When the Moon Was Ours

Ivy invites Miel to come over. When Miel refuses, Ivy says that she’ll have her father fire “Samira,” deliberately using Sam’s birth name. Miel understands that Sam’s secret will be revealed if she refuses, so she goes. When she arrives, she sees her first rose in a vase; the sisters want one for each of them before they try using them. They accost Miel about her mother, alluding to rumors that she tried to murder her children. Finally, they show Miel Sam’s birth certificate, which they got from Ms. Owens. Miel leaves, and Peyton follows. Miel confronts her about the help she’s received from Sam, shielding her from stigma of her own. Peyton is unapologetic, and Miel thinks about the anger and judgment Sam will suffer from the people of their town. She baits Peyton about her own relationships, and sees a new rose growing from her skin.

Miel considers cutting away her rose but knows the Bonners will blame her for it. She meets Sam outside, and they kiss. However, Miel worries that her love will incite the Bonner girls further, so she breaks up with him and turns and leaves. Later, the Bonner girls come to her and she allows them to cut away her rose.

At home, Miel and Aracely remain distant. Miel blames herself for Ms. Owens’s vulnerability to the Bonners’ influence, and feels responsible for guarding the truth about Sam. Aracely comes to apologize for her anger. Sam’s mother arrives, looking for Sam; Miel pretends she’s on her way to meet him. After Sam’s mother leaves, Miel goes out to look for Sam and Aracely goes to find Ms. Owens, hoping to restrain her before she shares what she knows.

Sam stands at the bank of the river, hoping that the water will transform him the way it transformed Leandro. If not, he hopes it will make him someone who wants to be a girl. He goes into the water, but Miel finds him and pulls him out. Once Sam recovers, Miel sees that he wasn’t in danger but had gone into the river on purpose. Betrayed, she slaps him.

Miel and Sam process her act of violence and the misunderstanding about Sam’s actions. They argue about their mutual reticence, and Miel accuses Sam of only liking her because she knows his secret. Finally, Miel tells Sam she loves him. Sam responds that he doesn’t love her, because she’s never let him get close enough.

Sam leaves Miel by the river alone, and she takes out her frustration on the water by hitting it. Suddenly, her rose snaps off and disappears. Miel is horrified, believing the Bonner girls will think she did it on purpose. Ivy arrives, revealing that she has been watching, and pulls Miel away. Miel shamefully gives in and lets Ivy lock her in the coffin. Ivy leaves Miel alone. Miel rages that the roses won’t give them their power back, and believes the girls are growing desperate.

Miel isn’t in school the next day. Ivy comes in to pick up Miel’s assignments, saying that Miel is ill. Sam thinks he’s been replaced. In the hallway, he overhears two male students making sexual comments about Miel and begins fighting with them. The vice principal breaks up the fight and leads Sam away. Peyton arrives and intervenes, saying the other student had been making racist comments. Sam gets off with a warning, and Peyton declares them even.

Aracely picks Sam up from school and they argue about Sam’s behavior. He agrees to tell his mother what happened. He considers his feelings for Miel, and asks Aracely to remove his lovesickness. Aracely is appalled, but finally agrees.