Hey guys!

I feel sooo bad for not updating! It's been over a month! Ugh, I'm sorry!

Blame my teachers and all their homework! Especially my careers teacher! She gave us three projects all due on November 4th! And there's three more to come! So I've been working on those and other homework.

My english teacher has me writing a million short stories each week, too. I started writing in class - after I'm done my work of course! - and he would keep eyeing it. And then he made us write a short story for our unit one summative. So I did. And he really liked it. (yay!) So he's asking me to write more and more to enter in a short story contest. I'm quite happy with what I've written so far. I'm in the midst of writing two more, though.

If you guys want to read them, they've been posted on - here is my profile: .com/u/688877/
Scroll down to view my stories!

Here's the next chapter!!

Peeta –

I really shouldn't be here. I don't really need to be here.

But I want to be here.

When I walk into the small waiting room, the guard outside of the elevator doors stares at me for a second.

"I want to see my brother." I tell him.

He opens his mouth as if to say something before shaking his head and stepping aside. The elevator doors open and I move inside. I lean against the wall, unsure of what I'm doing here.

This is stupid!

I have plenty of time to say goodbye! I don't need to do it now!

I'm contemplating leaving when the doors open again and I see Grant sitting on a red velvet couch, his face buried in his hands.

I cross into the room and sit down next to him. He looks up suddenly, as if he didn't hear me.

"Peeta?" He asks. "Why are – are you hear?"

Looking at him now, you would never guess that he's 13-years-old. He looks incredibly young, so naïve, so innocent, so defeated and so broken. I wrap an arm around his shoulder. Grant and I have always been close, but not as close as we have been these past few days. We did everything together. I took him out to the market. Bought him whatever he wanted. I don't want his last few days with his family to be spent crying or languishing around the house. I wanted him to be alive.

Looking at him now, it's hard to believe he was ever alive.

He lays his head on my shoulder.

"To come see my little brother."

His body shakes slightly. "What am I going to do, Peeta?"

"Stay alive." I repeat Haymitch's last words to Katniss and I before we left for the arena. "And do everything I tell you to. Even if I'm not there, you need to pretend I'm there – think of what I would say. You need to listen to Katniss too. She's going to help you. I know Katniss. She's smart. She knows things that our parents haven't even heard of. She will help you."

I pause. Until the end – where you have to kill each other.

"You need to be strong, Grant. Not just physically, but mentally. The arena changes you as a person. You need to be able to fight them. You need to fight the Capitol and their tricks to turn you into a monster."

Grant sniffles. "How?"

I shrug. "You'll have to figure that out for yourself."

Grant leans away from me. His tears have stopped, but his face is splotchy and red. "How did you do it?"

I think about that. "I think Katniss did it for me."

Grant's eyebrows pull together. "What?"

I try to understand the thoughts swirling in my mind. "To be honest, if Katniss hadn't been there with me, I don't think I would have lived. I think she was the one who kept me strong. And together, she and I fought the Capitol. We broke their rules. Ruined their precious Hunger Games…"

I pause. "But, I guess they beat us this time." I look down at him. "They're taking you and her."

Grant's eyes grow sadder. "I'm sorry." His voice comes out as only a small, melancholy whisper.

"Why should you be sorry? It's not your fault."

He shrugs. "I just feel bad."

He wraps his arms around my waist and we stay there, holding each other, until the guard comes to take me away.

Katniss –

Open. Close. Open. Close.

That has been all I've seen for the past hour.

The elevator doors opening and closing, spitting out more and more people. Madge, Peeta's father, Peeta's brother – Zachariah, Mother, Prim... Over and over again, I saw them all cry and tell me they love me, hear them thank me. Over and over again, I hug them; letting a few tears escape down my cheek and tell them I love them too, tell them I'll miss them.

I can't take this anymore.

I sit on the velvet couch my elbows on my knees, my head hanging in defeat as I wait for the guard to come take me away.

I run a hand through my hair.

No one has come in a while.

Maybe it's over?

I look from side to side. The room is empty. What do I do?

I stand up and pace back and forth.

I stop with my back to the elevator.

"Hello?" I call. Maybe the Peacemakers will hear me.

"Um, hi?"

I spin around and see Gale standing awkwardly a few feet away. One of his arms is pulled behind him and his hair is slightly disarrayed.

"Gale." I can't believe he came.

He avoids my eyes. "Hi…"

Seeing him standing there, with his head ducked and his shoulders slouched, has made me realize how much I've missed him.

I haven't been away from him, but I haven't been with him. We haven't really been ourselves. It's always been restrained and not… normal.

Something went wrong.

I see him peek up at me through his hair.

I nod towards the couch.

"You want to sit?"

He shrugs.

I grab his arm and pull him down onto the couch.

He sits down awkwardly and looks down at my hand on his.

He pulls his arm away and shifts farther from me.

I sigh. "Gale." He looks at the elevator door. "If you don't want to be here, why did you come?"

He glances at me before shrugging again.

I narrow my eyes. "Why are you here Gale?" I repeat.

He looks up at me, staring at me for few seconds. "For the same reason you're going back into that arena."

I cock my head slightly. "Because the Capitol is making you?"

He shakes his head. "Because I have no choice."

He sits there quietly as I process his words.

What does he mean 'he has no choice'? Of course he has a choice! He could have stayed at home and not given a damn whether or not I died! He could have gone on without me! He could completely forget me and continue on his, caring only about himself and his family.

What does he mean?

He sighs a long exasperated sigh. "I wish I could have just stayed home. Really. I wish I didn't have to face you. But I do." He turns his head in my direction. "You're my best friend, Katniss. And sure, I'm upset that you chose Peeta. And you know what? I don't think you made the right choice."

I open my mouth to protest, but he stops me.

"He's not good for you, Katniss! He's hurt you over and over again!" He leans forward and looks me dead in the eyes. "I would never hurt you. Not like he did."

I lean away from him. "But you did, Gale." I stand up and begin pacing back and forth. "All the time. Your eyes, Gale. They're accusing… condemning… angry… It's just -" I stop. I can't even explain it! I give up and stare at the ground. "You do hurt me."

He seems taken aback. "I never meant to."

I turn on him, rage in my voice. "And you think Peeta did? You think he wanted to hurt me? I don't! And I'm pretty sure I know him better than you!"

His eyebrows pull together. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

"No!" I bring my hand to my face, rubbing it across my eyes. "No. No…"

After a few seconds I feel my hands wound around my wrist. He tugs on it gently and pulls me down beside him.

"I'm sorry." He says. I look up at him, a smile playing at my lips. "Truly I am. I didn't want this happen. And I definitely don't want you to leave angry at me."

I nod silently and he pulls me in for a hug. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face into his shoulder.

"I can't believe your actually leaving." He says.

I laugh slightly. "Me either."

In the next few seconds of silence, I hear the quiet click of the elevator door from downstairs.

Gale leans back. "I'm going to miss you."

I nod. "Me too."

I can see it in his eyes when he makes the decision and... I don't stop him.

He leans forward and presses his lips to mine.

It's a weird feeling, kissing Gale. I never imagined what it would be like. What it would feel like having his lips pressed against mine. I never imagined that they could be so gentle, so unlike Gale.

He tilts his head to the side and my mind starts to fog.

He brushes a piece of hair from my face before removing his lips from mine.

The elevator doors open and the guard clears his throat as a sign that our time is up.

Gale's gaze doesn't break away from mine.

"Goodbye, Katniss."

A single tear runs down my cheek as he stands and crosses over to the guard's side.

When the elevator doors close – eliminating Gale from my life forever – a part of me breaks into a million irreparable pieces.

I feel entirely alone.

Entirely isolated.

I don't understand this.

More and more tears fall down my face as I pull my knees up.

I don't know how I'll be able to do this with this hole in my chest…

And all these feelings stirring inside of me.

I don't understand.

Told you the Gale stuff wasn't over! And there's more to come!

Unfortunately...

:P

Anyways, I just want to apologize once more for not updating! I'll TRY and get a chapter in every weekend, but if I'm too swamped with homework, I might not be able to...

Review please!

xXMystXx

P.S. If any of you are looking for a good read I recommend Shiver by... Something... Steinva... Oh I don't know. I can't remember. Well, it's good either way. I LOVED it and managed to finish it within a few hours.