Hello readers! So, sorry if this chapter is a little shorter than normal, I was just not in the right mood today so eek...! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, I really appreciated it. Um, one little message to Radio Free Death: I don't really know what you mean by me cheapening the terror from the other books, because that was never my intention...I really do admire Suzanne Collin's writing so if it seems like I am making the stories sound a little cheap, sorry. And YES I know that throwing a bunch of kids in an arena to kill each other in an arena located in who-knows-where is a HECK lot scarier than high school, but the title was being sarcastic. This story takes place in modern civilization, not in the crazy hell-like reality in the future. So...yeah. On that note, *back to talking to everyone else* Enjoy the chapter and please please please review! No hater comments, feedback and criticism is welcome! Luv ya bunches! XOXO
Chapter 7.
Katniss—
"Are you okay?" Gale asked me as we walked home. I nodded, trying to swallow down the lump in my throat. "I'm fine." I say, trudging forward.
"Are you sure?" Gale asked.
I blinked a couple of times and nodded again. "I'm sure." I whispered, but my voice came out choked and an octave higher than normal. I winced and tried to regain my posture.
"Glimmer's a jerk, you know. You shouldn't listen to her." Gale says to me, still not getting the hint that I wanted this conversation over.
I nodded listlessly, but Gale continued.
"She doesn't know who you really are. She can't just go judge you. And her spreading rumors? Forget that. Tons of people know you already. They won't believe those words. I mean, it's GLIMMER we're talking about. I think more people hate Glimmer than they hate you. Not that I'm saying that people hate you, I'm just saying-" I sighed and raised my hand to stop Gale.
"Gale, I'm sorry and I appreciate that you're doing the best you can to make me feel better, but I would rather not talk about it." I say slowly.
Gale blinked and nodded quickly. "Of course, I mean I can understand why you wouldn't want to talk about it. I mean, you two probably try not to look at each other at ALL and I'm just making it worse talking about it and-"
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Gale." I say warningly. My friend looked at me in the eye and bit his lip. "Sorry." He muttered. "It's alright." I say tiredly.
Gale swallowed. "No, it's not alright." He says. "It's not fine and you're not sure that you're fine…and just QUIT LYING TO ME!"
My eyes widened as he kicked at a brick wall of a house.
He cursed under his breath and his bravado was gone as he began hopping around and rubbing at his foot. "Gale, stop it." I say sharply.
Gale looked up at me and scowled. "You don't tell me how you really FEEL Katniss." He says. "For once, just be truthful and tell me what you really want to DO." I sighed.
"Gale, I know that you're looking out for me, but I don't need someone constantly breathing on my back to say that I'm okay. Because I'm not." I said stiffly.
Gale pointed at me and his glare deepened. "If it was Peeta asking you if you were okay, you'd tell him."
I felt my face flush. "What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded. Gale didn't respond and he didn't bother saying anything to me for the rest of the walk home.
•◊•
"How was school today?" Mom asked me.
I grunted in reply and stomped up to my room.
I flung my bag in the corner and glared at Gale's window, half-hoping that he would open it and we could talk.
I prepared my pad, starting with 'Quit acting like a jerk.' But as time went by and Gale's window still didn't open, I changed the message to, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'
Gale's window still didn't open.
I sighed and switched the message again and wrote, 'I'm sorry.'
No answer, and the window didn't shift at all.
Frustrated, I set down the pad and began to work on my homework.
Finally, not wanting to take it anymore, I ran out the door and banged at Gale's door.
"Gale, open up and let me in NOW!" I screamed. I heard someone shuffling in there but the door didn't open.
"GALE NOW!" I shouted. "I SWEAR, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR, I WILL-"
I stopped abruptly as the door opened and little Posy looked up at me with curious eyes. "What are you going to do, Katniss?" She asked sweetly.
I gulped and hesitantly put down my fist. "Nothing you need to know, Posy." I answered in what I hoped would be a cheerful voice.
Posy looked at me carefully and then she shrugged. "Gale is in his room." She said and I clenched my teeth.
I nodded tightly and stomped up the stairs and I slammed open the door.
"Gale Hawthorne, you better have a good reason why-" I stopped in my tracks and Gale looked up at me with wide eyes.
"Katniss, what the hell?" He yells at me and grabs a proper shirt to tug on. I blinked a couple of times and then covered my eyes.
"Gale, get some real pants too." I muttered, my face flushing.
Gale grumbled something and I could feel him walking to his dresser and when I heard a zipper moving up, I finally peeked through my hands.
Let's dissect this moment, shall we?
When I walked into Gale's room, he was sitting at his desk, in his boxers, without a shirt on.
That sounds about right.
"You could have given me a warning!" Gale snapped at me. I narrowed my eyes. "I gave you plenty of warnings." I shot back. "Didn't you hear me screaming when I was getting into your house?"
Gale sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fair enough." He mutters to me.
I sat down on the floor and raised my eyebrow. "Why weren't you fully dressed anyway?" I asked.
Gale shrugged, but I decided to take that as a good answer since I didn't really want to replay the image of him not having a shirt on.
"So why are you here?" He asks me and I felt my throat tighten.
"I'm sorry about…you know." I mumble. "I guess I wasn't really being fair about you and Peeta."
Gale didn't respond. "You like Peeta, don't you?" He finally says after a couple moments of silence.
I felt my cheeks flush but I murmured, "Yeah. I like him…a lot."
I thought I heard Gale sucking in his breath, but it was so quiet I wasn't really sure if I imagined it or not.
"I figured just as much." He says softly. I shrugged. "He's nice." I say shortly.
I looked up at Gale and realized that he looked almost…pained. I stood up and walked over to him. "Gale?" I whispered. "Are you okay?"
Gale gave me a smile. "It's nothing." He murmured.
I bit my lip. "Now you're not being truthful." I say. Gale opened his mouth to say something, but he shut it right after.
"Gale?" I asked, nudging him. "Come on, say something."
Gale shook his head. "I'm fine." He says a bit forcefully this time. I rolled my eyes. "Come on Gale, I know that you're not as invincible as you tell me you are. Something's bugging you." I poked him a little harder.
Gale glared at me. "Quit it!" He snaps. This time, I punched him in the shoulder. "Quit acting weird first and tell me why the hell you're so pissed off at me!" I say a bit louder.
Gale looked at me in the eye. "Do you really want to know why I'm pissed off at you?" He growls. I crossed my arms in defiance. "Maybe I DO." I say angrily.
Gale lunged at me and I held up my fists, ready to punch him if he was going to punch me, but he didn't.
He pressed me into the wall and I struggled against him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, squirming. "Let go of me!"
Gale murmured something in my ear so quickly that I didn't comprehend what he was saying.
My eyes widened. "What?" I asked, still trying to get him off of me. Gale gave me a small smirk and then pressed his lips against mine.
I made a little noise in the back of my throat that I hoped didn't sound too pathetic. Gale put his hands around my waist and I began to feel light-headed and giddy all at the same time as he continued to kiss me.
'No, no, no this can't be happening.' I thought dizzily. 'Please let this just be a dream…even though it's a nicer dream than most…'
Finally, after what seemed to be an hour, I shoved Gale off and I stared at him, my mouth dropping open. Gale watched my face for any reaction and I stuttered out, "You…are…so…full of it!"
Without knowing what else to do, I ran out of Gale's room and charged out the door.
•◊•
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" I murmured to myself in my room.
I rocked around on my bed, trying very hard to not think about what the HELL just happened.
"This world really is coming to an end." I said aloud to myself.
Gale. Kissed. Me.
Why did he do that?
We're just friends!
Right?
"Gah!" I scream and punch at my bed a couple of times to make me feel better. What was going on? Gale couldn't just do that! I just told him that I liked Peeta…and he KISSES me?! I moaned and settled back into my bed.
"I just want to be friends." I said out into the darkness as I turned down the shades in my room. "I never asked for him to like me, let alone kiss me…"
I sighed and walked back to my bed. I pulled the covers over my head and closed my eyes, trying to go to sleep.
I couldn't.
I tossed and turned in my bed, hoping that the amount of moving around would tire me down but nothing worked. I sighed again and looked out my window, hoping that maybe Gale would leave a message for me.
I had just opened one of my shades through a crack but I quickly hid under the sill, hoping for dear God that Gale didn't see me.
He was staring right at my window, almost as though he was hoping that I would be leaving HIM a message.
"Oh, god, no." I murmured. I buried my head in my arms.
"Gale, please don't do this to us…" I whispered.
We're friends and I don't want anything weird going on between us…I mean, imagine if one day we fight and then we're suddenly not the same anymore? And then I won't have Gale as a friend…I'll just see him as my…boyfriend.
I shuddered at the very thought of it and climbed back to bed.
Gale as my boyfriend…what the hell.
•◊•
"Who do you like?" She whispered to me as we hid behind our textbooks.
"I don't know." I whispered back, giggling. My friend smiled at me. "Oh, come on, Katniss. There has to be ONE guy at least who you want to kiss." I made a puking face and poked her teasingly.
"No, I won't want to have a boyfriend." I say softly. "Besides, it would just complicate things."
Glimmer sighed and rolled her eyes. "Of course." She says. We lapsed into giggles and pretended to continue reading our textbooks to avoid getting into trouble with the teacher.
"But Katniss…if you ever get a boyfriend, you won't leave me, right?" Glimmer asks softly. I nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. "Never." I whispered. "You won't leave either, right?" I asked.
Glimmer stuck her tongue out at me. "Do I look like I'll be leaving any time soon?" She whispers. I smiled and she poked me on the shoulder.
"Seriously, though." She says. "I'm not going to ditch you because of something stupid like THAT."
I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling.
I sat up straight and when I blinked, I felt water drift down my cheek. I wiped at the tear furiously and whispered out, "Liar. You DID ditch me."
