to have become more herself, but Katniss didn't trust her to run the house all of these years later.
That, of course, created tension between them that seeped out in every interaction, unless Prim was within earshot. She must be in her room, otherwise Mom would be pretending to care in a more convincing way. "Did you get groceries today?"
"No, I left the food stamps card on the table. You choose what to get, since you know about that more than I do." Katniss heard the scorn in her mother's voice.
"Maybe if you hadn't passed the job on to me, then you wouldn't have anything to complain about. Have a good shift," Katniss said, in no mood to put up with the many issues that she had with her mother.
Katniss walked in the door. "Prim!" she called as the door shut behind her. Prim emerged from her room saying, "Mom left for work."
"I know," Katniss said. "Ready to go shopping? You can pick the store this time." Katniss picked up the card off of the table and walked to hug Prim.
"Okay... let's go to the grocery store Dad used to love." It was a little further than the nearest Walmart, but she knew it had been a while since they had been able to go.
"Yay!" Prim exclaimed. "Should we get party balloons while we are there?" She smiled.
Katniss shrugged. "Why would we need party balloons?" She couldn't think of anything coming up soon.
"For you, silly. Your birthday is in a few weeks, so shouldn't we start planning the party?"
"You wish, Prim. I don't do parties or gifts, remember?"
She sighed, knowing this was hardly the last time she would have to deny her sister the pleasure of throwing her a party they couldn't afford. Prim didn't have to know that they didn't have the money, though. For Prim, it could just remain an issue of Katniss and her "absurd" aversion to parties.