this is it.
The last chapter.
Thanks for sticking with the story!
No, I do not have a Wattpad...and being honest, I'm not a fan of Wattpad, the website layout is rather confusing to me.
Thank you all for reading and for everyone who reviewed!
Enjoy!
Jojo was sobbing, again.
He had sobbed the entire day.
He had sobbed before breakfast.
He had sobbed after breakfast.
He had sobbed after lunch.
He had sobbed through his brothers shouting downstairs.
He had sobbed through his brothers coming upstairs for bed.
He was sobbing so hard, he didn't notice the door open.
"Jojo!" One voice said.
"Oh, buddy!" A second voice cried.
Jojo sobbed while two sets of arms wrapped him in a hug.
"Jojo, it's okay."
No, it wasn't okay. Race and Albert were MISSING.
"Jojo, calm down."
He couldn't calm down. His brothers weren't here! Why does he have to be the one reminding everybody of that?
"Jojo," the voice paused, "Correct me if I'm wrong, I believe that this is my blanket."
Jojo froze. He sniffed. Pausing, he quietly said, "No, it's Race's blanket."
The owner of the voice grabbed him by his shoulders, and stared him dead in the eyes.
"Are you saying that I'm not Race?"
Jojo's eyes grew wide. He saw the curly blonde hair, bright blue eyeballs, and cheeky smirk.
"RACE!" He shouted, jumping into his brother's arms. Race laughed, and rocked his brother back and forth.
"Wow, Jojo, I thought you loved me," the other voice said, "After all, you were sitting on my beanbag, and holding my pillow." Jojo gasped.
"Albie?" He muttered, daring to turn around.
The boy with red hair and freckles everywhere smiled and said, "Hi."
Jojo leapt from Race's arms to Albert's. He was crying again.
Albert pressed a kiss to his brother's head, "I missed you, bud."
Jojo snuggled in closer, "I missed you more." He felt Race join the hug.
"Katherine, are you filming this?" Albert asked.
"Oh, I have been filming the whole thing." Katherine replied. Jojo saw that she had tears in her eyes. Jack was standing next to her, smiling, the tears flowing freely down his face.
Albert was pretty sure they had stayed like that for over an hour.
Sitting on the bean bag, Jojo in his lap, and Race holding them all in a group hug. Katherine, Medda, and Spot had all left, leaving Jack standing in the doorway of Race and Albert's room.
"Hey guys," Jack said, the boys looked up, "It's time for you to go to bed."
Jojo muttered, "Goodnight guys."
Albert pressed one more kiss to his forehead, "Goodnight, buddy. Goodnight Jack."
"G'night Jojo," Race said, hugging him, "G'night Jack," he added, closing the door.
Once the door was closed, Albert said, "You said he was mute."
"This is the most he has spoken in six months." Race replied.
"Had you tried getting him to talk before?"
"Yeah." Race paused, "I'm telling you, life here basically fell apart without you."
They were silent for a moment, getting ready for bed. Something caught Albert's eye.
"You didn't finish the Death Star."
"Oh, uh, yeah. I wanted to finish it with you."
Albert smirked, "What a pushover."
Race snorted. "Albert Dasilva-Kelly, calling me a pushover? Buttons and Romeo literally have you wrapped around their tiny fingers!"
"I'm not the only one, idiot." Albert retorted.
"Stupid."
"Dummy."
"Red!"
"Blue!"
The two froze for a second, before breaking down laughing.
"What's wrong with us?" Race wheezed.
"I dunno." Albert choked.
There was a loud pounding from the door.
"You two better shut up and go to sleep." Specs said from outside the door.
"Hmm...no!" Albert teased, opening the door.
Specs pulled him in for a hug, "You're an idiot." He whispered, and left.
Race snorted.
"See, it's not just me you thinks that!"
"Go to sleep, ya idiots!" Specs called from his room. Both boys chuckled, and crawled into bed.
It wasn't long until Albert got up and joined Race.
"You okay?" Race asked.
"Everywhere I go, I see the walls. First from the closet, then the trunk of the car, then the coffin. They're everywhere." Albert responded.
"Yeah, I see the coffin walls, too."
They were quite for a little while, trying to fall asleep.
"Can I sleep with you guys?" Both boys looked up to see Jojo, who had silently snuck in.
"Sure, c'mon." Race responded, patting the bed between him and Albert. Jojo crawled in, and nuzzled himself in-between his brothers.
"I missed you guys," he muttered.
"I wasn't gone that long," Race said.
"It was still scary."
"It makes sense. Two of your brothers just gone all of a sudden. Neither of us know how that feels." Albert said.
"Actually, I do. When you two ran away from Snyder, I had a huge emotional breakdown." Race responded.
"See? That's how I felt this morning!" Jojo said.
"I'm sorry, buddy." Race muttered.
"Its okay," Jojo said, closing his eyes, "I love you guys."
"I love you, too."
"Love you."
The boys drifted off to sleep.
A Few Weeks Later
SMASH!
Albert looked up in horror. He had dropped a plate. They were going to get him any minute. He had it in for him.
Or worse, they would go after Jojo.
No, no, no.
Albert desperately picked up the shards of glass, trying to hide his mistake. He ignored the bleeding in his hands as he hurriedly grabbed at the broken plate.
"Albert! Woah! Woah! Stop!" A voice cried, grabbing his wrists and prying them away from the glass.
"No! Please don't hurt him!" Albert began crying, "Puh-please! Don't hurt me! It was an accident! Don't hurt Jo-"
"Albert! Albert!" The voice cut him off, "Shh...sh..."
Albert felt arms wrap him in a hug, "But Jojo-"
"Sh...it's okay. No one's gonna hurt you."
"Jack?" Albert looked up.
"Yeah, bud, it's okay." Jack pressed a kiss to his brother's head, "No one's gonna hurt you anymore."
Albert leaned in and took a deep breath. You're okay, he thought, The Delaney's can't hurt you. Snyder is in jail. Weasel is in jail.
"Jack?"
"Yeah, Al?"
"I'm scared the Delancey's are gonna find us."
"Albert, if they dare show their ugly faces near here, I will soak them into tomorrow. Ya hear that?"
"Yeah."
"I love you, Al."
"I love you, too, Jackie."
"29, 30! Ready or not, here I come!"
Race held his breath as he heard Romeo's footsteps run past the closet. Letting it out, he looked around.
He was in the linen closet, with all of the towels, bedspreads, pillowcases, and jackets the boys owned. The closet was filled to the brim with all of their things.
It was tiny closet, barely bigger than the coffin.
The coffin.
Oh, no. Race felt the walls close in around him. He felt his breath quicken.
The walls.
He wasn't going to escape.
He was going to die here.
Underneath the ground.
Albert.
Albert was dead.
The Delancey's had killed him.
Oh, no.
The Delancey's had shoved him into the coffin, with his dead brother next to him.
Oh, Albert.
Race started crying.
He pushed against the walls, seeing if that would make them open.
It didn't.
"Jack!" Race cried.
He tried pushing against the walls again, but they kept closing in.
He couldn't breath.
He leaned against one of the walls.
He was going to die.
Oh, gosh, he was going to die.
"Jack!" He cried out.
It was helpless.
Jack couldn't hear him.
Race felt the wall behind him give way. He would've hit the ground, had someone not caught him.
"Woah! Race, calm down, bud, calm down!"
"The, the walls! Albert! Jack! Coffin!" Race was hysterical.
"Sh...Racer...it was just the linen closet..."
Racer...only Jack called him that.
"Jack?"
"Sh...Racer...it's okay. We're all okay." Jack pulled him into a hug, rocking him back and forth.
"But...Jack...the Delancey's!"
"Breath, Racer, breath." Race did as he was told. "You were playing hide-and-seek with your brothers, remember?"
"Y-yeah," Race stuttered, "Hide-and-seek."
"How 'bout you sit this round out, okay?"
"M'kay..." Race let himself be guided to the couch, where he snuggled up into Jack, "Love you, Jack."
"Love you, Racer."
A Few Months Later
"C'mon, Race! That car wasn't even coming towards you!" Albert shouted.
"No! I'm not getting back on that bike while there are cars around!" Race argued.
Albert sighed, "You're paranoid."
"Sure, but you'd be too if you were hit by a car!" Race cried.
"C'mon, it's one crosswalk! It's not like I'm asking you to bike into ongoing traffic!"
"I wasn't biking into ongoing traffic when I was hit by the car!"
Albert paused, "You're right. And that sucker went to jail. And anyone else who runs a red light and hits someone probably will too. Lemme tell you, nobody wants to go to jail. No one's gonna purposely run you over."
Race took a deep breath, "One crosswalk, and that's it. Okay?"
Albert grinned, "Okay."
The two biked off, Albert leading, Race following.
They approached a crosswalk, and waited for their light to turn green.
"You ready?" Albert asked.
"I guess." Race muttered.
The light turned green, and Albert pushed off. It took him only a few seconds to cross the crosswalk. He looked back, expecting Race to be directly behind him, bit Race wasn't.
Race was still on the other side of the crosswalk.
"Race!" Albert shouted, "C'mon!"
"I can't do it, Albert!" Race cried, "I can't do it!"
Albert hopped of his bike, and ran across the crosswalk just in time for their light to turn red, and the cars to drive off.
"Race, what happened?"
Race was hyperventilating, "I can't do it! Everytime I wanna go, I hear the car horn and you screamin' my name, an- and then I think about how you guys were sent away, and you and Jojo got hurt, and, and-"
"Race!" Albert snapped, "Breath. It ain't your fault we were sent away, and it ain't your fault we got hurt. Stop blaming yourself, and stop being paranoid." Albert hugged his brother. "One crosswalk. You can do that."
"Yeah."
"I'll be right here. Running along next to you."
"Okay."
"Like some proud mother of her eight-year-old."
"Shut up."
Albert laughed, and let go of Race, "You got this."
Race nodded.
The light turned green.
"Go." Albert whispered, barely loud enough for Race to hear.
Race went.
It took him a few seconds. He got to the other curb.
He crashed into a tree.
"Race!" Albert had grabbed him in a hug, "You did it!"
"I did it!" Race was estatic. "I biked across a street! And-and there were cars!"
"Yeah!"
"I love you, Al."
"I love you, Race!"
Middle school bullies were the worst.
They were three quarters into the school year, and those bullies just wouldn't leave Jojo alone.
Was sixth grade like this for everyone?
Jojo put his head on his desk and tried to ignore the spitballs launched at his head.
"Hey, nerd!"
Ignore them, repeating what Jack, Race, and Albert had all told him.
"Guess what?"
Don't let them get under your skin.
"You're that boy's brother, right? Albert Dasilva-Kelly?"
They just want attention.
"I heard, he wasn't actually kidnapped. He just faked it for attention. And that Anthony guy was a fake that worked with him."
If you show a reaction, it'll just be worse.
"I bet they don't even love you."
Jojo bit his lip.
"Wait, who am I kidding? No one loves you."
He blinked away tears.
"That's why your mother left you, isn't it?"
Jojo felt the hot tears stream down his cheeks.
"I'll bet that you were only adopted because no one wanted you. Because you were too much to handle."
He told himself to think of happy things.
"Your family probably wishes you were dead."
Jojo choked out a sob.
"Aw...are you crying? Better go run to mommy, oh, wait. You don't have one!"
Jojo couldn't help it. He turned around, and lunched the kid square in the face.
The boy touched his nose, which was gushing blood.
"JORGELINO KELLY! GO STRAIGHT TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!"
Jack was going to kill him.
Jack sighed as Jojo recounted his story.
"Jojo, there are better ways to deal with bullies than by punching them."
"What would you have done, Jack?" Jojo questioned.
Jack scoffed, "I woulda soaked him really good."
"Jack!" Katherine hissed from the kitchen. She was staying over more and more. "You should have talked to your teachers, buddy."
"I have! But they don't care about that! They only care about girls whose shorts are one millimeter too short!"
Katherine sighed. In a way, Jojo was right. Teachers really did care about the dress code.
"Jojo punched a kid?!" They looked to see Albert standing in the doorway, his mouth wide open. Race was standing behind me, with a similar expression on his face.
"Yeah..." Jojo replied sheepishly.
"Why?" Race questioned.
"He said that I was only adopted because no one wanted me." Jojo mumbled.
Race and Albert ran up to their younger brother and wrapped him in a hug.
"We want you."
"And we love you."
"I love you guys, too." Jojo said, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Now, where does this kid live? Al and I need to go soak the living daylights outta him."
"RACE!" Katherine yelled.
One Year Later
She had said yes.
They were going to have a sister.
Race and Albert wanted to be the flower girls.
Jack said no to that.
The wedding would be in a few months.
Katherine was joining the family.
A Few Years Later
"Jack, are you crying?"
"No!" Jack lied. He had cried when Specs went off to college, and he was crying now.
Race and Albert were still little kids in his eyes. They were still babies. He didn't want to let them go.
The two had enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.
"Jack, don't cry." Race said. Jack blinked back tears. His baby brother looked so grown up in his uniform.
"I'm not crying." Jack defended.
"Yes, you are." Albert said, hugging his big brother.
He also looked so grown up in his uniform.
Jack didn't want to release his baby brothers into the world.
He wanted to keep them close and protect them.
But they were adults now.
It was time to move on.
A Few Years Later
Jojo walked into the stage and took his diploma.
Finally.
He was done with high school.
He looked out and saw his family in the audience, cheering louder than everyone else. Jack, Katherine, Specs, Crutchie, Buttons, Romeo, and twins Mike and Ike, the newest editions to the family. He still remembered the chaos that ensued after Katherine told everyone she was pregnant with twins.
Jojo only wished the other set of twins in his life could be here.
Albert and Race were currently deployed, and unable to attend his graduation.
They had sent him letters saying how much they loved him, and how proud they were for him, and how they were sorry that they wouldn't be there.
Jojo walked off the stage, and sat with the other graduates. He waited diligently for the ceremony to finish.
When it was finally done, he ran to join his family. He gave each of them hugs, careful to not squish Katherine's very pregnant belly(it was a girl this time).
"Do we not get hugs?" He heard someone say.
Turning around, Jojo saw Race and Albert, still in uniform, smirking. Jojo flung himself at his brothers, almost knocking them over.
"Dude, you got tall!" Race exclaimed.
"You guys came!" Jojo cried.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world."
Many Years Later
"You see, when Al originally asked me to be his best man, I initially declined. I mean, who am I kidding? I wanted to be the flower girl!"
He was met with a chorus of laughter from the wedding attendees.
"But then Al said no, Smalls was gonna be the flower girl. Guess that's what happens when you have a niece. So, I said yes, I'd be his best man. After all, he's been there for me since forever. It's only my turn to return the favor. So, congrats Al. I'm still surprised that you managed to get a girl before me." Race concluded his best man speech.
Albert smiled at him from where he was sitting with his new wife.
It was time for the two to part ways.
Many, Many Years Later
Race was tired of living in this retirement home. Ever since Jojo died, his kids had put him in here.
Sniper and Mush, his little girl and boy, still visited him often.
They where next to him when he was on his bed, sick and tired, barely clinging onto life.
Race closed his eyes, and thought about his life.
He remembered his first foster home with Hannah.
Where he met Albert.
He remembered meeting Spot, and how scary Spot looked.
He remembered meeting Jack and Specs, and having a big brother to look up to.
He remembered playing pranks on Crutchie.
He remembered being sent to Weasel's.
He remembered Buttons and Romeo joining the family.
He remembered being whipped, and beaten, and starved.
He remembered Jack adopting them. How happy everyone was.
He remembered the incident.
He remembered waking up in the hospital to see Medda.
He remembered Buttons saying his first cuss word.
He remembered the fear he felt when Jojo and Albert went missing.
He remembered Jojo being found, and his angry outburst at the injustices of this world.
He remembered the trial, and Jojo going mute in the days after.
He remembered the grueling physical therapy.
He remembered biking away the night Albert's second amber alert was issued.
He remembered being thrown into a coffin with his brother, and laying there for hours, waiting to be rescued.
He remembered Jack wrapping them in a hug and kissing their foreheads.
He remembered being back in the hospital.
He remembered the joy after they came home.
He remembered the following months of nightmares and sleepless nights.
He remembered Jack and Katherine's wedding.
He remembered when Katherine announced she was pregnant.
He remembered serving in the Air Force with Albert.
He remembered Mike and Ike joining the world, and how he was suddenly an uncle.
He remembered coming home for Jojo's graduation.
He remembered Smalls, his little niece being born.
He remembered Albert's wedding, where he gave a best man speech.
He remembered Albert being his own best man, when he married the love of his life.
He remembered welcoming Sniper into the world, and his first moments as a father of a little girl.
He remembered the miscarriage after that, and the grief.
He remembered Mush being born premature, and how he was so scared that his son wouldn't make it.
He remembered the weeks that the baby was stuck at the hospital.
He remembered the day that Mush was finally able to come home.
He remembered teaching his kids how to ride their bikes.
He remembered kissing their band-aids when they got hurt.
He remembered them growing up.
He remembered his divorce.
He remembered Sniper getting accepted at the University of Michigan, her dream college.
He remembered her making her Broadway debut a few years later.
He remembered Mush going to MIT, and studying to become a rocket scientist.
He remembered walking Sniper down the aisle, to her soon-to-be husband.
He remembered when he became a grandfather.
He remembered when he got the letter saying Jack passed away.
He remembered the funeral.
He remembered Crutchie getting sicker.
He remembered Mush getting married. And how his son became a father less than a year after the wedding.
He remembered Crutchie's funeral.
He remembered spoiling his grandchildren rotten.
He remembered the news that he would be a great-grandfather.
He remembered Katherine passing away.
He remembered when Jojo was diagnosed with lung cancer.
He remembered his baby brother passing away far to early.
He remembered Sniper and Mush sending him here.
He remembered that only a few weeks ago, his best friend had died.
Albert had died peacefully in his sleep.
Race breathed in and out.
When he opened his eyes, Sniper and Mush were gone.
Instead, Jack and Katherine were there. Except they looked younger. They looked roughly the same age they did when they were married.
Crutchie was sitting at the foot of his bed. He couldn't be older than fourteen.
"Where am I?" He asked.
"You're in Santa Fe, Race." Jack replied.
Race looked around. A few yards away, stood two men, their backs turned. One had fiery red hair, and the other was the size of a twelve-year-old.
Pointing to them, Race asked, "Is that-" Katherine nodded before he could finished.
Race got up and walked over to the two.
"Albert? Jojo?"
"Hi, Race." Albert turned around and embraced his brother. Jojo joined in.
The three didn't want to let go. The same way they didn't want to let go many years earlier.
-THE END-
Thank you guys for you endless support and reviews.
This was such a fun story to write, and I'm glad that many of you enjoyed it.
Thank you for sticking with the story for so long.
Luv,
Pegz( ◜‿◝ )