A/N: In this chapter, Gale has to deal with childish bickering and long car rides.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.

Chapter two: Car Ride~

"Hey, give that back!"

Gale's face soured as he was shoved side to side by two of his favorite people in the world: Rory and Prim. When he had told his mother that he would be out with Katniss for the day, Rory had asked if he could come too. He knew it wasn't a good idea, but he also knew that if he refused, his mother would only guilt him into letting him tag along anyway. And so, after bringing it up with Mrs. Everdeen, Rory was allowed to come.

Even though he loved the Everdeens, Gale couldn't deny that ever since he had agreed to go with Katniss to her family reunion, he'd had the distinct feeling that he had made the wrong choice; now he was sure he'd made the wrong choice.

Due to the car being filled to the brim with supplies for the reunion (games, food, fold-out chairs, paper plates, etc.) Gale was forced to sit rather uncomfortably in the very back of the Everdeen's minivan - on the bench seat - right between Rory and Prim. It wasn't that they didn't get along - Rory practically adored Prim, and vice versa - but whenever you put two kids in a car together and expect them to sit down and shut up, it never ends well. Prim had been tending to her blonde locks when Rory, bored with looking out the window, decided to steal away her brush.

Gale, sitting awkwardly between the two, broad shoulders uncomfortably scrunched together to make room for them, assumed they would straighten things out in a peaceable manner.

Boy, was he wrong.

Apparently Prim was especially sensitive about her hair, because she leapt at Rory with all the conviction of a lion; the only thing keeping his brother safe was her seatbelt - and Gale. Gale sat back, trying not to get involved, for all of two seconds before he got fed up with their ridiculous behavior. Rolling his eyes, Gale stretched out his shoulders, pushed Prim away, and forcefully grabbed the brush from Rory.

After yanking it from his younger brother's grip, everyone froze. Everyone in the back, that is - Katniss and Mrs. Everdeen were up front, and over the roaring of the radio and cars and road whizzing by, he doubted if they even knew this confrontation was taking place. Prim silenced, Rory ceased his movements, and Gale was pissed; no one said or did anything for the longest time, but he was sure it wasn't more than a few seconds. Slowly he released the two, and he handed the object of interest back to Prim.

"Now stop it." He ordered.

Eventually, they resumed their previous positions - Prim brushing her hair, Rory gazing boredly out the window to his left, and Gale sandwiched between them - and it was quiet once again. Everything was fine, except for the fact that everyone was now equally unhappy. Just then, Katniss peeked out from behind the passenger's seat.

"Hey, guys. Everything okay?" She asked, head swaying slightly with the bumpy road.

He opened his mouth to say that no, everything was not 'okay', but upon seeing her bright eyes and unbridled joyous expression, Gale decided not to. Instead, pursing his lips and giving her a tight lipped smile, he replied,

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

She smiled, gazed at the others, and returned to her seat. He immediately let out a breath, breathing deeply in and out to get his anger under control. Only two more hours to go, he thought sarcastically.

...Katniss. He was here for Katniss.

He could do this.

A/N: Yep, poor Gale.

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed this so far, I honestly didn't expect such a fast response! So big thank you to Jay's Song, Ellenka (beautiful username, btw) and the Guests. And don't worry about your grammar, Guest from Poland; your English is just fine ;)

'Til next time.