Everyone turned to see Dawn. Ryan started to walk over to her but Sandy put his hand on Ryan's arm to stop him. "You don't have to do this today if you don't want to," Sandy told him. "I can ask her to leave and you can talk to her later."

Ryan thought about this, but he couldn't just turn his mother away. "No, Sandy, it's OK. I'll talk to her."

Sandy wished he could protect Ryan from any unpleasantness, especially on a day that was supposed to be happy. But he knew Ryan had to talk to his mother. "All right. But we'll be right here if you need us. OK?"

Ryan nodded and headed toward Dawn before Dawn could approach their group. "Hey, Ma, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see my baby graduate from the big fancy school. Can't a mother watch her youngest child get his diploma?"

Ryan had planned on being polite to his mother. But one look in her eyes and he could tell she wasn't planning the same thing. "I don't know. You really didn't have much to do with it."

"What? Because I didn't pay for your fancy tuition, I don't have any rights?" Dawn fumed.

"No, Ma. Because you kicked me out two years ago and I haven't seen you since. Because the only letters you sent me were meant to mess with my head. Because you turned your back on me and left me with strangers."

"Then why'd you tell me about the graduation in your letter? So I could hear you tell everyone what an awful mother I was and how much better your life is without me?"

Ryan realized that's all she would have heard, that his speech was belittling her. She wouldn't have heard the positive things, the good things about his life. "That speech wasn't for you. I didn't even think you'd come. You never came to anything else I ever did, why would I expect you to show up today?"

"What did I miss that you expected me to be at?"

Ryan wondered if his mom was really that self-centered and clueless. "I don't know - soccer games, plays, parent/teacher nights. Anything to show you cared."

"And you think those people care for you?"

"I know they do, Ma. They knew when I had tests at school, projects due. They came to my soccer games, talked with my teachers. Apparently, that's normal stuff that parents do." Ryan could see his words hurt Dawn, but he couldn't help himself.

"Did you mean everything that you said in that speech? That you'd be nothing without... them?" Ryan could hear the venom dripping in Dawn's voice when she mentioned the Cohens.

"Why not? I heard it every day of my life, that I was worthless, that I wouldn't amount to anything, that I'd end up like Dad in prison."

"You were a smart kid, Ryan. You knew I didn't mean it when I said those things. It was just the coke talking. I always apologized."

"Yeah, well, that's just it. The Cohens don't say things that they need to apologize for."

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "So you choose them over me?"

"No, Ma, you chose first. You chose to leave me with them."

Sandy kept an eye on Ryan and Dawn's conversation. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it didn't look pleasant. He wanted this to be a happy day for Ryan, not another occasion ruined by his mother, though it was probably too late for that. Suddenly he heard Dawn's voice above the crowd.

"You ungrateful little brat! After all I put up with over the years, this is what I get?"

Sandy saw Ryan close his eyes, letting his mother scream at him. Sandy rushed over to break up the conversation. "OK, Dawn, that's enough. Today is an important day in Ryan's life and I won't stand aside and watch you berate him."

"Sandy, it's OK," Ryan tried to say.

"No, it's not, Ryan. Dawn, if you want to stay and talk to Ryan, then you have to be nice. This isn't a day to work through your issues."

"I'm his mother and I have a right to be here. I'm not leaving unless Ryan tells me to."

Ryan looked at his feet. "Ma, I think you should go."

Dawn looked from Ryan to Sandy and back to Ryan. She couldn't believe what Ryan was saying. "You don't mean that, baby. Don't listen to him. He just doesn't want me around."

Ryan looked at Sandy, who would do anything for him, and then at his mother, who never did anything for him. "No, Ma, he just wants what's best for me. And he's right. I love you, but I don't need you in my life. Leave, so I can enjoy this day with my family."

Dawn couldn't believe that Ryan was telling her to leave, that he was calling them his family. He was supposed to always be there for her, when she needed him. "Ryan, I didn't mean for it to be like this."

"I know you didn't, but it always is. And I'm not doing it anymore. I don't want to hear from you. If you send me letters, I won't open them. I'm done." Ryan turned and walked toward Kirsten, Seth, and Caleb, leaving Sandy and Dawn behind.

"You turned him against me," Dawn accused.

"Dawn, we did nothing but love him and treat him well. This was his decision. But I'll give you this. You can keep in contact with me. I won't tell you how he's doing, but I'll know where you are, in case he changes his mind."

"Don't do me any favours," Dawn hissed at him and walked away.

Kirsten watched Ryan walk toward them, away from Dawn. When he got close, she asked him, "Are you OK, sweetie?"

Ryan looked at Kirsten, at the concern on her face and compared it to the selfishness he just encountered with Dawn. "You know what? I really am," he told her, breaking into a natural smile.

Sandy returned as well. Kirsten was relieved that Dawn was nowhere in sight. She looked at Sandy questioningly, but he just shook his head imperceptibly, and said, "Let's go eat. Our reservations await us!"
It wasn't until they were seated at the restaurant and ordered their food that Sandy asked the question that Ryan had been waiting for. "So, what made you change your mind?"

"I don't know," Ryan answered truthfully. "I walked into Dr Kim's office fully planning on telling her no. I guess...I guess I did it for you. You both seemed to think it was something I should do, and...I trusted you." Ryan ducked his head and had a hard time looking at the Cohens. He wondered why it had been easier to tell them how he felt in front of all of Newport than it was to tell them directly.

"What I want to know," Seth interrupted, breaking the tension, "is how come you didn't tell me. Your best friend. Your brother, even."

Ryan laughed. "Well, Seth, Dr Kim asked me 'not to tell my fellow students'. And I figured if I told you, you'd tell Summer, and then the whole school would know. Plus," Ryan teased, "I didn't want your input for what I should say."

"I did notice your speech lacked a little something. It might have been better if you had had a Batman reference. Or maybe Kavalier and Clay."

Ryan rolled his eyes and looked at Kirsten & Sandy. "And he wonders why I didn't tell him."
As they were leaving the restaurant, Caleb stopped Ryan to talk to him. Ryan wasn't sure what to think. Caleb had hardly spoken to him since the graduation ceremonies. For that matter, Caleb had hardly spoken to him since he moved in with the Cohens. He had offered Ryan a job with the Newport Group for the summer, but Ryan figured that was more Kirsten than Caleb.

"I just wanted to say that you were wrong in your speech," Caleb started.

Ryan looked at him quizzically.

"When you said that you can't be successful without the support of your family. That's wrong. You can be successful without the support of your family."

Ryan nodded at him, not sure where this conversation was going.

Caleb leaned closer and smiled at Ryan. "It just doesn't mean as much."
Sandy and Kirsten were curled up together on the couch. The boys had gone to a bonfire party on the beach and weren't expected home anytime soon. Seth had wheedled and cajoled his parents to drop their curfew for the night. Finally Ryan simply said "It's graduation" and they relented.

"Well, that was quite a day, wasn't it?" Kirsten said.

"Mm hmm," Sandy murmured back.

"Did Ryan really tell his mother he didn't want to hear from her anymore?" Kirsten still couldn't believe that this is what transpired between Ryan and his mother. "He seemed so...happy today."

Sandy rubbed her arm. "He did seem comfortable with his decision. I think he meant it, but I worry it's going to hit him later what he really did. There was a bit of euphoria about today, wasn't there?"

"That speech!" Kirsten sat up and looked at Sandy. "I don't think I've ever heard him say that much at once!" She snuggled back down. "It was nice to hear, wasn't it?"

Sandy looked around the empty house. "This is what it'll be like in the fall when the boys go to college. It will be awfully quiet."

"Yeah," Kirsten agreed sleepily.

"We'll miss them," Sandy said.

"Yeah. But they'll come back," she murmured. "They'll both come back. Even Ryan. This is his home."

THE END

A/N: Thank you, everyone, for reading this and giving me such wonderful reviews. I've never written anything before, and I'm overwhelmed at the comments I received.

I realize Summer kind of disappeared in this chapter, but I think she left with her dad while Ryan was talking to his mother. Someone asked me where Marissa was - she just doesn't seem to exist in my head and I couldn't write a word about her. Damn Josh Schwartz for getting rid of both Luke and Anna, because while writing this I realized Ryan has no friends other than Seth, and when he's with Summer, Ryan has no one hang out with.

Again, thank you, and I hope you enjoyed it.