“Yes. This one club in particular.” She pulls a flyer out of her textbook. “They meet only once a week. This afternoon, in fact. So it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle. You’d still have the rest of the week free to study.” She must sense my hesitation because she continues, “They’re about to lose a member. And they’re so swamped with commitments, Lari. Joining them would be a great thing to do. What do you think?”

She beams her brightest smile at me.

Mom would never accept it. Any free time goes to studying for college. The only place where she lets me spend any extra time is at Vozes. Even sleep sometimes doesn’t make a lot of sense to her. Sleep later. You’re young. You’d stay up all night watching TV if I let you, so why not studying? All to become the first Ramires to go to college.

I hadn’t given joining a club a thought, but maybe it could be my crumb of freedom this year.

Monday afternoon. Yeah, I like the sound of that.

No one tell Mom.

“Sign me up,” I say with a smile.

“Fantastic!” Pimentel sticks the flyer in my hand, suddenly in a hurry. “I knew I could count on you. And, remember, you have to attend the club until the end of this semester for it to count as extra credit!”

She takes off as fast as Jessie and James getting kicked into the horizon at the end of every Pokémon episode.

I breathe a sigh of relief. The conversation turned out better than I expected. And there are only two months left in the semester.

I turn around to head to my next class when the principal’s door opens again.

I halt, holding my breath.

“We’re not finished. Please, sit down.”

“I already said I’m sorry,” Pedro says, still in her office. “You gave me a demerit. Fine. I don’t care. Can I go now?”

“Sit down.”

Pedro sounds a little exasperated. He’s always played the “I’m too cool for school” role, but the way he’s addressing the principal today is bordering on rude.

He plops down in the chair in front of her desk, forgetting to close the door all the way. I step closer, squeezing myself against the wall.

“...not to mention that you were gone for weeks without giving much notice,” Principal Oliveira continues as if listing his crimes. “I don’t know what to do with you.”

“If you’re going to expel me, better do it quick. I have to head home for work.”

“I’m not going to expel you,” the principal says.

“Why not?”