Hello hello! Happy Holidays to everyone! I will most likely be updating more often because of winter break and I have free time now! Please review it means the world!

©Suzanne Collins

Chapter 6, The Sponsors

Last night was the best night of my life, I like going out with boys more than I thought I would. I hope that this works out with Peeta, my mother is actually fine with it and Prim is head over heels for us. I just hope his family is the same. We are meeting in town in about twenty minutes. I shoot two more rabbits and go to the Hob and trade them and another three to Greasy Sae for fifteen dollars. As I leave the Hob I look in the distance to the Justice Building and can just make out the time, which tells me I am ten minutes late for Peeta.

I run right into him. He was standing right outside the bakery looking around when he must have seen me running, he began to smile and he waved. Then as I got closer and tried to slow down I couldn't and I feel right on top of him and knocked him down. We just laid there on the ground laughing. He held me and kissed my hair. We finally got up and he kissed my cheek.

" I guess you just couldn't wait to see me huh?" he says laughing.

"I always want to see you"

"I doubt you always want to see me"

"Are you questioning my girlfriend-ship?"

"So you are?"

"Are what?"

"My girlfriend?"

"Well yea! And you're my boyfriend"

"This is so unlike you Katniss, I like it"

"I just guess I am done being a closed off hermit"

"Well I am glad," he says as he walks into the bakery, I follow him. His brothers are in the back arguing about what flavor to make the bread. "I was thinking about Gale this morning"

"What about him?"

"Well, he is going into those Games having no help besides the little training he gets beforehand, I thought we could help"

"How? We can't go to the arena and help him kill people"

"No, no I thought we could raise some money and send it to help him"

"You mean like sponsor him?"

"Yea, it will be hard but we could do it, give him a little help"

"I love that idea!" We then planned that we could make some special rolls with berries I pick in the woods. Then sell them at the bakery and all the roll money goes to Gale. The first step is to get Peeta's parents to agree. We go and find Peeta's Dad and get him to agree and to get him to talk to his wife.

"She might not agree you know," Peeta says.

"I know, then we will find something else to do to help him" He smiles at me and gives me a hug, knowing that we will do anything to help our best friend. Then he pulls away and rubs the back of his neck like he does when he has something awkward to say.

"What is it?"

"Well, he seemed really mad at us when we last saw him, you know from the hand holding. What if he comes back and doesn't want to talk to us?"

"He will, he has to. He is our best friend, and has to accept it. He asked me out once, I said no, but if I had said yes would you have hated us?"

"No, never. I… I love you to much to ever hate you for loving someone else"

"You, you love me?"

"Yea" I don't know what to say, I love Peeta but do I love him like that? Yea, I do.

"I, I love you to Peeta"

"You do?"

"Yea" He slowly comes in front of me and gives me a light hug. I wrap my arms around him and we stand there, and I find I never want the moment to end. It's perfect. The moment does end when Peeta's mother comes into the room.

"Peeta, what are you doing?" He jumps in front of me almost like a shield.

"Hugging my girlfriend"

"Your what!" she yells.

"My girlfriend, Katniss and I are together, I love her" He says staying strong, it takes a lot of guts for him to stand up to his witch of a mother.

"You do not, you are a foolish young boy, it is meaningless. No son of mine would ever love a Seam brat."

"But I do mother, and she loves me, there is nothing you can do about it. Being from the seam dosent effect the amount of love in a persons heart. She has more love in her heart than you do and you came from right here in town" She steps forward and slaps him hard across the face. He stumbles back and I hold him.

"You witch!" I yell.

"I know how to deal with stupid you brat, do you need to be taught a lesson too?"

"Mother! Don't you dare! What did you come in here for?"

"I talked to your father and he says you want to sponsor your friend Greg?"

"Gale mother, and yes. It will help him win and that will make you look good. Then when he wins the district will be rewarded and that will make life a little easier for you" He is so brave, and so good with words we might be able to pull this off.

"It is more work for me now"

"Katniss and I will do it all"

"I can even help with other things besides that, and not get paid. Free labor," I chime in, I know it cant hurt. She stands there obviously thinking about it.

"Fine, you," she says pointing at me. "Will be here every morning at seven and will get a twenty minute lunch break at twelve and then leave at six, are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am"

"And you," she says pointing at Peeta. "get back to work, or I wont let you see your 'girlfriend' anymore or let you do this" She turns to leave and then thinks better of it and turns to make sure Peeta goes to work. He has a death wish because he just nods then turns to me and kisses me on the mouth for a few seconds then walks into the bakery kitchen. Mrs. Mellark just glares at me, and I at her then I leave and go home. As I walk home I know we are in for it with his mother, but I don't care and I bet he doesn't either.

I know that together we can do anything, including saving Gale.