[Only ended up using a paragraph from this in chapter 42. I twisted this in 42, though, where she does get riled up into yelling at him that she loves him; it’s just not this particular excerpt]
“You know what? Let’s get something straight,” I thundered on. “You don’t know me. You have no idea what kinda person I am.”
“Oh, I don’t?” Leander laughed. “Enlighten me, then. What couldn’t I possibly know about you?”
“Everything! Whoever the little bitchy, glamorous, materialistic Barbie girl you’ve created in your mind is not me!” I put a hand to my chest. “I have opinions. According to you that makes me a bitch. But apparently it makes me a fucking moron, too! I’m smart, damnit! And why you continue to make me look and feel like a complete and utter fool is just cruel. I hope you feel real big when you go to sleep at night.
“I’m ambitious,” I continued hotly. “I have talent. But, no, you wrote a book, for God’s sake! That automatically means I can’t possibly write! But I can! And I’m not afraid to admit that I’m pretty damn good at it, too. I am a generally good person. I have my ups and downs, but I am a good person. And yet you seem to bring out the very worse in me!”
I marched toward him and poked him hard in the chest. “Because you, Leander, are nothing but a bully. You have no idea how to treat a person decently. You’re an eighteen year old bully.”
Leander’s once amused face turned dark in a flash. He glared at me with those striking blue eyes. “Now hold on, sister. Where do you get off calling me on judging you and then trying to tell me who I am?”
“Are you denying it, then?” I challenged.
He stepped closer to me, bowing up, challenging me right on back. “There’s more to it than that, sweetheart. I may not treat some people well, but you have no idea what I…..” His lips pressed together in a thin line. He laughed suddenly. “You know what? You’re not even worth it.”
My eyes widened. Somewhere, deep down, I was crying. But on the surface I was pissed. Livid. “How fucking dare you say that to me!” I nearly screamed. “I may be a pain in your ass and I may not like you very much, but damnit…..” And there went that girl crying. I scolded myself for not holding my ground. But I just couldn’t help it. As soon as I choked, tears were leaking out of my eyes and I couldn’t hold them back.
“Are you that stupid?” I cried.
“Obviously,” Leander muttered. His heart wasn’t in the argument anymore. He didn’t care. Some people think hate is the opposite of love. I disagree. The opposite of love was not caring at all. Because when you hated someone and you fought it meant you still cared a little bit. But to not care, to just be done….It was heartbreaking to see the fight drain out of someone. Someone who I had genuinely come to care about, God knows why.
“You don’t even realize, or care, that the girl in front of you, the only one who will call you on your bullshit, loves you?” I said in a tearful whisper.
Leander’s head jerked up, his eyes wide. There was a spark of life in those eyes once again.
I couldn’t take the look on his face. I couldn’t stand there and take the way he was staring at me. I always wanted to be the girl who would stick out a fight until the bitter end, but I guess I wasn’t strong enough. Because I turned and walked away. And when walking wasn’t getting me anywhere, I ran. And ran.
[TAG-This little “scene” I wrote in terms of Leander being more subdued. He’s still being his charming self, but it’s just a cute thing I wanted to add to the story somewhere. I don’t think there’s need for Kodi’s lines, but I love what Leander’s response is. Kinda sad I couldn't fit that in anywhere]
“A while ago,” I said breathlessly, “you said you never thought about this. About me….Were you lying?”
Leander looked down at me. His lip pulled back in a smirk. “You think I got nothin’ better to do than think about you? I’ll have you know, there’s a good four or five minutes in the day when you’re not on my mind.”
