When we get back to District 13, it's three in the morning. We got caught up in District 2 after some of the miners got out. Katniss got shot, communications went down, it was just not a good day for any of us. And, as soon as we get home, I'm sent to the hospital to get cleaned up from the fighting that broke out. It's not like I even got shot, it's just blood from other people.
Finally, they let me go and I stagger back to my house slowly. I cannot wait to just pass out and actually sleep for the first time in a week. District 2 was nice, yeah I'll admit it, but it would've been a lot nicer if I wasn't there to blow up a mine and if Madge would've been there with me. I missed her so much in the one week I was gone. How am I going to handle being away from her when the war starts? There's a very slim chance that we'll be put on the same squad.
I quickly punch in the numbers on the key pad to my house and stumble into the living room. It's very quiet. I'm assuming that everyone's asleep. I go to check on Posy and find her fast asleep, clutching that old stuffed bear to her. Rory and Vick are passed out too. So is my mother.
Quietly, I go into my room where I'm assuming Madge is. But, when I look down at the bed, it's empty. Backtracking, I go into the living room and see if she's on the couch. No, not there either.
Too tired to do anything about it, I change and fall onto the bed. I'll find her tomorrow morning.
The next morning comes all too quickly. I'm still exhausted and cranky. When I finally manage to pull myself out of bed, I'm attacked by Posy.
"Well good morning to you too." I laugh and Posy giggles.
"I wanted to stay up until you got home by Mama wouldn't let me."
"You need your sleep, Pose." Vick and Rory give me hugs and then hurry out of the door. My mother, on the other hand, does not leave with them. I give her a quick hug and she returns the hug.
"I'm glad you're safe." She finally says, "We saw Katniss get shot."
"Yeah. I know. She's in the hospital now. Bullet barely touched her skin. Cinna made sure of that."
"That's good. Prim was freaking out when it happened." I grimace. I never thought of how her family would feel about it.
"So was everyone else, pretty much." I pause to tie my shoes, "Hey, Ma? Where's Madge?"
She sighs, and then finally talks. "That's why I stayed behind instead of going to breakfast. There's something you need to know, about Madge."
Immediately, I'm panicking. "Is she okay? Is she hurt?"
"In a way, yes. You should probably go talk to her, instead of me telling you." Quickly, I stand and hurry out the door. I'm halfway to the elevator when I realize that I don't even know where I'm going. Because I figured she'd just be living with us instead of actually going to her compartment, I never really thought to remember where it was. Well, now I'm kicking myself.
In the elevator, I meet Thom there. Before I can get anything out, he speaks, "You know she's pissed, right?"
"Figured that. What's wrong?"
"That's for you two to work out."
I groan, and then punch a random button on the elevator. "Where is she even?"
"In her compartment."
"Which is where?" I ask, grumbling at him.
"Floor 4, room 421." Quickly, I punch the number 4 button and wait. When it finally dings, I hurry out, and Thom follows behind me. "Just going to warn you, she hasn't exactly been in the best mood to anyone, maybe besides Rory or your mother." He disappears down the hallway, and I knock on her door. Moments later, it's opened.
Really, all I want to do is kiss her. But I can't because something's wrong. "Hey." I finally say and she sighs, leaning against the door frame.
"Hi." I'm sure I've said this before, and I'm going to keep saying it, but she looks so damn adorable in the morning.
"Can I talk to you?"
"What's to talk about?" She grumbles, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Like why you're upset."
She stares at me for a moment, and then beckons me inside. "You better come in." Slowly, I follow her inside and look around. It's a lot smaller than where my family lives, I can say that.
Madge leans against the back of the small couch in the small living room and crosses her arms again. "What's wrong Madge?"
She's quiet for a really long time, staring off into space behind me. "Do you not trust me or something, Gale?"
I'll say I'm taken aback by the comment. "What?"
"I said, do you not trust me?"
"What are you talking about? Of course I trust you." I murmur, trying to take her hand, but she rips it out of my grip and runs her hand through her hair.
"I'm talking about why you didn't tell me that you were making bombs." She finally spits out, and I get it. That's what she's all upset about.
"Madge, listen," She cuts me off.
"No, you listen. Gale, I love you, I really do. But if you lie to me about things, then what do you expect me to do?"
"I didn't lie to you, Madge," I try again, but she keeps talking.
"Yes, you did. You deliberately told me that you were in Special Defense. I thought that meant something about protecting the border, not making bombs to blow up innocent people!"
"Madge, listen to me. Please listen to me."
"Gale, no. I'm really hurt that you didn't tell me this. I tell you everything, Gale! Everything! Why can't you do the same?"
"I didn't tell you because," I stop talking. I don't know why I didn't tell her. "I didn't tell you because,"
"Exactly. Gale, I'm going to ask again. Do you not trust me? Yesterday, when we saw the feed of you pressing that button to blow up the mine, I felt so betrayed because you didn't tell me. You told your family, Katniss, Thom and Bristel, but you didn't tell me. I thought I could tell you anything, and I thought that you felt the same way. So I'll ask again. Do you not trust me at all? Is there anything else you're not telling me?" She takes a breath and I know she's holding back tears. Her face always looks like this when she's about to cry.
"Madge, I trust you. I do, it's just I didn't know how you would take it."
"Gale, I'd much rather take that then you not telling me about it!" She chokes and rubs her eyes. "All my life, I've wanted to feel trusted and loved. With you, that came true. But with this.. I just.. I just need a break. I can't handle this right now."
It's like my world is falling apart. "Madge, I-"
"Just leave me be. Please. Gale, please leave me alone." A couple tears leak out of her eyes and I reach to wipe them away. She jerks away from me, wiping her own eyes. "Please, Gale."
Finally, I force myself to leave her alone, give her some time to think. Some space.
Back in my family's compartment, I slam the door out of frustration, and Rory comes up to me and asks what's wrong, but I shove him away and go to my room. In the room, I nearly bang my head on the wall. I totally screwed this up. I should've told her from the start what I was doing to help with the war effort. I shouldn't have kept this from her. Now, she's never going to trust me again because she thinks that I don't trust her.
Don't get me wrong, I do trust Madge. I'd trust her with my life. I don't even know why I didn't tell her. Maybe it's because I was afraid that she'd look at me differently. Or that she'd think I was a monster.
I sit down on the edge of the bed and rub my eyes and run my hands through my hair. I completely screwed this up. Flopping backwards on the bed, I try to think of some way to fix this mess. Now, I'm not the smartest when it comes to relationships. I always manage to ruin it somehow. But I do know that trust is one of the most important things that you have to have in a relationship, and now Madge thinks that I don't trust her. If she would've just let me explain why I didn't tell her, then maybe I wouldn't be here right now.
God, I'm an asshole. I am a complete and total asshole. I don't bother getting up again for breakfast, partly because I'm really tired and I need to give Madge her space. After I'm positive she'll be in training, I leave my house. No one else is home, so it gives me peace and quiet for a little. Instead of staying home like I should, I go and visit Katniss in the hospital.
"Well you look bored." I say when I walk into her hospital room. She glares at me momentarily.
"And you look extremely tired." She mumbles and I wave it off. "Something happen?"
"Madge's mad at me." Katniss's eyes narrow, but then they widen again.
"What happened?"
"I didn't tell her I was making bombs and now she doesn't think I trust her."
Katniss is quiet for a moment, and then she starts talking. "She probably feels betrayed that you didn't tell her. And she's probably over thinking what that might mean, just to tell you."
"How do you know this?" Katniss is never one to talk about feelings.
"I'm a girl, I understand how we think."
"No, I mean you have the emotional range of a teaspoon. How are you getting all of that from one little thing?"
She glares again. "And you have the attention span of a flea. Like I said, I know how girls think."
I pause to think about that. Katniss is the most oblivious person in the world. How is she getting all that from one thing I told her?
"Wait, what do you mean by over thinking?"
"She's probably thinking of all of these worst case scenarios. Such as you're cheating, you've been using her, you don't love her anymore, etcetera, etcetera."
"None of that is true," I start and Katniss cuts me off.
"I know that, but does she?" This stops me. Katniss did say that she was over thinking it. "What are you going to do?"
"I dunno. I mean when I went to talk to her this morning she said that she needed some space, that she couldn't handle it right then."
Katniss chews her lip for a little before she responds. "Sounds to me like you just need to give her a couple days to cool down, and then talk to her."
"That's what I was planning on doing anyways." I glance at the clock on the wall and groan. "I gotta go, have to go meet Beetee." She bids her goodbyes and I leave, going downstairs to special defense.
All through Special Defense I'm distracted. I nearly blow myself up trying to set a wire in the right place. I cut my hand on a shard of metal and have to go to the hospital for it to get cleaned. So now, I'm walking around with a bandage on my hand and it's annoying me greatly.
I eat dinner really early because I know Madge eats later because of her schedule. On the way back from dinner, I spot Madge and Bristel coming from training. Immediately, I turn to Rory and start talking to him. He doesn't question why I don't look at Madge, but I know I'll be hearing about it as soon as they are out of earshot.
Madge doesn't look at me, and I don't look at her.
A/N: So I kinda wrote this chapter because I'm sort of pissed at my track coach. Sorry bout that. But, do y'all understand why Madge is a little upset? I really hope y'all see it. Anyways, thoughts?