Chapters (93)
- Cover
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Books by Kelly Yang
- Back Ad
- About the Publisher
I race down the hall, wiping my sweaty, humiliated fingers on my pants, as I try to catch up with Mr. Connelly after practice. I fly straight into Zach. My books drop out of my arms, and Zach kneels to pick them up.
“What’s wrong?” he asks. “You okay?”
I shake my head. As he hands me back my books, I tell him quietly I didn’t get picked for Snider.
“Because of Heather?” he asks. He scans the hallway for her, and I press my fingers into my books, too embarrassed to tell him, no, it’s because Mr. Connelly hit on me.
Zach shakes his head. “But she cheated! That’s so messed up,” he says.
Ming runs over to us from the band room.
“Dani! Guess what? Mr. Rufus just told me he managed to get the school to pay for my parents to come to the concert!” Ming announces, lugging her violin case behind her. Her happy news is absorbed by the fog on my face.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
Ming puts her violin case down. “Is it Mr. Connelly?” she asks.
I nod, my chin quivering.
She takes me by the arm and leads me over to a quiet corner so we can talk as Zach calls out, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Later that day, I go to see my college counselor, Mr. Matthews. It’s time I tell someone. I’m always saying to Ming and Claire to fight back. I can’t let Mr. Connelly take this from me. Mr. Matthews looks up at me from his desk, confused.
“I’m sorry, when did this happen?” he asks, massaging his neck. Mr. Matthews is a tall, thin man with an unusually veiny neck that he likes to hold, like a hand warmer, when he talks to people.
“A week and a half ago, in Seattle,” I say.
Mr. Matthews frowns. “And you’re saying Mr. Connelly came on to you?” he asks. “Where? At the tournament?”
“At a bar.”
Mr. Matthews takes his hands off his neck and scolds me, “Dani, you know you’re not supposed to be going into bars.”
“Mr. Connelly dragged me there,” I tell him.
“He dragged you,” Mr. Matthews repeated, like he didn’t believe me.
I nodded.
Mr. Matthews gives me a serious look. “Dani, these are serious allegations you’re making. If Mr. Connelly really did what you say he did, you’ll need to tell Mrs. Mandalay, and there would be a formal investigation.”
I gaze down at my lap, wavering. I think about what Mr. Connelly said to me in the stairway. I’m silent for long enough that Mr. Matthews lowers his tone.
“Look, I know you’re upset about not making it to Snider. But just because you didn’t get picked . . . ,” he starts to say. His voice trails off.
Wow.
I walk out of his office.