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Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games or any of its characters.

Chapter 8

School isn't good anymore. Zach doesn't sit with me, for fear of Gale, who is bigger and stronger than him. Gale doesn't sit with me, for fear of what people will say about him. He's not at lunch again on Wednesday, which despite all my anger towards him worries me slightly. Only slightly though. Would the school care that he had missed two days?

Zach however is present. He sits with two of his friends, and he talks to them, but he's always looking at me. He doesn't smile when he does this, still sore from his encounter with Gale yesterday. I don't see why he should be - I didn't ask Gale to come over and defend me, did I?

Lessons are boring as usual. Occasionally they roll in an old, battered TV so that we can watch the updates on the Games - the odds, the scores, who's being bet on, who's rooting for which tribute, the favourites, the ones who are expected to be killed on the first day.

I don't watch these showings; I sit with my head bowed, and doodle pictures on the front of my notepad. They aren't of anything, just swirls and patterns. I don't often draw anymore, but on Wednesday, it helped me ignore the fact that my friend would begin her fight to the death tomorrow.

Or to victory, a small voice in my head says before I can stop it. I was torn between supporting my friend and hoping for her victory, and expecting the worst so that when it came, it wouldn't hurt so much. So instead, I ignored what they showed in school, and endured what was shown at home.

My father wasn't at dinner, and I wasn't surprised. However, Toby is as chatty as ever, and manages to cheer me up a bit with his constant positive attitude.

Although he was just here to cook and clean because of my mother's condition and my father's absence, Toby was also my friend. He kept me company in the house when I was there, which was most of the time - however, because I had gone out more often recently, I hadn't seen him so much, and it was nice to talk to him at dinner. I would be much more lonely if he wasn't here, and I mentally thanked my father for hiring such a friendly, cheerful person.

I had never considered Toby as a romantic interest. I had briefly thought about it, but laughed at the idea. He was just a friend, and considering I saw him every day, a romance would surely over-complicate my life. Besides, he was quite a few years older than me; I guessed about twenty-one, as I had never asked him. I was only seventeen.

When I lay down in my bed that night, I start a new book. This one was larger, with a finer print, and so would take me longer to finish, which was good, as I had decided to bring books with me to school at lunch. It would serve as a good distraction from Zach staring at me from across the room, and Gale's empty seat, which caused his friends to whisper and look in my direction.

What was it that made him miss school? Was it because the scores had come out yesterday and that Katniss's eleven would surely make her a target? I know he had got angry yesterday over what happened at lunch, but I couldn't see how that could make him not want to see me to the point of missing school.

I sigh, put my book on my bedside table, and switch off my lamp.

Guys are so confusing.

I eat my breakfast quickly the next day, downing my tea in a few long gulps. Toby watches this with raised eyebrows, but doesn't say anything. I grab my bag from its usual spot in my bedroom and call out a goodbye to my father as I walk past his office.

I decide once I'm outside that my reasonably good mood is due to the continued warm weather. The sky is blue, and there are only a few clouds, none of which cover the sun, which is very warm, but not hot.

Once I've walked for five minutes or so, I take off my jacket and stuff it in my bag, revealing my grey t-shirt that was one of my favourites. It was one size too big and so was loose and comfortable, and hung lower than my other shirts.

For once, my lessons fly by. My first one is history, which although is repetitive with its constant topics on the Uprisings and District 13, it can be quite interesting. I enjoy learning about North America, the country that once was what Panem is now. It had laws and customs which were so different to now, and what was the best was that it had no Hunger Games. No death on their TV screens, and although I found it hard to imagine, I enjoyed the idea.

Even better, my next lesson before lunch was English. I was lucky enough to have got one of the few teachers in our school who is passionate about what they teach Plus, I was good at it, so she liked me. The teacher was eccentric in her own way, though nothing so unusual that the other kids would laugh at her. She was respected, and her students mostly listened in class, which was more than I could say for the behaviour and attention span of my fellow students in the classes.

After English it was lunch, which I was actually looking forward to. I sat in my usual place with my book, and just as I was searching for where I had picked up, something caught my eye.

Gale's seat wasn't empty today. Luckily it faced away from my table, but his presence still made me feel uncomfortable. At least it didn't make me angry like I thought it would.

After a while I learnt to ignore it, and even Zach staring relentlessly at me from across the room didn't stop me from enjoying my book. For once, I left the lunch room without feeling angry or upset.

Gale didn't approach me during or after school, and I didn't expect him to. He had no reason to speak to me at lunch, considering Zach wasn't there, and I couldn't see why he would need to see me other than that.

Part of me knew that I wanted to talk to him, to see him. But that was only a small part of me - the other part was still full of rage for him leaving yesterday, simply because of where I lived and how much money my father had.

School after lunch was not as pleasant as the morning had been. We sit in the hall and they use a big projector to show the live footage of the beginning of the Games. I'm surprised that Gale is here; or maybe he just wants to see if Katniss will make it out of the initial bloodbath alive.

I decide to opt for hoping that she will at least survive the first few days. When the clock counts down, I hold my breath, and only release it when she has run away into the dense trees with the orange backpack. I had gasped slightly when that girl had thrown the knife at Katniss, and I was not the only one. We watched in silence, and even the teachers did not make any comments. I suppose it was our way of showing some form of respect for her.

We watch the Careers clean out the Cornucopia of its spoils, and various other tributes run as fast as they can away from them. Of course, we see other tributes too. The ones being lifted into the sky by the hovercrafts.

Later, as I walk home, I decide to bring my book to school the next day, as it provided a perfect distraction from the two guys who were annoying the Hell out of me. They would also be showing the Games whenever they could find an opportunity, so maybe I could hide the book under my desk while it was on.

I do my homework in the dining room, and Toby chats to me about nothing in particular as he cleans the area around me, which makes the work a bit more bearable. Plus, when he sees the stack of sheets and textbooks I heave out of my backpack, he goes and makes me some tea, and continuously supplies it to me till I'm finished, which is around about half an hour before dinner.

My father doesn't eat with us again, which I suppose is because of the Games starting today. After dinner, Toby and I go sit on the sofa and switch on the TV. After today, we won't be receiving any homework from school, so that we can watch the Games more frequently.

The first person we see is Peeta. I let out a little gasp when I see who he's with – he's with the Careers. Did that make him one of them? Sure, he had scored an eight, but he was from Twelve…

I chew my bottom lip as I watch them. They seem to be looking for something, someone… Who?

"That's her snare back there." Peeta says. "I know it's her."

I couldn't believe it. They were looking for Katniss?

"I don't understand." Toby whispers, his eyes fixed to the screen. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would Peeta do that to Katniss?"

I look at him, surprised by how confused he is. What does he mean?

"You missed the opening ceremony on Sunday, didn't you? And all the interviews?" He's looking at me now.

"Yeah, I was out…" I remember Toby's disapproving stares from the weekend when I got home, and realised why he had been so strict.

I had missed part of the Games. I can't help but feel slightly happy about this – it seems so rebellious, so not like me.

Toby paused for a moment, and says "Peeta confessed that he likes Katniss. I don't know how strong his feelings are, but…" He glances back at the TV.

It takes me a few moments to process this. Peeta? Katniss? But Peeta's hunting Katniss for the careers – why would he do that?

I can feel my head start to hurt, so I go and get some water. When I come back, they're showing Katniss. She's in a tree, attached to a branch. She's watching a flickering light in the distance, a fire. She shakes her head in exasperation and looks away, trying to get some sleep. It's not long before the Careers find her.

She only screams once, and it's short. I try to take comfort in the fact that her death was quick, but even so I flinch when the cannon sounds.

As I lay down in bed that night, I start to think about Gale. Surely he knows about what Peeta said at the interviews?

That would explain his bad mood on Sunday. And his absence from school.

I sigh, and switch my light off. He really did like Katniss. I don't know why, but when I realised this, I feel a slight pain twist in my stomach. I didn't understand the feeling, so ignored it, and went to sleep.

Could Madge be jealous? ;)

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