Héctor stood over his bike for a while, long after they had turned a corner. By the time he started slowly making his way back to the house, his heart was still racing. He looked over his shoulder constantly: Would Mike be back? Would he find out where Héctor lived?

He wanted to push the thought out of his mind. But when he got to his block, he began to pedal faster and faster. He stopped abruptly two doors down from home and scoped out the block in both directions.

No Mike. No Carlos. No Frank.

Héctor wheeled his bike up to the open garage. He let it fall to the side against the wall, and when he looked at the purple frame, it seemed a little bit duller. Why did Mike have to say anything about it? He was ruining everything that Héctor had.

He pressed the button to close the garage, and soon, he was shrouded in darkness. The plain door that led into his home was nothing like the wooden door to the janitor’s closet, yet he imagined what it would be like if he opened it to the Room. It would have made him feel better, if only for a moment.

Héctor opened it, and there was no Room through the doorway. The hallway that led down to both his and his parents’ bedrooms now had some family portraits. Papi was cooking something savory in the kitchen. Mami hadn’t heard him come in; she was poring over some papers at the table, her back to him.

He kicked off his shoes and left them near the door, then made for his bedroom, hoping to bury himself under his cobija and forget his whole morning.

Chapter Nineteen

By the time Héctor arrived at school on Monday morning, he had a new technique in hand: he would bore Mike away.

He had to do something. All day Sunday, Héctor kept expecting Mike to show up outside his house. Did he even know where Héctor lived? Probably not, but Mike was slowly creeping into every part of his life, and literally nothing had worked before.

Until Héctor had bored Mike at Pecan Park.

Abuela dropped him off near the front steps, where Mike was waiting with his Minions.

He gripped the handle in the car door, and took a deep breath. This would be the first time to test his theory.

And it had to work. He didn’t have anything else.

Abuela must have seen his hesitation. “¿Estás bien, nieto?”

She rested her hand on his leg. He reached down to put his on top of hers.

Tell her.

The voice was so clear, so certain. But it was immediately swallowed by doubt.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, and he smiled ear to ear. “I just spaced out, that’s all.”