Step Ten: Don't talk ever again.

I wasn't in the mood to return to school, but Evangeline talked me through it, because she knew that I had a weird liking over school and hated missing the learning—that's not weird at all, I promise.

When I went back to school, I still couldn't believe what Matthew had told me at the party.

In fact, I still couldn't believe we had stopped talking for the rest of the break.

I didn't even know if we were a couple anymore—we most likely weren't—, but when I was passing by the library at lunch time, I decided to go in and look for a book to help me with an essay.

That's when I saw him, with a girl.

I felt like a total stalker, but I wanted to see who she was, maybe she was the girl who he managed to fall in love with—instead of me.

Indeed, she seemed more beautiful than I ever thought I was, and her laugh was cute, yet familiar. As I stood at a moderated distance, I could finally see her face, but she was covering it with her freshly-manicured hands, laughing at Matthew's quirky sense of humor.

Then, she took her hands off her face and placed some strands of her hair behind her ears.

I didn't know her, she seemed familiar, but I probably had just seen her around.

The bell rang and I started walking out the library, but someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

"Let me go, I need to get to class, and I'm not in the–," I stopped talking when I saw the green-eyed boy who made me fall for him, but didn't catch me.

"What do you want?" I spat at him.

"I saw you in there," he said.

Oh, shoot.

"Where? In the library? I was looking for a book for an essay. Why do you mind?" I responded, I wasn't lying completely, just covering my stalker moment.

He rolled his eyes, I frowned.

"What's your essay about?" He asked. "Chernobyl," I said, plainly.

"Then why were you looking for a book to help you out with that, in the Mathematics area?" His wicked mouth said.

"Whatever," I muttered, and started walking away.

"Come on, Elodie, that was not cool, I know you're better than that."

He wanted to talk like if he hadn't broke my heart, and left me hanging in the cold air on the countdown at one of the best New Year's party, then fine—I talked.

"You know what, Matthew, I saw you in there with a girl, some days after we separated or broke up or whatever, and you expect for me to do 'better than that' just because I wanted to see the face of the girl who's so much better than me? Because she made you fall in love with her, right? Then, sorry, I can't do better than that," I responded and walked away.

"She's my sister!" He said, I stopped my tracks and felt my cheeks blushing—that's why she looked familiar—, "She studies at NYU and this was her only time to see me, since she's just passing by."

"Still, if that was your sister, it means I haven't seen the face of the girl who stole you heart, which makes things no better," I said, looking at him, trying to make him feel my suffering.

A tear escaped from my eye and I turned around to wipe it. I looked up and continued walking towards my Art Class.

As I entered the room, everybody stared at me, and I just excused myself and walked to an empty seat at the very back of the class and started on with the lesson.

Then, Matthew entered the class and the same thing that happened with me, happened again.

He sat exactly beside me.

"I'm sorry, Elodie," he whispered.

Since I was writing down the instructions for the assignment, I glared at him and turned to the very last page of my notebook.

"First of all, don't. Don't say your sorry, because I know you're not sorry. In fact, I should be the one saying sorry, because I fell in love with a taken man, I mean, boy. Second, leave me alone, I will get over this someday, and if you really love the other girl so much... You shouldn't even talk to me, because I am furious, and I don't want to hurt anyone—at least not make them feel like I feel right now. Last—because my wrist is hurting from all the writing, and I don't want to start crying in the middle of the class—fuck off."

I ripped the page a bit too harshly, crumpled it, and extended my arm, giving it to him like a rebellious teenager giving their phone to one of their parents—annoyed.

I continued with the assignment and managed to glance a few times at Matthew as he was writing something. Probably not affected by what I wrote to him, he seemed to just go on and do what the teacher told us to do.

As I finished with my painting, trying to adjust it with the instructions, the bell rang.

"Guys, if you finished, leave you paintings on your desks to dry off so I can evaluate them, have a nice day, see you next class!" Ms. Peters said as we got up from our desks. I turned to look at Matthew's painting, but it only had the sketch.

"Elodie," Matthew called out.

I looked at him, crossed my arms and asked what he wanted.

"Here," he responded, giving a folded piece of paper, "I'm sorry for making you feel bad and I'll try to do what you asked me to do."

I nodded and walked towards my locker, holding the mysterious paper.I opened my backpack, placed the paper in one of my books, and got a notebook from my locker.

Then, I walked towards the parking lot, finding Eva's car since she was driving me home that day. 

"How was it?" She asked as she stopped in front of my house.

"I told him to fuck off and he gave me a letter I haven't read," I said as I grabbed my backpack from the back seat.

"But, are you feeling all right?"

"Not really," I sighed, "But I will be fine. I am for sure not giving my heart that easy anymore, though."

"You never gave it that easy before Matthew, you never even gave your heart to anyone—I mean, in a relationship kind of way," she said, "I don't blame you, though. He was pretty charming."

I chuckled and thanked her for everything.

I got out of the car and into my house. Before going up to my room, I greeted my brother and my now running-late-to-work mom.

"Bye sweetie," my mom said as she went out the door, "Take care of your brother, I'll be back by 10:00PM."

I walked upstairs to my room and sat down on my desk's chair. As I opened my backpack to get out my Physics notebook so I could do my homework, I remembered Matthew's letter.

I took out the letter and started reading it, but by the time I finished reading it, I was in tears.

I felt weak, used, sad, stupid, and many other things I couldn't really explain.

He did it, he hurt me.

He broke you.

---

This is officially the longest Chapter of TWIHS.

Who wants to know what the letter said that broke Elodie? I know I want to.

There might be an Epilogue, guys, so don't worry, I'm not done yet.

Still, this is the last Step, so the Epilogue is not so important as the guide itself, but I just want to even the story a bit—for it not to be that sad.

Anyway,
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