Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of its characters.

It is still Sunday here I hope it still is Sunday where you live!

Chapter 5

He starts dozing off and that gets her even more scared. She doesn't know if being awake is a must but she knows that watching him with his eyes closed and pale as he is terrifies her because it is almost as if he's dead. She feels like she is losing him. So she calls his name and shakes him because she doesn't know what else to do to keep him awake. To keep him rooted to where they are and not to have him disappear and feel him taken away from her.

Then he tries to convince her to not tell Gale what is happening by telling her in detail the story of how she came to save him that day all those years ago. It doesn't work. She knows she has to tell Gale but she doesn't know how she is going to do it without him noticing.

The frosting on the cake comes when he asks her to leave with Wiress and Beete and leave him there. Of course everything inside of her head tells her to run. She is scared and she is a survivor so her first instinct is to run as fast as she can away from there. But she won't because she just has to look at him in her indecisive state to know that she can't do that. That if she leaves him and he dies she'll never really will get home, not really. She'll spend the rest of her life in that classroom, in that school trying to think of a way out.

She notices that he is dozing off and she lets him only for a few seconds, just enough to send Gale the message that she needs to so he can come and help them. She calls his name and he doesn't open his eyes so she tries touching his arm but again he doesn't open her eyes so she starts calling his name and shakes him hard and that's when he opens his eyes. Those seconds in which he didn't move or woke up when she called his name just increase the feeling that seems to be consuming her body. It is a clear indicator that he won't last much longer.

The awful feeling is only increasing the more time they spend there and she knows that she needs to get him out of here. She is going to give Gale five minutes or so and If he doesn't get there she is taking him out of there. She doesn't care if she has to drag him or carry him…she doesn't care she is going to.

He is pale and shivering and she has been controlling herself. She has been keeping herself from touching him, just giving him little hand squeezes, because she won't want to let go if she does relent to much more but what is happening proves to be too much. And somehow she needs reassurance that he is still alive. That everything is going to be okay so she starts rubbing his arms to keep him a little warm the contact making her skin feel with goosebumps that almost feel like electricity.

And then he tells her that he's liked her all these years and she can't believe it. She feels so happy that she wants to scream and shout and jump and then she remembers where they are, why they are there and the precarious situation they are in. Her blissful moment, the moment in which she felt she could fly and touch the sky taken away from her. Short lived.

Is it selfish that she wished it had happened under different circumstances? She wished more than anything to tell him that she feels the same way. That she has felt the same way ever since she saw his blue eyes for the first time when they were children. That she didn't know she could feel this but that she does. She can't believe it. She can't believe she lost all these years thinking that she was not good enough. She wasted all these years and now she may not have much more left with him. Her face pales and she feels cold to the bone. She tries to say something to him, her eyes filling with tears. But she can't, he doesn't let her. And besides the words seem to be stuck inside her because really! What are the right words right know? She doesn't think there are, at least not words that can truly convey how she feels about him and how long she has felt this way!

After that she has no idea how they made it out of there. She just knows that she is going to owe Gale for the rest of her life because he shows up and even if he is mad at her for taking so long to tell her he jumps into action just like she expected him to. She knows too that Peeta, if he wasn't as tired as he is, would be yelling at her right now because the look she saw on his face when he saw Gale was one of betrayal. She doesn't care what he thinks as long as he lives, she can live with his anger. One moment they are going out of the class, Peeta going in and out of consciousness as they drag him outside. All she can think about is getting him out of there because she can almost feel the life draining out of him the longer they are inside the school.

When they stop at the nurse station and she places the hoodie on him and she hears him say that that is the best part of his day, she doesn't think he intended her to hear, she wants to cry. She hugs him and rubs his back as she tries to warm him but all she really wants to do is stay there with him on her arms and freeze that moment forever.

Next they are standing in the hallway with Cato in front of them and she has never felt more scared and desperate. The only other time she felt like this was when she thought her Dad had died in the mining accident all those years ago. Thank God he hadn't or she doesn't know, she doesn't what to think how her life would be right now.

She even retorts to beg Cato. He seems conflicted, like he is worried about Peeta but at the same time scared of what letting them out would mean. Maybe even scared of someone as he keeps looking everywhere around him. She doesn't know why but she looks at Gale and he seems to be looking at something and then just like when all this started they fall to the floor as everything turns into chaos around them.

When she looks up Cato is in the floor moaning and the police officers and paramedics enter the building running. She looks at Peeta next to her and with Gale they put him on his back. He's pale and he seems to finally have lost consciousness she wants to cry. Is he gone?

The paramedics rush to their side and as she and Gale are questioned whether they are hurt or not, probably because they have blood in their hands, they shake their heads pointing to Peeta. She tells them, more than yells at them to help him. She takes his hand as they work on him and one of the paramedics asks Gale to apply pressure to the leg as they hook an IV to his hand.

Everything is a blur after that. She doesn't know when her father, mother and little Prim showed up. They hug her as she sees Peeta being load into the ambulance, his face slack and pale.

There is no one there for him. Not even his brothers and when they ask if someone is coming with him she jumps at the opportunity his father smiling encouragingly at her and Prim wiping tears from her eyes just like her mother.

She takes his hand as she watches the paramedics placing and oxygen mask over his face and checking his eyes and God knows what else. They are asking for blood through the radio and the ambulance is going faster than it probably should. But it doesn't really matter if that is going to save him.

She is scared. Scared that he is going to die because he looks worse than that day that his mother beat him and he looks weak and she doesn't realize what is happening until the paramedic asks her to let go of his hand and to clear the way.

His heart stops and hers stop with his. She starts crying as she watches the paramedics working on him, when she thinks that all hope is lost because she feels like a thousand years have passed in that little moment they manage to revive him and she hears his heart start beating again. His eyelids flutter she sees his blue eyes for a moment and then they close again.

She breathes in relief at knowing that his heart is beating again but dread at the thought that he just died and there was nothing she could do. That she almost lost him and that she never told him how she felt about him. That it was almost too late.

"Don't leave please" she whispers as she looks at him. He looks so pale. And as the time passes she feels him drifting away from her.

They reach the hospital and they wheel him inside and she's left outside without being able to go further. She can't stop crying. Everything she has been trying to suppress from the moment all this started comes crashing down on her.

Somehow as she is in the waiting room it fills with people. Gale, Annie, Finnick and everyone else around her.

Peeta's dad and brothers arrive sometime around noon but they still don't know anything about Peeta. Just that he is alive. And for the moment that's enough.

It turns out Cato isn't dead. The other shooters, because he wasn't the only one took their lives but he didn't.

He says that they forced him to, that they threatened him after he heard them talking about it. He wanted to call the police and tell them but they told him they were going to kill everyone he loved if he did and so he participated too. He says he didn't want to hurt anyone. That he only shot once and to make people run from the hallway when he had seen Peeta standing there. The police find out that there's only one bullet from Cato's gun involved in all this and that is the bullet that they took from Peeta's leg. Cato cries. She sees him because he is in the same hospital being treated for some minor wounds. She understands him and yet she doesn't…there are at least 20 people hurt and 6 dead in total. Peeta isn't one of the dead luckily but he still isn't out of the woods.

They had to ask for blood because with all the people hurt they ran out of supplies so she donated and now her blood is on his veins.

The emergency surgery that they had to practice on him went out okay. They were able to save his leg and his life for the moment but what has them worried is what is going to happen next. He hasn't woken up and they aren't sure why that is. It can be because of his body not ready to come back or they aren't sure. They are not saying anything and she suspects it is to not alert them.

She turns to see Gale and sees his eyes water. Their friends and mothers leave as it gets late, everyone but Gale and Katniss who don't move. And so their parents stay with them.

"Do you think you will get to see him?" her dad asks as he sits next to her in the benches. Gale and his dad are sitting in the other corner.

"Hope so Dad, I really do" she answers.

"I think he will make it. He's been through worse…he is a strong boy" he tells her and turns around to finally look at her. "How are you?" he asks her now and she looks directly to his gray eyes. The ones she inherited.

"I'm fine Dad. He…", her eyes water and she hates herself because she thought she had ran out of tears after her first breakdown but it doesn't look like it. Now that they are out and she's been able to re think every single thing that went on today all she can think is about the overwhelming pain that takes her heart. Because it doesn't matter that they are out now…Peeta is inside that room because of her, because of her stupidity. She looks up to his dad again and his kind gray eyes are still looking at her.

"He saved you" her father voices and hugs her as she crumbles crying. It's not only that this is her fault but somehow in the silence of the waiting room and now that calm has surrounded them she can still hear yelling and gunshots. Every time she closes her eyes for more than a few seconds she sees again the bodies and she sees Peeta's pale face. All of the things that happened today come crumbling down again and suffocate her.

"I froze Dad…he covered me and got shot because I froze…I've never frozen before. And the shots and the people and there was so much blood dad" she says as she brings her hands to cover her face.

"Baby" her dad says and engulfs her in his arms. He hums in her ear, the old hanging tree song that her mother hates so much but has always managed to calm her down. "He's going to be fine" he tells her soothingly. "Everything is going to be fine. I give you my word" he says and she nods burying her face in her father's shirt.

And she knows that all she can do now is hope that everything…everything will be fine. She clings to her dad and cries a little more, just because she never does and she can right now, and just because it hurts too much not to cry right now out of mere relief. Because she's alive, and he is alive and it doesn't matter how much time it takes this is going to pass too.

Her father and Gale's father are in the cafeteria looking for something to keep them busy. They know Gale and she are not moving from that waiting area until they see Peeta and make sure with their own eyes that he is alive and relatively good.

As they are sitting there not uttering a word and deep in thought the elderly woman approaches them with a kind smile on her face. It's nearly three in the morning and Peeta's dad and his brothers have left to come back in the morning when they have left the bakery ready for the other workers to take over.

"You may go in now, but only for a short time" Says Mags, Finnick's aunt who works in the hospital and has been assigned as Peeta's nurse. She places her hand on Gales shoulder and motions with her head towards the doors.

They stand in front of the room and Katniss takes Gale's hand in hers and squeezes hard, he squeezes back. It is the reassurance they both need to take the next step and see their friend.

They open the door and they see Peeta in the bed. He still looks pale but the bluish tint is gone from his lips, he's got an oxygen mask on his face but he definitely looks better than he did those last minutes before they finally got him out. He seems out of it.

They both walk closer to him and just stand there looking at him. Gale seems twitchy and out of nowhere places his hand on top of Peeta's chest. She looks at him not understanding for a moment and then she does.

"He's alive Gale." she tells him and he nods but keeps his hand on his chest.

"I thought…for a moment" he manages to get out but stops talking. She is glad he does because he sounds like he wants to cry and she doesn't think that she could stand if he does. Not Gale who is the strongest and bravest person she knows. Not Gale who is going to get a medal with Finnick for what he did today helping so much people.

She places her hand on top of his and feels the steady up and down of Peeta's chest as he breathes and somehow finds it soothing. She understands perfectly well what Gale is thinking, they are really alike after all. She had thought for a moment, when Cato had refused to let them go out that it was over. That Peeta was going to die right there with his arms around their shoulders as she saw the blood trickling down his sneaker.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner…I am really sorry…I just made it worse" she tells Gale as they keep looking at him there on the bed with the oxygen mask still on his face, just like when they were in the ambulance.

"No, it's okay…you did in the end. Besides I don't envy you Katniss…he's going to be really mad at you" he smiles."It won't last because…it's you…but still." he smiles and she smiles too. "I even think that I will take the brunt of his anger and not you" he looks at her squinting.

"I'm glad he's going to be there to be mad at me…he is going to be mad at you too anyway…so we may as well team up" she tells him with a small smile.

"Stupid Peeta" he mutters. She sees something in Gale's face. The good thing is that Gale thinks just the way she does, that Peeta is going to be okay and is going to wake up, even if the doctors haven't said a thing in hours.

"He told me he's liked me since we were little" she tells him suddenly. She needs to tell someone even if she knows that Gale already knew. Somehow his comments and snickers and glances with his brothers, sister and Prim make sense now. "You knew. Didn't you?" she asks not taking her eyes away from Peeta.

Gale has the decency to look surprised for a second and then smiles.

"Yeah…I've known since we were little. It is kind of an inside joke with Prim and the rest of the kids…even my mom and my dad know" he says laughing a little.

"Even your mom and your dad know?" she asks outraged.

"Even your mom and dad know" he says smiling. She blushes wildly. "What did you say?" he asks and she shakes her head.

"I couldn't. We got interrupted and then you showed up and I didn't…"she tells him and her eyes water. "His heart stopped in the ambulance…I thought for a moment that he was gone, and all I could think about is how stupid I had been for not telling him. I am such a coward" she tells him and places her hand, that was previously on top of Gale's on Peeta's cheek. She traces his cheek and then his jaw caressing his face softly as if he is as fragile as glass.

"You will when he wakes up" he tells her slowly. "Thank you for saving him. Thank you for telling me" he says and she shakes her head.

"Just promise me that you won't tell him no matter what, okay? I think he has to hear this from me. He's waited enough and the least I could do is tell him myself". Gale nods.

"I promise"

"Kids, I'm going to get in trouble if they find you here. I think you've been with him enough" she says glancing at the clock and they notice they've been inside for an hour. They both nod and start to make their way out, not before glancing both of them at Peeta and finally closing the door.

Their dads had to practically rip them out of the waiting area chairs so they could eat, shower and nap for a while but as soon as she closed her eyes everything started happening again in her dream.

She couldn't stop seeing Peeta in different ways but always bad ways; first pale, then bloody and finally dead. That last time she woke up yelling to a Prim who reassured her that he was alive and that she was okay, that everything that had happened in the school was over now. The hard part was going to be to convince her head.

She called Gale and asked her to take her to the hospital. If her nightmares were like those ones she didn't want to think about the ones Peeta would be having.

It takes her a little time to convince her dad to let her go. It seems that what happened let them apprehensive. She has to reassure them several times that she is only going to the hospital and she will be back. That she won't stop somewhere else and that she will be okay. Her dad isn't convinced and she guesses that Gale is having a similar problem when he doesn't show up as fast as he usually does.

"Honey, things haven't changed with him. Peeta is still the same. I called Mags"

"I understand mom but still…I want to see him if I can. Please?" she asks and turns to her dad making those eyes that she knows melt his heart. Finally, he relents.

When she hears Gale's car outside she runs before he can do anything else or before her parents regret allowing her to go out. As she suspected he informs her that his parents didn't want him to go out of the house. She thinks that is going to take a long time for them to be okay with the idea of them being outside. After all, she thinks, there's no safe place if not even in the school they can be kept safe.

"My mom called" she informs her as they are on their way to the hospital. "They said he is still the same" she tells him and she sees Gale nod.

"Yeah, she told my mom" he says and his voice sounds quiet.

"He's going to be okay, won't he?" she asks him.

"I want to believe that" he tells her. "But I'm scared Catnip…" she nods because she is scared too.

They are not able to see Peeta today, his mom and one of his brothers are there and the woman absolutely refuses to allow them to go into the room. Mags looks conflicted. Everyone knows in town who Peeta's real family is.

"I want them Go" she yells as she shakes her head to an imploring Madge.

"Mother" Rye who is next to her and looking conflicted tells her sounding…warningly?

"No, Rye. I don't want those people inside there with your brother. Lord knows that girl is to blame for what happened to your brother"

"Mom!" he yells and Katniss can't help but to flinch. She knows it is her fault but hearing that woman say it…just hurts even more. It is like her tone of voice is dripping with venom that burns when it comes out. She wonders how many times has she talked like this to Peeta and burned him with her words.

"It is the truth Rye and you know it"

"No, I don't" he tells her and looks directly to Katniss shaking his head. Gale is bristling next to her and she takes his hand and squeezes it just to keep him from retorting or doing something else.

"And what are you doing here boy?" she asks Gale. "Came to see your "brother"?" she asks with a sneer in her voice. She has always hated how Gale and Peeta thought themselves to be family when they weren't. She knows that in her head Peeta's mom sees them as inferior for how they look and how the live even when they are in the same neighborhood.

"Mom, that's enough!" Rye yells next to her.

"Why? Why is it enough? Aren't you jealous that this boy thinks to be your brother's brother? Doesn't it make you mad that these low life people consider themselves his family?"

Rye stays quiet shaking his head. She doesn't blame him. She knows what talking back to that woman would mean for Rye as soon as they go back home. She has seen Rye and Wheaton share Peeta's bruises through the years. They may not defend Peeta but often they share his pain and in Katniss' eyes that makes them his brothers even if Gale thinks otherwise.

"And now on top of thinking of him as their family! As if that isn't insulting enough they think they can come in here and see him when it is all her fault! ", she spats. "He is in here and not waking up because of you!" she points to Katniss walking to where she is standing with Gale. "I told that boy that you would be the death of him but he never listens!" she tells her and Katniss can feel how close she is and for a moment she wonders if the woman is actually going to hit her.

"That's enough!" a voice sounds from behind her and she turns around to see her mother standing there. "I will not tolerate this! You will not talk that way to my daughter I won't allow it!" she yells and stands up in front of Peeta's mom looking her down. Peeta's mom opens her mouth to say something then but she never gets it out. "We are his family as much as he is your flesh and bone Leona so don't try and deny it! We love and dote on that boy more than you will ever do! You don't deserve him! And stop blaming Katniss for this! Peeta decided to do this and you have to respect his decision…even if I don't know how you will do it seeing as you have never been able to respect him as it is!" she tells her and Peeta's mom only turns around and leaves her mom standing there.

"I am so sorry about this", Rye says looking down. "We don't believe any of the things she said, I swear!" he tells them and then looks at Gale. "Thank you for taking him out of there…for being a better brother than we could ever be for him" he says sadly and Katniss heart hurts at seeing the normally boisterous boy looking so down.

"No" Gale tells him placing his hand on his shoulder. "Just because I defend him in different ways you are not less his brother. I've seen you defend him in so many others…don't think you are less his brother. He loves you guys!" he tells him and Rye nods his eyes grateful.

"You can go in" Mags tells them interrupting the moment. They both turn to look at Rye.

"Yeah, you guys go. I don't like to see him like that" he tells them and they can't say that they don't understand. They don't like to see him like that either but they like to see that he is alive.

"I meant one of you first and then the other", Mags stops them with a smile as she sees both of them turning to the now familiar room.

"Do we have to leave soon?" Gale asks and when Mags says they don't, he smiles. "I'll go first" he says and walks towards the room.

As she waits she starts to think about how she is going to tell him now that she feels the same way. That she has liked him ever since they were little children and she found him that day. That even if he was in that much pain that day she has been grateful with God ever since for making that happen and allowing her to find him there.

That she is so stupid because she had no reason to decide for him whether he would feel the same way about her and she should have told him how she felt ages ago.

And she wonders too…how is it that she never noticed that he liked her too? How has she been so blind and for so long? She will never understand.

"I'm sorry about what my mom said" Rye tells her.

"Don't be" she tells him with a smile. She turns to look at him and he is looking at the floor. Looks up to her and smiles but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asks him placing her hand on his.

"It's just that…I do feel bad and jealous sometimes when Gale is around in the bakery" he tells her and smiles. "Mom does know how to strike the right places" he says smiling ruefully.

"You don't have to feel that way. Peeta is talking about you guys all the time…just because he thinks of Gale as a brother it doesn't mean…in Gale's words that you are less Peeta's brother"

"But we never do anything for him…I can only think about the bruise and the pain when it comes to her so I don't dare do anything…I mean…I've defended him before you know…but only when it is too much…I should've done something else…I should've protected him better…I am his brother, not Gale"

"You do protect him you know. Peeta understands. I've heard him say it many times. He understands why you don't do anything most of the time and he doesn't blame you", she says and Rye smiles.

"That's so Peeta isn't it?"

"It is" she smiles and that's when Gale comes out.

She figures that If Gale took half an hour or so to come out she can take as much. He's going to have to wait. Now that she thinks of it…probably that's why he decided to go first.

She gets into the room and there's Peeta with the mask on an a little color but still asleep. She pulls the chair and sits next to his bed. Takes his hand in his and squeezes it like willing him to wake up based on that action only.

"They don't know why you aren't waking up…or they don't want to tell us…I don't want to be a pessimist but until you wake up I won't be sure that we actually saved you but Peeta…Now that I know, don't leave me. Please, don't you dare!"

Her hands are itching. All the time while they were in that classroom trapped all she wanted to do was hug him, reassure him through actions that everything was going to be okay but again she had been too scared to show him. And then he had told her he liked her and they had gotten interrupted by everything and the only thing she got to do was hug him. And it had felt magnificent but so lame at the same time because Peeta deserved better.

She feels his hand twitch in hers and she looks up to his face. He seems tense and he is breathing hard, he looks like he's got a nightmare so she starts combing some curls that are on his forehead with her fingers gently and she does the only thing she can think of that will calm him.

She starts singing. My precious one by Celine Dion is the first one to come to her mind and it seems to be working when Peeta seems to start relaxing.

She must have fallen asleep and Gale is going to kick her ass. That's what she thinks when she realizes that she is resting her arms and head on a soft surface and it smells clean and like disinfectant.

She still feels Peeta's hand in hers and she squeezes it. She likes waking up like this and that's when she feels a weak squeeze back. She lifts her head slowly because it can't be what she is thinking and that's when she sees the striking blue of his eyes looking back at her.

"You're awake" she says groggily.

"Hey" he says and smiles.

"You need water, anything?" she asks as she sits straight and takes her hand from his with wide eyes and blushing because she just got caught by Peeta sleeping next to him.

"Naaa I already gave him water sleepy head" Gale says from behind and she stiffens and blushes even more.

"I'm sorry" she says but both boys smile. "Are you okay?" she asks looking at him and he smiles and she feels like she's melting.

"I'm okay. Thank you for saving me" he says and Gale laughs behind her.

"Yeah, of course. She gets the soft side of you and I get all the anger"

"Shut up. That's not true" he tells him smiling.

"Kids" sounds Mags voice.

"Yeah, yeah…We are leaving he needs his rest" Gale says like it's not the first time that Mags shows up. "Come on Catnip! You had enough rest"

"Yeah, but…when did you…"

"He woke up about half an hour ago and you were sleeping next to him and I came to check up on you and I found him awake…I gave him water he tried to yell at me for going to save him and then you woke up" she tells her as he pulls her arm so she will stand up and they will get out of there.

"Bye Peeta" Gale says and Katniss looks at him conflicted. This wasn't how she imagined this would be so she sighs and repeats Gale's words. She sees Peeta give her a weak smile as he waves his hand.

"Will you stop it?" Gale tells her as they are walking to his door.

"I fell asleep…I didn't get to see him or anything when he was finally awake" she says and places both hands on her face. "So unfair!"

"You didn't miss much! Doctors came in when I saw him awake because I called them. They wanted to take us out but of course you were asleep there so Peeta didn't allow it. They said that he probably took that much to wake up because his body was reconfiguring after losing too much blood and the transfusion and all"

"He's going to be okay now, won't he?" she asks and he nods.

"He'll be discharged tomorrow or the day after tomorrow"

"Great!" she exclaims as the get into his house. Gale smiles and shakes his head.

So far none of the things that she imagined going certain way had been like that and she has a feeling that telling him how she feels won't go the way she thinks it will either. It's just a hunch.

For all the love that Peeta doesn't get from his parents he gets from the Hawthornes and even her own parents. That's what she thinks about as she walks to his room with a few presents from her parents and two cards, one from Prim and one from Posy. Both girls made her promise to deliver the cards personally because she is a girl and boys lie. Or that was what Posy had said when Gale asked her why she didn't ask him.

She reaches the room and she sees him there sitting watching something on the tv.

"Hey" she says and smiles shyly.

"Hey, Katniss" he smiles and again just like yesterday the smile doesn't quite reaches his eyes.

"How are you today?" she asks and he shrugs.

"I'm okay. I feel fine"

"Your leg?" she says looking at his leg.

"It's okay too. I'll just need some therapy but it is okay"

They stay silent. It feels awkward and something is off, she can feel it.

"Peeta"

"Katniss" they both call each other at the same time.

"I brought you some gifts from my parents and from Posy and Prim" she tells him with a smile. She gives him first the package and he takes it with a smile.

"Katniss I…I wanted to talk about the other day. The shooting day I mean…" he tells her looking down and she feels cold. "I…I wanted to apologize…for what I told you. I didn't mean it…I guess I was scared and…" her heart falls to the bottom of her stomach. This wasn't what she was expecting when she got into the hospital today. She feels her eyes burning and the unmistakable lump in her throat.

"You don't have to apologize" she tells him shaking her head. "I'm just glad you are okay…I guess it must be hard to think that you are going to die…and being alone with me like that and well…" she says.

She sees him look at her intently…like he is trying to decipher something so she smiles.

"For God's sake!" yells Gale coming out of the bathroom. They both turn to look at him and he looks exasperated. "You guys are seriously something!" he yells as he throws his hands to the air and passes one over his hair. "How..?!" but he never finishes what he is saying because the look she gives him as if saying "you promised" stops him.

"I have to go. I just came for a little while to give you Prim and Posy's cards and my parents presents and to see if you needed anything" she gives a weak smile. Gale's eyes seem like they are about to pop out of his head with the look he gives her. He turns to look at Peeta who seems sad and resigned and is smiling to Katniss as he nods.

"Thank you for coming Katniss. Thank Posy and Prim! Tell your parents I loved the presents!" he smiles waving said presents.

"Why the hell are you leaving? How much time was I in the bathroom?" he asks bewildered.

"Shut up Gale!" Katniss says smiling. "You were in that bathroom far longer than healthy! Warn everyone before they dare to get in there!" she says smirking and Peeta smiles.

"Shut up Catnip!" he says as he slumps in the chair next to Peeta's bed. "Why the hell are you leaving? Not that I'm complaining but you should do what you came here to do" he says with a knowing look.

"I have to go. I just came for a short visit, just to deliver Prim and Posy's presents. I promised." She says and Gale nods defeated.

When she gets out of their view she leans against the wall outside the room. That was terrible, once again not what she thought. She breathes in and breathes out trying to calm herself. How could everything turn out this way? She had honestly believed that when she came out of this room today she would've told Peeta how she felt about him and they would be together and happy by now. She doesn't understand where everything went wrong…

"What the fuck dude?" Gale exclaims and she freezes. "What the hell was that?" he asks Peeta and she knows she is not supposed to listen to this but she can't make herself move. Her heart beats fast and strong like anticipating something but she doesn't really know what it is.

"Why did you tell her that you didn't mean it?" he asks and she hears the outrage in his voice.

"It was an out" he answers simply. "I don't want to put her in a position where she has to tell me that she doesn't reciprocate my feelings"

"Why the hell would you think that she doesn't?" Gale asks and she hears Peeta sigh.

"Gale"

"Don't Gale me! Answer me!"

"I saw it in her face that day at school! I saw it when I told her!" he says and Katniss has to think back to that day because she can't pin point the moment that may have given Peeta the impression that she didn't reciprocate his feelings.

She thinks she has the answer now. She just has to tell him that he is wrong. Make him listen even if he doesn't want to.

"And…why make her tell me when I'm leaving and hopefully never coming back?" he asks Gale with a lower voice. Only her good huntress hearing allowed her to listen to that.

"What do you mean?" Gale asks surprised.

"I'm going to New York…I'm going to art school in a few weeks and…why subject both of us to that awkwardness when I'm leaving anyway?"

"I thought you were still thinking about it" Gale tells him.

"I was…but then this happened and…my mom came"

"What did she do?" Gale asked and she heard him walk surely to inspect Peeta, "What did she say?" he asks then and that means there's no bruise and all.

"I'm used to her belittling me ", she hears him breath in deeply. "But I've had enough…I'm going to miss you all but I've had enough and if I can run away from her I am going to" he tells him seriously. "I have an out and I'm taking it! Even when it will kill me…because you know it will!" he says.

"I guess…I understand you taking the scholarship…but why telling Katniss that you didn't mean it when you do?"

"I told you already…I didn't want to subject her to reject me and besides…It's better this way…imagine if she would've told me that she likes me too…I would have never left. I would've stayed here with my sick crazy mother only to stay close to her. I mean…a dream come true, right?"

Her eyes water just at the thought of him staying for her and she knows that she can't tell him anymore. She can't make him stay because as much as she loves him she wants him to be happy even if it is away from her. She runs.

She…she loves him, she thinks to her heart's dismay. And she can't keep him from what is going to keep him safe. She can't keep him from happiness. And most of all, if she can protect him she will even if that means letting him go. After all, she thinks…it really was too late.

AN. I feel like most of you guys didn't like the last chapter. There was close no to reviews, so sad. Here's this one! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, I promise I wasn't taking it hostage…real life got super busy and I couldn't update sooner as I originally intended to…and then I added some things here and boom! I hope you do like this one…let me hear from you guys it would mean the world to me, really! Just one more chapter left! Hope to hear from you!

Oh! And thank you for your reviews and follows and favorites! The name of each chapter now has the name of the character's point of view (thanks for the advice, as you see I took it!).