Chapter Seven
The day after you punch one of the most popular boys in school is a very interesting one. Here at school today, I've been attracting a lot of attention, positive as well as negative. Kids who hated the boy I punched (I found out his name was Clay) and never had the guts to give him what he deserved, look up to and congratulate me. Others who were Clay's friends give me icy glares and other livid signals of hate. There are some kids who just walk by, scared and in awe. My friends, rather than being worried about me, are thrilled. What would Katniss think?
It hurts me to think of what Katniss is doing right now. She's probably in training. The tributes have some days to train in a training area together. I wonder if Katniss will show off her archery skills in training. I sure hope she doesn't, because then the other tributes will see her strengths and use them against her. Or, they'll seek Katniss out as a threat and kill her quickly.
What if the boy I punched was right? What if Katniss only lasts a few days in the arena? Her death would be unbearable and frighteningly irrevocable. How could I watch the rest of the games? I'd want Peeta to win then because the district of the winning tribute gets sent food. It would be so nice to see all of the starving children with food. I've never lived to see a District 12 tribute win the games, but I hope to this year.
"She's cute, isn't she?"
"What?" I snap back into the real world. I look around me. Zeke is pointing at Ginger from my homeroom.
"Oh, yeah." I say. "She's in my homeroom."
"Dang, you're lucky." Zeke says, staring at Ginger as she walks away. "Do you think I could come to your homeroom sometime?"
"Yeah, maybe." I reply. Now is not the time to tell Zeke that Ginger is interested in me.
Then, I see my English teacher striding over to me.
"Looks like somebody wants a word with you." Cormack says, walking away with Zeke.
I want to tell them not to leave me here, but I decide not to. I take a breath and get ready to face my teacher.
"Gale." he says. He doesn't need to say anything more, he knows about Katniss. Rumors must be getting around to the students and the teachers about the fight I was in.
"Yeah?" I ask, faking ignorance.
My teacher senses the falseness in my voice.
"I didn't know she was your friend." he says softly.
I try to make something come out of my mouth but I can't find a response, so I just nod.
"I'm so sorry." my English teacher says.
What is this? I don't want any sympathy, I just want to get away from my teacher because this is too awkward and I have to get to detention.
"I understand why you're zoning out in class, if you want to make up any assignments you certainly can." my teacher says.
I shake my head. I certainly would like to make up some work, but what time do I have? I've got detention on top of feeding two families and the homework I already have.
"I have a busy life." I say. "I'll try harder in my classes. I promise."
"If you ever change your mind, you can come talk to me." my teacher says.
I nod and my English teacher walks away. I hate it when people try to reach out to me, if I don't want to reach out to the other person. I know my teacher is just trying to do his job and be nice, but to be candid, I just want to be left alone. Katniss is already on my mind most of the day, I don't need constant reminders of her. Now, whenever I look at my English teacher, I'll be forced to remember Katniss and what she's going through.
I gather my school supplies and head of to detention.
"That's him! Gale!" A kid shouts as I walk past him. I don't even know this kid's name and he knows me. "Way to go, bud!"
I don't return the kid's eager smile.
"Be quiet, maybe he'll punch you, too." one of the girls the first boy is with whispers just a little too loudly.
"I'm not deaf, and with that comment, you might be the one with a fist in your face." I say as I walk away. I don't really mean it, but I'm annoyed and older than both the other kids.
Nobody talks to me the rest of the way back to detention. I go into the principal's office to find the gray haired man sitting at his desk, looking as if he's been waiting for me.
"Hello, Gale." he says with the same smile that I despise so much. I just have an intuition that I don't like this principal, and that's enough reason for me.
"Hello." I reply warmly, concealing my hatred.
"Today, we are going to help clean up." The principal says. By "we" he means me.
Our school can't afford fancy machinery that the Capitol possesses, so we have to clean the school with mops and brooms.
"Okay then." I say.
The principal leads me to the hallways where I'm to mop and sweep. Katniss would probably laugh if she saw me right now.
The hour goes by and I continue to clean the school hallways. The foamy soap I use smells horrible in excessive amounts. It stings my nose when I breathe it in. I do have to admit, I now have more appreciation for our school janitors.
"Time's up, Gale." the principal says with a smile. "Are you more grateful for our school's clean up crew?"
"Yes." I say.
"You may go." the principal says.
I leave the school, still smelling of soap. I head to the woods and disappear into the trees. I need someone to talk to, but I have nobody. My mother won't understand my emotions, my siblings don't need to hear bad things about the Capitol for their safety's sake and all of my friends won't understand me. If only Katniss were here, I could talk to her. If she were here, I wouldn't need anybody to talk to.
I check all of my snares, finding two rabbits, a raccoon and a squirrel. I quickly gather fruits and greens until I mentally declare that I have enough food.
I head down to the Hob to make my trades. Hunting is tedious without Katniss. I have to do it though, its hunt or die. I will not taking dying for an answer. I hope Katniss doesn't either.
On my way home, I spot a Peacekeeper that I don't recognize. My body goes rigid, but then I relax. If I can just look like I have no reason to be guilty, then maybe I can get by.
The Peacekeeper stares at me as I walk home. What should I do? If I quicken my pace, I'll look like I have something to hide. If I smile and wave, then I'll look like I'm trying to hard to seem innocent, therefore, making me look guilty. I decide to just keep walking, seeming without a care, even though my head is buzzing. Finally, I reach home safe.
"Gale?" my mother asks as I open the door.
"Yes?" I reply.
My mother turns around, glancing at my haul. I unload the contents of my bag on the counter, as always.
"How'd school go?" my mother asks.
"Fine." I say, knowing that when my mother says, "How'd school go?" she really means, "So, how did all the kids react to you after you punched a kid?"
Quickly, I sort the food so I can get some to the Everdeens. When I leave, I decide to take a different route to the Everdeens' place, so I don't get caught by the Peacekeeper I ran into on the way home.
As Prim opens the door, I watch the Everdeens' cat scurry out of the house. Its name is Buttercup, and it is the ugliest cat I've ever laid eyes on. I wonder why Katniss even kept it, but then I know it's because of Prim. Prim probably begged and pleaded to keep the animal, like she would. Of course, Katniss couldn't resist Prim, even though the cat was another mouth to feed. A smile splits my face as I remember that Katniss told me she tried to drown the cat.
"Buttercup!" Prim calls.
I turn around and scoop the mess of fur into my arms. Buttercup hisses and I get showered with cat spit.
"Here you go." I say, handing Prim the cat.
Buttercup stops hissing at once when he's in Prim's arms. That's how likeable Prim is.
"Here's your food." I say, setting the Everdeens' share of the haul in their house.
I turn and leave as Prim shuts the door with a 'thank you'. I wonder how many times I'll be doing this all summer.
The next day follows my regular schedule. Wake up. Eat. Walk to school. Tune out in class. Go to detention. Hunt. Homework. Eat. Sleep.
It's the next day that provides some interest. When I wake up, I know that everybody will be buzzing about tonight. Tonight when the training scores will be premiered on television.
Each contestant in the Hunger Games gets a few days of training before they are evaluated. Then, one by one, they go in privately to the training arena and get scored by judges and game makers. The contestants are scored on a scale of 1-12. Getting a one is horrible, rarely anybody ever gets as low as a one. Getting a twelve is astounding. I've never seen anybody get a twelve on their training score, and I don't want to see Katniss getting one.
As much as it is entertaining to get a high score, it can really come back to haunt you. If you have a low score, nobody will want to sponsor you. Sponsors send you items that you need in the games, for prices that go up escalate from day to day. But, if you have a low score, other competitors might forget about you, and therefore, you might be safe for a while. Obtaining a high training score will have sponsors rushing to help you out, but the rest of the tributes might find you as a threat and kill you right away. So either way, your training score both helps and hurts you.
It's finally Saturday, and I don't have to head to school. This means that I get to take advantage of this surplus of time and hunt for extra food.
I wake up bright and early to head to the woods, packing myself a lunch, because I won't be back in time to eat with the family. Then, I head to the woods. I begin hunting once I've gone under the dormant fence and deep into the forest. I check the snares first, picking up two rabbits, a turkey, and a squirrel. Then, I decide to fish at the lake.
I wonder if Katniss had time to just sit and think. What's the Capitol like? I've only seen parts of the Capitol in clips from the previous Hunger Games, but being there would probably be amazing, and horrifying. I wonder if Katniss is filled with awe or abhorrence when she stares out at the huge city. Does she even have time to admire or loathe it?
I end up catching seven fish before I leave my post and decide to gather food. I pick strawberries, which I've given some time to grow. Then, I grab herbs and greens. Finally, I make a stop at a plum tree. I pop one of the round purple fruits in my mouth and savor the sweetness. I pick many more and decide to make trades so I will be back by supper, and in time to see the tribute training scores.
My muscles tighten and I walk faster. There's no point really in getting nervous, if Katniss gets a bad score, I'll be scared to death, if she gets a good score, I'll still be scared to death. Regardless of my common sense, I'm still anxious.
I make my trades as quickly as I can, so I can get home soon. I don't want to miss a second of the premiere of the tribute scores. Once I'm done giving the Everdeens their share, I jog out, I get home just in time. Right as I burst through the door, my mother tells me.
"It's on."