BooksBarbecue
Back Parachutes Save as PDF
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

“A vague idea!” My mother laughs. “Here’s a clear one. His father owns Li Incorporated, a massive real estate and telecommunications conglomerate. Half the high-rises in Beijing and Shenzhen are owned by his family.” She sounds practically hyper. I picture her sitting on the terrace, sipping Dom, smiling at the artificial lake next to our villa. “Oh, this is the best possible news! I’m so proud of you, honey! I knew you could do it!”

She gushes as if I’d gotten into Harvard, which of course, in her mind, is what this is.

“You haven’t even asked me yet if I like him . . . ,” I remind her.

My mother laughs. “Guys are like school admissions. Get in first. Then worry if you like them back,” she says. I chuckle. “Your grandmother is going to be so excited.”

“Wait, let’s just not tell everyone just yet,” I say to her. I’m not sure I want to broadcast this before I even know what it is.

“Oh, but we have to tell her!” my mom insists. “Imagine the envy on your aunts’ faces!” She giggles. “Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you. I’m coming in two weeks! I’m meeting Auntie Pearl in New York for shopping, but I have a six-hour layover in LA! We can have dinner! I can finally meet Jay!”

Jay greets me with a smile when I walk to his car after school. He was the first person I texted after my English teacher, Ms. Jones, handed me back my story, the one I’d stayed up all night working on. She’d given me an A and called my writing “raw” and “heartbreaking.” Jay texted back, Show off image. Followed by, Proud of you. He puts his hand on my leg as he drives.

“Keep your eyes on the road,” I tease him.

“My eyes are on the road,” he says. His right hand, however, is sliding up my thigh. I let it rest there and stare down at his hand. He has long piano fingers. I ask him if he plays.

He shrugs. “Doesn’t every Asian kid?” he replies, then starts playing a chord on my thighs.

It kind of tickles, and I wiggle away. I ask if his mom got to the airport okay. He leans over and whispers in my ear, “Yes. And now we have the whole house to ourselves.”

The anticipation flutters inside me as he drives. I tell him my mom’s coming in two weeks and she wants to meet him. Jay takes my hand, kisses it, and says okay. Five minutes later, we arrive at his house.

Walking into the empty house, Jay drops his keys on top of the marble table, then turns and kisses me.