Chapter Eight: Nationals
Sometimes a win is not a win.
"Gale, what's been your problem lately?' Katniss and Gale are seated together in first class heading to Chicago for the National Championships. Finnick and Annie are seated behind them. " You've been an ass the last two weeks. Is it Peeta?"
"What gave you that idea, maybe that you're late to practice because you are cuddling with your boyfriend every morning?"
It's true; Katniss and Peeta no longer sit across from one another at their table. She now sits along side. It's easier to hide their clasped hands under the table that way. She wouldn't call it cuddling though. She sits with Peeta until Gale gets there. She craves those extra few minutes next to him.
"I'm on the ice the same time as you every morning and Peeta and I are just friends."
"Friends don't make out in the parking lot before practice."
"We've never even kissed. I keep telling you…"
He cuts her off "Yeah well, you're wrapped up in him and I see things turning out the same as before. I'm telling you Catnip, I won't go through it again."
"He's not Darius! It's not the same. Not at all."
"It better not be."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Finnick pokes his head between their seats. "You two are getting loud. Put a pin in it until we get to the hotel then both of you are going to tell me what's going on."
Katniss and Gale glare at one another. They both slip on headphones and ignore each other's presence for the rest of the flight. They continue to give each other the cold shoulder as they leave the airport. Finnick and Annie exchange concerned looks.
Once they're in their shared suite at the hotel. Katniss and Gale sit far apart and Finnick sits between them. "Ok, I'll start. Who's Darius?"
Katniss doesn't answer right away so Gale takes the lead. "Darius was Katniss' dirtbag boyfriend." Katniss just hangs her head, letting Gale tell the story of when she was at her weakest. "He was a cop, older and seemed like a nice guy at first. She was only 19. He fucking took advantage and took over everything. He'd come to practices, travel with us. He quit his job and claimed he was her manager. He wouldn't let her out of his sight. When he started trying to convince Katniss to change back to singles skating, that's when Haymitch stepped in and sent him packing."
"Katniss is this true?" Finnick asks her.
She nods her head before answering. "Darius was my first everything. I didn't know how to handle it. I'd been on my own for so long, at first it was nice having someone take care of me. But it got out of hand. I didn't want to skate singles but Gale was always pissed at me and wasn't any help. I was glad Haymitch stepped in. I didn't know how to get out of it. Darius was beginning to scare me."
"Shit Catnip, I didn't know that."
"Yeah well, we weren't talking. Kinda like now. Gale, Peeta is nothing like Darius."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've gotten to know him over this year and if you did more than grunt in his presence, you'd know too. It's not the same. I'm not the same as I was then."
"Yeah, well that remains to be seen."
The conversation is cut short by the arrival of their families. While Gale is busy with his mother and siblings and Katniss is reunited with Prim, Finnick takes Haymitch aside. "They've been at each other's throats for two weeks. Tell me about Darius."
"Is that bastard back? I told him if he ever came sniffing around her again, I'd cut his nuts off."
"Where is Loverboy tonight? " Gales asks as he lifts her over his head. They are doing a run through backstage before their short program.
"He has a game tonight. He'll be here tomorrow though." Gale performs the change of positions and turning, sets her down. "Look Gale, you're just going to have to trust me. It's not going to happen again. Peeta wouldn't," She's so frustrated, she can't finish the sentence
"I want to trust your judgment, Catnip. I do."
Later they take the ice for their short program. The program, done to "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once, has been described as pure romance on ice. The music fades in parts to silence as the only sound heard in the arena is their skates stroking the ice and then explodes with emotion in other parts. The routine is perfectly choreographed and Gale and Katniss play the parts well. The first time they performed it, the twitterverse blew up with proof that "Everthorne" was real. While this night they are technically perfect, the connection is completely gone. It's described as "mechanical". But still, it's enough to put them in the lead going into the free skate the next day.
Finnick's parting words that night sting. "Whatever it is, get over it! Both of you. You've got everything on the line tomorrow. There's no Olympics if you cock it up."
Katniss and Gale have a ritual between their short and long programs. They only talk to their coaches and each other. After Finnick's dressing down, they return to their suite and get comfortable. They meet in the shared lounge and prepare for the next part of their ritual, movie night. Gale starts the movie as popcorn arrives from room service. Katniss returns to the couch and "The Princess Bride" begins to play. In "Gale Speak" this is his way of trying. He's not a fan of this movie but he knows it's one of Katniss' favorites. The tension between them eases a bit. When the movie is over they return to their rooms. Katniss finds a message from Peeta.
Peeta: Know we can't talk tonight. Just wanted to let you know, I made it to Chicago. Good Luck tomorrow, I'll see you after.
Katniss smiles and easily falls asleep. The next morning they sleep in and then are joined for lunch by Finnick and Annie. Finnick is pleased that the tension has lifted.
When Katniss and Gale step out onto the ice for their warm up, they can hear the buzz of the crowd. The crowd knows they may see history tonight. Gale gives Katniss a nod and they take off into the approach for the side-by-side triple axels. There is a burst of applause when they land it. They continue to run through their program. Before they leave the ice they throw the triple once more. Again, the crowd roars.
They will skate last. Standing outside the rink waiting for the scores of the team before them, Katniss looks into the stands where Prim and Haymitch were seated last night. This is Katniss' private ritual. Seeing Prim gives her a reminder to do her best. Today she is nervous, more so than usual. When she looks for Prim, she finds another set of blue eyes instead. Peeta is watching her intently. Suddenly, the nerves fall away, he nods.
"He's sitting with the families?"
"What?"
"Your Loverboy, he's sitting with our family?"
"Yeah, Prim met him when she came for my birthday. She likes him." Katniss looks up at Gale who is looking ahead at the ice. His jaw is clenched and she can see the muscles twitching. She knows that he is fighting not to say anything else.
They are announced and skate to their opening positions. Skating to a medley of Adele, the triple axels are the first jump. As Adele's voice soars to "Don't you Remember?" Katniss and Gale take off in perfect unison. They complete the three and a half rotations but Katniss lands a bit forward and she catches an edge, her hand comes down and grazes the ice but she remains upright. She has to rush to catch up with Gale to get their timing back. The next trick is a throw quad. Katniss stumbles a bit on the landing. Finally, they recover and complete the routine without any disasters. As they hit their final pose, there is nothing but an acknowledging nod to each other. They say nothing. As they sit to receive their scores, there is a space between them. Even with the ice touch, their scores are enough to give them their second National title but you'd never know it by the looks on their faces. They smile as they receive their medals but there is no interaction between them.
Leaving the dressing room, Katniss sees Prim. She hugs her sister with a sigh. Peeta stands behind Prim, smiling wide, waiting to congratulate her on the win. She puts her hand up stopping him. "I can't, I just, I'm sorry Peeta, I can't."
Peeta is stunned and confused, he takes a step to follow her but is stopped by Prim. "Leave her."
