THE END IS FINALLY HERE! After almost four years of struggle, this book is finally finished... Well, finished with the final draft, that is. Starting now I will be going through the editing process to finish BMR once and for all. The final product will be posted as a separate Wattpad novel, but will be the same exact book, despite making a few changes here and there to improve the book.

Enjoy the end, and be sure to check out the sequel (Recovering My Reputation), which already has the very first chapter posted already! Anyways, enjoy the last and final chapter in Austin's POV!

***

I try to slip past my parents unseen when I get home from school, but with no such luck.

Andrew takes in the sight of me with a heavy sigh. "What the hell happened to your face?"

The first few days of being back, I already noticed everyone acting differently around me. Girls were no longer shooting flirty smiles at me in the halls, but running the other direction. I got shoved against lockers by some assholes I didn't even know. 'Women beater' and 'abusive cunt' was painted on my locker. A group of brave girls spat at me once in between classes. No one dared try anything when Rodney and the guys were at my side, but I still saw people whispering or showering me with wary glances.

It's been driving me crazy.

Even with the cane I'm forced to drag around, I'm not pitied. Amber, of all people, is the only other girl at school who knows that Dax was the cause of Sabrina's bruises, but I'd rather let everyone believe I'm an 'abusive cunt' than the spoiled kid who almost got his friends killed.

Or maybe this was my own way of punishing myself.

Sabrina tried sticking with me, but after the first day, I convinced her to pretend that we're broken up while at school. Though when Amber had told Sabrina about the day I attacked her, I thought for sure that we would have been done for good, but Sabrina knows better.

The outburst came from my brain trauma, and even though my father thought it ridiculous, I was well on board with the suggestion the doctor gave about starting mental therapy on top of physical.

In fact, that is probably what's keeping my girlfriend with me - the hope that I'll get better.

"You know we're here for you, honey. Right?" My mother squeezes my arm and smiles sweetly.

Ever since my close brush with death, my parents have not been themselves. They have been civil with each other and have been acting as if they're actually concerned about my well being. There's no telling when the act will wear off, but I'm hoping it's not until after I don't need a cane to walk properly anymore.

"Some guys jumped me at school, it's no big deal." I have to wave it off. I mean, what else can I do?

Andrew's frown deepens. "This is still backlash from when you attacked Amber, isn't it?"

My eyes widen. "How do you know about that?"

"Amber's father called me a couple weeks ago saying he wanted to press charges. You're lucky that our families are so close or else I wouldn't have been able to talk him out of it." Andrew is furious, and I don't blame him. I've caused more than enough trouble this year, and the consequences keep coming. "First it was just what they did to your locker, then just innocent shoves, but this is too much. Your mother and I have talked about it and we decided it would be a good idea for you to transfer back to your boarding school in New York City."

Those words fill me with dread. "No. Dad, come on. You can't send me back there!"

"This is for your own protection, son."

"My protection? No, this is a punishment."

Father crosses his arms, his tell that his decision is final. Set in stone. "Think of it what you'd like, but you're going. Next week, you'll be attending your first class at Maxwell Academy."

"This isn't fair. I have a whole life here," I argue.

"Not that much of one considering Sabrina is all you've got. Plus, you'll find someone much more suitable at a school with like-minded people."

'Like-minded people'? This is the least subtle way to tell me that I don't have his blessing with Sabrina. No matter what, he won't see her as more than just middle class.

"Your father decided it's for the best." Sandra cuts in.

"Dax may be dead, but that doesn't mean it's safe for you here. I've also received a call from your school, because they are worried about your well-being. You are going back to New York and if you fight me on this any further, you're not going to like the consequences."

I know he won't resort to any physical punishment, but defying him still terrifies me to my very core. By next week, I'll be in New York, sharing a dorm with some other 'like-minded' rich kid whose parents also didn't want to deal with anymore.

Sabrina's arms are wrapped tightly around my neck with my hands on her back when we reach my family's helicopter. In this moment, I try not to think about how in just a few short hours, I'll be checking in to my new school. I Inhale deeply, taking in the smell of my girlfriend's hair and try to focus on that. She smells amazing, as always, and I clench my eyes shut to keep the oncoming tears in.

For my last week, we've spent almost every waking moment with each other. It's terrorizing my every nerve that I won't see her for a few months until I come back for Spring Break.

The freezing air nips at my nose, but I don't want to get in the chopper. I never want to stop holding her.

She is the first to pull away.

"You don't want to keep the driver waiting," she says between sniffles.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about him, or my father, who sits impatiently in the passenger's seat. My girl is more important.

I wipe a couple tears away with my thumbs and smirk teasingly. "Where I come from, we call that a pilot."

A light slap on my shoulder is her go-to response. "Don't make fun of me when I'm trying to say goodbye to you."

"There's still texting, calling, FaceTime. I'll probably give you updates every five minutes." I brush her hair behind her ear. "I'll call you every night before bed, too. Promise."

"Will that be enough for you?"

There it is. The question I've been dreading. Sabrina's insecurities have never been a secret, and have gotten worse when I drunkenly cheated on her. Although it wasn't my fault, there's still that little spark of distrust that never fully went away.

"Anything that comes to you is enough for me. Rina, you are fucking everything to me. There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you with me. I love you, always." My eyes bore into hers at my words, hoping they'll stay with her.

For a moment, she's speechless, but the words eventually come out. "I-I love you too."

"Mr. Griffin, sir. We have to leave now if we want to reach your destination on time!" The pilot calls from the opening of the copter.

I nod, but take Sabrina into my arms once more. Our lips collide and the feeling of finality sets in. Everything is falling apart right now in the very places I thought were fine. And a week ago, it was.

That's the thing about life. The changes catch you off guard and pull you under, making it hard to breathe. Without Sabrina, every passing day will feel like I'm drowning. I'm already ten feet below the surface and sinking deeper, and when we part, hopelessness fills my heart like a cinder block in my chest. My throat tightens, but I still back away, mouthing the words 'I love you' to my crying girlfriend.

"Ma'am, I need you to back up so I can start up the propellers!" The pilot orders after handing me a headset.

She looks like she's in a daze, but she does as he says.

When she's at a safe distance, the propellers slowly pick up speed until we start rising into the air, her hair flying in all directions from the impact. She hugs herself tightly, only partly shielding herself from the cold wind. I'd give anything to warm her up, but the higher we go, that possibility lessons by the second.

My father glances back at me and I immediately wipe the sad expression from my face.

"You ready?" I hear Andrew's voice over the headphones.

I nod. "Sure."

Within seconds, I no longer see Sabrina, but I keep my face even. It is time to jump into my new reality whether I like it or not.

A reality where my past is a threat to my reputation.

But that's nothing new. 

***

It's finally over! What did you think? Any feedback on what you thought about the chapter would be amazing. Just leave what you think in the comments below, if you'd like, or maybe even give that star in the corner a click if the chapter is deserving of it.

I'd just like to thank anyone and everyone who has stuck by me through the writing of this novel, because it was a doozy. With so many vacations in between, days full of work, and other days with Writer's Block plaguing my mind, I am surprised to have even come this far. It's mostly due to you guys, the loyal readers, who have kept me going, and a huge help from Sal Mason, of course. You deserve a medal for putting up with me, but I guess you could say that we help each other. XD 

Not sure about how you guys feel about Austin, but I am glad to finally have reached the end of his story. Having dealt with this character in my head for the past 10 years in three different versions of himself, you could say I'm ready to have a change in scenery. So, keep your eyes peeled for updates of the sequel, which I will be posting chapter two of sometime in the near future!

Again, thank you, and this is TheWriterD

Signing off!