Page 56 of Surviving Slater

"Hi," I said. She had a glow about her that radiated happiness.

We sat down.

"It's good to see you," I said, realizing just how much I missed her. There was a light in her eyes and I knew Sin had put it there.

"Yeah, I miss you too." It was good to hear. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"How's Sin and the whole 'living together' thing?" I asked.

She smiled, the type of wide grin that made you feel happier just for seeing it.

"That good?" I asked with a genuine smile.

She nodded sheepishly, and my smile grew.

"How are you and Slater?" she asked. My smile dropped and I looked down at the table to hide my reaction to the sound of his name.

"That bad?" she asked.

I looked back at her. "It's okay." I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't really want to talk about Slater and me. I was convinced we were done.

"Talk to me," she said. I got my apple out of my bag, not because I was hungry but to keep my hands busy.

"It's complicated," was all I revealed.

Then I remembered his nightmare and the name he mentioned while he'd slept restlessly beside me.

"How much do you know about Slater?" I asked. They were friends but I had no idea how close they were. I couldn't exactly ask Sin. For one, I didn't think he would tell; and second, he might mention it to Slater.

"A little. Why? What do you want to know?" she asked, leaning a little closer.

I looked around to make sure there was no one close enough to hear our conversation.

"He was sleeping last night and I heard him mention a girl's name," I murmured. "Shannon."

Taylor frowned for a moment. "He hasn't really spoken about any other girls. Sin hasn't mentioned anything either." Then she seemed to think of something. "Sin once mentioned Slater had a sister."

It was explosive. A sister. I had no idea.

"What happened to her?" I asked, feeling only slightly guilty I was intruding into his past.

She shrugged. "Sin wouldn't elaborate. He said it wasn't his story to tell."

That was very interesting.Had?Did that mean she had died? Not once had Slater ever mentioned a sister. It was strange. The fact he had never told me about her made me believe she was a part of what happened to him to make him so scared of forming emotional bonds. The questions were endless and I had no answers.

When I finally got back tothe apartment later that afternoon after finishing up my classes, I was tired. I dropped my bag in the hallway and went straight to the kitchen.

I had a craving for sugar. Ice cream. I got a tub of it out and got a spoon. Matthew walked in, shaking his head at me as I lifted the first spoonful to my mouth.

"What?" I asked, dropping the spoon from my lips.

"It must have been a bad day if you're into the reserves already," he said, inclining his head to the ice cream.

"Yeah," I said, trying not to reveal how hard it had been with my memories out in the open for me to consider whenever I wasn't busy.

The only remedy was to keep busy. I wasn't looking forward to tonight. Although, thinking about Slater and the girl he mentioned might keep my mind off my own stuff.

"You okay?" he asked, his eyes holding mine, like he was looking for more than the answer he would get.