They Both Die at the End

Chapter 66 is told from the perspective of Howie Maldonado, a minor character who is a famous actor who plays the villain in the Scorpius Hawthorne series, which is one of Mateo’s favorite fictional franchises about a boy wizard.

Howie was notified early that morning by Death-Cast that that it is his End Day. Despite having 2.3 million Twitter followers, Howie feels lonely. He waits in a private car for two journalists from Infinite Weekly (Delilah Grey and her boss) to arrive for a final interview before he dies. When Delilah and her boss arrive in the car, Delilah’s boss leads the interview. She asks innocuous questions like, “What is your proudest accomplishment?”; Howie give lackluster responses. Delilah then interrupts Sandy to ask her own questions, which hit a deeper emotional register. Delilah asks Howie what he regrets, and he says that it is how he does not know who he is “beyond the voice of a Twitter account and the evil face for a franchise” (313). When Delilah asks what would have made him happy, Howie immediately thinks about love: “Love comes to mind, immediately, and it surprises him like a lightning bolt on a day with clear forecasts. Howie never felt lonely, because he could go online at any moment and find himself flooded with messages. But affection from millions and intimacy from that one special person are completely different beasts” (313). Howie does not voice his ideas about love, but instead says his biggest regret is how his life is a “double-edged sword” where success has afforded him many benefits, but it also isolated him from his family, all of whom are in Puerto Rico. The interview ends abruptly when Howie’s car is struck by another vehicle.

Chapter 67 is told from the perspective of the “Gang with No Name.” The gang is comprised of Peck, Damien, and Kendrick. This “Gang with No Name” runs through the streets, wreaking havoc on their way to Clint’s Graveyard to attack Rufus: “Two boys laugh when one car bangs into another, spinning out of control until it crashes against the wall” (315).

Delilah can tell that Howie is dead after the crash in his car, and she marvels at the fact that she is still alive. The crash was caused because another vehicle was avoiding a group of teenage boys in the street—the “gang with no name,” from the previous chapter. Delilah thinks maybe she is right about her call from Death-Cast being a prank; maybe today is not her End Day, because she so narrowly avoided death. 

Rufus reluctantly lets go of Mateo’s hand so that he can greet Tagoe, Malcolm, and Aimee who have just arrived at Clint’s Graveyard. They embrace one another: “We group hug, four Plutos coming together in the Pluto Solar System embrace I’ve been wanting for over fifteen hours, ever since I ran out of my own damn funeral” (317). Rufus tells the Plutos that he loves them, and he introduces them to Mateo and Lidia. Tagoe tells Mateo and Lidia that they are both honorary Plutos, and they all head to the dance floor. 

Rufus asks Mateo to slow dance with him: “The beat has only increased, but we place our hands on each other’s shoulders and waist; my fingers dig into him a little, the first time I’m getting to touch someone else like this” (321). It is the most “intense intimacy” that Mateo has ever experienced (321). When they finish their dance, Mateo leaves Rufus and heads to the bathroom with Lidia, where he apologizes for never letting her know that Rufus is the kind of person he would “be into”—in essence, Mateo comes out of the closet (322). In response, Lidia hugs Mateo, implicitly communicating her acceptance to him. She wonders aloud what she will do without him when he is gone.

Returning back to the dance floor, Mateo sees a commotion involving Rufus and can tell something is wrong: “My heart is pounding. Aimee is standing between Rufus and the Plutos and three guys who are yelling over her […] The shorter guy with the bruised face pulls out a gun—who could want to kill Rufus like this?” (323). Mateo rushes toward Rufus to protect him, as pandemonium rages in the club when the crowd notices the gun.

Aimee begs Peck not to shoot, as he waves the gun in Rufus’ direction. Aimee and Peck are going back and forth talking, when Rufus notices that Mateo is sneaking up on Peck from behind: “Mateo punches Peck in the face, which is straight unbelievable, and it doesn’t send Peck to the floor or nothing like that, but we got a chance now” (326). More fighting ensues among Peck’s gang and the Plutos, and amidst the chaos Rufus manages to snag Peck’s gun and unload the bullets. Rufus grabs Mateo and they rush out of Clint’s Graveyard without being able to say goodbye to any of their friends. Rufus bemoans how all his goodbyes have been cut short on his End Day: “This day is doing me dirty on goodbyes” (327).

Chapter 72 is told from the perspective of Dalma Young, a minor character in the book and the creator of the Last Friend App. Dalma is spending the day with her 20-year-old half-sister, who just started an internship at a tech company. They walk across a New York City street, and the conversation turns to what their Last Message would be, if it were their End Day. As “two teen boys run past” them (who the reader recognizes as Mateo and Rufus), Dalma says that her Last Message would be something like, “find your people” and “to treat each day like a lifetime” (330). 

Mateo and Rufus run from Clint’s Graveyard until they are safely several streets away. As they catch their breath, Mateo tells Rufus that punching Peck was the first time he ever hit anyone before, and he would gladly do it again to save Rufus’ life. The chaos of the day, and the weight of the knowledge that he and Rufus will both soon die, hits Mateo and he begins to break down: “I’m tearing up and there’s no stopping there. I finally cry because I want more mornings” (332). Mateo suggests that they head back to his apartment where it is safe and they can rest together in peace. 

The remaining members of the Plutos—Tagoe, Malcolm, and Aimee—stand together on the curb outside of Clint’s Graveyard and watch the “Gang with No Name” as they are taken away by police officers. They embrace: “The three friends hug, a planet missing from their Pluto Solar System—but never forgotten” (334). 

Mateo and Rufus make it to Mateo’s apartment, and Rufus wonders if Mateo has ulterior motives for bringing him there: “Part of me can’t help but wonder if Mateo is bringing me home so we can have sex, but it’s probably safe to assume sex isn’t on the brain for him” (335). Inside, Mateo gives Rufus a tour of his living room, and Rufus looks at all the old family photos hanging in the room: “I look at Mateo’s class photos. There’s a bunch of photos of him without glasses” (336). They talk about their childhoods, their experiences in school. Mateo then leads Rufus to the bedroom, where Rufus notices Mateo’s Luigi hat—the same hat he was wearing in his Last Friend profile picture. Rufus playfully puts on the hat while Mateo laughs and begins jumping on the bed. Rufus takes pictures of Mateo as he jumps: “I don’t stop taking photos of this awesome, unrecognizable Mateo” (338). 

Mateo stops bouncing on his bed, and tells Rufus that he wants to sing him a song. He sits in front of his keyboard and plays Elton John’s “Your Song” for Rufus. Rufus is moved by the performance: “I finish and Rufus’ smile is a victory. He’s tearing up” (340). Rufus tells Mateo, once again, how grateful he is that they met one another. Mateo gets snacks of peanut butter on crackers, and they continue talking with each other about their lives, feeling safe and happy: “I sit down beside him and we get comfortable, linking our arms and legs together. We talk more about our histories” (341). Rufus suggests that they not leave the bed, calling it their “safe space, our little island” (341). Rufus hopes this might allow them to somehow evade death, but he and Mateo vow to meet in the afterlife if for some reason his plan fails. They lay in the bed and take a picture together, with Rufus playfully wearing Mateo’s glasses. Suddenly, Mateo effusively confesses his love for Rufus: “People waste time and wait for the right moment and we don’t have that luxury. If we had our entire lives ahead of us I bet you’d get tired of me telling you how much I love you because I’m positive that’s the path we were heading on. But because we’re about to die, I want to say it as many times as I want—I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you” (343). 

Rufus reciprocates and professes his love for Mateo: “‘Yo. You know damn well I love you too.’ Man, it actually hurts how much I mean this” (344). Rufus and Mateo talk about how they think they will die, and agree that no matter how it happens they are just glad they got to love each other, for however long. Mateo suggest they only focus on the more positive endings they lived through today. For Mateo, that was how he “stopped being someone afraid of the world and the people in it”; for Rufus, it was how he “stopped being someone [he didn’t] like” (345). They lay with their heads together on the same pillow, and Rufus thinks that it would be most peaceful if they die in their sleep. Rufus kisses Mateo again, thinking that the world must not be entirely “against them” if it brought he and Mateo together for such a beautiful, albeit brief, relationship (346). 

Mateo wakes up from his nap with Rufus feeling wonderful. He decides that, despite Rufus telling him to stay on the bed, he will go make them some peppermint tea. However, as soon as he switches on the stove burner, Mateo’s “chest sinks” and the entire apartment erupts into flames.

Rufus wakes up “choking on smoke” with a “deafening fire alarm” blaring (348). He calls out for Mateo, but cannot find him in the smoke, and makes his way out of the apartment for fresh air. There, neighbors stand around gawking. One of the neighbors gets water for Rufus, who is still choking, and when he regains his composure, he heads back into the apartment to find Mateo. Rufus finds him near the kitchen: “I grab Mateo, my fingers sink deep into boiled skin, and I’m crying hard as I find Mateo’s other arm and drag him away from fire, out of the smoke, and toward all the sons of bitches who are shouting at me from the doorway but weren’t brave enough to run in and save some kids” (350). Firefighters take over, and remove Mateo’s body outside, waiting for the EMT staff to examine him.

When the EMTs arrive, Mateo is pronounced dead. Rufus is put into an ambulance, and taken to the hospital. Consumed with sadness, Rufus has a hard time coming to grips with Mateo’s passing, but acknowledges that even if Mateo did not die a “hero’s death,” he was the person to save Rufus, and so he “died a hero” nonetheless (354).

Rufus calls Lidia to deliver the news that Mateo is dead: “Lidia drops the phone on the couch, punching the cushions, scaring Penny. Lidia doesn’t’ want to know how it happened, not tonight” (355). Lidia thanks Rufus for calling, and Rufus tells her that he is going to visit Mateo’s father there in the hospital, so he can introduce himself and deliver the news. When they hang up the phone, Lidia vows to honor Mateo’s memory by making sure she builds the bookcase Mateo bought for Penny and hanging pictures of him all around her room. 

Delilah is writing the obituary for Howie Maldonado at a diner, and thinking about how grateful she is that it is not her End Day. However, she begins to question if her receiving the call from Death-Cast was a prank after all, and decides to call Victor, her ex-boyfriend and a representative at Death-Cast, to confirm

Chapter 82 is told from the perspective of Victor Gallaher, a Death-Cast employee and Delilah’s ex-boyfriend. Victor has been depressed since he and Delilah broke up, and his work at Death-Cast is taking a toll on him, too. As Victor is about to get into the elevator at the Death-Cast office, his phone rings with a call from Delilah. When he picks up, Delilah immediately asks if he is the one responsible for the Death-Cast alert—she wants to know if it is a prank. Victor tells her no, and Delilah begins to cry. She tells Victor how stupid she feels and how regretful she is that she wasted her End Day. Victor rushes out of the Death-Cast offices, and tells her that he loves her. 

From the hospital, Rufus posts a final photo to his End Day series on Instagram, which is a photo of him and Mateo in bed. Rufus makes his way to Mateo’s father’s room, and sits down beside his bed. Though Mateo’s father is still comatose, Rufus introduces himself and tells him that he should be proud of his son, because he finally became the person he had always wanted to be that day. Rufus provides a recap of all the activities they did that day, and then plays the video of Mateo performing “Your Song.” Rufus leaves Mateo’s father’s bedside and heads out of the hospital, feeling “creepy” that he knows the “hourglass is almost out of sand” and that he will soon die (367). He heads to Althea Park to wait the rest of the night out, playing the video of Mateo singing “Your Song” once more: “I see Althea Park in the distance, my place of great change. I return my attention to the video, his voice blasting in my ears. I cross the street without an arm to hold me back” (368).