We avoid talking about it, talking at all actually, for almost a week. Until one night I come home from the mines to find my mother dabbing at Rory's thick lip while Madge apologises profusely. I get the impression it's been going on for a while.

"What happened here?" all three turn to face me as I shuck my boots and Madge looks somewhere between terrified and sheepish

"It was all my fault" she admits, glancing at her feet

"Don't listen to her" Rory interrupts "I got into a small fight at school"

"Did you win?" Rory grins, revealing a gap where the other half of his incisor should be. I wink at him when my mother stops glaring at me and crouch down to get a better look "chipped a tooth, you know we haven't got money to fix that right? Prim'll never want to kiss you now" he shoves me and his ears turn pink but he's also smiling, wonky from the swelling lip but smiling all the same "so what happened?"

"It was all my fault" Madge tries again

"Madge didn't do anything" Rory interrupts her again "some idiot said some things he shouldn't have so I told him to shut up. He threw the first punch … I just threw the last one" he smirks

"So you were sticking up for Madge?" explains why Ma isn't too angry at him

"Like I said, it was all my fault"

"Anything else, besides the tooth?"

"Not really" Rory shrugs "scraped knee and it took us a while to get home because Madge all but tried to carry me but I'm all good"

"Atta boy".

When I get the chance, I follow Ma into the kitchen to ask her what they're not telling me. She doesn't like us fighting even if it's justifiable

"What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm not sure what you mean Gale"

"You used to smack me upside the head if I so much as watched a fight so why's Rory getting special treatment?"

"He's not getting special treatment, I'm disappointed he felt the need to use his fists but … sometimes ... very rarely, the situation calls for it"

"And this did?"

"Yes. On this one occasion, I'm glad someone got punched. You are not to repeat that Gale Hunter Hawthorne, do you hear me?"

"Yes Ma'am".

Realising I'm not going to get any more out of her, I go outside to wash up. The water is cold, which is disappointing for all the wrong reasons. Rather than being let down by the sting of chilled water, I'm disappointed that Madge wasn't caring for me, or at least was too distracted. The whole thing freaks me out.

I'm so lost in thought that a creak from the front steps makes me jump and I knock the water bowl over

"Madge"

"Sorry, I should've announced myself"

"Don't worry about it" I can feel the warmth returning to my cheeks after the cold water as I remember the last time we were alone together. By the looks of it, she's realised it too

"I'm really, terribly sorry Gale. Your mother and Rory won't accept it but what happened today was my fault and Rory is suffering for it. I'm just … really sorry"

"Look, Rory isn't like me, he's not as hot headed and I'll never admit this in front of him but he's a hell of a lot smarter and more sensible than I give him credit for. If Rory thought it was worth fighting over, it more than likely was"

"He was defending me"

"Like I said, worth a fight" I tell her simply

"Hmm" she smiles a little, looking a lot like Posy did in her trouble maker phase "you know some might say I needed defending from you" I snort

"If someone was being as awful to you as I was I'd probably punch them too. Luckily you could always take care of yourself" I realise too late that that was a terrible thing to say and stammer for a change of topic

"Not always" she smiles sadly and steps back toward the house "anyway, I'm sorry I got Rory hurt" I'm such an idiot.

"It's true then" I jump for the second time in a few minutes and this time trip over the fallen bowl

"Who's that?" I can tell the voice come from an alley between two houses the other side of the street but not who's there

"Who'd have thought, the mayor's girl and the boy who jumps the fence"

"Thom?"

"Relax man, I'm just messing around. Since when have you been the scaredy type?"

"Ugh, a new development apparently. What are you doing here?"

"Heard Rory kicked some townies ass because he hit on his girl. Then I heard it was because he hit on your PREGNANT girl. Someone else said you kicked crap in to the mayor and now little Miss Undersee is living with you"

"Hell's teeth, don't people have better things to do?"

"So what's going on?"

"Nothing. Rory got in to a fight at school, Seam kid, kicks a townies ass, what's new?"

"And Undersee? She your girl now?"

"No, no she's just … living here"

"Living? … In your house? … With you?"

"It's complicated alright"

"It's cool Gale, I knew you were getting soft on her after Katniss went in to the games"

"What? No I wasn't"

"Yeah dude, you were" Thom chuckles "Sorry man gotta take Undersee her berries', 'Katniss invited the Mayors kid but I probably should still go' – he said, sounding anything but disappointed" Thom laughs louder

"I'm not sweet on Undersee"

"So why's she here?"

"It's none of your business"

"But she's yours?"

"Yes, yes at the minute she is my business alright?!"

"Alright sorry, just looking out for you man" Thom holds up his hands in surrender and I scrape my fingers through my hair "So how much of it is true Gale?"

"What?"

"She's not … pregnant right?"

"No Thom she's not pregnant"

"And she's not your girl?"

"… No"

"You hesitated"

"I said no"

"She lives here?"

"Yes?"

"You beat up the Mayor?"

"Came pretty damn close"

"Wait really?"

"Go home Thom"

"No way, you just admitted to hitting the mayor"

"I said I wanted to not that I did"

"So there is something with you and the girl?"

"I'm wanting to hit you"

"Gale you're going to have some serious heat on you when people find out. They're already finding out. Don't you remember what it was like when my brother started seeing that Cartright girl? And they were just carrying on. You're living with the mayor's daughter"

"Can we not do this now" he shakes his head in resignation

"Fine, just looking out for you man"

"Yeah, appreciate it Thom. I'll see you tomorrow alright"

"Tomorrow".