I don’t answer at first, just stare at the water sparkling in the sun. An idea is slowly forming. “What if we don’t?”

“Don’t what?”

“What if we don’t go back with them?” I turn to face Mattie. I look into her brown eyes. “I’m serious. What if we stay and keep looking for Frank Gómez? We have the bus schedule.” I gesture at her backpack. “We have one on my phone and one in there.”

“What about when I don’t come home from school? My mom will be so worried.”

I think about my mom. She won’t be worried because she’s not home. She’s never home. But I bat away thoughts of her. I say, “I have a plan.” I know Mattie loves plans. “We’re going to track him down, even if it takes all night.”

“We can’t stay here all night! At Northern Madrone? I don’t have my toothbrush!”

“It probably won’t come to that. Don’t worry.” I tell her we just need to give ourselves a little time, a bit of wiggle room to find Frank Gómez. I show her the transit schedule: there’s a bus at 4:20 and a final bus at 6:15.

“Are you sure it will work to take the city bus home?”

“Yes, Mattie, I’m sure. It’ll be fine.” I’m already texting Cristina, telling her that I’m sleeping over at Mattie’s house. Cristina responds with an offer to pick me up in the morning, but I text that I’ll call. No need to tell her yet that she might have to pick us up from Northern Madrone College.

“This will never work.”

“Here.” I hand Mattie my phone. “Just tell your mom you’re sleeping over at my house. Like last weekend. She’ll think we’re besties.”

She holds the phone like it’s a grenade. Her face looks a little green.

“It’ll work. Don’t panic.” Ugh, that’s the last thing I need right now. She needs to hold it together, and I can’t get mad. We need to hold it together.

“We already talked about this—this kind of thing only works in movies.”

“Trust me, Mat.”

She must decide to trust me because she enters the number. “Mama?” she says.

I look away. Give her some privacy for her lie. Not that I’m worried. I’m sure she can do it. All those people asking if they can help us, all those answers we gave them. She’s been practicing for this lie all day.