The numbers swirl on the page. Katniss rubs her eyes, trying to regroup. After resting for a few minutes, she picks up her pencil and attacks the test with renewed focus.
"How do you think you did?" Gale asks as they leave the classroom. He shifts his backpack higher on his shoulder and falls in step beside her, down the hall and into the stairwell.
"I passed," Katniss says as she navigates the rush of students. "But I don't know if I'll keep my A average."
"You always say that, and you always ace it," Gale says, heading toward the exit. He pauses for a moment, holding the door as he waits for Katniss to catch up. "You'll do fine. You're brilliant."
"I'm not. But thanks," Katniss says, an embarrassed flush rising to her cheeks. Now that they're out in the sunshine, Gale slows his stride down to a pace she can actually keep up with.
"You done for the day?" he asks.
"Yeah. You?"
She plays along, but she already knows the answer. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they share their last class of the day, a brutal Stats course. And every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Gale walks her to her car after class, chats with her for twenty minutes about whatever subject is on his mind, then heads to his gray pickup before taking off in a cloud of dust.
Today is clearly no exception. Gale reaches her small hatchback first, reclining back against the trunk and crossing his feet at the ankles.
"Yeah, I'm done. But I might run over to the library," he says. "I've got the weekend off for a change, so I'm gonna get all my studying in now so I can actually enjoy it." He nods his head toward her. "You got any plans this weekend?"
Katniss shrugs. As usual, her weekend plans consist of a combination of working and studying. She has plans Sunday night with Annie, Finnick and the rest of the crew, but otherwise, her evenings are free. "Not much," she replies, curious where his question is leading. "Any suggestions?"
"I was just thinking, the state fair starts this weekend. Do you like to go?"
Her stomach twists as she tries to interpret his meaning. Is he just making conversation? Or is he possibly interested in going with her?
"Yeah, I love the fair. We used to go every year with my father." He gives her a sympathetic smile.
She doesn't elaborate. She doesn't tell him that her mother never shared her father's love of the fair. That it was an annual tradition with just his two girls, eating cotton candy, riding the ferris wheel, and leaving the grounds with dozens of stuffed animals won in the archery booth. Or how, for years after her father's death, she couldn't bear to go back.
She knows by now she has to tread carefully with Gale. The line between sharing and oversharing is much too thin. If she starts to ramble on, boring him with the deep stuff, he starts to pull back. That's just how their relationship works.
"I haven't been in years," he says. "Since I was a kid. But I don't know, I was thinking I might check it out again this year."
He studies her for a moment, and Katniss waits for the inevitable question. But it never comes.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he says instead, reaching for his bag. "My mom asked me to give you this - to give back to your mom. It really helped Posy." He hands her a small bottle, a remedy her mother had let Hazelle borrow.
"Uh, sure," Katniss replies, quickly shifting gears. "But aren't they getting together again in a few weeks?"
"Yeah, they are. She just didn't want to wait that long to return it."
"I'm glad." Katniss has been so grateful that their mothers rekindled their lost friendship earlier this year. It's given her mother an outlet - and a smile - she's been missing for years. "How's Posy feeling now?"
But Gale doesn't answer. His gaze has drifted across the parking lot, and when it stays focused away for longer than a beat, Katniss follows his line of sight. Based on the nearly empty campus, she's pretty sure he's checking out the mini skirts on the pair of freshmen walking by.
She waits for his attention to return, and when it doesn't, she scowls at the back of his head. "Seriously, Gale?"
He looks back at her reluctantly. "Huh?"
"Could you be any more obvious?"
"About what?"
Now he's just playing dumb. "We were just having a conversation! A pair of skirts walk by, and suddenly you turn into a drooling zombie."
"It's not my fault," he says with a shrug. "I'm a red-blooded American man. I can't help but look! It's my animal instinct."
"Oh, you're an animal now?"
"Aren't we all really? The way people hurt and kill each other - we're no different than a bunch of animals in the jungle."
"Sure! You can't control yourself at all! It's a miracle you're able to focus on your classes as well as you do. Or your job." She scoffs. "Come on. There's a world full of things to 'look at', but somehow you manage to pay attention when it really matters."
"Ohhh," Gale says, a twinkle in his eye. "I get it."
She gives him another scowl. "What?"
"You're jealous."
"Oh - my - what?!" she shrieks.
"You're jealous because I was looking at other girls."
Her blood is boiling now. "Don't flatter yourself, Gale. I'm not jealous, I'm pissed. You were being rude. We were talking and you totally lost interest when something prettier walked by."
"See, you're worried that I think they're prettier."
"Arggh!" Katniss shoves him, making him lose his balance from where he's perched on her bumper. She unlocks the driver side door and throws her backpack into the car, stopping short from getting in when Gale grabs her arm.
"Hey, Catnip, wait. Don't go." She shrugs her arm from his grip and he lets go instantly, holding his hands up in front of his chest. "I should apologize."
She says nothing, but folds her arms in front of her chest and waits.
"I'm sorry I ignored you." She raises her eyebrows until Gale continues. "And I'm sorry for turning it around and saying you were jealous. That was wrong."
"Thank you."
"I just love teasing you about that women's lib stuff. You get all... fired up."
She rolls her eyes. "Whatever, Gale."
"Hey. Are we cool?" he asks, and for a second she sees genuine concern in his gray eyes.
"We're fine," she says, gentler.
"Good." He pauses, and Katniss finds herself in another of those moments that she can't seem to decipher. "Well. Have a good weekend."
"Yeah. You, too." As Gale walks away, she climbs into her car and starts the engine. She adjusts her bag on the floor and is fixing her seat belt when she's surprised by a tapping on her window. Gale's back.
Katniss opens the window. "What's up?"
"I, uh -" He leans his large frame down so he can meet her eyes, resting his hands on the open window. "Just for the record, they weren't prettier than you." He nods, then straightens back to his full height, walking away again before she can respond. "See you next week!" he shouts over his shoulder, then disappears between the cars.
Katniss rolls the window back up, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles turn white. She closes her eyes and growls into the empty car.
"Thanks again for helping me, Katniss."
"I told you, it's really not a big deal." Katniss follows Annie down another aisle. "I didn't have anything else going on tonight, anyway."
After leaving a confounding Gale at school, Katniss got a call from a Annie, asking if she could help her look for a birthday gift for Peeta.
"He hasn't been himself lately," Annie says, picking up a Star Wars mug before shaking her head and putting it back on the shelf. "He seems so down… I figured it was a good excuse to break our no-gifts rule. We can give it to him Sunday when we're all together."
Katniss wonders what Annie means about Peeta being down, but doesn't press her for details. "Won't Finn be jealous?" The night was to be a dual celebration; Finn's birthday was a few days after Peeta's.
"No. He'll be getting his gift after all of you leave." Annie gives Katniss a wry smile.
"Ugh. TMI," Katniss says with a shudder. She walks down the aisle, scanning the shelves. "What did you have in mind for Peeta?"
Annie flips through a display of posters. "Nothing big. I just wanted to get him a little… something. Maybe a t-shirt? Or something to brighten up his room."
"What about a lava lamp?" Katniss suggests, glancing at a display at the end of the aisle.
"Hmm." Annie perks up and heads toward the shelves. "Fun, but not too expensive, which is good. He gets so uncomfortable when people spend money on him."
"Plus it goes with that whole retro thing he's got going on," Katniss adds. "His car, that old leather jacket..."
"You're right. I think it's perfect," Annie says. She scans the shelf and reaches for a box with a turquoise and black lamp on the front.
"Mmm…" Katniss wrinkles her nose. "Not that one," she says, earning a frown from Annie.
"Why not?"
"He loves orange," Katniss says, moving boxes around to find a different lamp marked with hues of orange and red. She holds it out to an unconvinced Annie.
"Are you sure?" Annie asks.
"Yeah. It's his favorite color. He told me once." She shrugs and Annie raises her eyebrows in surprise but doesn't challenge.
"Orange it is."
The girls check out and decide to head to a nearby restaurant to split a sundae. Katniss takes the opportunity to fill Annie in on her latest frustrations with Gale.
"Wait, so he said: 'What are you doing this weekend?' and 'Do you like the fair?' And then - nothing?"
"Yup. I thought for sure he was going to ask me out, but I guess I was just reading into things too much," Katniss says, swiping her spoon through the hot fudge.
"I don't know," Annie says, squinting. "Tell me that part about the girls' skirts again."
Katniss recounts the whole story, right up to where Gale leaned into her car and his cryptic statements about enjoying her 'fire.'
"So, he called you pretty," Annie says.
"Well, not exactly. He said the girls 'weren't prettier' than me. Whatever the hell that means."
"It means he thinks you're pretty." Annie takes the last spoonful of ice cream. "He clearly likes you."
"I don't know," Katniss says, shaking her head. "If he liked me, wouldn't he have asked me out? It was the perfect opening."
"Maybe he was scared. You can be intimidating." Katniss scowls at Annie fiercely, earning a laugh. "Well there's definitely something going on there. He doesn't have a girlfriend, right? And you guys are so close."
"Not really. I mean - yeah, when we're on campus, we're a team; he always wants to partner up with me in class, walks me to my car -"
"See!" Annie says.
"But once class is over, all bets are off. He has my number, but we almost never talk or text after school. If he wants to tell me something, he just waits until the next class we have together. I think he's perfectly happy the way things are."
Annie frowns sympathetically.
"Whatever. I'm done trying to figure him out," Katniss says, sitting back with a sigh. "There's no room in my life for boy drama. I've got enough stress in my life balancing work and school."
"And me!" Annie adds.
"And you," Katniss laughs. She glances at her phone. "I should get going. I've got an early shift tomorrow."
"Okay."
The two settle the check and walk to their cars. "I'll wrap Peeta's gift," Annie says, giving Katniss a hug. "I can't wait to see his face when we surprise him!"
"What the hell is this?"
Katniss is pretty sure the look on Peeta's face is not the one Annie was hoping for. His blue eyes are dark and wary as he frowns at the wrapped box in Annie's hand.
"It's nothing," Annie says, rolling her eyes. "Just a small birthday gift." She pushes it toward him again. "For you."
"We don't do birthday gifts," Peeta says, jumping up from the couch. "We all agreed - no gifts. Finn-"
"Peet, don't get all huffy," Finn says, walking out of the small kitchen and handing Katniss a glass of water. "Are you going to hurt my girl's feelings now?" he asks as he puts his arm around Annie protectively.
"No, but - I didn't get you a gift for your birthday, Annie. You shouldn't have gotten me anything. You're supposed to be saving money for the wedding."
"It's not from me!" Annie insists. "It's from all of us. And it's a super small gift, I promise."
Peeta looks around at each of his friends. Darius nods seriously to confirm, but Johanna just chuckles. "Dude, it's really nothing," she says. "You know I wouldn't spend more than 5 bucks on any of you losers. I've got to keep up my wardrobe."
Peeta's gaze finally lands on Katniss, who sits on the floor near the couch. She smiles. "Happy birthday, Peeta."
He studies her for a minute before finally accepting the box from Annie and taking his seat on the couch again. "Thank you," he says quietly.
"Thank us after you open it," Annie says, sitting next to Katniss.
Peeta handles the box almost reverently, pulling at the tape gently and removing the wrapping paper in one full sheet. A slow smile pulls at his lips as he studies the picture on the box. "A lava lamp?" he says, shaking his head. "I've always wanted one of these."
Katniss feels herself smiling at the awed look on his face.
"Plug it in," Annie says. "Get the full effect."
Peeta opens the box and plugs the lamp into the extension cord beside the couch. Annie switches off the table lamp to bathe the room in a warm orange glow.
"It's even my favorite color," he says.
"You were right!" Annie says to Katniss.
Peeta looks down at Katniss in surprise. "You remembered that?"
Katniss shrugs. "Of course. Who could forget a crazy favorite color like orange?"
He gives her a sad smile. "Lots of people, believe it or not."
"You know, this is actually the perfect mood lighting for another game of Spin the Bottle! Who's in?" Finn suggests, drawing a death glare from Peeta.
"Uh-uh. No way," Darius says, standing up and switching the table lamp back on. "I told you I'm done with that shit. Now let's have cake so I can get home for my beauty sleep. Some of us have to work in the morning."
"You guys suck," Finn says, but heads to the kitchen to find a knife. Annie and the others follow.
Katniss stands to join them, but is stopped by Peeta's hand on her elbow. "Hey, thank you. For thinking of me. For remembering. It's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me."
"Please. It was nothing," she dismisses with a chuckle. It's such a ridiculous gift; surely he's joking.
But Peeta's face is serious, with no hint of humor. "No. It wasn't."
"Well. I'm glad you like it," she answers softly, growing anxious under his steady gaze. He's attributing far too much weight to the gesture. "Anyway, it was Annie's idea. She deserves all the credit."
He nods and drops his gaze to the floor. "Yeah. Okay." He glances again at the lamp on the table, then gestures toward the kitchen. "C'mon. You don't want to miss out on the cake. Darius looked pretty hungry."
Katniss laughs. They walk down the short hall and join the group around the small kitchen table. "I still can't believe you made your own birthday cake, Peeta. There should be a rule against that."
"What can I say? I like to bake."
Annie places a half-melted candle in the center of a beautiful two-layer cake decorated with tiny carrots.
"Carrot cake?!" Katniss's eyes widen happily as she remembers a similar one he baked in early summer, for her and Johanna's joint birthday celebration. It was spicy and dense, studded with plenty of raisins and nuts. "My favorite."
Just before the group breaks out in an off-key round of 'Happy Birthday', she hears Peeta murmur, "I know."
"What the hell, Finn!"
Annie and Katniss are sitting at the kitchen table chatting when Peeta storms in from the living room. He heads for the sink and attempts to wash what looks like a blob of frosting from his ear.
Finn follows behind him, laughing. "Oh, man, Peet - the look on your face-" He doubles over, laughing even harder.
"I can't believe you!" Peeta shouts. "When are you going to grow up?!"
Turning off the water, Peeta attempts to rip a paper towel off a roll near the sink, but sends the rest of roll unraveling to the floor in the process. Annie gets up to try to catch it but misses.
"Sorry, Annie," Peeta says, his voice softening slightly.
"I'm onto something," Finnick says, straightening but holding an arm across his stomach. "A twist on the Wet Willy… What do you think? A Frosted Freddy? A Creamy Craig?"
Peeta just glares at him, drying his hands with a paper towel.
"Oh, come on man. That's funny!"
"No," Peeta says, throwing the paper towel on the counter. "It's not funny, Finn. Just like it isn't funny when you grab my junk when I'm driving on the highway. Or when you took off and left me at the 7-Eleven last week, just when I was about to get in the car."
"That was hilarious! Darius was practically pissing himself in the back seat."
"I had to walk a mile back to the apartment!"
"It's barely half a-" Finn stops short at the murderous look Peeta's giving him.
"I think I'm done," Peeta says.
Finnick's shoulders relax. "Good, I hate fighting with-"
"No. I mean I'm done. With this." Peeta waves his arm out between the two of them. "Maybe it's best if we take a break."
"A break?" Finnick throws his arm over Peeta's shoulder. "Aww. Are we dating now, Peety?" he asks seductively.
"I'm serious, Finn," Peeta says, shrugging out from his grip. "Maybe it's time we take a break from hanging out so much."
"This isn't just about frosting, is it?" Finnick asks, the smile sliding off his face.
"No. Not totally." Peeta sighs. "I drive out here - three, four nights a week - and follow you along on whatever childish adventures you've got planned. And then I have to race back home, barely making my curfew." He glances pointedly at the clock on the microwave; it's after midnight.
"You've never had a problem with our late nights before," Finnick accuses.
Peeta rubs his face and groans. "We're not in school anymore, Finn! I start work at sunrise, six days a week. You're working full-time at the nursing home. We're both exhausted! Half the time, I come over and you end up falling asleep on the couch anyway." Finnick shrugs. "We can't keep doing this."
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I am."
Finnick looks around for support. Annie puts a hand on his arm, but says nothing. Katniss looks uncomfortably between the two men. She's seen them fight before, but never like this.
Finnick chases his worried expression away with an almost convincing smirk. "Whatever. You can say what you want, Peet. But you know - deep down - that you always have a great time when we hang out. You'll be calling me up in a day or two, begging to get out of that house again."
Peeta looks away and puts his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. We'll see."
An awkward silence falls over the kitchen. Finally, Peeta clears his throat. "Well. I should get going." He gives Finnick a nod, then wraps Annie in a quick hug. "Thanks again for everything, Annie." He glances over Annie's shoulder, his eyes seeking out Katniss. "You too, Katniss."
"Sure. Happy birthday again," Katniss says softly.
Peeta grabs his baseball hat from the table and twists it in his hands. "I'll see you later," he says, then walks back down the hall toward the front door.
Annie looks helplessly at Finnick, who shakes his head before going into their bedroom and closing the door. "Wait, Peeta," Annie calls, running down the hall to the living room. "Don't forget your gift. And your cake!"
Katniss stays in her seat at the table. She can barely make out low voices from the other room, then the sound of a door closing. Annie comes back into the kitchen and sits down with a sigh.
"He didn't want the cake. He said you should take it home for Prim." She rubs her hands across her face. "This isn't good."
"Maybe Finn is right," Katniss offers hopefully. "Maybe Peeta just needs a good night's sleep and this will all blow over."
"Yeah. Maybe." Annie frowns. "I don't know. I've never seen Peeta this upset before."
Katniss thinks back over the last few months. The group has developed a routine of hanging out at least once a week, but as soon as one of them backs out, the plans seem to evaporate. If Peeta is prepared to cut Finnick off, where does that leave the rest of them?
"Well," Annie says, forcing a smile to her face. "I'm sure he'll come around soon enough. We're going to start planning the wedding soon, and he's already agreed to be one of Finnick's Best Men."
"Definitely," Katniss says, trying to be positive for her friend's sake.
Secretly though, she wonders if the argument is bigger than Annie realizes. Peeta's pretty stubborn, and tends to stick to something when he says it. Maybe even a wedding isn't enough to fix this fight.
I'm still around, working on my stories ever so slowly when real life allows. Thank you so much for reading!