Madge reemerged in the foyer a few minutes later swaddled in a blanket of a cardigan. Peeta showed her to his car, and they sat in relative silence on the way to Sae's.

"Katniss is meeting us here," Peeta told Madge as he pulled into a parking spot. "She's bringing Prim." They entered the diner and immediately spotted Katniss and Prim, sitting in a booth near where a microphone had been set up on a makeshift stage. Peeta looked around for Gale, but couldn't spot his modelesque friend anywhere. He sent Katniss a where's-Gale look, and she gave him an idk-but-he's-definitely-here-somewhere look in return. Madge gave them a confused look.

"What are you guys doing?" Peeta was flustered, and he fumbled for something to say while Katniss took a drink from her glass of water.

"Oh, they're just trying to figure out how to tell you they're dating."

At Prim's matter-of-fact statement, Peeta sputtered, and Katniss began coughing furiously. Madge smiled widely.

"Congratulations guys, but I can't say I wasn't expecting to hear the news anytime now." She giggled, and the bags under her eyes seemed to fade for a moment. "You better take care of my best friend," she told Peeta. Peeta just smiled awkwardly, but Madge seemed to accept it.

"Ok folks, it's time to get started." Greasy Sae flashed her gold-toothed grin at the small crowd that had gathered for the event. "Welcome to Panem's second annual poetry slam!"

Sae introduced the first competitor, and Peeta relaxed a bit. He knew Gale's turn was towards the end, and he preferred to not think too much about it for now. Instead, he sat back and enjoyed, as he listened to the poems, ranging from ludicrous to profound. At one point, it was Prim's turn, and he was impressed by the maturity of her work as she condemned animal testing through verse.

"Next up, we have our very own Gale Hawthorne. Give it up for Mr. Hawthorne!" Peeta sucked in a breath. It was time.

Peeta had known (or known of) Gale for years. And never had Gale Hawthorne had a reputation as a poet, or even someone who enjoyed writing creatively. Heartthrob? Yes. Math and physics guru? Maybe. Poet? Definitely not. He had been surprised when Gale had suggested this plan, but Katniss had supported the idea, thinking Madge would like it, so he figured it would be alright. Peeta just wished that Gale would've let him help, but Gale had refused to even show Peeta a rough draft.

"This is personal," he had said. "I don't care if I make a fool of myself, as long as I get my point across."

Peeta sat forward in his chair as Gale walked up to the microphone. Madge sat frozen in her seat.

"Hi guys, I'm Gale." He coughed and cleared his throat.

"This piece is titled Please, and I'd like to dedicate it to someone very special to me. I haven't really written poetry before, so please be kind." Peeta glanced over at Madge, and she remained frozen in place. Gale cleared his throat again, and took a deep breath.

"I'm not a poet

And I sure know it

But I'm gonna try

To show a girl to whom I lied

The truth.

There once was a guy

Who liked a girl

Who wouldn't look at him, wouldn't even try

As long as her friend was alone

The guy was desperate, stooped low

And hired another guy

Who was an even bigger jerk to go with the flow

And pursue the friend

At first it was a chore

She kept rejecting him

And he thought she was a bore

Who needed to loosen up.

But he realized after a bit

How cool and kind she was

The way with his friends and family she fit

Was like an enzyme and a substrate."

Peeta cringed. The poem was pretty bad and the rhyme scheme was all over the place. But he looked at Madge, who still sat frozen, eyes glued to Gale.

" Ahem, I just wanted to clarify that simile a bit. I'm referring to the induced-fit hypothesis, not the lock-and-key hypothesis. She came into my -I mean his- life like a substrate that pretty much fit the bill, but then he, the enzyme, changed and then they were perfect together. Now I'm gonna continue."

Oh my God why is Gale explaining Peeta cringed even harder. Most people didn't consider high school biology poetic. He glanced at Madge. The corners of her mouth had lifted slightly. Whatever floats her boat, I guess.

"As time went on more and more he began to see

That she was basically too good to be true

He didn't want to lose her or who he had come to be

But she found out about the deal

She left the boy, as most people would

He deserved it, but he couldn't accept

Things the way they stood.

Because even now I can't take my eyes off you.

Please believe me."

There was an awkward silence in the audience, before the first people began to clap. Gradually it built up into a respectable smattering of polite applause. Peeta had chills down his spine from how bad yet weirdly kind of good the poem was. He watched nervously as Gale came back to their table to stand next to Madge.

"Can I-can I talk to you outside?" Madge's eyes looked a bit glassy as Gale followed her out of the diner. The next poet took the mic, and Peeta prayed that everything would be okay.

School was abuzz once again when Madge and Gale showed up at prom together.

Things had quieted down at school for a while before then.

Madge and Gale were not seen holding hands at school or at the mall, and over time people forgot about the whole thing. When Madge and Gale started talking amicably together in the hall a few weeks after Glimmer's reveal, a few thought it strange, but the general student body didn't take note.

But when Gale showed up wearing a tux and looking more heartthrob-y than usual, with the Fridge Under-the-sea on his arm, it was as if they had broken up yesterday.

"Why is she back with him?"

"Pathetic. I would never take him back."

"He looks so whipped."

"They're cute."

Everybody seemed to have an opinion on the couple, but their opinions meant nothing to Peeta, and he was sure Gale and Madge were so wrapped up in each other to care either.

After the poetry slam, Madge hadn't totally forgiven Gale, but she stopped ignoring his calls, and avoiding him. She had avoided Peeta for a while, after finding out that he had been the mastermind of the plan, but with time she came to forgive both Peeta and Gale.

In the present, Peeta watched as Gale was crowned prom king and Glimmer prom queen. He smiled when Gale ignored Glimmer and quickly descended from the platform to rejoin Madge.

"Glimmer deserves that," Peeta heard Katniss say as she came up next to him, returning from the bathroom. "What a bitch."

Peeta chuckled. He couldn't disagree, but "She said what needed to be said, even though it didn't have to be announced to the whole school. I did something wrong, and Madge needed to know eventually, even if Gale did really develop feelings for her. And things worked out in the end, so no lasting harm done." A slow song came on. "Dance with me?"

Peeta collected Katniss in his arms on the dance floor. She seemed a bit uncomfortable with the public display of affection, but as the floor filled, she relaxed. They swayed gently to the beat, his hands on her waist and her arms draped around his neck. With Katniss in his arms, and Gale happily dancing with Madge, everything seemed right.

Graduation was within a month, the start of college within three. The four of them were splitting up, going to different colleges across the country. Peeta felt a bit sad to see them split up, especially since he had only befriended them so recently.

He was brought out of his reverie by a loud wolf whistle from Finn, who waltzed by with Annie.

"Get it!"

Peeta blushed and Katniss, who didn't blush, looked away self-consciously. He would miss, Finn, that doofus, too.

But all this sad stuff and missing people could wait for later. After all they still had the summer.

Together.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all the reviews, follows, and favorites.