Final chapter :'( I feel sad yet proud at the same time, ya know?

Enjoy!

Three months later

Carlos wiped a stray tear from his eye as he finished packing. He was leaving. Leaving his home. Leaving his normal way of life. Leaving his brothers...

There was a knock at his bedroom door, causing him to put on a fake, joyful demeanor. "Come in," he finally choked out.

The door slowly opened. "Hey, hermanito," Rafael said as he walked in. Omar was behind him.

Carlos smiled at the sight of his two older brothers. He pulled them in a group hug, not wanting to let go. Not wanting to leave them.

"So this is it, huh?" Omar finally asked, breaking the silence.

Carlos let more tears fall from his face. He nodded. "It all happened so quickly."

"Hey," Rafael said. "You shouldn't be sad about this. I'm proud of you. We're all proud of you! My little brother's gonna be in a band!"

Rafael watched as his brother gave a sad smile. He couldn't help but wonder where all the years went. How his little brother grew up so quickly and turned into the person he is today. Omar thought about all of the times he could have spent with his little brother, but he missed those opportunities, and right when he and Carlos had formed a real relationship, Carlos gets ready to move to California to become a singer.

Carlos thought it was completely ironic. If there was anyone in his family that he thought would become a singer, it would have to have been Rafael. Carlos could remember Rafael's angelic voice singing anytime he couldn't sleep, had a bad dream, or just had a really bad day. Carlos would never forget the way Rafael sounded when he sang at the hospital. Rafael was the singer, not Carlos.

"What if I'm not that good?" Carlos asked, interrupting everybody's thoughts, including his own. "What if I get kicked out of the band or something?"

Omar laid a playful punch on Carlos' arm. "You won't," he reassured. "You guys are gonna make it big time. We know you will."

Carlos smiled again. "I'm just gonna miss you guys so much..." he muttered. Carlos wouldn't know what he would do being so far away from Rafael. Rafael had just always been there. And now that Omar was finally back into the picture, Carlos knew he was going to miss being around him too.

"You're gonna do great," Rafael finally said. "You and your friends are gonna rock. I just know it. Don't worry about us, okay?"

"But...I'm going to California. Away from you guys. Away from Mami and Papi," Carlos argued, but was cut off by Omar.

Omar grabbed Carlos' shoulder. "But you're gonna get Mrs. Knight and your three best friends. And I know they've treated you way better than I have," Omar confessed. "They're gonna be there for you, just like they always have."

"Will you guys ever come and visit?" Carlos asked, his voice pleading for them to say yes.

"Yes," both brothers replied at the same time.

"And anytime you need us, just call us up, okay?" Rafael said.

"But this has to be a two way street," Omar cut in. "You have to be coming over and visiting us too. Don't forget us when you become famous."

Carlos smiled. "I won't. I promise."

Carlos checked the time on his watch. He sighed. Jennifer was coming to pick him up any minute now.

"You ready, hermanito?" Rafael asked.

Carlos nodded. "No turning back now." He quickly wrapped his arms around his brothers once again and held them tight.

Without knocking, their parents walked into Carlos' room.

Carlos reluctantly let go of his brothers before he approached his parents and pulled them into a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you two," he finally said.

"And we're going to miss you too, mijo," his mother replied.

Carlos' heart broke when he heard the sound of a vehicle honking outside. He felt another tear fall from his face and quickly wiped it away.

"Got your helmet, Carlos?" his father asked.

Carlos smiled. His helmet was laying on the bed, but Rafael grabbed it and handed it to him. Carlos put on his helmet and smacked it twice. "I wasn't gonna leave without it."

"And with that he'll conquer the world," Omar said sarcastically, never really understanding Carlos' obsession with his helmet.

Carlos grabbed his belongings. "I'll call all of you as soon as my plane lands," Carlos said as they all began to walk out of his room.

Once they were outside, Sylvia stopped him. "Give mama a kiss," she commanded, which Carlos happily obeyed. She started fixing his shirt. "Make sure you always listen to Jen, okay? I don't want you giving her trouble. And don't eat too much junk food. Do you have your epi-pen? And don't forget to-"

"Mama," Rafael cut in. "He's okay. Let him catch his plane."

"I love you guys," Carlos choked out.

"We love you too, mijo," his father replied. "Don't ever forget that."

Carlos nodded in obedience. He said goodbye one more time before heading to Mrs. Knight's van. He was starting his new life now, and he knew he wouldn't have been able to do make to where he was today if it wasn't for his family that he loved so much.

Thank you everyone for sticking with me and this story! It means so much to me! Thank you for reviewing, favoriting (that's not a word), and alerting (I need to work on my grammar) this story! Say goodbye to Rafael and Omar. I know we'll all miss them.

Now I can start working on the poll winner. Thanks to all who voted!

So...review one last time? :D