Page 61 of Loving Bad

"When someone cares about you they want to know things about you. And if you're dealing with stuff, they want to share in the burden of it."

There was more to her words than what was going on with Sin and me.

"Is there something up with you and Slater?" I asked.

"There is no Slater and me," she revealed. "He said he wasn't interested in dating."

Her lip trembled as a tear slid down her face and I put my coffee down. I hugged her as more tears ran down her cheeks.

"It will be okay," I soothed as I held her. Matthew appeared in the doorway and gave me a questioning look.

"Guys suck," I told him.

I promised myself I wouldn't look for him, but my eyes swept across the sea of students looking for him anyway. The need to catch a glimpse of him was stronger than my anger.

After I'd switched my phone back on, I had countless voicemails from my brother, but I was still too angry to even consider talking to him. He needed to realize that he couldn't control my life anymore and I felt if I gave in too easily he wouldn't learn. He'd called every couple of hours and got updates from Matthew.

I hadn't received any voicemails or messages from Sin and despite how angry I was I felt disappointed that he hadn't tried to contact me. Jordan's words kept echoing in my mind.Maybe he did it because he cares about you.

I'd been so angry when I'd discovered he'd found out my past. I'd been so confused with betrayal that I hadn't even considered that maybe he'd done it because he cared. I considered the thought. But if he cared so much, why hadn't he tried to contact me?

"You're thinking too hard," Matthew said, pulling me out of my deep thoughts. I glanced at him and he arched an eyebrow at me.

"I can smell roasted peanuts," he added with a teasing smile and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Really funny," I threw back at him as I shook my head.

Matthew had a way of easing stressful situations with his jokes and easy-going attitude. I really liked having him around.

He'd even promised Jordan he'd get us ice cream so we could eat ourselves into a sugar frenzy to forget about our heartache. I still didn't see how sugar was going to help, but I was going to try anyway.

It scared me that I'd gotten so attached to Sin in such a short space of time. He was such an intense person and the feelings I had for him matched that intensity. When I thought about him not being around, I felt short of breath like my lungs didn't have enough air to breathe.

I never caught a glimpse of Sin for the entire day and by the time Matthew and I were walking back to the apartment, I was feeling deflated. On the way home we stopped by the shop and Matthew bought two tubs of ice cream. Apparently the one was for me and the other was for Jordan.

"That is way too much ice cream," I told him as we left the shop.

"I've seen heartbroken girls eat way more ice cream than this," he informed me with a teasing smile. I still wasn't convinced that ice cream was going to ease the hole that had settled in my chest.

A little later that evening, Jordan and I were sitting side by side on the couch covered in blankets each with a tub of ice cream and a spoon. Somehow the sugar was making me feel a little better. Jordan seemed as heartbroken as I was, and she was staring unseeing at the TV like her mind was somewhere else. I set the ice cream down on the table, unable to eat any more.

"You feeling better?" Matthew asked from the single chair to the side of us.

"A little," I replied. He was like a big brother doing his best to try and mend our broken hearts.

"Why are you so good at this?" I had to ask. Most guys wouldn't have a clue.

He smiled.

"I have two younger sisters," he revealed. Then I understood how he slipped into the big brother role so easily, he was a big brother to two sisters. It made so much more sense.

"I'm going to go and get ready for bed," I said. Matthew gave me a smile and I glanced to Jordan who gave me a weak smile.

I went into my bedroom and closed the door. I leaned against it for a moment and let out a sigh. This whole heartbreak thing sucked and I hated the feeling that my heart was missing and in its place was an empty hole. It was like an ache where my heart should be. I walked over to my dresser and checked my phone. There was that feeling of disappointment that Sin had still not tried to contact me. He'd said it wasn't finished, but I couldn't help feeling that he'd given up on me.