Another chapter. This one is actually all Katniss and Gale.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or any of its characters.

Chapter 11

It's been a month since he's been away. I've been doing ok without him. I still go through phases where I miss him so much that I can't help but cry. Some nights, I sleep in his clothes that I found under the bed when I was cleaning my room. They still smell like him. Luckily, I have school to distract me, but the weekends are usually the worst. I have more time to think, even on the days when I am in the woods hunting. I haven't been very helpful and Gale does most of the work. I usually let him keep more of the money we get from the Hob because of this. I don't think he really knows what going on. I tell him that I haven't been feeling well. That excuse is starting to get old. How much longer can I blame my behavior on sickness? Last Sunday I was too sad to get out of bed and he came over to my house when he realized that I wasn't going to show up by the rock. He swore that I had a fever and spent the day making me soup and taking care of me.

Today is Sunday again and I make my way to the rock. Gale is already there waiting for me.

"How are you feeling?" he asks me.

"Better." I say, sitting next to him. He surprises me with a roll from the bakery. He knows how much I like them. I can't imagine how he scrounged up the money to pay for it.

"I traded a few squirrels for it." he says with a smirk. He always is good at reading my mind.

"Do you want some?" I ask.

"No I already ate mine." he says.

"Liar." I say narrowing my eyes.

"Ok fine, so maybe I didn't." he admits. I rip off a piece of the bread and hold it out to him.

"Take it." I say.

"Katniss." he sighs.

"You need to eat too." I reason with him. He listens to me and takes a bite of the bread. When we finish the bread, we eat the last of the berries on the bush behind us and start our journey into the forest. I tell myself that today will be different. Today I will pull my weight and find some game to bring back to the Hob. Gale checks his snare line while I quietly make my way through the woods. I manage to find a deer taking a drink from a nearby stream. It's rare to find deer this early in the fall. I take an arrow from my quiver and line it up with my bow. I hear a twig break behind me and I turn to see what it is. It's Gale.

"Gale!" I scold him in a hushed voice. I look back and it's too late. The deer is gone.

"You really think you could take down that deer." he says with a laugh.

"Yes."

"Even if you did, how would you expect us to hull that thing back? It probably weighs as much as you." he says.

"I just wanted to make up for my lack of game. You know I haven't been bringing much back." I say defeated.

"Catnip it's fine. You know there are times when you do better than I do and I don't make a big fuss about it. We always seem to even each other out." he says with sympathy. "Why don't we walk to the apple trees and see if they are ready for picking." We walk together until we are in a small field that has 2 apple trees standing near the middle of it. I climb up the tree and inspect the apples. Some look ripe enough to pick. I tell Gale to get the bag ready and I toss the apples down one by one. He moves around and catches them in his hunting bag. I climb higher and higher until I have found all the ripe apples. I then make my way down to the ground where Gale is already eating one.

"See, I could never climb like that to get those apples. You did good." he says with a smile. I smile back at him. He always manages to cheer me up. He tosses me an apple and I take a bite. It's so sweet and juicy. Hopefully we can get a good trade for them.

When we are finished our apples, we start to head back to the fence. As we make our way back in silence, I cannot help but think of Merrick. I wonder what he's doing now, if he's found another girl to like. I bet he'd have no trouble finding a girl and she'd probably be really pretty….prettier than me. I feel a tear start to fall. I cannot let Gale see me cry. I run off with an arrow drawn in the opposite direction. Hopefully Gale will think I'm chasing something. When I'm far enough from him, I sit against the base of a tree and let the tears flow. I want him to be here with me. I want him to hug me, and kiss me, and smile that brilliant smile. When I'm sure that I am finished crying, I make my way back to Gale.

"Did you get it?" he asks me.

"No, it got away." I tell him. I look up at Gale and can't help but want to be in his arms, to feel the comfort of being held. I walk closer towards him and press myself against him as I wrap my arms around his torso. I feel his muscles become rigid. He isn't used to hugging me. In fact, I don't think we have done so in all the years we've known each other. I then feel his muscles relax and he wraps me in his arms, resting his chin on my head. I feel his chest move up and down as he takes a slow breath in and out.

"Gale, I miss him." I murmur. A second after I say those words, I feel him pulling me away from him. I can see the hurt in his eyes and I'm really not sure why this comment is having an effect on him. He knows what Merrick means to me. He saw us kissing in the meadow. He doesn't say a word. He just starts back towards District 12.

"Gale wait!" I say as I follow him. Unfortunately for me, he has an advantage of being taller and having longer strides than I do. I sprint after him and don't manage to catch him until we are almost at the fence. "Gale, what's going on? Why did you run off like that?"

"You think I want to hear that?"

"Gale, I need someone to talk to about it. I haven't been doing well."

"So all those times you were sick, you were really just upset about him?"

"I've tried to forget about him but I can't."

"You are lucky he's gone Katniss. What could he have ever been to you? You think that you could actually have ended up with someone from another district…with a Peacekeepers' son?"

"Gale you are my best friend. I need you."

"Never mention him to me again, understand?" he says with malice in his voice. I nod my head. Gale stomps off towards the fence without me. I hide my bow and quiver before making my way home. I still cannot believe Gale acted that way…why he got so mad. I guess I will have to find someone else to talk to.

As time goes on, the less I think of Merrick. Winter brought on tough conditions and it left me little time to think of him. Instead, I am worrying about finding game with all the snow that has fallen. For two weeks, Gale and I couldn't even get under the fence to get to the woods. I tried to give Gale some of the food Merrick left but he refused. He knew where it came from. Today I decided to sneak over to his house to drop off some food when I knew he'd be away. Mrs. Hawthorne gratefully accepted it without a question and his sibling grew excited as they sifted through the bag. I walk home with a smile on my face happy that I could help them. After all, they are practically family to me.

I go inside my house and wrap myself in blanket on the couch while I try to get some schoolwork done. When I'm finishing my math homework, I hear a loud bang on the door. I already know who is on the other side. I slowly make my way to the door, not ready for this conversation to occur. I open the door and he brushes by me, anger written on his face. He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself before speaking.

"Katniss, what did I tell you about the food?" he says trying to keep an even tone.

"That you didn't want it."

"Yes, so why is it when I come home I find my siblings shoving cookies down their throats."

"Gale you know how bad it is. We haven't been able to hunt for weeks."

"I don't need charity, Katniss. Not from you."

"Gale, you're brothers and sisters are getting thinner by the day. Do you really expect me to sit back and watch them starve? I don't even know how you can bear to watch it. I know how much they mean to you."

"Fine, help them. But just so you know, I won't be eating any of it." he says as he begins to storm out. As he gets to the door, I speak.

"Gosh, what is your problem?" I scoff at him. He removes his hand from the doorknob and slowly turns around before sitting down next to me.

"My problem is that that boy is constantly resurfacing in your life even when he is gone. Stupid little reminders like the food…I know he gave it to you. And Prim tells me you cry almost every night. He's never coming back Katniss. I don't know why you just won't let him go."

"Oh, so now you want to talk about him?" I say crossing my arms. Funny he should bring him up after what he said in the woods about not talking to him.

"You could have other guys Katniss. Lots of guys like you." he tells me.

"Really like who?" I ask, annoyed.

"I hear them say things about you in class and in the halls. Maybe you should give someone else a chance." he says taking my hand. The door suddenly opens and my mother and Prim are back. Gale quickly removes his hand from mine. He greets my family and then mutters something about having to get back to his own home. I sit at the table feeling a little confused. How could Gale go from being so angry at me, to holding my hand? He's never held my hand before. I wonder what it meant, if it was a friendly gesture or something more. He did mention that lots of guys like me. Could he be one of them? I brush off the ridiculous idea; it's silly right? There is no way that my best friend could actually like me as something more, could he? I abandon the thought altogether as I return to the couch to continue my schoolwork.

Poor Gale :( I wrote this to show what the time away from Merrick is like for Katniss...not good, obviously. Merrick will be back at some point in the next chapter. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter since it's really unlike the rest of them.