I turn toward Jorge and Amy. I’m hoping they’ll help me, that they’ll know what to do, but neither of them speaks up. When I remember that Sophie also barely ate during dinner last night, however, I know I need to do something—anything.

“Wanna come with me to the bodega today?” I ask her.

She stares at me thoughtfully for a moment, and then she nods. She might be thinking the same thing as I am—that a change of scenery wouldn’t be the worst thing.

When we get to the bodega later in the day, Erika lets out a happy squeal the second she sees Sophie. I’ve been telling her about my sister—how she’s barely been eating, how I’m running out of ways to make her feel better.

At first, Sophie runs around the store. She sneaks in and out from between the shelves, and comes to join me behind the counter every now and then just to see what I’m doing. After a while, Erika asks if she can see some of Sophie’s sticker books, and they go into the office so Sophie can show her.

While I work at the register, I keep hearing small giggles coming from the office, which brings lightness to my chest. But then, when everything goes really quiet, I start to wonder if something is wrong. I finish bagging a customer’s stuff in a rush and then step out from behind the counter, moving slowly toward the door of the office.

Straining my ears, I hear soft whispers coming from inside.

“It’s pretty far, Sophie,” Erika says.

“How far?”

“Several hours by plane, I think.”

There’s a moment of silence.

“Are plane tickets really expensive?” Sophie asks.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Cause my friend Leslie’s mom told me that they are.”

The bell rings suddenly, and a customer walks into the bodega. Letting out my breath through my mouth, I go back behind the counter, but I keep sneaking glances at the office door, praying that Erika will know what to say, that she’ll be able to figure out a way to comfort Sophie that I haven’t thought of yet.

20

I WAKE UP THE FOLLOWING DAY TO the sound of my phone buzzing. At first, it feels distant, as my mind struggles to cross from sleep to wakefulness. I stretch out an arm, feeling around for my phone. When I find it, I press it against my ear and mumble, “Hello?”

It keeps buzzing. I pull it away to stare at the screen, and I realize that I’m not getting a call at all. There’s a string of unread messages from Kimmie, and she keeps sending more, so my phone is buzzing nonstop.

I swipe right on the screen to read the first message: Matt, are you up?