The party was a success, and I actually didn't regret it. The only reason it was so much fun was because of my friends and the people at the gathering. It wouldn't have been as great if it was a bigger party. I may not have hated people after all, but I still preferred being around them in smaller doses. Everyone being at my house was nerve-wracking, but it was worth it.

Estella and I spending the night together made the night even better.

I grinned when I spotted her at her locker, and I made my way over. She returned my smile when she saw me.

"Hey," I greeted.

She pulled me into a kiss, pulling away too soon. "Hey."

"How was your Sunday?"

We couldn't spend all of Sunday together, but we enjoyed breakfast and hung out a little in the morning.

"It was good," she said, "but I was actually looking forward to today."

I smirked. "Because of me?"

She hid her face. "Maybe." I grabbed her hand, and we began to walk to her class. "I hope I was okay." She looked at me with a sheepish look. "It was my first time, and I can definitely get better."

I squeezed her hand. "Estella. You were great. Don't worry about it."

I definitely didn't regret Friday night. Sure, I'd been with other girls, but they weren't Estella. Being with her made the experience better.

We stopped outside her class. "Plus," I started, "we can always practice some more."

She snickered. "Maybe this weekend. Maybe even tonight."

I kissed her again. "I'll keep you to that."

"I'll see you in French."

I didn't want to, but I let her go and headed for my class. I couldn't help but be in a great mood, and I looked forward to French and lunch. Estella and I kept sneaking glances at each other, and I hurried to the vending machine after school to meet up with her.

When we saw each other, we kissed, a little too long and borderline making out, but I didn't care. Her fingers ran through my hair while my hands ran along her back.

"Whoa," a familiar voice said, and Estella and I pulled away. "Be careful before you suck each other's face off."

Brice.

Estella and I put some distance between us. Brice pounded my fist, and he gave Estella a hug.

"Staying after school?" Estella asked.

Brice nodded. "I actually came to meet up with you two. We should go to the beach today."

I put my hands into my pockets. "Oh, yeah? We haven't been there in a while."

"Exactly," he said. "That's why we should chill there."

I didn't know Brice would want to spend time alone with me and Estella, especially with all that happened. I guessed he was putting all of this behind him.

"You down?" he asked us.

"That sounds fun," Estella said before looking to me. "Jax?"

I shrugged. "I'm down."

"Awesome." Brice clasped his hands together. "Velasco, we're taking your car."

That was Brice. Always demanding, but it was endearing.

"Then let's go," I said, and the three of us walked to Verda.

If Brice wasn't there, I would have held Estella's hand. Even though we were trying to keep things cool between us, Estella and I still had to be conscious of our history with Brice. We had to slow it down with the PDA.

We got settled into Verda, and I drove us to the QuikTrip nearby. Brice bought some beers while I got a slushie, and we got some hot-dogs. Not long later, the three of us sat in the trunk of Verda, munching on our food and drinking. Well, Brice and Estella drank. My time getting drunk only confirmed what I already knew.

Alcohol wasn't for me.

I was just grateful that my parents weren't drinking as much. My mom was trying to practice self-control and doing more chores around the house. We may not have had enough money for therapy or medication, but my brothers and I were trying to be there for her. My father, on the other hand, couldn't even drink if he wanted to, being incarcerated and all, but that was one plus side of him being in jail.

"My mom and I went to the mall on Sunday," Brice said, and Estella and I focused on him.

"That's great," I told him. "Do you guys usually hang out?"

He shook his head. "I'm going to be real and admit that I usually try to stay away from her, but she's my mom. I can't avoid her or what she's going through. If I want to build a relationship with her, I gotta put some work in and spend time with her when she isn't so busy with her treatment."

"You have to take advantage of the time you have with her," Estella said.

"I know," Brice agreed. "I don't mean to be all dark and shit, but I don't know how long she'll be here, with all the suicide attempts and all. I know I shouldn't think like that, but it's something that's always at the back of my mind."

"That makes sense," I said.

I didn't want to think about it, but I may not be able to hang out with my dad for a long time. Hell, he may spend the rest of his life in prison. It was a terrible thought, but it could be reality. No matter how dark the thoughts were, pushing them to the back of our minds didn't make them less real.

"Appreciate it, Brice," Estella said. "Having a mother is a wonderful thing. At least, I assume it is."

"You'll always have your dad," I reminded her. "Enjoy that."

"Yeah," she said. "Sometimes, I focus so much on my mom, and I don't realize that I'm lucky to have such a great relationship with Daddy. Not everyone has that with their dad."

"There you go," Brice said. "A silver lining. I guess me and my pops are pretty cool, too."

"How are things between you and your brothers, Jax?" Estella asked.

"We're good." I finished my hot-dog. "They're actually talking to me and spending time with me. Even with all this stress with my father and the trial, it's actually brought my family closer."

We were all trying to be there for my father, and things were improving between me, my mom and my brothers. We were trying to be there for each other because we couldn't survive this alone. We had to stick together. Santiago and Diego had to leave their lives behind in Maine, but they knew that this was for the best, and my mother and I needed them for now.

"That's great, man," Brice said. "I haven't met your brothers, but they seem pretty cool."

"They are," I said. Estella nodded in agreement.

I forgot how chill and easy-going my brothers could be. I spent so much time angry at them for leaving me out that I didn't remind myself of that.

"I'm here for you guys. You know that, right?" Brice said. "I have your backs. With the trial and the shit happening with your dad, Velasco, and dealing with what happened to your mom, Estella."

"We're here for you, too, Brice," I told him. "With your mother and anything." Estella chuckled. I peeked over at her. "What?"

"So much has happened," Estella said. "A lot of people think I have such a simple life, and in a way, I do, but this year has been so...eventful."

That was one way of putting it.

"Bad shit happened," Brice said, "but good shit also happened."

I couldn't agree more. My father getting arrested sucked, but I got the chance to be closer to Estella, and my and Brice's friendship seemed even stronger than before. If we could overcome the drama that happened with Estella, we could overcome anything.

It seemed trivial, but I betrayed him. If we could come out on the other side with our friendship intact, our relationship was stronger than I thought. I didn't realize how much it meant to me until I almost lost it. I didn't know how much all my relationships meant to me until this year.

Senior year was coming up, and hopefully it would be less "eventful." For the first time, I wasn't in a rush to graduate high school. I just wanted to enjoy the moment and this period of my life while it lasted. Plus, college meant I would be away from Estella. It scared me a little, with the possibility of me and Estella drifting apart or maybe even having to say goodbye. Unpleasant thoughts would always be there, but I wasn't going to focus on them too much.

I was going to enjoy the time Estella and I had together now. Hopefully we made it, but even if we didn't, I would always be grateful for her and the relationship we had.

"It had to happen," I said. I glanced between them. "We wouldn't be where we are now if it didn't."

They nodded. "You know, a lot of people meet their significant others through mutual friends," Estella said. "If it wasn't for Jax, I never would have gotten to know Brice." He smiled at her. "If it wasn't Brice, I wouldn't have gotten closer to Jax."

I pulled her to me. "So, you were using me to get closer to Brice."

She snickered as I playfully rolled my eyes at her.

Confusion edged Brice's face. "What?"

"Estella wanted me to be some love Guru and help her get closer to you." She hid her face in her hands. "Isn't that right, Estella?"

She had a sheepish expression. "Maybe. I told you, Brice. I had a huge crush on you."

I could see the pride in his face. "You did. That's why you became Velasco's friend?"

"Yes," I said.

"No," she countered. "We were already friends."

"Barely," I said. "We annoyed each other."

"In the beginning," she said, "but it was endearing annoyance. We were friends before, but Brice was a good incentive to make us closer."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night," I said.

She smacked my arm. "I didn't use you. You were me and Brice's mutual friend. Honestly, to me, the mutual friend represents whatever helps a couple get together. It doesn't have to be a physical person."

"That makes no sense." She smacked me again. "Hey!"

She stuck her tongue out at me. Now that we were dating, we were teasing each other more, just like old times. So much had changed, but our friendship was always the foundation of our relationship.

"If the mutual friend represents the thing that helps people get together, then, I was the mutual friend," Brice said. "Sure, Velasco was the one who was friends with both of us, but I'm the reason you two got together."

I guessed he was right. If Estella didn't have her little crush on Brice, we probably wouldn't have gotten as close as we did. We would have stuck to being casual friends, not having a strong reason to keep hanging out. Maybe I didn't "steal" Estella after all. She was meant to be with me all along.

"You two should thank me," Brice said with a chuckle. "I was the love Guru."

"Regardless," Estella said, "this trio was meant to be."

I didn't care how it happened. I was just glad it did.

"Now, you guys need to hook your boy up," Brice said. "You have your girl, Velasco. I need mine, too."

"Maybe I can be your mutual friend," Estella said. "Hook you up with one of my friends."

He sent her a look. "Mi Yun's gay, and she's with Sabrina. Sadaf can't date, and there's the whole shit with Oliver."

"I have other friends," Estella said. "Mimi and Sadaf are my best friends but not my only friends."

"Brice, you need to spend some time single," I told him. "You're always dating someone."

I couldn't remember the last time Brice was single for longer than a few months.

He thought about it. "Maybe you're right. Right now, there's only one girl I need to focus on—my mom."

I nodded. "There you go."

We continued talking, enjoying the view and each other's company. Before sunset, we got into Verda to head home. Estella and Brice talked while I snuck glances at them. I appreciated their company. The year didn't turn out how I expected, and things were uncertain, but it was a good one. I kept my friend, and a wonderful girl entered my life

It wasn't so predictable after all.

THE END

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* And it's done! Took some time, but Jax and Estella's story is finally complete. Hope you enjoyed this final chapter!