We’re halfway through the episode when Alberto, a character who had a dramatic death scene earlier in the season, is revealed to be alive, and it isn’t two, but three sighs of surprise that fill the air around us.

“Sophie, go to sleep!” Ma says.

“But I—”

“Go.”

Even though I’m still in shock about Alberto, I manage to laugh. And as Sophie steps back into her bedroom, I rest my head on the couch, breathing easily.

I wake up the next morning to the sound of Ma knocking on my bedroom door.

“Mateo,” she says. “Mateo, are you up?”

My eyes snap open. I reach for my phone, look at the time, and my stomach drops. I slept through my alarms—all five of them.

I throw the covers off me and get up. Within a couple of minutes, I’m fully dressed and all the schoolbooks I left scattered across my desk while I was doing homework last night are safely inside my backpack.

I walk out of my room, and the first thing I see is a flash of black hair rushing past me. Sophie is running around the apartment, sticking her hands between the cushions on the couch and looking under the coffee table.

“What are you looking for?” I ask.

Ma answers before Sophie can. “Her math homework. She doesn’t remember where she put it—oh, Sophie! I found it!”

Sophie comes running toward her.

“You hung it on the fridge behind your art project. Go put it in your bag.”

I step around the two of them to open one of the kitchen cabinets and take out the box of cereal. I don’t have time to sit down and eat an entire bowl, so I just pour some cereal on the palm of my hand and shove it into my mouth.

“Mateo,” Ma says.

“Sorry, Ma,” I say with my mouth still half-full. I look at the time on the microwave and realize I won’t even be able to brush my teeth. “Gotta run.”

I give her a quick hug and turn toward the front door. My hand is on the doorknob when I remember something.

“I have SAT prep after school today, so Erika’s covering—”

“Yes, I know,” Ma says while she helps Sophie put her backpack on. “Now go. We’ll see you at dinner.”

I nod once, and a moment later I’m running out the door.

I make it to school just as the bell rings. By the time I’ve run up the stairs, walked into first period, and found an empty desk, I can feel myself sweating through my shirt.