Sal mostly coughed out an affirmation, and Héctor held them. “I’m sorry you’re going through something,” he said. “If there’s anything I can do, I’m here.”

“That’s the worst part,” sobbed Sal. “You literally can’t do anything.”

“Why is that?”

Sal leaned away and took a few deep breaths to calm down. “I didn’t think they’d actually do it,” they said. “But I got to school this morning, and the trucks were already there.”

Héctor scratched at his head. “I don’t get it.”

“They didn’t close down my library,” said Sal, and the tears came back again. “They tore it down.”

“What? Like . . . literally tore it down?”

Sal nodded. “No one could save it. They boxed up all the books, stuck them in some ugly metal container out behind the gym, and then . . . I don’t know. The building is just gone.”

Héctor shook his head. “Why destroy the whole building?”

Sal sniffled. “To make more room for the athletic fields. Or at least, that’s what they told us.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

Sal wiped at their face again. “You know, some of us tried to save it. My parents are great; they got a bunch of other parents to sign a petition, and there was this big meeting with the school board or something last month. I even threw a bake sale last week, but . . .” Sal sighed. “None of it was enough.”

None of it was enough.

That was too relatable for Héctor, though for entirely different reasons. Everything he tried to do to resolve his own problem—tell Ms. Heath the truth, stand up to Mike and his Minions, make new friends—wasn’t solving anything. The same nightmare remained.

None of it was enough.

“Well,” said Héctor, “why don’t you just use the Room when you need the library?”

“It’s not the same,” said Sal. “Plus, I can’t control when it shows up. What happens if I need the library but can’t find the Room?”

“Oh, that’s a good point,” said Héctor.

“So I need something else.” Sal sighed. “I just don’t know what that is.”

Sal leaned their head until it rested on Héctor’s shoulder. Why didn’t he have any answers? He felt so helpless.

“Sometimes, the world stinks,” said Héctor. “And I wish I could fix everything for you.”

“I know,” said Sal. “And I know things haven’t been easy for you, either. I hope I’m not being weird about all of this.”

“Not at all! Why would you think that?”

“After yesterday,” Sal said, “I just want to be more careful. That’s all.”

“I appreciate that,” said Héctor. “You want some horchata? It always makes me feel a little better.”