The FINAL chapter. I'm crying at work as I edit this for y'all.

Chapter 30

Max stood in front of his dresser mirror. He tugged at the black sleeves of his graduation gown and his black graduation cap with a small smile. He'd been staring at himself in the mirror for twenty minutes. He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself the boy in the reflection was him or if he was trying to admire the significance of the black gown. He was going to be the first from his family to graduate high school in America; Cristian had dropped out and gotten his GED. When he was younger, he hadn't understood the importance of his education. He'd simply wanted to get through school, so he'd done the work and received decent grades. He didn't pay much attention to his mother and brother's praises over his good grades; he didn't think he'd worked too hard for them. However, standing there in the mirror, he was beginning to feel proud of himself. He hadn't just finished school, but he'd published his poetry, snagged the girl of his dreams, escaped the brutal claws of death, and turned his life around for the better.

The boy in the reflection wasn't the same one he'd looked at when he got ready for school in the morning. The two may have resembled each other and shared some similar traits; the curly hair, the dark eyes, the bad temper, and the smart mouth. But, the boys were completely different. The one from January was angry all the time and practically went looking for the first opportunity to unleash it; he used girls and fighting to get all of his weight off of his chest. That boy was punching his way through life without an idea of where his path was taking him. This boy was calm and happy; he was in love with a beautiful girl, and he had aspirations to move towards a career and a future family. He wasn't giving up fighting, but he wasn't utilizing it anymore. He promised himself it'd be a hobby rather than a habit; it'd only be used in the octagon – or when someone hopped on his last nerve. This boy, although still just as hot-headed as the first, was a person Max would much rather be.

A soft knock on the door broke Max from his thoughts. He smiled at his mother who'd walked into the room. She was wearing a simple red Maxi dress that fell to her ankles and black wedges. Her long tangles of dark curls fell around her small shoulders. Tears filled her dark eyes at the sight of her son. She put her hands to her lips. "Mama," Max sighed. "Please don't cry. We haven't even gotten to the school yet."

"Mirarte," she whispered. She waved her hand at him. "You're graduating."

"Yeah, mama. I am."

Elena walked towards her son. She began fussing with his tie. A few tears escaped her tears. "It was just yesterday, you were just a little boy. Mi hijito." A smile graced her lips as she looked up at him. "Now you're all grown up. Te pareces a tu padre."

"Yo sé."

"Eres muy guapo." Her smile dimmed. "Como él."

Max gently rubbed her arms. "I'm sorry he's not around anymore, mama."

"Don't apologize, mi hijo. If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it should be me."

"Mama," Max started.

Elena put a finger to his lips. "Escúchame." She took both of his hands in hers and gave them a tight squeeze. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you the way I should've been after your father left. I'm sorry I didn't listen when you cut yourself off from the rest of us or when you started fighting. I'm so sorry I didn't understand you were calling for help." She caressed his cheek. "But I am so proud of you for persevering and working hard to get to where you are now. You are growing into a great man."

Max smiled down at her. He pulled her into a tight hug. "Thanks, mama." He pecked a kiss at her head. "Te amo."

"Te amo también," she replied.

"Aww," Cat cooed from the doorway. She and Cristian were standing there, watching their brother and mother. Cat was clad in a simple crop top and skater skirt with sandals while Cristian was wearing a white long sleeved tee with his sleeves rolled up and a pair of jeans. "Isn't that adorable?"

Elena giggled. She waved her hand. "Ven aquí," she said.

Cristian and Cat obeyed their mother's command. They huddled around the woman and gave each other tight hugs.

Elena smiled between the arms of all her children. "Oh mis niños. Los amo tanto chicos."

"We love you too, mama," Cristian said. As they broke out of their small huddle, he handed her the camera she'd been looking for earlier.

"Ah," Elena exclaimed. "Now I can take pictures!"

Max scowled. He glared at his brother. "I hid it on purpose!"

Cristian grinned. "I know. Why'd you think I was the one who volunteered to look for it?"

Max rolled his eyes. His mother grabbed onto his wrist and dragged him downstairs.

Cat and Cristian followed after him, snickering at the annoyed curl of his lips.

Max reluctantly smiled for the pictures his mother took of him. Cat and Cristian stood behind her and teased him. "Give us the Blue Steel!" Cat shouted.

"Cross your arms and smolder in the camera!" Cristian exclaimed.

"You've gotta purse your lips, hermano! Like the models!"

"Strike a pose! Look alive!"

The moment Elena turned away to answer the front door, Max charged at his siblings. Cat dodged his attack, and left Cristian open. Max tackled him to the ground. Cat laughed as she watched her brothers wrestle on the floor.

"Niños," Elena exclaimed when she re-entered the room. Benny, Marc and Audrey followed behind her. "Stop! You're going to get Max's gown all dirty!"

Cristian kicked Max off of him. "He started it," he said.

Max stuck his tongue out at him.

Cristian narrowed his eyes. "Wait until graduation is over, you little shit."

Max got to his feet. "You aren't gonna do shit."

"You wanna bet?"

Cat raised her hand. "I do! Ten bucks Cristian beats your ass!"

Max glared at his sister. "Shut up before you get fucked up too."

Cat rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just be ready to give me my ten bucks later."

Elena shook her head at her children.

"Well, I see they've been getting along," Marc commented.

"Is that what you're calling it," Elena asked him.

Benny walked toward Max. The two slapped hands. "Congratulations, Max. I'm really proud of you."

Max smiled. "Thanks, Benny."

Audrey slowly walked up to Max. She was dressed in a purple sundress that hugged her torso and flared out into a soft skirt. Her di-colored curls were straightened down over her shoulders. Her arms were folded across her chest. She giggled as Max's hands wound around her waist.

He pulled her against him and dipped his lips to her ear. "Why are you acting shy now, mami," he whispered huskily in her ear. "You weren't acting shy last night."

She hit his arm. "Shut up," she said. She pecked a soft kiss at his lips. "Hi."

Max grinned down at her. "Hi."

"Look at the time," Elena said. "We should probably get going. Max, are you going to drive or…?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed. He grabbed onto Audrey's hand and began tugging her towards the front door. "¡Adiós!"

"Wait," Cat exclaimed as she ran after them. "I'm riding with you guys!"

Max scowled at her over his shoulder. "Why can't you ride with mama and Cristian?"

"And let you make out with my best friend for a good half hour? Yeah right."

Audrey giggled at her friends.

The three of them piled into Max's car. He shrugged off his graduation cap and gown before starting the car.

June had brought a clear blue sky and shining sun to the streets of Englewood, Chicago. People loitered on their stoops and roamed the streets in the warm weather. Max cruised down the road to the high school with the windows down and the radio blasting through the speakers. The cool breeze whipped through the girls' hair. Cat sat in the backseat with her dark eyes fixated on the passing streets of the city. Audrey sat in the passenger seat with one of Max's hands in her lap; her own were wrapped around it. The sun's light gently burned her bare shoulders and glistened against her light green irises. The three of them sat in silence, enjoying the short drive.

Shortly after they reached the high school, Max left the two girls to join Jordan and the rest of his friends inside of the school. Audrey and Cat waited for their parents near the front steps of the school. As they were waiting, Audrey heard her name being called from a few feet away. She turned her head to see Juan, dressed in a simple tee shirt and jeans, towing along a younger boy and a younger-looking woman in a simple black dress. The younger boy was a spitting image of Juan, but his dark curls were longer; they flopped over onto his forehead. The woman accompanying the two boys shared the boys' hazel eyes and dark hair. She offered the two girls a smile as Juan dragged her over to them.

"When did you and Max have a kid," Cat teased.

Audrey rolled her eyes at her friend. She enveloped the boy in her arms. "Hi Juan," she said.

"Hey Audrey!" He replied.

Audrey looked to Cat. "This is Juan, Max's mentee," she explained.

Cat smiled at him. "Hi. I'm Catalina, Max's sister."

Juan nodded. "He told me about you." He motioned to his family. "This is my little brother, Miguel, and my mom, Luciana."

The younger boy waved at the two girls.

Luciana shook both the girls' hands. "It's very nice to meet both of you." She spoke with a heavy Latino accent. "Juan has been telling me a lot about this Max and his pretty girlfriend."

"Mama," Juan said.

Luciana smiled. "That is what you say," she said.

Juan glanced around the area. "Where is Max? I told him I was coming today."

"He went to go hang out with his friends," Audrey said. "He'll be back after the ceremony."

Cristian, Elena, Marc and Benny joined the small group. Cristian raised an eyebrow at Juan. "When did you and Max have a kid," he directed at Audrey.

She glared at him. "I was expecting better from you."

He shrugged. "Well, that's what he looks like."

Audrey shook her head. She nudged Juan forward.

The pre-teen introduced himself, and his family, to the adults. Elena was ecstatic to finally meet the young boy Max was mentoring. She offered him and his family warm smiles. She drifted to Luciana's side and talked to her in their native tongue. She must've made a comment about raising boys since Cristian spoke up.

"I can understand what you're saying, you know," he said as he crossed his arms.

"Do you see what I mean," Elena continued to speak in Spanish. "Bless the Lord your boys are still young."

Luciana shrugged her shoulders. "They may be young, but their mouths sure aren't."

"Hey," Juan exclaimed.

Luciana smiled at him. She ruffled his short cut hair. "It's all in good fun, mi hijo."

The group moved to the football field where the graduation was taking place. On the green turf was a large stage with a podium and small folding chairs sitting atop it. Laid out over the field were rows upon rows of folding chairs. On the bleachers on either side of the field were the families and friends of the graduates. Some were wearing tee shirts sporting their children's names or pictures. Others were wearing simple summer attire. The loud chatter scattered through the gentle breeze.

The group wandered up the bleachers to an empty spot near the top where they could all sit together. The adults sat on the row behind the teens and the two young boys. Audrey and Juan sat next to each other with Cat and Miguel at their sides. Cat leaned her head onto her best friend's shoulders. "Can you believe next year, this will be us," she mused.

Audrey grimaced. "I don't want to think about it. We're going to be old."

"Exactly. It feels like just yesterday we were walking to school for the first time together." She sighed. "Before we know it, we'll have careers and husbands and babies."

Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Who said I'm having babies?"

Cat rolled her eyes. "You and I both know if you and Max have babies, you're having at least three kids." She smirked. "And all of them are going to be just as annoying as Max."

Audrey scoffed. "Yeah, and I'll be passing them right off to you. Have fun with your nieces and nephews."

"Nu-uh. Cristian is going to be the one watching all of our bad ass kids."

The older boy scoffed from behind them. "The hell I am."

The girls giggled. Their laughter was stifled by the sound of the dramatic graduation music booming from the speakers.

The graduates slowly walked out onto the field, all dressed in their black and white gowns. The audience's applauses and cheers rumbled across the field.

Max sat on the stage along with a few other students for their academic achievements. He was awarded a few medals for his high grades and published novel. Elena cried watching her son be graced with the golden tokens. All of them shouted in pure excitement when he finally walked across the stage to receive his diploma. Audrey and Cat convinced the younger boys to hop up and down with them as they shouted Max's name. The adults behind them whooped and cheered for the boy. Max could distinctly hear them from his spot on the stage. He shot a smile up at them and waved his diploma. Their noise increased in volume.

The ceremony dragged on due to the large amount of kids in the school. Audrey and Cat were relieved when it was finally over. Cat briefly left her best friend's side to congratulate her boyfriend. Audrey was left with Juan and Miguel. She held on to Juan's shoulder and Miguel's hand as the crowd bustled around them. Elena, Marc, and Cristian left her side to find Max in the crowd of graduates on the field. She guided the boys down the bleachers with Benny and Luciana close behind them. They waited on the bottom bleachers for the four to return.

"Elena is probably taking ten thousand pictures," Benny said after twenty minutes of waiting.

"I'd go as far to say she probably tracked down all of Max's friends and made them take pictures together," Audrey replied. "Then all the parents probably joined in and they're stuck in a never ending abyss of camera flashes."

Benny chuckled. "I don't doubt it."

Luckily, the four emerged from the crowd after another ten minutes of waiting. A bright smile appeared on Juan's lips at the sight of his mentor. He hopped up from his seat and ran to the older boy. "Hey Max," he exclaimed.

Max smiled down at him. "What's up," he said as the two exchanged a handshake. "I'm glad you came." His dark eyes went to the younger boy's family. He offered a polite smile to Luciana. "Hi," he greeted her.

Luciana shook his outstretched hand. "Hello. It's nice to finally meet you, Max. Juan talks so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you too." He looked down at Miguel. "And you must be the brother Juan's been working so hard for."

Miguel smiled and waved at him, but he didn't verbally respond.

"He's quiet when he meets new people," Juan said with a shrug.

"Are you all free for the rest of the afternoon," Elena asked. "We're having a little graduation party at the house. You all should come! Benny and I cooked enough food for everyone!"

Luciana smiled. "Sure. We'll go."

Elena glanced around "¿Dónde está Catalina?"

"Right here, mama," Cat said as she emerged from the crowd. "I just went to talk to Noah for a minute."

Max raised an eyebrow. He was about to comment, but his attention was taken by the sound of a familiar voice calling his name. He followed the sound to see Mr. Connors standing a few feet away with a royal blue gift bag in his hands. The older man was waving for him to come over.

"We'll meet you back at home," Elena said. She pecked a kiss at his cheek.

"Can we ride with Max," Juan asked his mother.

Max faintly heard his mother's approval as he walked towards the older man. "I did it," he said with a grin.

"You did it," Mr. Connors said with a nod. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Mr. C. I couldn't have made it this far without you being up my ass almost every day."

The counselor shook his head. "I can't believe it. Seems like just yesterday you were being dragged into my office armed with an attitude."

"Yeah, I'm surprised I didn't scare you out of your job. I was your first student, wasn't I?"

The counselor nodded. "You were; and now you're my first student to graduate. I'm praying you won't be the last." He held up the blue bag. "I got something for you."

"You didn't have to get me anything Mr. C."

"I wanted to."

Max took the gift bag from his counselor. He retrieved a velvet black box from inside. He raised an eyebrow as he popped the box open. Laying inside was a gold chain with a gold pendant in the shape of a cross; intricate engravings swirled around the cross, creating distinctive creases. Max stared at it in awe.

"I remember when you used to wear the silver one all the time," Mr. Connors explained. "You told me your dad gave it to you. I remember thinking how much you loved that thing. Then, out of nowhere, you stopped wearing it. I didn't want to say anything, but I had a feeling it was because you knew your dad wasn't coming back."

The older man crossed his arms. "My dad walked out on me and my siblings too. Every little thing you fell about your father, I feel almost exactly the same. That's why I pushed you so hard and got on you so much; I understood what you were going through, and I tried to be what I know I needed when I was going through the same thing. A father-figure is a bit of a stretch for us, but I really tried to be the voice of reason and guidance in your life – which I guess is my job. But I got attached to you, Max. I don't have any kids of my own, so you became like a son to me. I wanted to make sure you were alright and steer you on the right path as best as I could. No matter how many times you tried to push me away, I knew I couldn't give up on you. There's too much potential in you to be thrown away or tossed to the side."

Mr. Connors gradually dropped his arms. "I was thinking maybe, if you wanted, we could begin transitioning into a more in-depth mentoring relationship. I'll keep checking up on you, and we could maybe do some more activities together to dive a little deeper into what we can do to help each other and ensure you keep your head on your shoulders." He shrugged. "That's if you want."

Max smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

The older man smiled. "Good." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "So I'll see you…soon, hopefully."

"Well, I have a match in a few weeks if you want to come." He paused. "I'd like it if you did."

Mr. Connors raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just get out of the hospital a month ago?"

Max smirked. "You know me, Mr. C, I don't stay down for long."

The counselor shook his head. "I'll see you then." He turned to go. He stopped at the sound of Max calling his name. He turned around to face him, and collided into a tight hug. Mr. Connors stiffened for a minute, taken aback by the boy's hug. After a moment, he smiled and patted the teen's back.

"See you in a few weeks," Max asked.

Mr. Connors nodded. "I'll see you in a few weeks."

Max offered him one last smile before finally turning away. He walked to his car where Audrey, Cat, Juan and Miguel were waiting for him.

"What took you so long," Cat asked.

"None of your business," Max replied.

They all hopped into his car, and enjoyed the short drive home.

When they entered the house, the sweet and spicy aroma of food wafted through their noses. The adults' chatter hummed from the kitchen. Max briefly left the group to run upstairs to his room. He stripped out of his button down and slacks into a tee shirt, jeans and a Snapback. He fastened Mr. Connor's gift around his neck before heading back downstairs. He followed the voices of his family and friends to the kitchen. All of them were huddled around the small kitchen table with plates of food. Trays and containers of empanadas, fried chicken, rice, potato balls, mac and cheese, and the like were lined up on the counters and stove. His graduation cake, decorated with black and blue frosting, sat aside on the counter by itself. Max made himself a plate and sat beside Audrey. He was content with the mundane conversation while he ate. However, only a few minutes after he was finished scarfing down two plates of food, and cake, he was bored. He shot Juan a mischievous glance.

"Hey," he called his mentee. He got up from his seat and nodded towards the doorway.

Juan wordlessly followed him to the living room. They weaved around the furniture to the stairwell. "Where are we going," Juan asked.

"To get my water guns and balloons," Max replied.

Juan grinned.

The two boys walked to Max's room. Juan's eyes wandered over the other boy' posters while Max dug through his closet to find his loot of nerf and water guns and his box of balloons. He packed as many as he could under his arms. He handed the ones he couldn't carry to Juan. The two snuck back downstairs and out to the small backyard. Their stifled chuckles could faintly be heard by Benny who was wrapping up the food on the counters. He peeked out the kitchen window to see the boys huddled over the hose. "What are you two doing," he asked with a raised brow.

"Nothing," the boys said in unison.

"Max, are you over there corrupting that child?"

The older boy shot him a grin. "Possibly."

Benny rolled his eyes. "Just keep it outside. Your mother will throw a fit if you make a mess in this house."

Max held up his thumb before going back to filling up the water gun Juan was holding. The two spent a while filling up the water guns and making the water balloons. Max briefly left Juan to grab some containers to put the water balloons in. He returned with Miguel glued to his side. The younger boy helped hold the balloons while Juan filled them up and Max tied them up. Within an hour or so, the boys had five containers filled with water balloons. The boys eagerly followed Max's directions pertaining to the location of the containers and the guns around the backyard. After their weapons were set in place, Max led the boys to the back door of the house. He stood in the middle while Juan and Miguel flanked their sides. They hid their water guns behind their backs.

"Hey guys," Max directed towards his siblings and girlfriend. They were still sitting at the kitchen table. "What are you still doing in here? It's nice outside."

Cat raised an eyebrow. "You're smiling," she commented. "This can't be good."

Max waved his hand. "Come on outside. It's cooler out there than it is in here."

Cristian got up from his seat. "To some miracle, Max is actually right. It is a beautiful day today."

Max's grin grew. "See! Cristian is down! Now you guys have to come too!"

Cat and Audrey exchanged a raised brow. They knew Max was up to no good, but they knew he wasn't going to give up until they complied. With a sigh, the girls got up from their seats. The boys backed up onto the grass as their company joined them. As soon as all three of them stepped onto the grass, and away from the house, Max yelled out a command.

He held out his water gun and aimed for his brother. "Fire," he exclaimed. The water squirted out from his water gun and drenched his older brother.

Cristian shielded himself from the water with his arms. "You little shit," he yelled. The girls' screams followed shortly after them.

Max chuckled as his brother began running towards him. Cristian snagged a water gun and sprayed his brother with the ice cold liquid. All of the kids chased each other around, squirting the others who got in their way. When the water guns ran out of fluids, they turned to the balloons. The colorful jugs of water flew in every direction around the yard as the kids threw them at each other. Their laughter and exclaims of surprise echoed through the short breeze and drifted into the house. The adults stood by the open doorway and watched their children with soft smiles.

By the time they ran out of water balloons, they were all completely soaked – and utterly exhausted. They lay out on the grass with their chests moving in an uneven rhythm and cold water mixed with sweat dripping down their faces. The hot sun beat down on them, drying their wet clothes and lulling them down from their exhilaration.

The kids lay there for a long while before they finally got up to clean up the backyard. After they were finished, Max reluctantly bid Juan and Miguel goodbye. "I'll see you next Saturday at the library for homework help," Max asked his mentee with a raised brow.

"Yes," Juan said.

The teen smiled. "Good."

Shortly after Juan left, Max retreated upstairs. He stripped off his wet clothes and hopped in the shower before either of his siblings could grab it. He took a long shower and changed into a dry pair of jeans and tee shirt. He threw his hat back on and stepped into his shoes. By then, the sun had already set. The stars had taken over the dark night sky, and the streetlights were glowing against the concrete streets.

Max climbed down the metal stairs of the fire escape to Audrey's window. His girlfriend was laying on her bed, now dressed in a simple tee shirt and yoga pants; her curls were pulled up into a mess of a bun on top of her head. He gently tapped on the glass. Audrey turned her green eyes away from her television to Max's silhouette in the window. A smile tugged at her lips as she opened it for him. "What are you going," she said.

"Go for a walk with me," Max said.

Audrey raised an eyebrow. "It's late."

He rolled his eyes. "It's only nine o' clock. Come on; it's nice out." He smirked. "We can walk to the park and make out on the playground – like we did last summer."

"Alright. Just give me a minute to get my shoes on."

"I'll wait on the front steps." Max pecked a kiss at her lips.

He crossed back through his house and exited back out to the early summer air. He was only waited on his front stoop for a moment before Audrey snuck out her front door. She wordlessly went into his arms and intertwined her hands with his. Together, they walked down the sidewalk in a peaceful silence. Only the hum of the cars whizzing by and the soft chatter of the other citizens wandering around the streets kept them company. As the park, with its wide playground towers and tall pillars of the swings, came into their view, Audrey slowly began to stop walking.

"What's wrong," Max asked.

Audrey shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "We always came here when we were sad and tired of dealing with our problems. This was our place to hide." She squeezed his hand. "I don't want to hide anymore."

He smiled down at her. "Then where do you want to go?"

Audrey glanced around the dimly lit city streets. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to see where our feet take us. Isn't that how we found this place?"

Max pulled her closer against him and pressed his lips into her hair. He walked with his arm over her shoulders and her arm wrapped around his waist. They followed the street lamps down the street to territory they never explored before. Audrey was hesitant to go forward, but Max offered her a kind smile. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll be right by your side the entire time."

Audrey squeezed his hand. She leaned against his arms as they walked underneath the street lights.

Like the stars in the sky when the morning comes, they slowly disappeared from the darkness into the smallest hints of light.

There are so many things I could say about this story. What started off as a simple rewrite turned into so much more. These characters have come to mean so much to me; I see myself in them, and I want to take their advice and do whatever I can to be the best and happiest person I can be. I'm truly going to miss them, but I will be publishing their story. As of right now, I do have a lot of revising to do so it probably won't be on Amazon soon, but I'm hoping by the end of the summer, it will be available. For those of you interested in reading the revised and final version of this story, it is available on Amazon and Kindle Platforms under the title "When Fire Fell in Love With the Rain."

Thank you all for your support and love you've given to this story and these characters. Words cannot explain how much all of this means to me.

Leave some good thoughts!