Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.
A/n: Alright, halfway there. I *think* this is the longest one. Hope you enjoy and sorry about the sporadic update times.
22) Gloss – Rude
He runs into her at training. Literally – he is heading towards wrestling and she is going towards the edible plants table.
"Watch where you're going," he snaps. He pushes past her, trying to be aggressive, as his mentor told him to.
"Don't be so fricking rude," the girl snaps back. "It's not like you were watching where you were going."
Surprised, he turns around. So far, all of the tributes have shied away from the tributes of Districts 1, 2 and 4. Especially the small ones; and this girl looks as though one good blow would kill her.
"Well, you should be watching me," he snarls, for lack of a better response.
"You're not that good-looking," she snaps back. Then, with a slight smile on her face, she adds, "you also sound like an idiot. Do you always talk like this?"
"Yes," he replies, thinking that he can't admit he doesn't usually go around trying to sound egotistical.
"So rude and a liar. Nice." Suddenly, she grins. "I'm Anfisa, from District 5."
"Gloss, District 1," he answers, unable to think of any other response. Any attempts at being intimidating seem to have gone down the drain. But, looking at her cheekily grinning face, he can't bring himself to care.
"Anyway, I'm off to poisonous plants. Coming?"
He intends to say no but somehow, the idea of learning about poisonous plants is suddenly appealing. He follows her. They don't speak at all. But he can't keep his eyes off her.
For the next three days, he develops a mini-routine of suddenly wanting to learn survival skills and 'conveniently' bumping into her there. Their conversations always start off by him insulting her in some way and her replying with 'Don't be so fricking rude'. It makes him feel comfortable around her and they do manage to discuss other things. Not important things. But things.
The other tributes he is allied with – with the exception of Teo – watch him carefully and he tries to hide any stupid feelings he may have for her in front of them and in front of her. But it's hard.
It is the night before the Games are due to start and, on impulse, Gloss has made his way up to Floor Five. He isn't entirely sure what he plans to do there but he walks into the corridor. And straight into her.
"Watch where you're going," he snaps without thinking.
"Don't be so fricking rude," she replies. They laugh. She looks around and pulls him into her room. "Why are you here, Gloss?"
"I can be here if I want," he answers.
"Why are you here, Gloss?"
He shrugs. "I don't know. To say goodbye, I think."
"Not tempted to ally with me then?" she asks teasingly.
He is, actually, but common sense prevails. "I have to go home. And my mentor would kill me if I didn't stick to the plan."
She shrugs but he can see the hurt in her eyes. "And would you kill me, Gloss?"
He looks away. "I don't ... I ... maybe?" He forces himself to meet her eyes. "Not if I don't have to." He takes a breath. "Keep away from us, Anfisa," he says seriously, "Teo's a decent guy but the others are sadistic. You won't stand a chance."
She nods and then, suddenly, leans forward and kisses him. Startled, he steps back.
"That's not a reply," she says teasingly. "That was rude."
To his everlasting shame, he blushes. "I ... I ... I don't think it's a good idea!" he blurts out. "One of us, at least, is going to have to die. We can't start kissing each other." They lock eyes. A moment of silence and awkwardness. "I think I should go," he says eventually.
She nods. "I just ... wanted to do that," she mumbles. He has never seen her this awkward or shy but he doesn't know how to help her out. "Before I die."
He wants to tell her not to say that but, instead, he just nods and backs towards the door. "Goodbye, Anfisa."
"Bye, Gloss." As he puts his hand on the door handle, she says softly, "if these weren't the Hunger Games – would you have kissed me back?"
He knows he should just leave but something makes him answer. "Yes."
Silence.
"Bye," he whispers and exits the room.
He's just filled up his water bottle and is heading back to his allies when someone walks into him.
"Watch where you're going or I'll make you watch where you're going," he growls, beginning to draw his sword.
"Don't be so fricking rude. Or threatening. You've added to your reptoire."
He turns and looks at her. "Anfisa!" he exclaims and then remembers where they are. "Go!" he hisses. "Get out of here!"
But it's too late. The other tributes have heard them and are running towards them. She sees them and starts to run but trips. Before Gloss can do anything, they have surrounded her.
"Hey, ain't this Gloss' whore?" the boy from 2 asks mockingly. Gloss looks from Anfisa to his allies, panicking. He can try to save Anfisa and die. Or he can deny everything, live and let her die.
"I'm not his anything," Anfisa spits, apparently making the decision for him. "I have more class than that." She gets up, trying to ignore the weaponry pointed at her. Gloss turns to face her. She looks scared.
"I'm too good for you anyway," he sneers although his heart isn't really in it. There's slight relief in her eyes because he's playing along.
"Rude and a liar."
One of the girls grabs her and slashes at her. The others join in, taking it in turns to inflict pain. She screams. Gloss is somehow pushed out of the circle. Then one of them cheers.
"Hey," Teo shouts suddenly. "Over there! I see a figure. More sport! Leave her, she's done for anyway." Still high on bloodlust, the girls and the boy from District 2 run in the direction Teo points to. Gloss begins to move but Teo steps in front of him. "It won't take them long to find out there's no one. Whatever the hell it is you want to do, do it now." He jogs away. Gloss turns back to the mess of the girl who was Anfisa and looms over her so that his face is harder to see.
"You look a proper mess," he growls for the cameras but his expression shows his real feelings.
She laughs and chokes on blood. "You ... ever ... polite?"
He smiles, blinking to stop tears from falling. "No." He leans down further and pretends to be jabbing a wound. "I'm sorry I didn't save you," he whispers.
"I'm ... sorry ... I ... didn't ag ...agree to be ... your ... wh-whore."
"Anfisa!" he yelps as quietly as he can manage. "Where did that come from?"
Her torn lips curve into a smile. "J-j-just ... wanted ... you ... shocked." Her voice is barely audible. "Like ... kiss. Sh-sh-shock before ... I die. And ... a smile."
He smiles as soon as she says that. "Whatever you want."
Her eyes have fluttered shut. He doesn't think she heard him.
He wonders whether he should finish her off to stop her pain. But he doesn't want her death on his kill list and, somehow, he has the feeling that just killing her without permission would be the sort of thing which would annoy her. She'd probably tell him that it's good manners to ask first. So he sits and watches her as her breathing becomes shallower and her pulse slows. The cannon fires.
He wins the Hunger Games. No one mentions Anfisa to him in the days afterwards. In the recap, he notices that although it shows Gloss growling at Anfisa as she lies dying, when they show her slipping into death, the camera angle hides his presence.
He never watches his Games again. He doesn't say anything special about her in the Victory Tour. He has a picture of Teo in his house but she is completely absent. In fact, he only ever mentions her once after the Games – to his sister, three years later, and that is as an afterthought. It seems like he has forgotten her or dismissed her as a childish crush.
But for years afterwards – until his death, in fact – he always tells people to watch where they're going if he walks into them. And although they apologise to him, he never pays attention. Instead, he always smiles. Because, as soon as the words leave his mouth, in the back of his mind, a blunt, teasing voice retorts: "Don't be so fricking rude."