Yami

Yami is the teenage protagonist of the novel. She grows up with her mother, father, and brother—Cesar—who is only ten months younger than she is. She considers herself closes to her father, so she is devastated when he is deported to Mexico. Once he leaves, Yami begins to feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility for Cesar, because she thinks her mother favors him, and her mother is always insisting that Yami should look out for Cesar and keep him out of trouble.

Yami is very close with her best friend, Bianca, all through elementary school and well into high school. She starts to develop romantic feelings for Bianca, and she realizes she is a lesbian. After finally working up the courage to tell Bianca, Bianca betrays her trust and tells all their mutual friends, then tells Yami she is creepy and makes her feel guilty about...