Madge is becoming a spy and she was a little disgruntled by what she witnessed... I wonder exactly what Gale and Delly were speaking about...

I do not own the Hunger Games and special thanks to Norbertsmom who as always is such a force to bereconed with her mighty corrective pen

Gale had no idea he was spotted walking Delly home from school. He was enjoying himself immensely. "You dressed Rye Mellark in a girl's dress?"

"Well, well, logically Rye was the natural fit. Peeta was the groom. I was the bride, and I had to have a maid of honor. Rye had better hair than me, plus he fit in the dresses my grandmother kept on hoping I'd fit into."

Gale loved the image. He chuckled. "Posy insists I wear a veil when she plays bride and groom."

"See, perfectly natural."

Gale chuckled.

"Would you and your family like to join us on Sunday for dinner. Since Jeb closed down his shop at the Hob, we're having a farewell dinner for him. I'd like you to be there, but only if you'd like and only if it's alright with your mom. I just don't want you to feel pressure or anything."

If anyone else but Delly had extended the invitation he would have been suspicious. But as he discovered, she was pure. Everything she did came from a good place. "Sure, I'll run it by my mom."

They kept walking, but Gale could see she was brimming with something. "What is it, Delly?"

"So you like Katniss?"

Gale cleared his throat, "How…"

"Please Gale, it's obvious. Lately, when you come around to trade with her, you act like a fumbling caveman around her. Where before she was like a sister to you, an equal."

Gale rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know how to tell her."

"You just tell someone that you like them, like ripping off a band-aid."

"What if they don't like you back?" Gale pondered this question very seldom.

"It hurts, but you survive. I told Rye I had a crush on him. He didn't laugh at me, but he told me I was like a little sister, that he was flattered to be my first crush." Delly glanced up at him. "Even though Rye was sweet about the rejection, it was my first rejection and I cried, but then I figured I just needed to get over it. The last boy I developed a crush on wasn't as nice to me. He said some very not nice things to me, and it really hurt. He picked on me, made me feel like a loser." Delly shrugged. "Though no matter what, I can't help liking boys." Delly prattled on, "Peeta thinks that there is someone out for everyone. I think he's a little naive, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I know I'm not the prettiest girl. A lot of kids have described me as a pasty-faced cow, but what can I do. That's their opinion of me."

"You're not ugly," Gale said honestly.

"You only say that because you're my friend."

"No," he found it intriguing that she didn't see herself the way others saw her. His brother delighted in her, his sister thought she was magical, and his mother sang her praises. His mother never did that toward Katniss.

Delly tisked. "You see me through rose-colored glasses."

He was upset by her low opinion of herself. "I do not and you know it."

Delly sighed. "Gale you have no idea what it's like to be a girl."

"Enlighten me," he asked. He wanted to understand her point of view, learning why she said the things she said.

"When we are little girls we think we are invincible. We leap, jump, run by you boys because we believe we are equals. We read, write and do math on a level playing field. But as we grow up we learn the awful truth. We are not judged by the interior contents or by our abilities, but by our exterior. Nobody wants a girl who is considered unsightly."

He was rendered silent, he didn't know this is what happened to women. He thought about his sister, his mom, Katniss, and all of the women that he dealt with. Had he been doing this? He hoped not, but yet again, he was as guilty because he was as stubborn as a goat and a beneficiary of the system.

"To society, I am unsightly and therefore unworthy."

"Delly," Gale began. A large part of him wanted to grab Delly and hold onto her until she saw her true worth. They had this discussion before. He even pointed out the girls in their school who were truly hideous. Delly quickly indicated that all of them had boyfriends, and she had none. He was frustrated because Delly was very pretty and she had a lot of traits that he liked. She was generous, kind, funny, not to mention sweet.

"Gale." Delly put her hand on his arm. She shook her head. "I know what people call me: ugly, fat, pasty-face Delly Cartwright, Delly belly, smiley, and those are some of the nice ones."

It hurt hearing those names because at one time he uttered them. Ashamed, Gale apologized, "I'm sorry for ever calling you those names. I was wrong and a stupid goat."

Delly giggled. "Gale Hawthorne you are not a stupid goat."

"Am too. My mother said I have the tenacity of a goat."

She laughed. "Well if that's what your mother wants to call it, a lot of girls like your old goat tendencies."

He was embarrassed to talk about other girls in front of her.

"All of the girls are always whispering about you. They think you are gorgeous."

Gale asked himself if she thought he was good looking. He wouldn't mind it.

"Madge, especially. She's got it bad for you."

"Undersee's daughter," Gale spatted.

"Don't tell me like you don't know. She's constantly dressing up, hoping to catch your attention. I feel a little bad for her because no one wants to befriend her because of her father. The only girl she sits with is Katniss."

Gale shook his head, amazed by what she was doing. "Dells, I don't like Madge. She's too uppity, to fruru."

Delly grinned. "I sometimes think she's the girl for you, very pretty with some bite to her."

He grasped her smaller, colder hand in his. It was important Delly understood that he didn't like or found Madge Undersee attractive. "She's not my type."

Her eyes grew large momentarily. For some reason, his breath grew unsteady as they stood staring at each other. He smiled softly. The more time he spent with her the more he liked her.

"We need to get you home." Gale still held her hand to keep it warm since she did not have gloves. They kept on walking. "So what other girls do you think I'd like?"

"Well besides Madge, Beulah…"

"Beulah? The chick Rye has the hots for?" He made a face to which she laughed at.

"Gale, half the girls in town would give their right arm to just be seen with you."

"What about you?"

"I'm not your type."

"Then who is my type.

"You forgot already," her eyes sparkled as she said, "your type is a beautiful and mysterious huntress."

Gale opened and closed his mouth several times, shocked that he'd forgotten about Katniss. He recalled the day he and Katniss were discussing Madge. He told Katniss he liked simple down to earth girls. He blushed, because at the time he'd been staring at Delly. "At least it's not Rye."

She bumped into him and smiled. He couldn't help but smile back. "Don't knock Rye. He's got a great ass."

His mouth dropped open.

"Close your mouth Hawthorne. I'm not dead. Rye has an amazing ass."

Gale dropped the conversation. He frowned at the thought of her liking other guys, especially Rye Mellark didn't sit well with him. But at least Rye did the honorable thing.

However, what she said about rejection hurting was new to hin. He wondered if he could do that, accept that Katniss wasn't into him. He'd never been rejected before. It had always been easy for him. Women fell at his feet. The question remained, would Katniss? He wouldn't know until he tried.

They were coming up on the bakery. "Delly, I'll be right back. I am going to see if I can trade this rabbit for some bread."

"Sure." Delly smiled.

Gale stepped away and made his trade with Mr. Mellark. He gave him some extra pieces of stale bread for the meat. Gale was glad he had the foresight to go home to retrieve the rabbit, then meet Delly at the school. When he stepped out into the alley Delly's expression had changed. Gale frowned then followed her line of sight.

Jackson Sharpie stood just steps away.

Gale slipped his hand to the small of Delly's back to comfort her and also to show Jackson that Delly was off limits. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were glassy. "Are you okay?"

Delly nodded. Her lips trembled.

"What did you say to her?" Gale shouted as he moved toward Jackson.

Jackson narrowed his eyes and puffed out his chest. "Isn't that sweet, protecting your little slut."

Something snapped within Gale when he heard Jackson say Delly was a slut, his fist curled.

Delly ran up behind them. "Gale, no." She pleaded with him and put her arm around his bicep.

He wanted to pound Jackson Sharpie in the face.

"How the hell do you jump from Everdeen and her hot ass to that broken fat cow?" Jackson grinned then said, "Or is Delly a side piece? Entertainment for when you're bored?"

Delly made a high squeaky noise, like the squeal of a boiling teapot.

"Maybe I am. And so what if I'm one of his sluts! He's amazing. He can be rough or he can be gentle!" Delly stood between them. Her face red and splotchy. "All of the girls Gale's with want to be with him. Not one, and I mean not one female, Seam or Merchant wants to be with you, no matter how much money you have or how much money you throw at them, not even this lowly cow."

"Fuck you."

Delly laughed., "You're such a child. Go home to your mommy!"

Jackson flinched as if he were going to make a move when a snowball fell on his head. All of them looked up to see two squirrels sitting on a branch of a tree that was near the fence Mrs. Mellark made the boys build.

"What the hell," Jackson said.

The squirrels were squeaking at him, one of them lifted a paw at Jackson. They made another snowball and because Jackson was right underneath it fell square on his face. Delly giggled. Gale had a scowl on his face, but listening to Delly laugh made a smile appear on his face as well.

Delly grabbed Gale by the hand and they walked away.

Gale was surprised by Delly's response, her look of defiance; she was luminous. No one had ever defended him. He was always the one who defended everyone else. Not even Katniss.

"I'll get back at you, you don't know who you're dealing with!?" Jackson sounded like a petulant three-year-old girl who had her favorite treat taken away.

Delly looked back to see the two squirrels had returned and were launching empty shells at Jackson. Her shoulders shook as she saw the boy weave and bob, trying to avoid their projectiles.

Gale obediently let her guide him along to her home. "I can't believe you said that," he was in shock. "Delly, people are going to talk?"

"Nah, he won't say anything, because everyone knows that if he does half of your friends will jump him."

Gale laughed hard. It was true, his crew would beat the crap of the Sharpie boys if they said anything negative about him. "You're good peoples."

Delly beamed at him, and inside of him, something sparkled. Gale wasn't sure if that was the first twinge of true friendship. He'd never been friends with a girl besides Katniss. Though as much as he liked hunting with Katniss, he couldn't actually say it was fun to speak to her outside of the forest. It was fun to be around Delly. He found he could share stuff with her.

Tenderness spread from his heart all throughout his entire being. He beamed down at her affectionately. He trusted her, just as much as he trusted Katniss in the forest when they were hunting. Delly also had his back.