BooksBarbecue
Back Parachutes
Chapters (93)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Eight
  11. Nine
  12. Ten
  13. Eleven
  14. Twelve
  15. Thirteen
  16. Fourteen
  17. Fifteen
  18. Sixteen
  19. Seventeen
  20. Eighteen
  21. Nineteen
  22. Twenty
  23. Twenty-One
  24. Twenty-Two
  25. Twenty-Three
  26. Twenty-Four
  27. Twenty-Five
  28. Twenty-Six
  29. Twenty-Seven
  30. Twenty-Eight
  31. Twenty-Nine
  32. Thirty
  33. Thirty-One
  34. Thirty-Two
  35. Thirty-Three
  36. Thirty-Four
  37. Thirty-Five
  38. Thirty-Six
  39. Thirty-Seven
  40. Thirty-Eight
  41. Thirty-Nine
  42. Forty
  43. Forty-One
  44. Forty-Two
  45. Forty-Three
  46. Forty-Four
  47. Forty-Five
  48. Forty-Six
  49. Forty-Seven
  50. Forty-Eight
  51. Forty-Nine
  52. Fifty
  53. Fifty-One
  54. Fifty-Two
  55. Fifty-Three
  56. Fifty-Four
  57. Fifty-Five
  58. Fifty-Six
  59. Fifty-Seven
  60. Fifty-Eight
  61. Fifty-Nine
  62. Sixty
  63. Sixty-One
  64. Sixty-Two
  65. Sixty-Three
  66. Sixty-Four
  67. Sixty-Five
  68. Sixty-Six
  69. Sixty-Seven
  70. Sixty-Eight
  71. Sixty-Nine
  72. Seventy
  73. Seventy-One
  74. Seventy-Two
  75. Seventy-Three
  76. Seventy-Four
  77. Seventy-Five
  78. Seventy-Six
  79. Seventy-Seven
  80. Seventy-Eight
  81. Seventy-Nine
  82. Eighty
  83. Eighty-One
  84. Eighty-Two
  85. Eighty-Three
  86. Eighty-Four
  87. Eighty-Five
  88. Author’s Note
  89. Acknowledgments
  90. About the Author
  91. Books by Kelly Yang
  92. Back Ad
  93. About the Publisher

“Aren’t you going to get anything?” Mrs. Li asks. She looks curiously at my empty hands. I just went shopping with Jess the other day . . .

Mrs. Li puts up a finger. “This is too mass luxury. I get it.”

Mrs. Li glances at Jay and says with a wink, “She has taste.” Her eyes light up. “Let’s go somewhere more boutiquey! I know just the place for you.”

We pile back into the Escalade and Mrs. Li tells the driver to take us to Fred Segal. At 13,000 square feet, Fred Segal can only be described as a mecca for serious fashionistas. My eyes boggle at the dresses, skirts, pants, and shirts, rows upon rows of art—not clothes, art. Mrs. Li snaps up tops, scarves, pencil skirts, and gowns for me. She’s got impeccable taste. Almost every single thing she picks up, I adore.

“You have such a nice figure,” she compliments me. “Stop hiding it in those shapeless boxy pants!”

She thrusts a clingy cashmere turtleneck mini dress in my direction and tells me to go try it on. Jay waits for me outside the changing room. When I step outside, his jaw drops.

“You look amazing,” he says, staring at my legs.

The dress goes only to my thighs.

“Are you sure it’s not too short?” I ask.

“Oh, I’m sure,” he insists. “It’s not too short.”

He snaps his fingers and motions for the sales person to ring it up. “She’s wearing this out,” he tells them as he puts his hand on the small of my back.

When the sales clerks wrap up all the other pieces, I gaze down at the dresses and shirts Mrs. Li handpicked for me. Where am I going to put all this stuff? I rack my brain trying to think of an excuse not to get it all, but then they’ll think I’m cheap and question all the stuff I said at dinner. So I pull out my American Express card and set it down on top of the clothes. Maybe I can ship some of it back to China.

“Oh, what are you doing?” Mrs. Li laughs, slapping my arm lightly.

“She’s sweet,” she says to Jay. With a flutter of her lashes, she lets me know, “I’ve already settled the bill.”

I look at her, so surprised. “You didn’t have to do that!”

I glance over at the total on the receipt the cashier hands Mrs. Li: $5,876. Actually, she kinda did. My dad would have called me up and given me an earful.

Jay drops me off at home later that day with a kiss on the cheek. He has the look on his face of a boy who’s spent the entire day with his mom and finally gets to be alone with his girl. Is that what I am? His girl?

“I’ll see you later?” he asks.

I nod.