Chapter Ten

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

Thanks to nekonip-chan, TheatreCrazy21, Mindmapped123, heraldofspringtime, , Peccopa, jess obsessed 04, carlo fandango, SuperSaiyan529, teampeeta1223, Everlark Fax Lover, jonasgrl9, ShortySC22, Nanacela, maddibrook7, Kpfan72491, PeetaLover1116, veronique2, NicoFan-of-Apollo, eekabeeka, MaidenAlice, gabytahijar, TragedyIsTheKey, Guest and JoelHGlover00!

If I missed anyone or misspelled anyone's name, let me know and feel free to give me an imaginary slap on the head :p

Once again, thanks for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing you lot! It really makes my day :)

Warning: Some profanity down below, sorry about that...

Katniss -

Gale is kissing me. Gale Hawthorne is kissing me. My best friend is kissing me.

I hate it.

I shove Gale away from me angrily, what was up with him?

"What was that for?" I can't contain my anger, who did he think he was? He knows me better than most people, he knows that I can't tolerate these sort of actions.

Hurt flashes in Gale's eyes before its replaced by calmness. "Sorry." He mutters, in a monotone. "I shouldn't have done that."

I am annoyed at how... how cool and calmly Gale is taking this. "You shouldn't have!" I snapped. "You know how I feel about these sort of things!"

Gale's expression breaks, and I see anger and hurt in his eyes and in every line of his face. "What sort of things, Katniss?" He demands, in a dangerously soft tone.

I can't help but glare at him. "You know what I'm talking about. Kissing."

Gale snorts in annoyance. "Whats wrong with kissing?" He rolls his eyes, angrily. I feel furious at him, didn't he know me at all?

"You know! Kissing leads to... relationships." I take a steady breath. Gale grinds his teeth together, his eyes boring into me.

"Whats wrong with relationships? Your parents were in one, thats how you and Prim were born." He pointed out.

I swallow. "Relationships lead to love. Love leads to marriage, and then babies happen." I close my eyes. "I don't want to bring any kids into this world, Gale, you should know that."

Gale bites his lower lip fiercely. "I know." He spits sourly. "Besides, even if you were married, you wouldn't have to have kids."

"Why did you kiss me?" I demand, changing the subject.

Gale flushes. "Because I love you, Katniss." His eyes meet mine and I feel all my anger melt away. In his eyes there is a massive amount of sadness and hurt that has now replaced his previous anger.

I am hit with Gale's sudden statement. He loves me? But... but... That couldn't be... He was my friend, a brother even. "I... Uh..." I lose my voice and I just gape at Gale.

"I just had to let you know." He mutters. Gale looks at me right in the eyes and speaks, "Katniss, I want you to know that we'd be really good together if you think about it. Also, I won't let you go this easy in the future."

With that, he stands up and walks away from the meadow and me.

I am sitting on the grass in stunned silence, still gaping at Gale's retreating figure. We would be good together? Gale thought we would be. I guess that it would maybe make good sense.

I mean, we were best friends, we trusted each other a lot, and we knew almost everything about each other. Well, I thought we did. Never did I realize that Gale loved me.

Where would we be after today? He kissed me, and I blew him off. He probably hated me right now for doing that to him.

In a daze, I get onto my feet and walk towards District 12. What should I do about Gale? Ignore him? Talk to him? Try to get my feelings about him in check? I mean, my emotions were totally jumbled up now. First Peeta's accidental words: 'I like Katniss' and now a kiss from Gale.

Seriously, its like the world is set on screwing up my life.

I sigh as I think about what actions I'll take next. I slip through the gap in the fence and walk towards my home. I can see Prim sitting on the porch with Rory, the two of them huddled over a tattered book. Prim has a pencil tucked behind her ear and is explaining something to Rory by the looks of it. I can tell Rory isn't really listening though, his eyes are just riveted on Prim's and taking in everything about her.

I can tell that he likes her. Definitely.

I can't help but smile at the sight as I near the two of them. Prim stops talking and both she and Rory look up at me as I pass them on the porch. I can't resist to give Prim a knowing smirk which makes her blush bright crimson and Rory to look at me then her in confusion.

I enter my house and wander over to the small, cramped living room. I literally collapse onto the couch, thinking about my day once more. My life is becoming seriously messed up right now. This situation with Gale isn't going to go away just like that. He was in love with me, I wasn't in love with him. I didn't feel anything like that towards him. He was like my brother, my best friend, one of the very few people I trust in this world. The two of us needed to talk about this, I just wasn't sure what I would say to him.

Then there was Peeta. The two of us needed to talk as well. I mean, I actually told him a lot more than I ever told anyone, I guess. With the exception of Prim and Gale. Did I overreact to those three simple words that had come out of his mouth? I didn't think I did... When I had heard those words, I had felt something that I couldn't really... place.

It was an unusual and new feeling for me. I didn't know what I had felt at that moment, it was hard to explain. I sighed, shaking my head. Since when did I think this much?

Glumly, I got up on my feet and trudged upstairs to my room. I needed some sleep. I'm too tired to think right now.

~The Next Day~

Peeta -

Standing behind the counter, handing a loaf of bread to a customer, is honestly the most boring thing to do. Not that I didn't like working at the bakery, but the work here was kind of repetitive. And being repetitive gets a little boring after a while.

I had to do two shifts as well. My own and my mother's. Mother was out for her time in her shift, I think she was in a meeting about something. I had offered to take over her shift to be nice, and she had given me a cautious look. She warned me that if I messed up, I'd be grounded.

"Peeta, my love!"

Inwardly, I groan. Rye.

The customer gives the two of us a surprised and wide eyed expression as he hurriedly hands the coins over to me and leaves.

I look at Rye. "What do you want me to do?" I say, resignedly.

Rye gives me a cheeky grin. "Oh, love, you know me so well."

I roll my eyes. "Seriously."

Rye drops his attitude and gives me a serious look. "I've got a date." He tells me.

He falls silent and I wait for him to continue. When the silence stretches, I nudge him.

"What?" He looks startled. I sigh in annoyance.

"Continue."

Rye blinks once, and quickly rushes on. "You know the girl I like? Sofia Weller? Well, I finally got the guts to ask her out."

I raise my eyebrows in confusion. "What about her boyfriend?" I ask.

Rye's expression hardens. "She dumped him. Sofia found him kissing another chick behind the school gym." His tone is filled with disgust and anger. Sofia Weller's boyfriend, Justin, is someone that hardly anyone likes. I never knew why she went out with him in the first place. Sofia was such a nice person, it was hard to imagine her with someone like Justin. "She deserves better. I told her that right in front of him and that girl." He manages a small smirk.

I close my eyes for a second. I got a feeling that I'd know what Rye was about to say.

"Justin got pissed at me for saying that and charged me." He recalls, tapping his nose with his finger thoughtfully. "Only god knows why he thought he could beat me, the wrestling champ." Rye gives a little chortle.

"Let me guess," I interject, "You beat him up."

Rye flashes me a sly smile. "You know me so well."

I sigh. "You probably just handed yourself a death sentence doing that." I tell him. Its probably true anyways. Justin is the school's biggest bully and can get almost anyone to do his bidding.

Rye rolls his eyes. "Do I look like I care? I can handle him, don't worry."

I shrug. "Sure, whatever." I pause, then continue, "So, what do you need me to do?"

Rye blushes a little. "Well, you are good with girls, right?"

I think back to Katniss. No, I wouldn't say I was good. I shake my head. Rye snorts in disbelief.

"Don't lie, Peets. You can flirt. Plus, didn't you have a girlfriend before?"

I shake my head again. "Fine, I can flirt, but I've never had a girlfriend before." I add pointedly.

Rye rolls his eyes. "Sure."

I bite my lip, thinking of what Rye needed me for. He only asked me for stuff when he had an ulterior motive. I understand after about a few seconds. "You want me to give you advice for your date?"

Rye nods slowly. "Yes." He confirms. I look at Rye, continuing to bite my lip thoughtfully. Rye flashes me a pleading look. "Please."

When he gives me blue puppy dog eyes, I sigh and roll my eyes. Huffing, I agree. Rye's manner changes immediately, becoming eager and excited.

"Right, so what should I do first?" He demands.

"Where are you guys going to go?"

Rye purses his lips. Inwardly, I groan.

"You didn't think of a place, yet?"

Rye grimaces. "Sorry! It just happened in the spur of the moment, I wasn't really thinking. And afterwards, I was too busy thinking of reasons why she agreed to go a date with someone like me in the first place!" Rye defends, holding up his hands in surrender.

I can't blame him for that. "Its fine." I pause, collecting my thoughts for a second.

Rye's voice chimes in. "So, I guess we're going to start something, huh? Mission: How to be a good boyfriend. Right?"

I can't help but smile at that. "Haha, very funny."

Rye flashes me a grin. "You know me, love." He chortles. I scowl playfully and nudge him.

"Yes, unfortunately I do." I remark, mocking a sad tone. Rye places a hand over his heart and staggers for effect.

"Oh, how you wound me!"

The two of us burst out into laughter at that. It feels nice to laugh after all thats happened. When the two of us manage to stifle our laughter, I give Rye a grateful look. "Thanks, I needed that."

Rye smiles, but then gives me a curious look. "What happened, Peets?"

Words are just pouring out of my mouth, huh? "Nothing." I lie. Rye frowns at me, obviously unconvinced. "Really. Just forget it."

Rye still looks unconvinced but lets it go. "Fine, Peets. Just know, I've got my eyes on you." He warns me.

I roll my eyes at him and he flashes me another cheeky grin. "You know you love it, Peets."

I glare at him. Rye smirks.

The two of us lounge at the counter, waiting for customers while talking about Rye's upcoming date with Sofia. Rye decides on a place for his date, while I give him advice on what to say and what to do, while selling and trading with customers.

Rye pays attention and I find myself liking this other side of him. The mature and serious side of him. I mean, I love Rye's fun and sarcastic attitude, but sometimes he can annoy me with it. Sofia is a good influence on him, I think silently.

"Thanks, Peets." Rye says, as another customer leaves the bakery. "I think I've got it all down." He gives me an appreciative, happy smile.

"No problem." I shrug. "It was fun, I guess. I like being the love master." I say, without thinking.

Rye snorts. "Love master?"

I resist the urge to turn red. "Never mind."

Rye continues to smirk. After a few more seconds, I can't take it anymore. I slap his arm. Not hard, though.

"Ow!" He whines, in an annoying baby voice. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, I just couldn't take it anymore."

Rye sighs, but then brightens up. "Thanks, Peeta. Seriously. If you ever need a wingman or whatever, let me know!"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I've been doing that a lot anyways. "Sure. No problem, Rye."

Rye smiles at me once more as he leaves the bakery. The door slams shut behind him loudly.

I can't help but let a fond smile cross my face as I think about Rye. Sure, he could be annoying at times, but at other times he was kind, funny and friendly. It was his optimism that I admired about him the most. I mean, I was a little optimistic, but when I thought about my situation with Katniss; I usually expected the worst.

She was amazing, while I was just me. When I was with her, I was scared that I would break our bond. I loved learning things about her, from the smallest thing to her deepest secret. I mean, she hasn't told me a secret yet, which was fine. I was just content learning the basics about her.

I wouldn't learn another thing about her again. I had broken that fragile string that tied Katniss and I together. She probably didn't even think about me, the only reason she probably agreed to hang out with me was just simply the fact that I had told her that I really wanted to be her friend and pressed it upon her and she had to agree for some reason.

Or maybe, she genuinely liked being my friend.

I growled. All this thinking was giving my head a workout. I rested my head on the countertop, closing my eyes and trying to relax.

Not even ten seconds pass by when the door swings open once more. I look up and see Katniss standing there in all her glory.

When our eyes meet, her jaw drops slightly and she turns slightly pale.

"Hello." I say, waving a hand in greeting as I stand up. Katniss's eyes narrow as she walks towards the counter.

"Hi." She nods, a little warily.

"Going to trade today?" I examine her, but I don't see her leather hunting bag. I give her a quizzical look.

Katniss shrugs. "I traded at the Hob. I just want to buy some bread." She tells me, reaching her hand into one of her pockets in her jacket. She pulls out about three coins and places them onto the countertop.

I feel my stomach do flip flops. Her hand is dangerously close to mine and I feel an urge to reach out and grab it. I take a sharp intake of breath and I foolishly snatch the coins and place them in the jar which holds our money.

Katniss gives me an odd look, but I just turn around and pull on some of my bakery gloves as I walk over to the bread. I make sure to grab a nice, warm loaf of bread to give Katniss.

When I hand the loaf of bread over to her, our fingers touch and I feel sparks hit me. I look away from Katniss, gathering my courage and thoughts together.

"How've you been?" I manage to say.

Katniss shrugs. "Fine. Thanks for asking." She adds hastily. I flash her a small smile.

"What have you been up to?" I ask. Before she respond, I quickly speak up once more. "I'm sorry, Katniss, I really am. My mouth just said those words and I didn't mean for it to sound weird. I honestly meant that your name was very nice and original and that I liked it. I didn't mean that I love you or anything, but that I just liked you. Your name." I add quickly.

Katniss purses her lips, uncertainty flashes in her eyes for a brief second. While I wait for her answer, I silently pray to every god that I know that she'll forgive me.

"I..." She mumbles awkwardly, fumbling with her fingers.

"Please," I literally beg. I would go down on my knees if Katniss wasn't looking awkward and embarrassed enough already. "I want to be your friend again."

This makes Katniss stiff. Her eyes meet mine and I can see in her eyes that she's having conflicted feelings.

The two of us are silent, until Katniss manages a small nod. "Alright." She mutters, looking down.

I feel relief flood through me, and I feel a warm, happy, tingly feeling as well. "Thank you." I blurt out. I mean it.

Katniss nods again and she forces her gaze up to meet mine. "Well, I guess I'll go now..." She trails off uncertainly and looks at the door with a little resentment. She turns to the door and I blurt out again once more.

"No!" She pauses and gives me an odd look. I try not to blush as I scramble for an excuse, "Sit down over here."

I gesture to a small bench behind the counter which is against the wall nearby the stairs. Katniss gives me a strange look, but to my delight, she doesn't decline. She makes her way warily towards the bench and sits down, hesitantly. Slowly, I make my way over there and sit down beside her, holding my breath. Thrilled, I notice she doesn't move.

I try my luck again and close my eyes as I place my hand over hers. Katniss tenses up immediately and I squeeze her hand gently, just to let her know that I won't do anything else.

Before she can protest, I speak up. "Katniss, I really want to be your friend again. I want to know more about her, and I want you to know stuff about me. I promise you that I won't do anything else to make you feel uncomfortable and I will never ever hurt you." I look her right in the eyes and I see that she is still a little uncomfortable at these words and the way I'm holding her hand. However, I don't let go.

Katniss clears her throat. "Oh..." I see her cheeks turn a little red and she casts her eyes downward. After a silence, she breaks it. "I want to be your friend as well." She takes a deep breath and continues,

"You are different. Nice. And fun." She adds. Katniss bites her lip uncertainly and carries on, "I liked spending time with you also."

I grin so wide that I'm sure I look like an idiot. Katniss offers me a small, yet beautiful, smile.

Before I can speak, the door to the bakery opens.

"What is that filth doing there?"

My jaw drops, and my eyes widen in horror and shock. Mother.

Katniss shoots up from the bench and shoves her hands in her pockets. The loaf of bread she bought is lying on the counter. She glances at it, and I know she needs it but she doesn't want to get near to my mother, who is now right on the other side of the counter.

My mother sees Katniss's little glance and snatches the loaf of bread off the counter. My mother scowls at her and me deeply, and I see anger flash in her eyes dangerously. I swallow. The tension in the room right now is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Peeta, dear," My mother says in a dangerous, silky, tone, "Answer my question." She literally snarls as she finishes.

"She's not filth." I snap. "Katniss is my friend."

Mother stiffens, fire flashes in her eyes again. Her nostrils flare in anger and horror. "No!" She snaps. She grabs a vase full of flowers on the counters and she brandishes it wildly at Katniss. Katniss eyes widen in shock and she walks backwards warily, holding up her hands in surrender.

"What is wrong with you?" I blurt out angrily at my mother, stepping in front of Katniss, as if I can protect her somehow. I know Katniss probably isn't appreciating this gesture, I know she can take care of herself, however I just want to help. "She's my friend, mother!"

My mother's nostrils flare angrily once more. "My son will not be friends with these sort of people!"

"What do you mean?" Katniss demands angrily. She pushes me away from her and faces my mother angrily. Katniss grabs the vase from her before my mother can react and she chucks it away from us. My mother's eyes widen in shock and fury.

"Your lot!" Mother snarls. "Filthy Seam peasants!"

Katniss glares at her, and the two of them are in a staring match.

I am sweating. Are they going to fight? Please no. As much as I love Katniss, I don't want her to hurt my mother. "Stop!" I step in between them. Their eyes narrow at me dangerously. "Don't fight, please!" I beg.

My mother stops glaring at the two of us, and she adopts a sickly sweet smile. "Of course, dear. Here, Katniss." My mother holds out the bread to Katniss, who reaches out to take it warily.

Before Katniss can get it though, My mother throws it into the fireplace, and it flops into a pile of soot and ashes. Katniss eyes widen in fury and horror.

"That was for my family." She says quietly. The way she says it is dangerous. My mother doesn't know what she's gotten herself into. She shoves me out of her way again and is once more face to face with my mother. I can see my mother take a deep, yet shaky breath.

Without thinking, I scramble around the bakery quickly and snatch another loaf of bread. I shove it in Katniss's hands and lead Katniss out of the bakery before either her or my mother can react. Under other circumstances, I would be impressed with myself. However, right now, all I want is to separate these two from each other. As soon as the two of us are outside, Katniss finds her voice.

"Wha...?"

I see my mother storming towards the door, heading out to meet us. Her eyes are narrowed and she is steaming with anger.

"Just go! Its for you and your family. My mother's being crazy. I apologize about that." I say quickly. I push Katniss and she gets the message and sprints towards the Seam.

Before Katniss leaves my view, she looks back and I wonder if I am dreaming when I catch sight of her eyes. In her eyes, they show gratitude as well as admiration. I honestly don't know if that's my imagination or real. I hope its the latter.

~Later At Night~

Katniss -

Moodily, I slice the loaf of bread into three parts.

I wonder how Peeta's doing. He's the only reason my family and I are getting food tonight.

I sigh as I think about him. He is absolutely crazy for defying his mother, but I am immensely grateful towards him. I wonder how he's doing now. Did his mother forgive him? She better have.

I scowl as I think about that witch. How dare she call me a piece of filth? Did she think that anyone from the Seam was lower than her? That is despicable.

"Katniss, why are you scowling?" Prim pipes up, appearing beside me, her eyes wide with concern.

I force a smile onto my face, "Nothing important, little duck."

Prim still doesn't look convinced, so I hand her the largest piece of bread that I'd cut.

Prim smiles up at me and I reach back into a drawer and retrieve two apples. "Take one and give the other to mother. As well as this." I hand her the second largest piece of bread I'd cut.

Prim bites her lip uncertainly. "Don't you get an apple as well?" She questions, concern showing in her eyes.

I smile and shake my head. "No, but thats alright. Just go ahead, eat, and give mother her food as well."

Prim sighs but she gives me a soft smile as she exits the tiny kitchen. I close my eyes and sigh when she exits the room.

Peeta always finds a way to help me, huh? I shake my head. He was crazy for defying his mother, but also very brave. I bit my lip, I hope he wasn't punished for that, but I doubted that he was just let off the hook as well.

I really need to talk to him again, to see if he's alright. Tomorrow was school though, and I doubted I would have the chance to talk to him then. He'll probably be spending time with his friends or something else. Did I have any classes with him? Yes, I think I did. I needed to thank him.

I grab the last piece of bread and join Prim and my mother in our small, cramped living room. Prim is talking excitedly about how much fun she and Rory had today, when they were walking around the Seam together. I can't help but think how fast she is growing and changing. I never thought that I would have to worry about Prim worry about boys. I bite my lip, Prim will grow about to be stunningly beautiful, I'd have to worry about keeping boys away from her.

"Katniss, how's your day been?" Prim asks me, politely.

I remember hunting, selling the meat to Greasy Sae, buying a loaf of bread, talking to Peeta, meeting his mother again, and my confrontation with that witch.

I force a smile onto my face. "Its been wonderful, thank you."

Prim isn't convinced, and I know she wants me to tell her what's wrong. I quickly turn my mother, "How's your day been?"

My mother gives me a quick smile and then launches into a long speech about her day and the patients she had to treat. Then, she rants quickly about how some people don't have common sense and do stupid things that gives them injuries. I know that she's worried about the people though, we aren't the richest people, so my mother sometimes has trouble getting the things she needs to treat people properly.

"I'm so happy Hazel finds time to help me as well. It isn't very easy to find time to help others when you've got four children to take care of. Gale is wonderful for taking care of Rory, Vick, and Posy when she helps me out." My mother's voice breaks into my thoughts. Gale. Is he angry at me? Obviously. Does he hate me? I don't know. Is he alright?

"Is Gale alright?" I blurt out, interrupting my mother.

My mother doesn't get angry at that, instead she gives me an unreadable look. "Yes, he's fine. He looked angry when I went to his house to get Hazel, though." She says slowly.

I bite my lip. I really need to talk to him as well. I'm just afraid of how he'll react to me though. Will he ignore me? Get angry at me? I don't know.

I decide that I'll talk to him when I can.

My mother continues talking, and Prim is looking at her awed when she describes how she healed this person's leg. I know Prim is interested in my mother's job. I think that Prim would make a good healer or doctor, but I know that she doesn't really like seeing blood.

What job would I fit for? A hunter maybe, but thats illegal. I sigh inwardly, it doesn't matter. Right now, I need to focus on feeding my family.

"How many more months of school?" Prim pipes up when a silence falls in between the three of us. I feel my stomach flip at her question. I know what she really means: How much more months before the games?

I sigh. Just about two more months left of school, then a couple of weeks into the summer and then the reaping takes place. I wonder who'll be chosen. I scowl at the thought.

"Yes." Mother responds softly. Prim bites her lip in worry, and I see her eyes flash with fear.

"Its alright, Prim." I tell her. "You aren't going to get chosen." I reassure her. Prim gives me a grateful smile, but I still see her eyes full of worry.

"You can never be sure..." She says uncertainly.

A scowl crosses my face. "I am sure. And if you do, I won't let them hurt you, ever, I swear." I state firmly, dangerously. I mean every word I am saying right now, and I make sure my mother and Prim understand that.

My mother squeezes her eyes shut, I can tell she is worrying about it now that Prim has brought it up.

"Lets just not talk about that, dears." She says quietly, pleadingly. Prim and I exchange glances and nod at our mother in agreement when she cracks open her eyes and looks at us.

The three of us talk to each other while we finish up our food, soon, I get Prim upstairs to get ready for bed. While the two of us walk up the stairs, I talk about something that definitely gets her mind off of the upcoming games.

"So, how are things going with Rory?" I question, giving her a look. Prim blushes and lets a smile spread across her face.

"Good, I think..." She trails off, and another smile lights up her face. "I think he's interested in me, really." She blushes.

"Oh, got more evidence, huh?" I tease. Prim turns even more red at that.

"Yeah, I suppose." She bites her lip, fighting off another smile. "He kissed me on the cheek, today."

I feel my jaw drop and my feet become stiff and still. "What?" I demand, sounding hoarse to my own ears.

Prim blushes fiercely. "The two of us were just walking around, and then he tagged me and I had to chase him around the Seam. Then, when I manage to tackle him and when the two of us got up he kissed me on the cheek and said, 'Good job'."

"What did you do then?" I find my voice.

"Rory pretended that nothing matter and the two of us just kept talking and walking around the Seam."

"Oh." I look down at my feet and force myself to keep walking and the two of us reach the second floor.

Prim suddenly continues, "Then I kissed him."

I literally collapse on the ground.

Prim jumps up, startled and helps me up. "Are you alright?" She asks, concern etched in her voice.

I just gape at her. "You kissed him?" I ask in disbelief. "Wha-?" I stutter like an idiot.

Prim blushes again. "Then I just pretended nothing happened as well."

I blink.

"Aren't you too young to kiss? I mean, you two are only twelve!" I protest half-heartedly. I am actually kind of happy for Prim and Rory, personally I think those two are a good match.

Prim sighs and shrugs. "Doesn't matter, its done anyways." Her eyes glint with happiness, then they cloud a little with uncertainty. "I don't think things are weird between us now, because the two of us still acted normally after that..."

I pat her back reassuringly. "I'm sure you two will be fine. Now go get ready for bed." I tell her.

Prim nods and walks into the room we share, and I lean my head against the wall. Lots of things are happening so fast now. First, Gale drama, then Peeta drama, and then Prim and Rory drama. I sigh.

I really need to sort all these problems out. Tomorrow, I will talk to Peeta and thank him, I decide. And, I will sit with him during lunch.

Author's Note: Hi dudes, how've you lot been? Good, I hope!

Okay, I sounded kind of weird then... Sorry! I've just been in a great mood because for my birthday I got Dishonored and Far Cry 3, which are both epic! If you guys like video games, I recommend those two, and GTA of course!

Okay, enough about video games... How'd you like this chapter? I hope it was good, I felt like it got kind of bad in Katniss's point of view, I just wanted to show how her newfound feelings of gratitude and admiration about Peeta and his awesome bravery for helping her!

Hmm, I bet you guys are wondering if Peeta's alright or his mother punished him... Sorry, can't tell you! *cue evil laughter*

Well, Katniss is planning to sit with Peeta during lunch at school, huh? I wonder how Gale and Peeta's friends will react to that...

I hope I got Peeta's mother in character, as well as Peeta at that moment. Also, did Gale seem a little too calm for you guys? Was anyone OOC in this chapter? Let me know if you think they are, I'd really appreciate it.

Also, have any of you guys seen Les Miserables? The 2012 film or the play? If you did, what did you think of it? Personally, I thought the movie was good, I got teary eyed at some points, and I definitely burst into tears at other points. I also got quite a shock when I saw Hugh Jackman singing. I know that sounds super ignorant, but the only time I watched him act was in the X-Men films, I never knew he could sing. I thought his performance was amazing as well as Anne Hathaway's, her portrayal of Fantine was amazing and heartbreaking.

Okay, sorry about that if you got bored reading that... Anyways, review responses down below!

Review Responses:

maddibrook7: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! :)

Kpfan72491: Ah, thanks for trusting me! Don't worry, even though Peeta isn't Katniss's first kiss doesn't mean that their kiss won't be special! Okay, that was a little unnecessary, thanks for reviewing!

PeetaLover1116: Hmm, is it safe to say I wasn't thinking? xD I'm glad you liked the last chapter, despite the Gale/Katniss kiss, thanks for reviewing!

veronique2: Bonjour! Je suis canadienne et suède. (Did I say that right?)

I like reading your rants, they are very fun and interesting to read, in my opinion. So I doubt I'll ever get bored reading them.

I didn't want Peeta to admit his love for Katniss when the two of them were at the bakery, since I felt like that would be going a little too fast for them, so sorry if you wanted him to tell her that during this chapter. I promise he'll tell her he loves her later on though, in about a few more chapters or so.

Merci beaucoup! :)

PS. Hope I didn't make any mistakes in my French, I am still learning!

NicoFan-of-Apollo: Thanks for the support! :)

eekabeeka: :p That was kind of my reaction reading the Gale/Katniss kiss in the books as well, haha.

MaidenAlice: You have super good ideas, like super creative ones in my opinion! Well, in the end the two of them went back to good terms and Peeta defended her against his mother... So yeah, thanks for reviewing!

gabytahijar: Haha, you did give me an awesome idea of an angry Katniss yelling at a poor Gale :P Thanks for the review!

SuperSaiyan529: Haha, I just love writing cliffhangers, lol. I don't like reading them though :P Thanks for reviewing!

TragedyIsTheKey: I am happy you liked the last chapter :) Well, I the story's sort of an AU, since the games aren't happening yet, but it is just set before the Hunger Games... I am not sure how to explain it... xD

Don't worry, the PK kiss shall come soon, I hope it will satisfy you. Thanks for the review!

Guest: Thanks for the support! :)

JoelHGlover00: Haha, I am glad you liked my recommendation! Its also a favorite of mine also, thanks for the review!

Peccopa: Hi! I am happy that you like this fanfic, even though the plot is a little overused. Lol, I hope I updated soon enough!

Thanks for all the support, you guys, you are honestly super duper awesome!

Until next time!