Katniss' POV

I was feeling absolutely sick as Gale and I rode the subway to the Upper East Side. It was amazing that Peeta could organise a meeting with his father's lawyer so soon, but at the same time I was dreading what he might tell Gale.

I could tell that Gale was just as nervous as I was. He didn't speak as we sat side by side, and he was bouncing his leg up and down like he always did when he was worried. He wanted this to go well even more than I did, and had even worn a suit, but it had belonged to his father and was looking a little tattered. I knew that he was trying to make a good impression though because he was right- the courts would love to see someone from our neighbourhood locked up as opposed to if it was Peeta caught in that warehouse.

Gale still didn't speak as I directed him to Peeta's apartment building and rode the elevator to the penthouse. I could feel his annoyance as he took in the extravagant setting he was to have his meeting in. I could understand Gale's conflict- the world he hated more than anything was now his only chance at freedom.

Peeta greeted us, looking just as nervous as I felt. He moved towards me as though going to kiss me, but then decided that maybe that wasn't such a good idea as he flicked his eyes towards Gale.

"Hey." he said timidly.

"Hey." I replied. Things were feeling a little awkward between the three of us, but luckily the lawyer appeared in the room at that moment.

"Good morning, my name is Plutarch Heavensbee." He said in a gruff but kind voice. "You must be Gale, let's take a seat and get started."

The look in Gale's eye told me that he was feeling uncomfortable, so I reassured him that I would stay with him while he spoke with the lawyer. The three of us sat down on one of the white leather couches while Plutarch Heavensbee sat opposite.

As Gale began to tell his side of the story, I was immediately relieved by how understanding Plutarch was. He believed that Gale was innocent, and it seemed that despite his Upper East Side roots, Plutarch was much more an advocate for people like Gale and I. However, that didn't change the evidence that was against Gale.

"Do you have any proof that Cashmere was the instigator of the setup?" Plutarch asked, taking notes as Gale spoke.

"No." Gale replied.

"What about the gang's involvement?"

"No." Gale's voice sounded less and less hopeful.

"What about you Katniss?" Plutarch turned to me. "Do you have any evidence of Cashmere's threats?"

I gulped. This was getting worse and worse. "No." I told him.

"Look, I'm going to be honest with you." Plutarch turned back to Gale. "It doesn't look good. What I'm going to do is get my private investigator to take a look around your neighbourhood and see what he can find. If we can get any proof at all that it was a trap, it will no doubt give you a fighting chance. No guarantees, though."

"That's better than nothing." Gale said honestly. He stood to shake Plutarch's hand. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Plutarch said genuinely. "You've got to have some allies when it comes to cases like these."

I had a good feeling about Gale's chances once we left Peeta's apartment, and Gale even offered me a genuine smile as we took the subway home. This was the hope we needed that not everything was going to be as bad as we thought.

It took two weeks before we heard anything from Plutarch Heavensbee's private detective. In the meantime, Gale met with him twice more to discuss the trial, just in case it couldn't be proved before trial that Gale was innocent.

So while Gale continued to face the possibility of jail time, I returned to school and tried to act like everything was normal. It was hard though, especially with Cashmere giving me evil looks whenever we passed each other in the hallways.

At first, she seemed genuinely shocked to see me at school, and I supposed the word hadn't gotten to her yet that Gale was the one caught, not me. She was not pleased, to say the least, and it seemed that my near arrest was not enough to satisfy her need for revenge.

Our first conversation occurred two days after Gale's arrest. Cashmere suddenly appeared behind me at my locker before lunch, and her voice instantly sent a chill up my spine.

"Katniss." she said, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, so you better get used to it." I replied coldly.

"Shame about your friend though." she said with mock pity. "Something tells me he'll be locked away for a very long time. Don't you feel guilty, Katniss?" she blinked at me. "Maybe you should just turn yourself in."

I was sick of the games that Cashmere was playing with me, but there was no way that I was ever going to let her win. "Well maybe you should turn yourself in before everyone realises who was really behind it. If everyone were to find out, it surely would ruin your reputation, wouldn't it?" I mimicked her tone.

"Your threats are as weak as Gale's chance of being found innocent." Cashmere scoffed. "Now if you don't mind, I've got friends to meet."

Cashmere walked away, her blonde hair streaming out behind her. I should have known that Cashmere was too smart to give herself away but it took me a moment to calm myself down from the rage that was growing in me, before I could join my friends at our usual spot.

Peeta and I had quickly filled in Finnick, Johanna, Delly and Madge on what had happened, and it surprised me just how angry they all were, despite Madge being the only one to have had really spoke to him. It seemed that everyone was sick of the way Cashmere acted.

"That bitch." Johanna spat. "I'm going to go right over there tell her what I really think." Johanna went to stand up, but I pulled her back down. "Katniss, I've got years worth of things to yell at her about." she complained.

"It will only make things worse." I reminded her.

Johanna sighed. "Fine, but when the truth comes out, you and Gale better make her pay for what she did."

To be honest, getting revenge on Cashmere wasn't really on my mind. All I wanted was for Gale to be cleared, but I hadn't really considered what would happen to Cashmere. My thoughts were interrupted however, when Finnick started to speak.

"So Madge, where does that leave you and Gale?" he asked. Oh right, I had completely forgotten about their date.

Madge blushed. "Gale called me last night, to tell me what happened." she said softly. "He didn't think I'd still want to go out with him on Friday, but I told him I still did."

"Wow Madge, I never pictured you dating a potential criminal!" Johanna laughed.

"Yeah, well my father won't be pleased, that's for sure." Madge shrugged. "But I'm tired of being his little girl."

Johanna laughed. "Maybe we have more in common than I first thought!"

As long as I didn't bump into Cashmere, going to school ended up being a good distraction from what had happened. Peeta was always there of course, and I was glad I still had him despite our argument on the roof. However, our relationship had been a little sidelined while we helped out with the case, and I was looking forward to when it was all over and we could be alone together again.

So finally, when Gale and I arrived at Peeta's apartment two weeks later, Plutarch told us the news that we so desperately wanted to hear.

"My detective has found some partially destroyed surveillance footage that places the gang in the warehouse before Gale. They are handing themselves into the police as we speak, and are willing to give them any information about Cashmere in exchange for a lesser sentence."

I was so relieved I didn't know what to do. I was caught between thanking Plutarch, hugging Gale or kissing Peeta and for a moment I stared at all three of them in an awkward silence. Gale was the first to move though, laughing and opening his arms as all four of us moved closer, laughing too. It was the most dysfunctional group hug I had ever seen, but it didn't matter because Gale was cleared. Gale was cleared and he wasn't going to jail!

I was ecstatic, and everything was a blur between a police officer arriving and dropping all of Gale's charges, then calling Prim and Rory and hearing them scream with joy, then pouring champagne and sitting happily together- my boyfriend, my best friend and the man who saved the day. A strange combination, but I didn't care. However, once I began to return to reality, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt towards Cashmere.

"What will happen to Cashmere?" I asked suddenly.

"Who cares!" Gale scoffed, finishing his third glass of champagne.

Plutarch knew that I really did want to know, and he gulped loudly before speaking. "It is most likely that she was will be charged, but due to her age, lack of criminal history and the family that she comes from, I'm certain she will not face trial."

At first I was annoyed, that Gale would have been sent to jail as an innocent person just because of where he lived, while Cashmere would walk free just because her family had so much money. Eventually I was relieved though, because as much as I didn't like Cashmere, I knew deep down that I didn't want to see her behind bars.

So Gale and I left Peeta's apartment in the evening, too happy to even speak. Before we said goodbye at our apartment, I turned to him smiling.

"So now that you are officially innocent, what are you going to do first?" I asked.

Gale thought for a moment, trying to act casual. "I think I might call Madge."

"So things are going well for you two then?" I asked. I couldn't help but smile.

"To be honest, I think she kind of likes the whole 'rebel' thing this situation has given me."

"Well, don't go committing any crimes just to impress her." I half joked, half warned.

Gale was still smiling, more than I had ever seen before. "Look Katniss, I know that this whole situation was kinda your fault, but thanks for being there for me. Peeta too."

"Once a Seam, always a Seam." I said, hugging him.

As Gale and I parted, I felt like things that were finally going right again.

The fallout from the gang's confession was more far reaching than I had ever imagined. Someone must have seen Cashmere being taken away from her apartment in a police car, and moments later it was all over the Internet.

It only got worse the next day at school. Within minutes of entering the school ground, all I could hear was people whispering about Cashmere's arrest. It seemed that no one actually knew the circumstances behind of her trip to the police station, but I was sure it would get out soon, which is what I feared the most.

I didn't see Cashmere for most of the day, and I thought that she might have stayed home for the day. Most of lunch was spent speculating about what would happen once she finally did arrive at school.

"Not so confident now, is she?" Johanna scoffed. "I can't wait until she shows her face."

Even Madge, the friendliest girl I knew, was anxious to see the fallout from Cashmere's arrest. "It's not like I want her to go to jail or anything, but I hope she finally realises what a horrible person she is." she said casually, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

I was feeling anxious too, because so far only my friends knew the extent of my involvement in Cashmere's arrest, and the more it was dragged into the spotlight, the more likely it was that my past would soon be uncovered. I hated how I had been brought into this whole mess, because all I had wanted when I started at The Capitol School was to remain as anonymous as possible. To go to school, get the grades I needed and put all of it behind me. I never would have imagined that I would be the reason another classmate was arrested, and the whole situation made me feel sick. Cashmere had brought out the worst in me, and if dating Peeta hadn't already done it, maybe this whole situation with Cashmere had really made me part of this world once and for all, and I hated that thought.

Half way through lunch, Cashmere appeared in the courtyard, and it seemed that finally I would find out what was going to happen next. At once everyone was silent, staring at Cashmere as she stopped dead in her tracks. For someone who liked attention so much, she sure did look uncomfortable with our entire year level looking intently at her.

"Hey Cashmere, take a nice trip downtown?" One boy taunted.

"So what'd you do, huh?" Another yelled.

"Is being a bitch a crime now, is it?" Johanna joined in.

As people continued to laugh and tease her, I could see that Cashmere's cool and collected demeanour was starting to falter, and it looked like tears were forming in her eyes. People had their phones out all over the courtyard to record the situation, including Finnick.

"I've got to film it for Annie!" He tried to defend himself, but I could tell that he felt bad about it, and put his phone down.

It was all too much for Cashmere, as she turned quickly on her heel as disappeared back the way she came.

I didn't understand it, but I felt bad for the way Cashmere was being treated. Since I started at The Capitol School, she had been nothing but horrible to me, and what she did to Gale could have ruined his life forever. The fear of my past getting out was also motivating me, so quickly I jumped up and followed after her, much to the disbelief of Johanna.

Finally I found Cashmere in the bathroom, wiping the running mascara from her cheeks and sniffing back tears.

"Come to laugh at me too?" she said, trying to sound tough but failing dismally.

"No." I said honestly.

"Then what are you doing here?" she shot back. "I don't need your pity."

"That's not why I'm here either."

"Then why are you here?"

"To call a truce." I said confidently. "I won't tell anyone else about what you did, but you have to leave me alone. That includes telling no one about my past with Gale."

Cashmere's eyes narrowed. I could tell that she was thinking it over, and I was scared that she would be so angry at her arrest that she would tell the school of my past anyway. "Fine." she said eventually. "Truce."

"Good." I said, relieved.

Cashmere turned to leave the bathroom, but before she was out the door she turned to me. "But I still don't like you, scholarship girl."

I sighed. Some things would never change.

So I left the bathroom and returned to my friends. I found Peeta's hand under the table and gave him a reassuring smile. Finally, I could put this whole situation behind me and focus on what was really important- Peeta Mellark.