Begin Again [Wattys 2013 Finalist]

Chapter 50

 Peeta and I are sitting on the kitchen stools together, laughing at everyone else, when he gets up to go check on Delly, who's way too drunk for her own good. That's when Gale gets up and, in the blink of an eye, takes the back of my head in his hand kisses me so hard that I can't get away no matter how I twist and turn. I taste the alcohol on his lips when suddenly, he's thrown off of me. Peeta pins him to the ground and I shriek as I hear the sound of Peeta's fist connecting with Gale's jawbone.

"Peeta stop!" I yell as he pounds Gale practically into the ground. Gale's so drunk that all the damage he manages to do to a raging Peeta is a punch across the cheek. Thankfully, it only leaves a little blood. Haymitch pulls Peeta off of Gale after what seems like an eternity to me. My first instinct is to run to Peeta, and I'm glad that I do. Haymitch throws him off of Gale with such force that he goes flying backwards. I catch him in my arms and I collapse to my knees at the impact. I feel his head resting on my stomach and he doesn't move for a second, dizzy from Gale's punch. I can see his cheek getting black and blue. I feel him push off of me and stand up, but I stand too. I put my hands on his shoulders and spin him around to me just before he attacks Gale again.

"Please stop Peeta please!" I beg.

"Why should I Katniss!? Are you not upset!? You're my wife! He can't just kiss you like that and get away with it!"

"He didn't get away with it!" I shout, pointing to Gale, who's bleeding from his mouth and nose, but thankfully standing thanks to Johanna's arm around his waist.

"Here, let me clean you up," I hear her say to him as she drags him into the bathroom. I look around the room and everyone is just in shock. I roll my eyes and grab Peeta's hand, pulling him into the coat closet with me.

"Are you okay?" He asks me.

"I'm fine. How does your face feel?" I ask.

"It's okay," he says, but he winces when I gently touch my thumb to the cut.

"Thanks for that," I say, softer now.

"I wasn't going to let him kiss you like that. I'm sorry for how I reacted, I was just so mad."

"Don't be sorry. But I need to go talk to him. I love you, okay?"

He sighs deeply, but follows me out of the closet without another word. Annie tosses him an ice bag as I knock on the bathroom door. I don't get a response, so I push it open. I bite back a scream at what I see. Gale has Johanna pressed against the wall and her hands are clawing at his back. Their lips collide together furiously as they kiss, and I stand there too stunned to say anything.  I don't even know how to react. I'm paralyzed as I stand in the bathroom doorway. I cover my mouth with my hand and bite down on my lip so hard I taste blood. Just as I'm about to run as far away from this scene as I can, Johanna lifts her eyes and sees me over Gale's shoulder. She spins him around a little too fast and he falls backwards, half due to the alcohol flooding his brain, half to the beat down Peeta just gave him. He catches himself on the wall and presses his palms to it for balance. Johanna opens her mouth to say something, but she doesn't manage to get any words out before she turns and throws up in the toilet.

"Now you're mad," Gale says.

He's wrong, I'm furious.

"I mean, you only tried to kiss me in front of everyone. And then you hooked up with Johanna on my wedding night. So, I guess I'm a little mad." I say as an understatement.

Johanna's sitting with her back to the wall, looking up at me.

"Sorry," she mouths.

"I really like her," Gale says, his words so slurred it's barely audible.