They Both Die at the End Summary
They Both Die at the End is a young adult science fiction novel by Adam Silvera about Mateo and Rufus, two teenage boys who learn that they have twenty-four hours to live.
- The novel portrays a society marked by a technology known as Death-Cast, which informs citizens of their deaths a day in advance.
- Mateo and Rufus each receive a Death-Cast notice, discover each other through an app, and decide to spend their final hours together.
- Mateo and Rufus say goodbye to those they love, seek new experiences, and begin to fall in love with one another.
Summary
Mateo Torrez receives a call from Death-Cast at 12:22 a.m. The caller informs him that he has less than twenty-four hours to live, officially making him a “decker.”
The news is particularly upsetting for eighteen-year-old Mateo, who has always been afraid of death. Furthermore, his father is currently in a coma, and Mateo is distraught at the realization that he likely will not get to talk with him again. He also laments that he will leave behind his best friend, Lidia, and her one-year-old daughter, Penny, who he worries will not even truly remember him due to her young age.
Seventeen-year-old Rufus Emeterio receives his call from Death-Cast at 1:05 a.m., while he is in the middle of beating up his ex-girlfriend Aimee’s current boyfriend, Patrick “Peck” Gavin. Rufus and his friends, Malcolm and Tagoe, decide to end the beating and return to their foster home so that Rufus can have a proper send-off.
On their way back, Rufus texts Aimee the news, and she agrees to come to his living funeral despite their previous estrangement. However, when Aimee finally arrives, Peck is with her, and he arranges for the police to show up and arrest Rufus for assault. Aimee, Malcolm, and Tagoe help Rufus escape, and he goes on the run.
Rufus and Mateo each decide to download the “Last Friend” app, which connects dying deckers with other people looking to make connections. Rufus and Mateo connect with each other over the app, and they decide to spend their final day together, although Mateo is initially hesitant even to leave his home.
The first stop is at a hospital where Mateo’s comatose father has been residing for the past few weeks. Mateo offers an emotional goodbye, leaving behind a photograph with a note telling his dad how much he loves him.
After stopping to eat, Mateo visits Lidia while Rufus waits in the lobby. Mateo intends to hide from Lidia the fact that he is going to die, but she seems to realize that something is strange after he tells her how amazing she is. Mateo leaves an envelope of cash behind before quickly departing the building with Rufus.
After Rufus helps calm a distraught Mateo, he receives a call from Aimee informing him that Malcolm and Tagoe were arrested when the police arrived at the foster home. Peck told the police that they assisted Rufus during the assault. Rufus is upset that his friends are taking the blame for his actions, and he is furious with Aimee for not breaking up with Peck even after he called the police and ruined Rufus’s funeral.
Mateo, frightened by what he overhears during Rufus and Aimee’s phone call, attempts to run away, but Rufus catches up on his bike. He explains the entire situation to Mateo and describes the assault on Peck as a “glitch” that was out of character for him. He also tells the story of how his entire family died in a car accident four months ago, which is how Rufus ended up in foster care.
Rufus and Mateo then visit a Make a Memory facility, which offers deckers the chance to safely experience thrilling events—such as swimming with sharks—in virtual reality. They decide to try virtual skydiving, but are disappointed by the experience, which lacks any real sense of danger.
After leaving the Make a Memory center, Rufus and Mateo journey to the cemetery where Mateo’s mother is buried. When they arrive, they find Mateo’s grave being dug by a groundskeeper. Undeterred, Mateo tells his mother that he will see her soon, and he and Rufus sit...
(This entire section contains 1156 words.)
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in Mateo’s grave, discussing whether or not fate is what brought them together on their End Days.
After leaving the cemetery, Rufus and Mateo head into town. After leaving a bookshop, they are nearly caught in an explosion caused by a discontented decker who decided to set off a bomb. Shaken by the experience, they ride Rufus’s bike to Althea Park. Rufus gives his bike away to a college student who recently broke his own, content with having had one last ride with Mateo.
After leaving the park, Rufus and Mateo aimlessly ride the subway, talking and observing different parts of the city. Mateo decides to call Lidia, and the three meet up at the World Travel Arena, a major attraction that lets people explore simulations of different travel destinations and attractions. An emboldened Mateo encourages Lidia and Rufus to do the “Rainforest Jump” with him and leap off a cliff into a pool below. Although initially reluctant, Lidia and Rufus agree, and the three gleefully take the plunge together.
Rufus is overjoyed to get a phone call from Malcolm, who has been released from jail along with Tagoe. He tells them and Aimee to meet him at a local dance club for deckers called Clint’s Graveyard.
At the club, Rufus and Mateo sing karaoke together, allowing Mateo to move past his insecurities. They share a kiss and express their mutual appreciation for the day they have spent together. Seeing that his friends have arrived, Rufus gleefully introduces Aimee, Malcolm, and Tagoe to Mateo and Lidia. However, the joyful reunion is cut short when Peck and his previous gang arrive. Peck holds Rufus at gunpoint, but Mateo sneaks up behind Peck and punches him in the face. This allows Rufus and his friends to subdue Peck, allowing Rufus and Mateo to flee the club together.
Mateo and Rufus decide to spend the rest of their time at Mateo’s apartment. Mateo plays the piano and sings for Rufus, and they promise to find each other in the afterlife. They confess their burgeoning love for one another, lamenting that they didn’t meet sooner. Rufus and Mateo then fall asleep in each other’s arms, promising to remain safe in bed together.
When Mateo wakes up, he breaks his promise to Rufus by going to the kitchen to make tea. However, he forgets that the stove is broken, and turning on the burner causes it to go up in flames. Rufus wakes up to the fire alarm going off, and he pulls Mateo’s body out of the burning apartment, begging him to wake up. However, the paramedics pronounce Mateo dead.
Rufus is taken to the hospital, where he refuses medical treatment, knowing he will die soon anyways. Instead, he informs his friends and Lidia about Mateo’s death, before deciding to visit Mateo’s father. Rufus tells him about how brave Mateo was in overcoming his fears and insecurities. He writes a note directing Mateo’s father to his Instagram page, where Rufus has posted photos from their day together.
After leaving the hospital, Rufus decides to return to Althea Park. However, while watching a video he took of Mateo singing for him, he forgets to look both ways before stepping out into the road.
