I hadn't even realized that Katniss's body had been angled slightly towards mine until she turned. I felt sick to my stomach. She was pissed. That much was obvious. I have to admit I was surprised she cared one way or the other.

The rest of the meal passed with me staring at my plate, unable to think of anything I could say. Finally, I offered to get her a refill of hot chocolate but the daggers she shot me with her eyes made it clear that the tentative friendship we'd forged since leaving District 12 was a thing of the past. I stood from the table and paused behind Katniss's chair. I opened my mouth, to blurt out the truth when I saw Haymitch shake his head almost imperceptibly at me. Please? I pleaded with my eyes, but instead of nodding, Haymitch rose from the table abruptly and said we should get started on training for the interview.

When we ended up back in Haymitch's room, he surprised me by not going straight for the booze. Instead, he sat in the armchair he'd chosen last night and gestured at my place on the sofa. Suddenly, he let out a guffaw and I wondered yet again about the man's sanity.

"You sure know how to pick 'em, kid."

I sat back, choosing to not respond to his bait.

Haymitch chuckled to himself for a couple more minutes before he finally shook his head and rubbed his bloodshot eyes.

"Are you finished?" I asked, eyebrows raised, my expression exasperated.

He held up his hand and gave one more snicker and then looked at me innocently. "Yeah, kid. I think I can go on, now."

I rolled my eyes to the heavens and wondered just what I'd gotten myself into.

I have to admit. By lunchtime, I'm pretty convinced that Haymitch is a genius. At the very least we'll have sponsors fighting to keep us alive just for the drama and at most, he's right… We just might be able to change history. My hopes aren't hung on that, of course, as it's an astronomically small possibility, but I know, now, that I have the odds in my favor of keeping He interview went Katniss alive.

She, of course, had spent the past four hours with Effie and Katniss looked positively surly when she entered the dining room. I gave her a little wave and if looks could kill, I'd be dead and buried before the opening gong sounded. When her back turned, Haymitch fluttered his eyes at me and I snorted into my turkey leg. She glanced back at us suspiciously, but by then I was shoveling in my lunch and Haymitch was downing something from his flask. Instead of sitting next to me as she had been, Katniss sat at the head of the table, distancing herself from me. It made my heart ache a little. Hopefully, though… If all went well, she would understand what I felt tomorrow night.

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The interview went better than I ever could have hoped for. When I admitted that my crush was none other than Katniss Everdeen, the gasps and sighs in the audience were resounding. I couldn't help but glance at the screens along the walls of the Circle, catching the strangest looks flit across Katniss's face. First confusion, then comprehension, then a flush of embarrassment… She was even prettier when she blushed. It made her look vulnerable, and that was a look I'd only seen on this girl once. Sure, I'd been watching Katniss all of these years, but it was that day when I threw burned loaves of bread to her in the rain that I realized I wasn't just curious about this coal miner's daughter. Somehow, even at twelve years old, I'd known I felt something in my soul for her. Having a chance to help her that day… It was well worth the beating I'd suffered at my mother's furious hand. Even as my father wordless put ice to my cheek that night, I knew I'd do the same thing again in a heartbeat.

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch up into a grin as I looked at her, but then she glanced at her image, magnified by hundreds of times on those screens and ducked her head. Damn, she was pretty when she was flustered. I shifted my attention back to Flickerman, but he was smiling like he could read my thoughts. I felt my own cheeks heat slightly, but he was worth his weight in gold, drawing attentionback to the love story we were creating.

I tried to get into the same elevator car that Katniss was in, but a swarm of people were asking me questions about how long I'd known that I was in love, if Katniss had known, if we had ever shared a kiss… I lost her in the racket and ended up taking another lift to out floor. I stepped out as soon as the door opened, in a hurry to try to talk to Katniss, but instead, I found myself eye to eye with her. I opened my mouth to speak but before I could she shoved me with all of her might.

I'm a pretty solid guy, but grace isn't one of my attributes. Before I could catch myself, I stumbled backwards. The backs of my thighs bumped into the pot of flowers to the side of the elevator . I was heavy enough to send the entire thing tumbling. It shattered as it hit the ground and I ended up on my ass in the shards of pottery, my hands bracing the fall and saving my tailbone, but being cut to shreds by the broken urn.

"What was that for?" I had thought that her blush meant something it obviously did not. I hadn't expected her reaction and hope had filled me at the sight of her vulnerability that maybe… Good one Mellark, I thought. What'd you think? She was going to be waiting here for you to throw her arms around you and declare her undying love?

"You had no right! No right to go saying those things about me!" Her voice was raised and her eyes were blazing.

I really am an idiot sometimes. I was humiliated that I'd even entertained the possibility that she could have been flattered instead of embarrassed by my confession. And now, instead of being able to slink off to my room to hide my burning cheeks, the elevator doors opened and we were joined by our Handlers.

"What's going on?" Effie gasped. She sounded a little hysterical, especially as she eyed my bloodied hands. I knew she could see any chance she had of being promoted slipping away. "Did you fall?"

"After she shoved me," I grunted, jerking my head at Katniss. I didn't want to look anyone one of them in the eye. They all knew how I felt about Katniss. Hell, the entire damn country knew how I felt and now I looked like a fool because it was obvious my feelings were not reciprocated.

"Shoved him?" I could feel Haymitch looking at me, but I couldn't lift my eyes to his. I hated myself for thinking it but if he gave me an "I told you so" look I might start crying. I felt beyond stupid and really, I just wanted to go hide.

"This was your idea, wasn't it? Turning me into some kind of fool in front of the entire country?" Katniss had turned on Haymitch and was yelling at him just as loudly as she had at me.

I didn't look up but I said, dumbly, "It was my idea." I pulled a chunk of broken glass from my palm and studied it. "Haymitch just helped me with it."

"Yes! Haymitch is very helpful. To you!"

"You are a fool," Haymitch sneered. Then, it dawned on me. He was mad for me. I could hear it in the anger in his voice. I was too humiliated to be angry, but he seemed to have no problem expressing his frustrations at Katniss. "Do you think he hurt you? That boy just gave you something you never could have achieved on your own."

"He made me look weak!"

"He made you look desirable! And let's face it, you can use all the help you can get in that department. You were about as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do. You're all they're talking about. The star-crossed lovers from District Twelve!"

"But we're not star-crossed lovers!"

Haymitch grabbed Katniss's shoulders, and pinned her to the wall. I almost spoke up, almost told him to get his hands off of her, but embarrassment had given way to anger and now I was just seething.

"Who cares?" he roared. "It's all a big show. It's all how you're perceived. The most I could say about you after your interview was that you were nice enough, although that in itself is a small miracle. Now, I can say you're a heartbreaker. Oh, oh, oh! How the boys at home fall longingly at your feet. Which do you think will get you ore sponsors?

I was surprised that Haymitch was covering for me. I guess he knew I was embarrassed. It must be pretty bad to get pity from a drunk, but he had given me a little bit of an out. I could try to play it off as a ploy to get sponsors. If Haymitch could think this quick on his feet drunk, I was really curious as to how sharp his mind could be when he was sober.

Cinna put his arm around Katniss's shoulders and said quietly, "He's right, Katniss."

She seemed a little defeated, the anger finally sliding out of her words. "I should have been told so I didn't look stupid."

Portia glanced at me before she said, "No, your reaction was perfect. If you had known it wouldn't have read as real."

I knew Portia was trying to tell me she believed that Katniss really might have some kind of feelings for me, but I didn't need her pity. I threw down another chunk of bloodied glass and said, "She's just worried about her boyfriend."

I looked up at her as I said this, trying to gage her reaction and was rewarded with a blush.Funny. It had been that very blush that made my stomach tingle with anticipation in the interview. Now, it just made my heart feel like it was dropping to my shoes.

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"Whatever." I wanted to leave it at that, but I had to try to cover my wounded pride. "But, I bet he's smart enough to know a bluff when he sees it. Besides, you didn't say you loved me. So, what does it matter?"

Yeah. Just a bluff. My heart doesn't feel like it's made of lead.

She turned to Cinna like I hadn't even spoken. "After he said he loved me, did you think I could be in love with him, too?"

I saw a sly grin crossed Portia's face before she piped up, "I did. The way you avoided looking at the cameras, the blush."

"Looked real to me."

"Yeah, I could see it."

"I believed your expression."

Everyone agreed, speaking as if they were confirming she hadn't looked foolish, though their words were clearly meant for my lovesick ears.

"You're golden, sweetheart," Haymitch said. "You're going to have sponsors lined up around the block."

There was a lull, then, and I felt her gray eyes on me. I couldn't bring myself to look at her for fear she'd see that I had meant it when I confessed I loved her. I had to just go with the bone Haymitch had thrown me. It was all an act to get sponsors. As long as I didn't have to look her in the eye, I believed I could play it off. I studiously continued to pull shards of pottery from my hands.

"I'm sorry I shoved you."

I shrugged, trying to look like I was unaffected. "Doesn't matter. Although it's technically illegal."

"Are your hands okay?"

"They'll be alright."

God knows they'd heal faster than my pride and they hurt a hell of a lot less than my heart.

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Please remember that reviews are what writers of fanfiction live for! I have a lot of ideas swirling my head, but I have a hard time being motivated when I don't feel anyone's enjoying 'em. So, if you like my stories, you should review—don't just set up an alert, or a favorite. I've had a lot of those, recently. Even just a second to say "Love it" or "Why did you…." Make a writer's day!

Probably just one more chapter to this fic—it's a shorty.