“Romantic notions aren’t enough,” he sighed. There were so many cases he could cite to prove it. No matter how much Gale would like to believe in love conquering all - and yes, sometimes even he thought about that, in those vulnerable moments between thoughts of rebellion he could never admit to having - but he knew better. Those stories were great for little girls like Posey who needed that little bit of hope to keep smiling, but reality never worked that way.

As Madge came to stand by him, he avoided her gaze. He saw Mrs. Everdeen, broken and unable to take care of her children. He saw girls from school who went home with their crushes, the grimaces as their light, clean clothes took on a coat of charcoal dust. He saw the kids on the streets of the Seam, starving while the folks from town threw out their extra. It was all a painful reminder of the differences between him and Madge, and she might want to pretend that gap didn’t exist, but she couldn’t change the fact that it did.

“I don’t think you know what you’re asking, Madge,” he said after a moment, finally turning to look at her. “I can’t give you anything.”