I know that any person can get hooked up with someone who is not compatible with them. Trust me, I know. But I still felt terrible. That was my brother's first experience with a girlfriend and it was a total dud. She was terrible. She hurt him. And she wasn't even pretty, so how was that worth it? It was like the best he could hope for was ugly and mean. The guilt came back, deeper than ever.

I went back home for Christmas break about three weeks after Ben and Amber broke up. The feelings were still raw for Ben. He was moping around the house when I got...