“No, this isn’t what I need!” he said, and this time, he didn’t care that he was saying it aloud. “I need Sal, now!”

He tried opening and closing the door a few times, but he was always back at his own school.

Héctor hit his forehead with an open hand. Why hadn’t he gotten Sal’s phone number? Then at least he could have texted them!

The bell for homeroom rang out, and Héctor groaned. Later, he told himself. I’ll come back to the Room and hopefully Juliana will be there. She’ll want to help. I have to do this!

Héctor rushed off to class, his heart alight with possibility. He was going to make this work.

Chapter Thirty-One

Unfortunately, Héctor’s plan was delayed.

When Héctor went looking for it again, the Room was nowhere to be found. Thankfully, Mike and the Minions (was it Minion, now that Carlos had told Mike off?) left him alone, too; perhaps that was why the Room never bothered to show up. It wasn’t there when he tried to find it after Mrs. Caroline’s class on Thursday, nor did it appear when he asked Mr. Holiday if he could leave a few minutes before the end of gym on Friday.

And since it was Friday, he wouldn’t be able to look for it again until Monday. That weekend, he was restless and nervous. He was mostly stuck at home, too, jumping from one assignment to another. But his attention kept drifting, and it sometimes felt impossible for him to concentrate on anything.

He could barely stay still at dinner Sunday night, and he stuffed himself with four tamales in under fifteen minutes. “Nieto, I see your hunger waits for no one tonight,” Abuela said. “I know you like my tamales, pero . . .”

“Just . . . feeling better,” he said.

And it wasn’t a lie.

“Well, you know what I always say.” Abuela smiled from ear to ear.

“Oh, I do,” said Papi. “Barriga llena—”

“—corazón contento,” Abuela finished.

Okay, yes, he did have a full stomach. But was his heart content?

No. Not yet. By that evening, Héctor was certain the Room wouldn’t keep him from his friends. His idea to help Sal was too good, and they needed it!

When Monday morning finally rolled around, he was all nerves as he arrived at school. Unfortunately, he didn’t find the Room before the first bell. After English was over, he knew he had a few minutes before his pre-algebra class started at nine forty-five. Rushing past Mike, who called something out that Héctor did not hear, he sent a silent request into the school:

I need Sal and Juliana.

He turned round the nearest corner.

And there it was.

Just where he needed it.