As I swirled my peas around my dinner plate, I missed out on most of my fathers attempts at conversation that night. He was speaking but I wasn't listening. Not really. I was too busy trying to decide what I felt about Gale storming out of my house earlier. I alternated between being angry at him for acting like a child and being sad that he had left in the first place. Anger and sadness only leads to more anger, however, because it's the easier emotion to have of the two. Nobody wants to admit they are sad for sadness is weakness. Thus, I decided to be angry. I didn't understand what got him so worked up in the first place. I thought he admired by optimism and my confidence in Katniss. I thought he looked to me for reassurance. I thought all these things but Gale had practically chewed my head off when I tried to convince him that Katniss would be fine.
"Madge? Are you even listening?"
I shot my head up and stared at my father. "Uh... what?"
He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a no."
I smiled at him. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."
He nodded. "I know it's tough this year with Katniss being in the games."
Yeah, that is tough, I thought. But you know what's also tought? Falling for her best friend who is clearly so in love with her that it's almost humorous that you think for even the slightest of a second that you could ever have a chance with him.
"Sure is." Was all I actually said to him.
My father picked up his plate and carried it to the sink. "Well," He said, turning around and leaning against the cupboard, "She's strong and true. She will make it."
I smiled up at my father. I definitely got my optimism from him. "Speaking of which, we should turn the games on and see how she's doing." I said before walking into the living room to turn on the TV. Just as the screen cut to Katniss, she was climbing up a tree. All it took was a camera shot to the people below her to know what she was climbing away from.
The careers. And Peeta.
When Cato tried to climb up after her, Katniss only climbed higher, the tree branches getting slimmer and slimmer underneath her feet. Cato crashed to the ground a few moments later. I couldn't help but exchange a smile with my father when we saw Cato's frustrated and embarrassed, cursing as he wiped the dirt off of his face.
When Glimmer tried to climb the tree and shoot Katniss with her bow, she missed completely and Katniss ended up un-lodging the arrow from the base of the tree and waving it around in a mocking fashion. After much discussion, the careers decided to wait until morning when Katniss would have to come down. Peeta was the one who came up with idea, actually. And I knew it was to protect her. Everything he had done was to protect her.
Katniss settled into her tree for the night but then noticed something across from her in the trees. It was Rue! The little girl from district 11. She pointed to something above Katniss and when the camera panned to it, I could see that it was a tracker jacker nest. I smirked to myself because I had figured out Rue's little plan one second before Katniss. She wanted Katniss to saw the branch off and send it crashing down to the careers. It was brilliant.
"I'm going up to bed, Madge. Don't stay up too late. You've got school in the morning." My father said.
I nodded and he kissed my forehead and headed upstairs. I focused back on the TV and watched as Katniss started to saw the branch away during the anthem. She doesn't get to finish though. The anthem ended and she crawled back down the tree a little. And that is where she got her first parachute.
I couldn't help but let out a squeal of joy for my dear friend. A sponsor gift! She finally got a gift! And it was ointment for her burns! Just like I had told Gale. I was right, after all. It wasn't until that moment that I realized how silly and petty our entire argument had been. What were we even fighting over? The fact that I belied in Katniss and he found that childish? It didn't matter anymore. Because Katniss had medicine and she was about to take down the careers and she was on her way to coming home soon.
I shut off the TV and headed upstairs and into my bed. I pulled my blanket up to my chin and closed my eyes, my brain and body exhausted from the days events. No matter how angry I was pretending to be at Gale, the image of him staring at me in the lake wouldn't leave me. He had almost kissed me. I was so sure of it. But he pulled away and he loved Katniss and everything was oh so complicated.
With a groan, I shoved a pillow over my head and tried to rid myself of all thoughts of Gale. Eventually, sleep took over and I didn't wake again until morning.
"Madge!" I whipped around and smiled when I saw Prim walking towards me in the hallway. It was the beginning of the school day.
"Hey, Prim!" I said when she reached me. Rory and Gale came up behind her and I tried my best to avoid Gale's eyes.
"You weren't in school yesterday. I didn't see you at lunch." Prim said with concern.
I saw Gale smirk out of the corner of my eye. "I know... I'm sorry." Was all I said. I didn't want to lie to the poor girl so I figured it was best to keep it vague.
She narrowed her eyes at me and then turned around to Gale. "You weren't at school, either."
Gale's smirk fell and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing. He opened his mouth to come up with an excuse but then closed it again. Instead he shrugged his shoulders and ruffled Prim's hair.
"What are you? The school peacekeeper?"
Prim giggled and turned to Rory. "We should get to class, Rory. Bye!"
Rory nodded and followed Prim down the hall. That left only me and Gale and my weak attempt at anger.
Gale took a deep breath and then said, "You were right. About Haymitch getting her medicine. I should've... I should've believed you. Sorry."
That was all it took. A simple, sincere apology and I knew there was no way I could be mad at Gale. Not that I was very mad to begin with.
"It's okay, Gale. Really." I reassured him.
He smiled at me. "So, did you get to see Katniss send down the nest this morning? I saw it live before I went hunting."
I shook my head. "No, some of us like to sleep at four in the morning." I teased.
"Sleep is for the weak, Madge. " He joked back.
"Where is Katniss now?" I asked.
"She passed out in a pile of leaves. She seemed to be having hallucinations from the stings. The bees were subdued from the smoke though, and she only got a few stings so she should be alright soon."
I smiled. "That's good!"
He gave me a half smile and then added, "And Peeta he... he saved her life." I noticed the way his attempt at a smile dropped then. His eyes found the floor and he swallowed.
"That's also good..." I said in a gentle voice.
Gale looked up at me with tangled eyes. "He keeps protecting her. He keeps... risking his life for her. Cato cut up his leg pretty bad but he knew that would happen, Madge. He knows he will have to die in order for Katniss to live. I can't... I can't do what he's doing. I can't save her. And he's doing it without question, without hesitation. He really loves her, Madge."
"I know." I whispered.
"On top of all that, he's hard to hate. Dammit."
The bell signaling it was time for class went off and me and Gale jumped a little, startled by it. We laughed by our dramatic reaction and then turned separate ways to go off to class.
"Gale?" I called to him when he was just about to round the corner of the hall.
He turned around. "Hm?"
"You may not be protecting her from inside the arena but you're protecting her family from the outside and that's just as important."
The edges of lips curved up into a smile. "Thanks, Madge."
"You're welcome." I gave him a huge smile and turned around to walk away.
After school, I found Prim outside of the school waiting for the Hawthornes. She waved me over with enthusiasm. Just as I reached her, so did Rory, Vick, and Gale.
"You can't seem to stay away from me, can you, Madge?" Gale whispered in my ear teasingly. It sent goosebumps down my spine.
"Says the boy who brings me strawberries more frequently than necessary." I replied with a sly grin.
Prim looked from Gale to me and then back to Gale again. She looked like she was about to say something but then shook her head, clearing away the thought. Instead, she linked her arm through mine and asked if I would walk home with them. I agreed.
When we reached the Hawthorne's, little Posy practically shot out of the front door and into Gale's arms. He held her tight to his chest and spun around. She giggled and begged him to put her back down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she ran over to me and hugged me as well.
"Madge, hi! I still remember your favorite color. It's yellow, like the sun!" She said cheerfully.
I laughed and tapped my finger against her tiny nose. "You have a good memory!"
"Are you staying for dinner? Stay for dinner, please, please!" She pleaded with me, grabbing onto my wrist with her tiny hands.
When I looked up at Gale, I expected him to have the same reaction as the first time Posy had asked me to stay. He was annoyed and awkward and clearly not in favor of my presence at the table that day. This time, however, he only licked his lips and said, "You can, you know. If you want."
I glanced up at the boy who had become so much more than just a boy to me. I didn't understand him. But I knew I liked him. Maybe even loved him. And in all actuality, it had only been a little over a week. One week. Seven days. But in that one week, in those seven, unforgettable days, Gale had managed to find his way into my life in an intense way. He had found a way to nestle deep into my bones, clinging to my skin and pumping through my blood. He was such a big part of me. When did that happen? When did we reach the point of almost kissing in lakes and inviting each other over for dinner? When did we cross the line over from Gale just being the boy who brings me strawberries to the boy that I've possibly fallen in love with?
"Gale-"
"Just say yes." He said simply, gently, the words rolling off his tongue and past his lips.
I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. "Fine. Yes. I will have dinner with you."
A/N: Next chapter will be QUITE Interesting, let me tell you! Sorry if this was one was a bit short and dry, but I can't have a bunch of drama in EVERY chapter... thank you all SO much for your kind reviews and please, keep them coming, please! Happy Hunger Games, friends!
