Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe — Carlos Hernandez. Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents the sequel to the critically acclaimed Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, a brilliant sci-fi romp with Cuban influence. Among many other challenges, Sal and Gabi have to try to make everything right with our world when there is a rogue Gabi from another universe running loose. Sal Vidon doesn't want to live a Mami-free life. Pulling different versions of his mother from other universes is how he copes with missing his own, who died years ago. But Sal's father, a calamity physicist, is trying to shut down all the wormholes Sal creates, because Papi thinks they are eroding the very fabric of our world. All of Papi's efforts are in vain, however, because a Gabi from another universe has gone rogue and is popping up all over the place, seeking revenge for the fact that her world has been destroyed. While Sal and Gabi work together to keep both Papi and Rogue Gabi under control, they also have to solve the mystery of Yasmany, who has gone missing from school. Could it have something to do with the wormhole in the back of his locker? Readers who enjoyed Sal and Gabi Break the Universe will relish being back in the world of Culeco Academy and the Coral Castle along with such unforgettable characters as American Stepmom, the Gabi-Dads, Principal Torres, and the sassy entropy sweeper. With multiple Sals and Gabis in charge, it's no wonder this sequel offers even more hilarious weirdness and love than the first book. Sal And Gabi Fix The Universe (A Sal And Gabi Novel, Book 2) by Carlos Hernandez. Among many other challenges, Sal and Gabi have to try to make everything right with our world when there is a rogue Gabi from another universe running loose. Sal Vidon doesn’t want to live a Mami-free life. Pulling different versions of his mother from other universes is how he copes with missing his own, who died years ago. But Sal’s father, a calamity physicist, is trying to shut down all the wormholes Sal creates, because Papi thinks they are eroding the very fabric of our world. All of Papi’s efforts are in vain, however, because a Gabi from another universe has gone rogue and is popping up all over the place, seeking revenge for the fact that her world has been destroyed. While Sal and Gabi work together to keep both Papi and Rogue Gabi under control, they also have to solve the mystery of Yasmany, who has gone missing from school. Could it have something to do with the wormhole in the back of his locker? Readers who enjoyed Sal and Gabi Break the Universe will relish being back in the world of Culeco Academy and the Coral Castle along with such unforgettable characters as American Stepmom, the Gabi-Dads, Principal Torres, and the sassy entropy sweeper. Latinxs in Kid Lit. Exploring the world of Latinx YA, MG, & children's literature. Book Review: Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. (Left: The paperback cover of Sal & Gabi Break the Universe with the 2020 Pura Belpré Award sticker. Right: The sequel, Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe, released May 5, 2020.) Review by Toni Margarita Plummer. DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK: Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents a brilliant sci-fi romp with Cuban influence that poses this question: What would you do if you had the power to reach through time and space and retrieve anything you want, including your mother, who is no longer living (in this universe, anyway)? How did a raw chicken get inside Yasmany’s locker? When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn’t under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal’s office for the third time in three days, and it’s still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany’s locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared. Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on a talent no one would guess . . . except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick. When Gabi learns that he’s capable of conjuring things much bigger than a chicken—including his dead mother—and she takes it all in stride, Sal knows that she is someone he can work with. There’s only one slight problem: their manipulation of time and space could put the entire universe at risk. A sassy entropy sweeper, a documentary about wedgies, a principal who wears a Venetian bauta mask, and heaping platefuls of Cuban food are just some of the delights that await in his mind-blowing novel gift-wrapped in love and laughter. MY TWO CENTS: This is Carlos Hernandez’s first middle grade novel, published by the Rick Riordan Presents imprint at Disney. The imprint publishes books which draw from the mythology or folklore of underrepresented cultures. Unlike other books they’ve published, and Rick Riordan’s own books, Sal & Gabi Break the Universe doesn’t involve a half-god protagonist and aloof or sinister gods. Hernandez isn’t drawing from any mythology for his fantasy world, but rather from science and the idea of parallel universes, which is really refreshing. The Cuban aspect is there, absolutely. The book is set in Miami and we see Cuban culture everywhere, from the language to the food to the mannerisms. Sal is the best and most charming narrator we can hope for, taking us on a vibrant journey as he starts at a new school in a new city. Culeco Academy of the Arts is not Hogwarts. There’s no magic or super powers. But artistic and creative kids will be itching to enroll! Students take classes in Textile Arts (costumes!), Health Science and the Practice of Wellness (rock-climbing!), and Theater Workshop (dancing, puppets, kata!). Detention is one big educational party. An important but not defining part of Sal’s character is that he has diabetes, and we see how that affects his life and choices in very concrete ways. Some of the characters, including a teacher, need to be educated on what having diabetes means. Once they get it, they see that although he has some limitations, Sal is a kid just like any other. Scratch that. He’s a talented magician who always has a trick up his sleeve, especially his GOTCHA! stamp. Oh, and he can also open portals into other universes. What stands out most in the novel are the relationships. Sal’s classmate, Gabi, a future lawyer, is a fantastic character who wears her feminism proudly and literally (all her T-shirts bear inspiring lines from women). The friendship she and Sal build is tentative at first, but cements over the course of the novel. It’s a beautiful thing to witness these two resilient and utterly delightful young people join forces to help each other. The relationships they have with their families are also wonderfully rendered. Sal lives in a big house he calls the Coral Castle with scientist Papi and principal American Stepmom who likes to say, “Phew!” Gabi spends a lot of time with her mother and her many Dads (an entertaining lot!) at the hospital, where her baby brother is in the NICU. I loved the interactions between these families as well. It’s all so intriguing, in fact, that whatever cosmic danger is brewing due to not-closing portals seems to take a back seat. And despite the book’s title, nothing catastrophic actually happens. One word of caution: Sal’s mother passed away some years ago and he misses her so much that sometimes he inadvertently brings back an alternate Mami, who he calls Mami Muerta. If you are considering giving this to a child who has lost a parent or someone else close, you may want to consider how that particular child will respond to this aspect of the story. On the one hand, it’s maybe comforting, and mind-expanding, to think your loved one exists in other universes, just slightly different. On the other, it could be a little unnerving. Sal’s grief over his late mother is very real and sympathetic, as are his conflicted feelings about wanting her back while also knowing that his father has moved on and is very much in love with his new wife, who happens to be a lovely woman. There is a lot of compassion to go around in this novel. Even the bully gets a chance to show there’s more to him than what meets the eye. Carlos Hernandez has created a universe infused with possibility, with love, and with acceptance. It’s a place that holds both true sadness and genuine laughs. This debut is an engaging and fun-filled read for middle schoolers. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Carlos Hernandez has published more than thirty works of fiction, poetry, and drama, most notably a book of short stories for adults entitled The Assimilated Cuban’s Guide to Quantum Santeria . He is an English professor at City University of New York, and he loves to both play games and design them. He lives with his wife, Claire, in Queens, New York. ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Toni Margarita Plummer is a Macondista and the author of the story collection The Bolero of Andi Rowe . She hails from South El Monte, a working-class suburb of Los Angeles, and works as an acquiring editor at an independent publisher in New York City. Toni lives with her family in the Hudson Valley. Snapshot Review: Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. “How did a raw chicken get inside Yasmany’s locker? When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn’t under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal’s office for the third time in three days, and it’s still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany’s locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared. Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on a talent no one would guess . . . except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick. When Gabi learns that he’s capable of conjuring things much bigger than a chicken–including his dead mother–and she takes it all in stride, Sal knows that she is someone he can work with. There’s only one slight problem: their manipulation of time and space could put the entire universe at risk. A sassy entropy sweeper, a documentary about wedgies, a principal who wears a Venetian bauta mask, and heaping platefuls of Cuban food are just some of the delights that await in this mind-blowing novel gift-wrapped in love and laughter.” “The entire back of the locker had become a portal into another world. I could see across dimensions into a whole new reality. Who knew what bizarre aliens lived there, what strange lived they led, what mind-blowing powers and technology they had?” Sal – This kid had me laughing out loud for almost the entirety of the book. He’s mischievous, sometimes sarcastic, and has a knack for getting into trouble (then talking his way out of it). What I really loved about him was how open he was to being wrong. It was so refreshing to see a young male character not let pride get in the way when it came to apologizing. Diabetes – I think this is the first time I’ve read a book about a character with diabetes and I’m so glad it was a middle grade novel. There is something about this age group that is so open that you know how important such a storyline will be for readers. Gabi – Gabi is fierce and stubborn. She’s smart and unafraid to challenge things she doesn’t understand (like Sal). I definitely want her in my corner. Family is so important to her and I love how she embraces her judgmental side with regard to them. She will judge you based on whether you accept her family for who they are. Light and heavy topics – The humor in the novel made me smile more times than I can count, but the emotional aspects are what kept me reading. Sal is still dealing with the death of his mother. His ability to pull things from other universes has intersected with his grief and sometimes he accidentally brings another version of his mother into his world. There is also Gabi’s storyline about her newborn baby brother being in the ICU. Both are handle with a lot of care and I really appreciated seeing the uncertainty and fierceness of these young characters when faced with issues that would make most adults crumble. Different familial dynamics – There are some unconventional familial relationships in this one and some that defy stereotypes. One such relationship that really stood out to me was Sal’s relationship with his stepmother. I loved their interactions and how she was never a roadblock for Sal’s growth but just another adult in his life who was always in his corner. The adults – I adored so many adult characters in this one. Loved that they didn’t hold the kid characters back, but were still ever-present. They didn’t talk down to child characters, but loved them and wanted what was best. Conflict – As much as I adored this one, I do think it could have done with a little more conflict to drive the plot. Carlos Hernandez’s Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is a fun middle grade SFF novel with charming characters who always manage to get themselves in the best kind of trouble. I cannot wait to read the sequel. Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. “How can I take it if Iggy—?” But she didn’t finish. Instead, her face was lit from within by an idea. “Oh!” said Gabi, her hands dropping to her side. “This is how it happened.” I bunched my eyebrows. “How what happened?” “How you broke the universe.” I was about to complain, but she corrected herself. “No, not broke. Broke through. To other universes. To see your mami again.” I nodded. “And now I can’t seem to stop.” The machines suddenly came alive, singing a choir song of bleep-blep-bop. We looked all around, scared something bad was happening. But the machines went back to their normal conversations in a few seconds, and Nurse Sotolongo didn’t come charging in. Everything was okay for now. Gabi stared hard at Iggy. Her fingers clawed at the top of the incubator. “I mean, what if you don’t need to stop? What if you just have to learn the right way to do it?” I thought of Other Gladis’s Sal. “Maybe?” And then I added, “Today I snorted a calamitron.” I laughed and then gave her a fifteen-minute lesson on calamity physics, which, trust me, covered pretty much everything anyone knows about it. Ask Papi if you don’t believe me. I could see why teachers liked Gabi. The longer I calamity-splained, the more excited she became. At the end of my lecture, Gabi gripped my arms. “Do you know what this means, Sal?” I looked at each of her hands until, one by one, she let go. “No. But I am sure you’re going to tell me.” “It means you can fix the universe!” She did a skip-twirl-dance around the incubator. Then, collecting herself, she stopped, and, putting both hands on the incubator and peering in, she became suddenly thoughtful. “We need to conduct more experiments immediately.” “I can show you on Monday, before first period.” I suddenly remembered the entropy sweeper. I’d been so distracted by my conversation with Principal Torres that I’d forgotten all about it. I should probably try to get it from school before Papi missed it. “Or maybe sooner?” “Maybe?!” Gabi said, the fighter jets in her hair scrambling wildly. “Are you kidding? We’re going now! Right now! This very second!” GABI HAD A WAY of making me feel like a seven-year-old. I mean, I didn’t have a MagicCarp.et app that I could use to call for a car anytime I wanted. I couldn’t, because you need a credit card to make that app work, and the padres’ response to my request for a credit card had gone pretty much like this: SAL ASKS HIS PADRES FOR A CREDIT CARD. Scene: Sal, a perfect son, asks his parents for a credit card. AMERICAN STEPMOM: [snorts] AMERICAN STEPMOM: [snorts] But it’s also the way Gabi talked to her parents. We went back to the waiting room to ask if we could leave for a while. “Hey, adulting types,” said Gabi. “Sal and I need to go back to Culeco for a few minutes.” “Back to Culeco?” American Stepmom started. “At this hour?” “At all hours!” said Ms. Reál. “Gabi practically lives there. She’s a very hands-on student council president.” “Oh,” said American Stepmom. “But the school will be closed, won’t it?” “Principal Torres gave her keys so she can come and go as she pleases,” said Lightning Dad. “Gabi practically runs that school.” “Gave her keys? Really?!” I don’t know if the others got this, but American Stepmom, who was herself an assistant principal, had I would never in a million years give keys to the school to one of my students! written all over her face. Cari-Dad smiled and sighed. “Kids today. They’re so much more involved and active in their schools! Don’t kids today seem smarter than we were?” Grizzly Dad’ums nodded. “All I did was play soccer and video games back then.” “I got into lots of trouble when I was first being programmed,” said Dad: The Final Frontier. She blinked as she remembered good times. “Oh, the humans I annihilated.” When she saw everybody’s face in the room, she added quickly, “What? Too soon?” Ms. Reál looked dreamily at the ceiling. “All I did was fantasize about dating everybody,” she said. “And I mean everybody.” She turned to Papi. “And what about you, Gustavo? What were you like as a child?” “I was like Sal,” said Papi. “A little too smart for my own good.” American Stepmom was looking around impatiently. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to let the kids go to Culeco this late.” Ms. Reál laughed. She immediately regretted it and then, recovering fast, cleared her throat and put on a face that was six times more serious than it needed to be. “And why do you think that, Lucy?” “Well,” American Stepmom said carefully, “because it’s nighttime. I don’t think kids should be walking the streets of Miami at all hours.” Gabi raised her hand eagerly, waving it around like she was shipwrecked on an island and a ship was passing by. American Stepmom, confused, wasn’t sure what do to. She looked around, and all the Gabi dads signaled with their heads that she should call on Gabi. So she did. “Yes, Gabi?” Gabi straightened her clothes and, as formally as if making a speech in English class, said, “We will not be walking the streets, as I will summon a car to convey us to and from our destination. I will pay for the car using my own money, so Sal need not ask you for any kind of bus fare or what have you. I promise that our business at Culeco will be completed by nine p.m., and that, barring any accident of fate, we will return to the hospital by nine-thirty. If any mishap occurs, I will send a group text to apprise you all of our situation and our new ETA. I hope you find these terms acceptable, and I remain open to discussing and negotiating any additional terms that would increase the comfort of all parties involved. Thank you very much for your time and consideration in this matter.” When Gabi finished, Reina and the Gabi dads burst into applause. “Very convincing!” said Dada-ist. “Who could say no to that?” asked Dada-dada-dada-dada Dadman! Then everybody in the room turned to American Stepmom to see if she actually would say no. “Um, well,” said American Stepmom, “that’s very thorough. I guess that’s okay.” The room exploded into applause again. “Thank you!” said Gabi, running up to American Stepmom and hugging her. American Stepmom hugged her back sincerely. I could see it happening in her face. She was falling under Gabi’s spell now, too. “Just one question,” Papi added. “What are you actually going to be doing at school? You never told us.” I am so glad everyone was looking at Gabi and not me. I could feel my face start to glow with guilt. But Gabi? She had her answer ready. More specifically, Gabi told Papi we were doing a science experiment, that it had to be done at Culeco, before Monday, and that the equipment we needed was at school. “All true,” Gabi added as she took out her Culeco keycard and unlocked the front doors to our school. Her fighter-jet barrettes caught moonbeams and turned to smears of blue-white light in her hair. She had also changed her shirt before we left. This one read: “WHEN I’M GOOD, I’M VERY GOOD, BUT WHEN I’M BAD, I’M BETTER.”—MAE WEST. “Totally,” I agreed. “Those are the best kind of lies.” She turned around, her hand still on the door handle. “What? I didn’t lie. Everything I said was the truth.” “Haven’t your padres ever yelled at you for ‘lies of omission’?” “My parents don’t yell at me,” she sniffed. “Yeah, well, if my papi finds out what we’re really doing here, we’re both gonna get yelled at.” Gabi, slightly offended, I think, stood as straight as she could. “We are about to conduct a scientific experiment, just like your dad does. Science is g ood, right? Plus, we’re doing it for the best possible reason. We’re trying to save the universe here, Sal! We are good people for doing this!” “Don’t have to convince me.” I cut in front of her to grab the door handle and open the door for her. “After you, m’lady.” Gabi’s British accent was terrible. “M’yes, a-thank you!” She started to walk in— —when I thought of something. I grabbed her arm. “The cameras!” Gabi looked at my hand like I’d just wiped all the slobber from a Saint Bernard’s mouth on her sleeve. I let go. Still using her really bad British accent, she said, “M’thar’s nothing for you to be worried about, Sal. The cameras aren’t on.” Blink. Blink. And one more blink. “What do you mean they’re not on?” She smiled proudly. “I, with the help of the student council, thought the cameras created an atmosphere of mistrust and unduly infringed on students’ rights to privacy. We voted to have the cameras deactivated at the end of last year, and Principal Torres agreed to turn them off. She’s a very reasonable woman, you know.” I quickly reviewed all the trouble those nonoperational cameras had caused me over my first week of school and, using yet another of my meditation techniques, popped the anger each memory brought with it like a balloon. Then, after a big juicy sigh, I said, “Great. No cameras. Makes our lives easier. After you, m’lady?” I bowed and gestured for her to go in already. She started to, but then she took a step backward and, really seeing it for the first time, asked, “Why are you wearing that stupid hat, Sal?” She was talking about my rainbow LED hat. I turned it on and tipped it toward her. “The better to see you with. And where we’re going.” And then, deciding that Gabi could hold her own door, I charged past her and went inside. She followed right behind, trying hard not to giggle when she said, “You look like a unicorn and a Christmas tree had a baby.” But she could barely finish without cracking herself up again. Loudly. “Do you mind?” I shushed. “We’re trying to carry out a secret operation here?” “Sorry,” she said, and capped her mouth with her hand. Which only made her start laughing again. “But it doesn’t matter. It’s not like anyone else is here.” Thanks to my hat, which was an excellent tool and a very smart investment, we didn’t need to flip any light switches. I glowed like a god through those hallways, thank you very much. We took the stairs up a floor and prowled over to Mrs. Waked’s classroom. Gabi used her keycard to get us inside. I really needed to get me one of those. Well, at least now it was my turn to surprise her. I pulled the entropy sweeper out from its hiding place in the costume rack. As soon as it felt my hand on it, it cycled through colors like a baseball scoreboard. “I’m alive!” it proclaimed. “I’m alive!” “Whoa!” said Gabi. “Are you really alive?” “No,” the sweeper said sadly. “I’m only a class-eight AI. That means I always want to cry at weddings, but I can’t.” “Because you don’t have human emotions?” “No. Because I don’t have a face.” And it displayed an unhappy-face emoji on its handlebars. I tried to tell Gabi that laughing at the sweeper’s jokes would only encourage it, but did she listen? After introductions—the entropy sweeper seemed to be half in love with Gabi already and insisted she be the one to carry it—we walked up another flight of stairs and down the hall to our target: Yasmany’s locker. Zip-zip-zip and I opened it. “I think the hole’s a little smaller,” said Gabi. “I mean, I think it is. Is it?” I turned my head sideways. “Maybe a little? I can’t really tell.” “I can! It’s smaller!” said the entropy sweeper. “The dismembranation index of this space-time rupture was thirty-seven when I measured it this morning. Now it’s thirty-six.” “Good machine!” said Gabi, petting the sweeper. “Ahhhhhhhhhh,” said the sweeper. Needy little thing. “Thirty-six,” I repeated. It took me a second to remember why that number was important. “That’s how many calamitrons you said were left in the hallway today.” “Um, yeah,” said the sweeper. “And thirty-six is less than thirty-seven. Very good, Sal.” And then, whispering loudly, it added, “Geez, Gabi. This Sal kid isn’t the sharpest cheddar in the dairy aisle, is he?” I ignored it. “So all I have to do is snort up the rest of them, and the hole will close, right?” “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” said the sweeper. All the sarcasm was gone from its voice. Now it sounded a heck of a lot like Papi. “We don’t know what calamitrons will do to human tissue. They could act like radiation and make you sick, or worse.” “Or maybe they’ll give me superpowers!” “Dude,” Gabi cacaseca’ed, “you can steal stuff from other universes. You’re good on superpowers.” “The point is, we don’t know what will happen. We have to be smart or brave. But which is the right one right now? To snort, or not to snort?” Neither Gabi nor the entropy sweeper had a response to that. And neither of them thought my ingesting calamitrons was a good idea. The way they buzzed, changed colors, and slowly spun their propellers told me how worried they were for me. Well, that was mostly the entropy sweeper, but Gabi looked worried, too. But I was the one who kept breaking the universe. I had to be the one to fix it. “Here goes nothing,” I said. And then I sucked air with all my might. “Thirty-five!” said the entropy sweeper. “The hole’s smaller!” said Gabi, peering into the locker. “I can definitely tell this time.” I inhaled again, bigly. “Thirty-three!” said the sweeper. “You got two that time!” “It’s working!” I said. “I can close the hole!” And I exhaled all the air in my lungs to get ready to fix everything with one mighty suck. Just as I started to inhale, Gabi ran over to me and pinched my nose shut. I looked at her fingers cross-eyed. “Not yet,” she said. “We need to be scientific. You’ve popped four calamitrons so far today. How do you feel?” I said with a pinched-nose voice, “Fine. I feel fine.” And I really did. Maybe a little gassy, but that was from all the Cuban food I’d eaten back at the hospital. I really liked Reina Reál’s black beans. Gabi didn’t all-the-way believe me. “Let’s get Nurse Sotolongo to check you out before you pig out on any more calamitrons.” “Listen to her, Sal,” said the machine, its voice shaky with worry. I gave in with a sigh. “Fine,” I said. “Now, can you let go of my nose?” We had two more places to search for calamitrons before we headed back to the hospital: in the multipurpose room, where I’d switched the climbing wall, and in the first-floor restroom, where that other Sal had switched Gladises. The multipurpose room was closer, so, with Gabi carrying her new BFF, the entropy sweeper, we headed there first. But when we arrived, we saw through the door’s windows that a light was on inside. We slowed down, and stopped in front of the door. Then we looked at each other. “Are we there yet?” said the very loud entropy sweeper, letting every ax murderer and serial killer in the building know exactly where we were. Gabi and I both jumped in the air like cats. “Humans,” the machine grumbled. “Even the nice ones turn on you.” I reached over and turned off the sweeper. Then, signaling to Gabi with my head, we both pressed our noses to the window to have a look. Inside, someone had stacked the gym mats into a big pile and made a blanket out of the mats’ canvas cover. A half-deflated football lay at one end like a pillow. And resting against the football pillow was a shaggy pink teddy bear with hearts for eyes. “Oso Amoroso,” gasped Gabi. > That means “Bear of Love.” The name of the teddy, probably. But how the heck did Gabi know that? “What?” I asked her. She didn’t answer. Her face was volcanoing with blood, and she began to shake with rage. She walked a step away from the door and turned around. Then she pulled her phone out of her pocket and used voice-to-text to send someone a message. This is what she said: “Guess where I am standing question mark I am standing in front of the all caps MULTIPURPOSE all caps ROOM comma and guess what I just saw through the window question mark I saw capital Oso capital Amoroso sleeping on a football pillow and a bed made of those gross gym mats period new line new line You are my friend period You are supposed to tell me when you need help period This is all caps COMPLETELY unacceptable period new line new line Write me back all caps THIS all caps INSTANT and tell me where you are period send.” Carefully, politely, I peeked over Gabi’s shoulder to see whom she’d sent that message to. When I saw, I gasped. But Gabi didn’t respond. She just stared at her phone, trying to force it to send her a response. “Write me back,” she said, her teeth clenched. “A curse upon your mother’s head. Write me!” And then, a second later, Yasmany did. In bathroom dang how you find me. YASMANY STOOD OUTSIDE the first-floor bathroom, brushing his teeth, as we walked toward him. He had on a Miami Heat tank top, a rolled towel draped over his shoulders, and striped old-man pajama bottoms that he’d rolled up to his calves. He was barefoot. His feet were as big as rakes. He didn’t look happy to see us. He scrubbed his molars and scowled as we approached. I could feel Gabi tensing up. I walked a step behind her, my hands in my pockets, clutching trick props and ready for anything. She got right under Yasmany’s chin and handed the entropy sweeper back to me. He stopped brushing but didn’t take his fist off the toothbrush. “Well,” Gabi began. Her voice caught, though, so she had to swallow back a sob before she went on. “This isn’t the gentlest way you could have let me know that you didn’t want to be my friend anymore, Yasmany. But you’ve never been very gentle, have you? No, no one would ever accuse you of being a gentleman. But I suppose it’s best to know these things, rather than wallow under misapprehensions. So, fine. I understand now. I won’t bother you anymore.”