Leo snaps and truths are revealed

Something inside Leo snapped as he slowly looked up and glared back at Rebecca. "What the heck are you talking about? The whole thing is your fault!"

Rebecca blinked in confusion before narrowing her eyes at Leo. "Excuse me?"

"If that woman had just run into me," Leo explained, "then she would have just taken my belongings and drove off, leaving me to hitchhike back into town and call the cops on her. Heck! That could have been what would've happened in this situation." He then took a sharp inhale before shouting, "But no! You just HAD to show up and make things worse by not keeping your big, fat mouth shut!"

"I didn't -"

"Yes, you did!" Leo snapped as he stood, pulling Rebecca up with him.

"This is all your fault, Rebecca!" Leo snapped. He then scoffed as he added, "But then again, what did I expect from you? You've always made my life a living nightmare since we met in middle school!"

"What are you - "

"NO!" Leo snapped angrily, stomping his bare foot. "For once in your life, you are going to shut up and listen to me! All throughout the last few school years of my life, YOU have done absolutely nothing but ruin them! You've tripped me up in the cafeteria in middle school, you pushed me into the campus fountain in high school, you made me fail my chemistry exam by causing one of the beakers to overflow with the chemical we were working with and almost got me kicked out of college! And for WHAT?! Just so you could have a good laugh at my expense?!"

"That's not true!" Rebecca said, her voice a mixture of hurt and anger. "I didn't mean to -"

"Yes you did!" Leo shouted, his voice trembling with rage. "You've had a vendetta against me since the day we met! And that was only three of the numerous things you've done to me! So what is it? Am I some toy for your amusement? Am I some kind of punching bag for you to use to blow off steam?! Am I - "

"IT WAS BECAUSE I LIKE YOU, OKAY?!" Rebecca finally shouted, tears forming in her eyes as she desperately fought them back.

At seeing Leo's stunned expression, Rebecca blushed as she took a deep breath before explaining. "I... I really like you. Even since I met you back in middle school, I found you to be very attractive. And it wasn't until a few years into middle school that I discovered that I did like you. As in, I loved you. You're smart, you're fun, you're kind. But you never noticed me. I don't know if it was because you were scared of me or you just weren't interested, but I thought that, well... I thought that if I did something that made you notice me, then you'd go on to like me as well."

Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "Okay, I'm sorry. I just... Really?! You honestly expect me to buy that?!"

"But it's true! I swear!" Rebecca pleaded.

Leo rolled his eyes before sighing.

"Let me see if I get this straight..." Leo began, shaking his head. "You put me through a waking nightmare everyday, from the second day of middle school to the last day of college. A waking nightmare where I was so completely on edge wondering when you were going to make you next move, that there were times I was afraid to even show up to class. A waking nightmare where all the guys ruthlessly mocked me for letting myself get picked on and bullied by a girl, even those in college, and any and all girls I asked out completely rejected me because I was some kinda loser in their eyes. You put me through all that torment and hell... Because you LOVED me. Am I understanding that right?"

"W-well, I... I mean, I wasn't trying to..." Rebecca stammered, fighting back tears as hard as she could.

Leo stared at Rebecca for a moment before shaking his head. "Did you really think, for all these years, that doing those things to me were going to get me to like you back?" Leo asked incredulously.

"I... I just -"

"Just what?"

"I... I thought it would work."

"And I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it didn't."

"But... But it can still work..." Rebecca said, looking down at her feet.

"Oh, good grief! Listen to yourself! How many years are you going to keep doing this to me? Are you even aware of the damage you've caused? The trouble you've caused? You've been nothing but a thorn in my side since the moment I met you!"

"But I didn't mean to..."

Leo looked down at his feet once more as he considered her words.

"You want to know why I moved two towns over after I graduated college, Rebecca?"

"No." Rebecca whimpered in horror as her eyes went wide, "I-I-I figured I knew why, but please! Don't say - "

"It was to get away from YOU!" Leo roared, "All your stupid plan has succeeded in is making me hate your freaking guts!"

Rebecca let out a squeak as her lip trembled. If anyone looked closely, they could see her heart shattering into pieces in her eyes.

"I... I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I... I know that it means nothing after all these years, but I'm so sorry. Hurting you was the absolute last thing that I wanted to happen."

"Yeah?" Leo asked as he laid down by the fire as the rain continued to pour outside, "Well, you did. Unfortunately, it looks like the rain isn't letting up anytime soon, so we're just going to have to spend the night and hike back out to find help in the morning."

Rebecca took a deep breath before nodding. As Leo laid on his side, facing away from Rebecca, he could hear the woman sob softly as she curled up next to the fire with her back to his. A part of him wondered if maybe he went too far in his rantings as he could feel the cuff shaking with her sobs.

Leo sighed once more as he closed his eyes and willed himself to fall asleep. At some point, Rebecca stopped crying and fell asleep with her head resting on the heel of her palm.