In the end, it didn't even matter. Wonder and Hirana weren't chosen for the 25th Games.
The District ended up selecting two other Academy students, both reasonably strong and skilled. They weren't the greatest the Academy had to offer, but they still stood on the stage and promised a good showing. Even still, there was no hiding the surprise on their faces.
It comes as a major shock to him. He thought he was a goner.
And it was then that he noticed a shift in the District's attitude.
Standing there in the District Square, he felt every single person's piercing gaze, even if they weren't looking directly at him. The air was full of a thick, suffocating silence. The other seventeen-year-olds in the pen kept a short, but respectful distance.
And when it was all over and it was time to go home, it seemed that everywhere he turned he would catch someone's eye, and they would give him a brief, barely noticeable nod of acknowledgement.
It wasn't until an embarrassingly long time later - nearly a year, in fact - did he truly realize what they'd all done for him.