Chapter 23

He met me right outside my door this morning. Brought me flowers and called me lovely. Held my hand all the way to school. How am I ever supposed to get any schoolwork done with him starting my day off like that? As I sit her in class, I'm fully aware of the giddy smile plastered on my face. I am also fully aware that quite a few people are whispering and staring at me. I'm sure it's quite the scandal for me, Madge Undersee daughter of the mayor, to be seen with a boy from the Seam. But I don't care. The society lines drawn between the merchant people and the Seam people have never seemed important to me. To me, people are just people. I've never cared how much money a person has. If anything, I've tended to find the people of the Seam much more tolerable to be around than those in town. Less phony at least. So, let them whisper and stare all they want. I'm just too happy right now to care.

The morning drags by in painful fashion. All I can do is count the minutes until lunchtime. When the bell signaling lunch finally sounds, I can hardly stand it anymore. I promptly head straight for my usual seat in the cafeteria and sit down. It only now occurs to me that Gale may want us to sit with his friends. I look around the room and don't see him yet. I wait to open my lunch bag just in case I end up having to move tables. I'm not sure how I feel about sitting with his friends. I don't know them and because he's older than I am that probably means they are too. This makes me a little nervous but I can deal with it if it means I get time with Gale.

"Madge Undersee! You have got to give me the scoop! I hear that you and Gale Hawthorne are an item now! Is it true? Are you together?" Tatum O'Neely blurts out as she slides into an empty chair at my table. Her eyes are full of intrigue and she's smiling as she waits for me to answer her.

"Hi Tatum. I wouldn't really call it a scoop or anything but yes, I am dating Gale." I tell her, trying desperately not to be the screeching, giggly girl I feel like on the inside when I say that out loud.

"OH MY GOODNESS! You have to tell me every little detail! When did this happen? I didn't even know you knew each other!" She exclaims in full dramatics, hand clutching her chest and jaw hanging open.

"Well, there isn't much to tell. We literally just started dating yesterday. We've had one date, he took me to look at the stars and that's it so far." I tell her as I laugh at her enthusiasm.

"Speak of the devil…" She mutters under her breath.

I turn and see Gale walking up right behind me. His face smiles when our eyes meet and I know mine does as well.

"Hey. Mind if I join you ladies for lunch?" He says as he pulls out the chair next to me and sits down.

"Well, I was just here to chat for a moment with Madge. I'm eating over there with my friends. You two enjoy though." Tatum says as she stands and makes her way back to her normal table. I'm assuming she's gotten the gossip confirmation she was searching for.

"Everybody wants to know about us, huh?" He asks.

"Well, she's the only person to outright ask me about it but there have been plenty of whispers around me all morning. It doesn't bother me though." I tell him, still smiling like an idiot.

"Yeah, I've fielded a few questions myself. And it doesn't bother me either."

"Hey, we don't have to sit over here alone at my table. Don't you want to go sit with your friends?" I ask him, only now remembering my table dilemma from earlier.

"I'm happy sitting right here. I can be with those goons any old time. You, I only get to see at lunch. " He says gesturing over to a table where Thom and a few other Seam boys are laughing loudly and shoving each other.

"If you say so. Hey, by the way, my father gets back in town today. Mabel told me this morning. He's probably back already. That means you can get back out in the woods now." I say as I lean in to whisper that last part. When I lean in he mirrors my action and his hand gently rests on my knee.

"Oh yeah? That's the best news I've heard all day! With Katniss gone I've been trying to feed the Everdeens too and it's hard to do that from inside the fence."

I tell him about my enlisting Prim's help with the garden and about how as soon as it starts growing that it will help with feeding the Everdeens as well. He agrees with me that Katniss would be pleased with Prim working in my garden. I can tell we both miss her terribly. Tomorrow is the start of the actual games. School will be cancelled and the whole town will be in the square for the viewing. I try to push that thought to the very back of my mind and focus only on my lunch with Gale. Lunch is over all too soon and the bell sounds summoning us to our next classes. I'd have been perfectly content to sit at this table for the rest of the day with Gale's fingertips tracing small circles on my knee under the table. Knowing, it's inevitable, I frown and head off to my afternoon classes.

Thankfully, I do a little better focusing on my studies during my afternoon classes than I did with the morning classes. I'm going to have to be careful and keep my marks up in my classes. If they begin to fall, my teachers will inform my father and he won't be happy about it. When the final bell sounds for the day I head out to meet up with Prim. Gale finds me in the halls though before I'm even out of the building.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna be out in the woods the rest of the day so I won't see you again until tomorrow." He whispers in my ear as his hands grasp my waist and he pulls me into a hug.

I let myself sink into the hug, wrapping my arms around his neck, not wanting to let go. "Oh, that's what I figured. You didn't have to come find me just to tell me that." I say. Honestly, I'm a little surprised he did. I thought he'd already be across the fence by now. And I kind of feel like I'm wasting his valuable hunting time.

"Maybe I just needed to kiss you once more, that's all." He says as he kisses me quickly and lightly on the lips and then turns heading out of the building.

I know I'm blushing a little and though the halls are fairly empty, a few students are staring. I'm not sure that the Gale Hawthorne fan club of girls is all too crazy about him dating me because I'm getting a nice group glare from a few girls in Gale's grade. I put on my best "Madge Undersee, Daughter of the Mayor" smile and prance right past them, pretending I hadn't noticed their distaste for me.

Prim is waiting when I arrive. We head over to the clothing shop because I want to get her a pair of overalls for all the gardening we'll be doing. I know she doesn't have a very extensive wardrobe and I'd hate to think of our work ruining any of her dresses. I know Katniss would have a fit about my spending money on overalls for her but the way I see it, she needs it for planting and tending the garden just like the boys needed supplies for clearing the garden. It's a necessary supply, that's all. I tell this same thing to Prim when she hesitates about the overalls. We quickly purchase them and head back to my house to get changed.

We work on planting seeds and watering nonstop until we end up losing track of time. It's only when the sun begins to set that we realize Prim should've been home already. She looks worried and starts gathering her things to head home. I quickly check to see if Mabel is still here, hoping she'll be able to walk with Prim and make sure she gets home safely. Unfortunately, it seems my father has a dinner meeting of some sort and she's up to her elbows in dough mixture. I know she won't be leaving anytime soon so I let her know that I'm taking Prim home and that I'll be back later. She just nods and continues her work. It's pretty obvious that this dinner meeting was sprung on her at the last minute. I hate when my father does that to her. But I suppose he can't help it. One never knows when the Capitol will come calling.

I manage to get Prim to her house just before dark and apologize to Mrs. Everdeen for her tardiness. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to be an issue. By the time I start the walk back into town the sun is completely gone. As I'm walking through the Seam, I realize I have no idea which house is Gale's. I wonder if he'll ever take me home with him and introduce me to his mother. Wonder what it's like to be in a house with such a big family. Wonder what it's like to have someone to share a meal with. I'm a little envious at the thought of his family all gathered around a table together at the end of a day. I know all to well that when I walk back into my house, I'll be eating alone in the kitchen. Perhaps one day, some day, I can have a family too I think to myself.