Sophie, on the other hand, sits next to me at the table without moving. The cell phone Adam got for her is leaning against her glass of orange juice, and she’s staring at the screen, waiting for it to beep with a new text message. I’m starting to realize that the excitement over the phone isn’t gonna last long. She’s been doing this since yesterday morning—texting Ma nonstop, spending half her time just waiting for her to write back. I keep wishing I could do something, that I could bring back her excitement, but it’s as if a light inside her has been dimmed, and it’s shining a little less bright every day.

The good thing is that she has a playdate with Leslie scheduled for today, which I’m hoping will help. After breakfast, I wash both of our dishes while Amy feeds the baby, and soon enough we’re on our way to Maria’s.

“How’s Leslie doing?” I ask as soon as we get off the bus at Tenth Street and Avenue D.

“She’s okay.”

“Do you know what you guys are gonna do today?”

Sophie shakes her head without looking directly at me, and I decide not to press any further. While we walk silently, I think about the girl who couldn’t keep her mouth shut for longer than a minute, who couldn’t wait to tell us every last detail of what had happened at school each day, and I miss her more than ever.

When we get to Maria’s, she opens the door to her apartment with a gentle smile on her face.

“Mateo, Sophie. How are you?” She speaks in a kind, soft tone, the way you would when visiting someone who’s very old or very sick. There is pity in her eyes as she stares at me and my sister, and I can’t help but wonder what Sophie has been telling her lately—if she’s spoken about how tense things have gotten at Uncle Jorge’s, or if she’s still talking nonstop about the idea of going to be with Ma and Pa in Mexico.

“We’re doing okay,” I reply. For some reason I can’t explain, my own voice also sounds different around her. It comes out muffled, almost as if I were holding back tears, even when I’m not.

“Sophie!” a girl’s voice comes from the background before Maria can say anything else. Leslie appears behind her mom and gestures for Sophie to come inside the apartment.

“I’ll see you tonight,” I call after Sophie as she and Leslie disappear into one of the bedrooms, but she doesn’t reply. She doesn’t even look at me.

With a deep breath, I turn toward Maria. “I’ll pick her up after my shift,” I say, and she smiles kindly again before closing the door of the apartment.