Thank you everybody for the faves, the follows and the reviews. You have all been incredibly supportive and it means a LOT.
To answer a couple of private messages I received: Yes, there is a specific endgame that I have in mind, but telling you would ruin the surprise. I will just repeat what I said in my summary—this is canon-divergent.
BETA THANKS: I give my love, gratitude and an extra helping of Peeta's buns (geddit?) to my betas, Chelziebelle and dandelionsunset. These amazing women have taken a significant amount of time from their very busy lives to help a complete stranger. Their feedback—especially on the upcoming four chapters—has been invaluable. Any mistakes, typos or issues with consistency are my fault, not theirs.
A/N: This is the first of a four chapter series where the reader sees the same day from four different POVs.
Chapter 7—the solution (Katniss' Friday)
The following morning, Katniss told her mother what had happened with Gale. Mrs. Everdeen was sympathetic, but still required that somebody walk Katniss home from the Undersee's after dark. Katniss was not surprised but it meant she was going to have to find a solution before the end of the day.
Prim had plenty to say on the issue as the sisters walked to school. "Gale is being so stupid! Who insults the daughter of his best customer? And does he actually think he's the only boy in the District capable of walking you home?"
Katniss shrugged at this. "I don't know, Prim. Who else would want to walk me all the way back to the Seam every night?"
Prim gave her sister a long look before exclaiming, "Katniss? You may be the least observant hunter who ever lived." Katniss was unsure what her sister was referring to but didn't want to admit that. So she just didn't say anything. The girls parted ways when they arrived on campus.
Katniss saw Rye and Peeta walking into school together and jogged up to them. "Hey, Everdeen!" said Rye. "We still on for tonight?"
"I hope so. I've run into a problem." Katniss explained about her mother's requirement that she have an escort home.
"Okaaaaaay, " said Rye. "Just have your boyfriend come get you."
"I don't have a boyfriend," Katniss huffed.
"Oh, right. Well, ask Hawthorne, then. He thinks he's your boyfriend, I'm sure he'd be happy to do it." Rye grinned and glanced at Peeta out of the corner of his eye. Peeta crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.
Katniss looked disgruntled. "I did ask him, actually, but he was so rude to Madge last night that I told him I'd find somebody else or walk home alone. My mother won't let me go alone, though, so I'm kinda stuck until I can-"
"I'll walk you home!" exclaimed Peeta. Much like he had at lunch a couple of days earlier, Peeta looked totally surprised by his own outburst.
"Right on, Peet, thanks," chuckled Rye, slapping his brother once on the back. "Problem solved!" Then he walked off, leaving Katniss and Peeta on their own.
Katniss looked at Peeta for a second and said, "Um, thanks, Peeta. Look, you don't have to do this, you're not even in the band. I don't want to put you out or anything."
"It's not a problem at all. You won't be putting me out. If anything, you're kind of doing me a favor because it'll get me out of the house."
If I lived with that witch, I'd been looking for reasons to get out of the house, too, Katniss thought to herself, but she didn't say that. Instead, she said, "Oh! And Prim says thank you for the cookie last night. She was so excited about it."
Peeta smiled and blushed. Katniss found herself smiling back. They started walking into school together. "I was happy to do it. I've seen you walk Prim by the window when we have our cakes displayed. I was working on a couple of the cakes yesterday. When Madge said she was getting cookies for you all, I thought Prim would like her own decorated cookie."
"She loved it. Wait, does this mean you decorate the cakes?"
"Yeah," Peeta said. "Most of them anyway." Katniss looked at him. She thought again about what Rye told her. I don't want the bakery. At all. Peeta does. And he'd be really good at it. He's happy there. Everything about it that I hate, he loves.
Looking at the expression on Peeta's face, Katniss thought she could see a little of what Rye meant. Peeta wasn't acting boastful but she could see that he took great pride in his work.
"The cakes are amazing, Peeta. I had no idea it was you. I'll be sure to tell Prim." Peeta looked absurdly happy at her praise. Not for the first time, it occurred to Katniss that Peeta likely didn't get much positive feedback at home. That would explain why he was grinning at her like he'd won a prize or something.
They were standing outside her classroom. "See you tonight?"
"Yeah," Peeta nodded. "It's a date."
Katniss gave a little wave and walked into her classroom. It wasn't until the teacher started the lecture that she realized she was still wearing a big stupid smile of her own. She schooled her face back into a neutral expression and focused on class.
Later, Katniss found Madge at lunch and immediately started apologizing for Gale. Madge waved her off. "You don't owe me any apologies, Katniss. Besides, I've thought about it, and when Gale comes back tonight, I'd like to talk to him for a few minutes before you guys leave. I have a few things I need to say to him."
Katniss grinned. Most of the other girls in their age were drooling after Gale but Madge was planning to tell him off. Katniss felt her already high opinion of Madge tick upwards even more. "Um, I'd love to see that, actually, but after last night I took him off bodyguard duty."
Madge raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh, really? I'm almost sorry to hear it. I had such a good speech worked out. And what will Mr. Hawthorne have to do to get back into your good graces?"
"Apologize to you, obviously," said Katniss. "That, and he needs to stop acting like the only sandbox I'm allowed to play in is the Seam."
Madge raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it's just geography that's bothering him. Anyway, how are you getting home tonight?"
"Peeta, um, offered to walk me home."
Madge digested this news with a little smile. Finally she said, "Well. That was very nice of him to offer."
Katniss wasn't sure what to say, so she didn't say anything. The girls spent the rest of lunch in companionable silence.
After school got out, Katniss and Madge left the building together. Suddenly, Madge said in a bored sounding voice, "Oh, look, there's Gale Hawthorne. See you tonight, Katniss!" Katniss' jaw dropped as she watched Madge run towards Gale, who was clearly heading home with his younger brothers. Madge stopped right in front of Gale so he'd have to go around her and started talking. Katniss couldn't hear what she was saying and she didn't want to look like she was eavesdropping. Besides, she needed to get Prim.
She found Prim and they took an alternate path home. The direct route was shorter but it would have taken them right by Madge and the Hawthorne boys. Katniss made sure she did not look in their direction. Prim, however, openly stared over her shoulder as they walked and gave Katniss mini-reports. "Gale's unhappy but his brothers look pretty amused." "I think he just told Rory to take Vick home." "Now they're arguing." Then they turned a corner and couldn't see Madge and Gale anymore.
When they got home, Katniss told her mother that Peeta Mellark was bringing her back from Madge's that night. Her mother's reaction surprised her. Katniss expected her mother's usual, distracted nod that indicated she'd heard what you'd just said but didn't have any strong opinions about it.
What she got instead was her mother's full attention. "Peeta Mellark is walking you home tonight? Really?"
Katniss looked at her mother and was surprised to see that her mother's face was full of concern. "Yes, really. He offered this morning while I was talking to Rye."
"I can't imagine his mother will be very happy about that," Mrs. Everdeen said quietly. Katniss frowned. She hadn't thought about that. Mrs. Mellark hated the Seam and everyone in it. Was Peeta going to get in trouble—or worse—because she needed to be walked home like some little kid?
"Do you think I should tell him no? He's already planning to be there tonight," said Katniss. She felt a pang of disappointment at this thought. She was sort of looking forward to walking with Peeta tonight. But she didn't want to be the source of yet another injury on Peeta's body at the hands of Witch Mellark.
Mrs. Everdeen thought for a moment and said, "Well, it's probably too late to stop him from coming tonight but let him know that you can make other arrangements if needed. Maybe you should go speak with Gale. I bet he'd apologize to you if he heard that Peeta Mellark—or anybody else, for that matter—was walking you home."
But Katniss had started shaking her head before her mother had even finished speaking. "No. Gale doesn't need to apologize to me. He needs to apologize to Madge."
Prim piped up, "he needs to apologize to both of you."
Katniss didn't hunt that afternoon. They were doing all right on food for another day, she had some homework that she needed to complete and she really didn't want to run into Gale. So she was floored when she heard knocking at the front door and looked through the window to see standing on their porch.
Katniss hesitated for a moment before opening the door. She raised her eyebrows at him but didn't say anything.
"Hey, Catnip. Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Katniss nodded and stepped outside. They sat next to each other on the porch steps.
Gale looked at his hands as he rubbed them together. He took a deep breath and "I understand why you're doing this. I've always understood. I didn't like it—I still don't—but do understand it. I owe you an apology."
Katniss' face was carefully neutral. "Why don't you like it?"
Gale sighed. "You were right, Catnip. Prim was right. I am jealous. I'm not used to the idea of sharing you with other people. With other guys."
Katniss frowned. This was not a conversation she was prepared to have. "Gale, are you...do you have...feelings for me?" Katniss hated that she was stammering but the topic was making her uncomfortable.
"I sure thought we were headed in that direction. Well, I thought I was and I assumed you were, too. You weren't, though, were you." It was a statement, not a question.
"No. I wasn't." Katniss watched his face. He looked resigned. This was the answer he expected. He was quiet for a while. Katniss sat next to him trying to find a way to make him feel better without leading him on. Nothing came to mind so she stayed quiet.
"Well, I may need a little time to readjust my worldview of Katniss Everdeen but I promise I'm done being a jerk to you."
"What about Madge? Are you done being a jerk to her, too?"
Gale let out a burst of laughter. "Oh. Well, I guess you saw that. Madge Undersee chewed my ass out after school today. Seriously, she could give my mother lessons in ass-chewing. It was like being taken to the woodshed."
"Then…why are you smiling so much?" asked Katniss, with an eyebrow raised.
"I guess my ass needed chewing."
Katniss nodded but looked pensive. His next question didn't surprise her.
"Do you need me to walk you home?"
"No. Peeta Mellark offered." She watched his face carefully. He didn't like it, that much was obvious. But the anger she'd expected was not there.
"Well...I suppose there are worse bodyguards you could have."
Katniss visibly relaxed. She understood what he was really saying. He had accepted how she felt about him.
"You think Madge would mind if I stopped by tonight during rehearsal? I gave her a really fake apology before she chewed me out. I should give her an apology I actually mean."
Katniss pondered this for a moment. "I don't think she'd mind but it's not my house. We are staying late tonight, since there isn't school tomorrow."
Gale shuffled his feet for a second. "You going hunting tomorrow morning?"
"I'd planned to, yeah."
"Are we still hunting partners?"
"Of course, we're still hunting partners." Katniss was surprised he would even ask. Gale threw one arm over her shoulder and pulled her close.
"Thank god. I don't want to go back to those woods without my backup. You're still the best hunter I've ever known. And you're the best friend I've ever had." His tone was light Katniss could hear something more serious behind it.
"Me, too."
Gale squeezed her tight for just a second and then stood up to leave. "Tell Madge I'm going to stop by around 8:00. And Catnip? Be nice to Peeta. You scare the shit out of him."