21

By the time she was done talking, the water bottle already left my hand as it fell down the stairs. I finally snapped out of my state as I rushed down the rest of the stairs, past Leo and my mother. I could feel the tears flowing down my face as I ran out the back door. I could hear my mother running after me with Leo and William.

I didn't stop running until Leo caught my arm, making me stop dead in my tracks on the lawn at about the tree line. I used our momentum and my sudden stop to through him over my shoulder. He landed on the ground with a thud.

As he picked himself off the ground, I looked behind me at my mother and William who were standing on the steps by the pool. I could tell that my mother was crying as William hugged her. Seeing that made my anger dissipate.

"What's wrong, Hannah?" Leo asked as he looked at me. He was barely affected by my earlier action.

He reached out to wipe a tear that was rolling down my face but I flinched away at his hand and took a step back. I could see the understanding in his eyes as he dropped his hand back to his side.

"You should have just left it alone. You have no place knowing anything about me, especially if I do not tell you myself." I seethed as I remembered why I was angry in the first place.

"You are right. I'm sorry. Please forgive me?" he asked as he looked down.

"I just want to be left alone." I reply as I sit down on the grass. "So please just go."

Leo walked back to my mother. I could hear them go inside as the doors close.

As I space out reminiscing on the past, I don't hear someone walk up behind me and drop a blanket over my shoulders. I jump as I see a girl that I have never seen sit down next to me. She just smiles as she looks out at the woods and the lights wrapped up in a blanket of her own. We don't talk for a few hours as we watch the lights of the city through the trees.

"I'm sorry for what Leo did. I know that he meant no harm but you were right about what you said. He is not in a place to know anything like that about you. I also agree with the part about you not telling him it yourself." she said as she leaned her head towards me but never looking at me.

"I know but I was being a bit over dramatic. I'm still dealing with what happened to me. I shouldn't have ran off like that, nor yelled at him." I said as I remember my mother's words when she noticed my aversion towards men after she first left my father. But she came to learn, with outside help, as to why I choose to flinch or stay away from some men at certain times.

"No you are not. You have every right to be pissed off and act that way. I would know from personal experience. I bet he is rethinking going behind your back to get info on you." she replied leaning back on her arms. We talked for a little about what happened and how I reacted how I should have. We both talked about my path of recovery. Then after I summed that up for her, we moved onto trivial things like what we like and dislike and guys of course.