Are you Nothing?

How do you respond to someone who keeps saying that they want nothing to do with you?
I have yet to understand how to truly respond to this and with as much accuracy but all I can say is that it hurts. I think it's supposed to hurt. That's the bad thing about words. Whenever you want to express yourself in the best way, you cant find the words to do it but when you want to say something hurtful there is always a word you can use.
Man I hate that. It's really cruel if you think about it.
"I want nothing to do with you"
I remember how I reacted to when my older brother said that. It felt like my whole world stopped and I couldn't hear anything after that. Those words kept replaying in my head like a virus...a sickening virus that infected my chest and brought tears to my eyes.
You see.. me and my brother once were really close. He was my father figure for a very long time and even though I knew he wasn't my dad I respected him as my elder and as the father I had wished I had. He's a really goofy type of guy. He could be very stern and strict one moment and the next he'd be cracking jokes and laughing with you as though you've known him your whole life. I knew him to be the sincere and accurate person he portrayed himself to be. i never thought of him to lie or to betray me in any way. He was my hero for a long time in my childhood. Actually... I was quite jealous of him. I felt that my mother loved him more or felt that he was the "perfect child." For the most part he was, in my mother's eyes I mean, and even now I have a person complex with that. It isn't my brother's fault though. I know that. I had only wish my mother saw us as equals...you know?
Well things had changed between me and my brother. I made a very important decision in my life and my brother flaked on me like the rest of my family. Honestly, I didnt think that he would. I mean I knew the others would or might have but my older brother? That didnt occur to me to be a possibility. My brother has always been idependent and trust me even that has it's flaws. My brother always held a huge respect towards mom.. but at the same time he seemed to always now what he wanted and knew how to get it. He was like my own personal Buddha. When I made my decision, I had only wanted some guidance. I was scared for crying out loud...but my brother was never there the way I thought he would. I guess in the end, you dont always know the people around you.
It's been a year now since I've made that decision. He is still very angry and upset with me. If I were the older sibling...I dont know that I would have done the same or whether I would have been so harsh...I know I would have been confused and scared and really worried but angry...I dont know. I'll never know and I'm not gunna rack my brain for the possibilities.
My brother has made his choice. I occassionally call him every few weeks or so. (I still hold tons of hope that he may want me back in his life, but like me he is very stubborn...) In the end, I have to make a choice myself. I just wish I didn't have to.