This chapter is mostly Gale thinking about Delly. Just good look at his mind. And I'm not going to go into detail on Delly's play rehearsals mainly because the play is mostly improv so it's not like they can read through a script. Also because on opening night I want you guys to be as surprised as anyone else who might be going. No interaction Katniss and Peeta just yet, but don't worry, we'll get to meet them soon.

Only you can be the aching in my heart

My enemy

The only animal I couldn't find

You hold me in the dark when storms arrive

Only you

Only you can see the emptiness I feel when you're with me

When everything you say I'm on my knees

Only You, Ellie Goulding

Chapter 11- Memories

Delly

I decided I'd make breakfast today. I walk into the kitchen and begin pulling ingredients from the pantry and fridge. Vegan pancakes require foods that are strange and foreign to most. Things like coconut milk, almond flax, and soy flour. I have a nice batter within five minutes, working with Peeta has taught me to cook like a pro. I pour out good-sized circles onto the griddle and the ends are getting dry and bubbly when Gale walks in.

"You cook?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say turning each one over. "And these are vegan, so I can eat them."

"Cool." Gale says. He sits at the table and watches me. "So, what's happening today?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me." I say looking down. "Peeta's coming back today. I'm spending the day with him." The monochromatic black specks in the counter are suddenly fascinating.

"Peeta." Gale repeats. This granite countertop is lovely.

"Yeah." I say putting the pancakes onto a plate and restarting the process. "Katniss is spending the day with Prim, so Peeta and I are having a brother-sister day."

"Do you need a ride to the airport?" Gale asks.

"I just need a ride to my house." I say. "I'm going to take his car to the airport." There's a long pause.

"Okay." Gale says finally.

Gale

Why on Earth did I care what she was up to? I don't care about Delly. I care about Katniss. I care that she is coming back. Engaged to be married to Peeta Mellark of all people. The shy boy from school who worked on stage crew with the rest of those B plus/A minus-list popular kids. Except for the blonde one, Glimmer. Ugh. Where did her mom come up with her name? Probably the same place Gimmer's grandmother named her daughter "Cashmere". Delly and her friends. I used to envy them. Katniss and I would come up with names for them. There was the daughter of Snow White and Rapunzel, the future pin-up girl, Adonis, the black Incredible Hulk, the flower child, the artist/baker, and then there was Delly and Marvel. Marvel was just... different and Delly was just... there. The more I think about it, the more I realize there weren't just those two times. When I drove her home, that was awkward. The way she smiled at me, I thought she was just another pre-teen crushing on me. The Masquerade Dance (Our school wasn't allowed to say Halloween because of "religious reasons") was different. It was renaissance themed, girls rejoiced over and excuse to wear push-up bras and gaint ballgowns. Katniss and I decided to go because we figured we could cause trouble without getting caught due to the masks. We went all out in costume, I even wore a top hat; something I would never have done otherwise. Thom, a friend of mine, set off a smoke bomb we'd made in mechanics class. A teacher came over to punish us and Katniss, Thom, Leevy, and I ran in separate directions; a slow song had just come on and we latched ourselves onto the nearest person. I happened to come to Delly.

"Hi." She said with a smile. Her eyes were unbelievably blue, outlined by the black lace in her mask. I glanced around nervously, seeing the teacher that was looking for us. She pulled Thom away from the girl he'd been dancing with.

"Hey." I said turning around, facing my back to the teacher. Delly was short at the time, she only came up to my shoulders. "Pretty dress." Did the words "pretty dress" really just come out of my mouth? I thought to myself. She looked down, red gathered at her cheeks.

"Thank-you." She mumbled. Delly was wearing a long-sleeved black and purple striped dress; it looked very renaissance-ish, even if it wasn't a hoop-skirt like most of the other girls'. "I work on stage crew for the musical, so the costume director let us borrow some stuff for this. I chose this dress."

"Do you know what it's from?" I asked trying to make it look like we were friends, and I wasn't using her. That teacher was still looking. Katniss looked at me and bit her lip, then went back to looking at her dance partner.

"Last year's musical. Les Miz." Delly said. All I could remember at the time was that Katniss played Fantine in it. She said it was her first and last time singing in public. The dress must've had a built-in corset, because Delly looked thin at the time.

"Cool." I said pulling her closer. Make it look like you're a couple, because here comes the principal. I though to myself. Delly rested her head on my chest. I tensed up and she pulled back.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"No, it's fine." I said placing her head back where it was. The curl in her hair was natural, I could tell from the fact that her head didn't crunch against my suit. For some reason, I liked that about her.

"Mind if I cut in?" Katniss asked.

"No, it's fine." Delly said walking off. Katniss came into my arms, but I still looked after Delly until she came to a group of friends.

"So, who'd you end up dancing with?" I asked Katniss.

"Cato, I got all of five minutes before Barbie's evil twin came in." She said. "Leevy ran to the bathroom I think. Who'd you leech onto?"

"I'm not sure." I said looking over her shoulder. Delly whispered something into the redheaded girl's ear. Katniss followed my gaze.

"Delly Cartwright." She said. "She's bread-boy's sister. Everyone thought they were twins, but he's my age and she's a freshman. She's... perky."

"Perky?" I asked.

"Yeah." Katniss said. "There's nothing wrong with it. She's just always smiling." The song ended and we walked off the dance floor. "Thank God that's over."

"Hey," Leevy said walking over. "Gale, I saw you had to dance with Delly Cartwright. Yeugh, at least it's over."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katniss asked. Leevy backed down a little.

"She's just so- annoying." She said. "Always hanging out with those B-listers just because her brother is one of them. Walking around like she's something else just because she's a Townie." The town kids were the rich kids. The ones who got cars for the their sweet sixteens, the ones with loaded parents, the kids we were lucky enough to serve if we got waiting jobs at the country clubs. We were the Seam kids. Woking class parents who drove the same car their parents drove. They lived in the town, we called them the Townies. We lived in a crappy neighborhood nicknamed the Seam, they called us the Seamsters. Forget the Greasers and the Socs, we had the silent battle between the Townies and Seamsters.

"Just because she's a Townie doesn't mean that she's-." Katniss was cut off.

"Oh yeah?" Leevy challenged. She pointed to Delly and Felicia, now surrounded by Thresh, Rue, Glimmer, Cato, Marvel, Peeta, and Clove. "The vixen, she's a quiet poet who listens to musicians nobody's heard of. Doesn't talk to anyone but her friends. Her dad owns all of the coffee shops in town. Smash and his hippie sister are the kids of the guy who owns three gyms here. Glimmer's mom owns the most uppity boutique in town. If every playboy in the world had a son, they would all be like Cato. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree and Adonis is the perfect example. Clove's mom is just rich. I don't know how, but she just is. If you think Delly and Peeta are any different just because Peeta's dad actually does work in the place he owns, think again. Peeta is a brooding artiste. Delly is going to grow up and probably be like her mom and latch onto some rich guy."

"Leevy, don't be so judgemental." Katniss said. "Townies are the kids of Capitols. It's not their fault."

"Whatever." I said trying to brush it off. "Let's just get out of here. This school throws the worst dances anyways."

"Yeah." Katniss said. She and Leevy headed out and I followed after. Delly stood by the exit, her eyes met mine before I left.

"Isn't he a Seamster?" Marvel whispered.

"Yeah, but he's the first guy that danced with me all night." She said. She's defending me. A Townie defending a Seamster. Just because I danced with her?

"Babe, I can change that right now." Cato said taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor. I rolled my eyes and walked past.

There were other times of course. That year's musical was "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and Katniss and I went because she wanted to see, "How bad it's gonna suck now that I'm not in it." I found Delly listed in the stage crew and ensemble. In the scene where Potiphar's wife seduced Joseph, many of her friends were there. I easily pulled out Clove and Delly. Then I saw Delly again, draped in gold with her eyes painted as one of Pharoh's on-lookers. I saw her around school sometimes. A few snapshots come to mind. Reading one of Felicia's poems at lunch, working in the library with that weird librarian, going through the halls on Cato's arm. There was one time when I saw her at the bakery helping in the back, and then serving coffee at tables. But I never really paid attention to her. I never gave her a second thought. I remember Madge in high school. She was the Capiol-Townie hybrid, and went to a private high school. I saw her around town though. Madge was the one I saw all the time. She was the one I kissed that one time to make Katniss jealous. It worked and then we started dating. But Katniss is out of the picture now. So why am I not thinking about Madge? She's the beautiful one. She's the smart one. She's the one who signed up to help people. Delly is the plain-faced one. The dorky one. The one who got roped into this mess. The one who seems to care more an anyone else even though she barely knows me. No. Stop it Gale.

Madge is fair-skinned. Delly is pasty, and looks albino.

Madge's hair is curled gold. Delly's hair is yellow.

Madge has ice blue eyes. Delly has eyes that make a sky on those perfect days jealous.

Why should I even have to compare them? I should be paying attention to Madge. She gave me her number, why am I not jumping for joy like I should be? Why did I get so upset to see Delly in Cato's arms? Why do I hate her brother so much? Why do I hate him today more than usual? It's because he was Katniss. Not because he's with Delly today.

Why did I have to go behind Katniss' back with Madge that one time? Now she's with him and I'm stuck with her. Why I am healing? I should be crying my eyes out and attempting suicide again. None of that is happening. I'm sitting here, practically raping this girl who's been thrown into my lap and it's going away. I'm not drinking so much but I take morphine all the time now. Why am I numbing the one thing I should be rejoicing over? My pain is going away, she's taking it away and she doesn't even know where it came from. I talk to her about my life more than I talk to my mom, more than I talk about it to Finnick about it. He's the one who was right fucking there when it all happened. What's happening to me? I can shoot morphine into my arm all I want, but deep down, I know that something is wrong with me. And anti-depressants aren't going to fix it.