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 reach for my backpack and start walking out of the auditorium. I can’t believe he did it this way. He could have sent an email. He could have written to the organizers and tried to add more people. Instead, he had to turn everyone against me. Heather comes charging after me. She catches up with me in the hallway, grabbing my backpack and pulling me to a stop.
“What the hell did you do?” she demands to know.
“Nothing!” I say. My eyes shift to all my teammates standing behind her.
“Nothing, my ass! He just gave you my spot!” Heather exclaims. She points a finger at me. “My mom’s going to have a word with Mrs. Mandalay about this, and when she finds out—”
“Mrs. Mandalay already knows,” I cry.
“Knows what?” Gloria asks. My teammates’ eyes burrow into me.
I shake my head, trying to keep it together. Then decide, fuck it. Better they hear it from me than from the headmistress. Slowly, I back up against the wall, my body sliding down to the cold white floor as I tell them what happened in Seattle.
I stare at their shoes, Common Projects and Gucci Aces, as I wait for them to respond. Gloria speaks first.
“You never mentioned anything when we were up there,” she says quietly.
“Yeah, and you debated so well the next day,” Josh adds.
I know where this line of reasoning is going. As I look up at their disbelieving faces against the harsh fluorescent lights, I grab my backpack and run.
My mom is in the kitchen, putting away her groceries, when I get home. I fall face-first onto the couch.
“You want pinakbet tonight? You think Claire would like that?” she calls out.
I can’t think about food right now. I just want to build a fort of sofa cushions and curl up inside.
My mom pokes her head out from the kitchen. “Or how about batchoy? That’s probably easier,” she says.
I close my eyes. For once, I wish she was out cleaning. Anywhere but here.
My mom walks over. “Hey what’s wrong?” she asks.
What’s wrong? My teammates didn’t believe me! They think I made up what happened to me just so I can go to Snider!
She looks into my eyes. “Dani, whatever it is, you can tell me.”
No, I can’t. Because if I tell her, she won’t let me go to Snider with Mr. Connelly. And then I won’t be able to go to Yale. And I won’t be able to change our lives.
“Everything’s fine, Mom,” I say, getting up and going to my room. I hear her walking over, but I close the door before she can come in. I stand against the door, crying silently, listening to her worried breathing on the other side before she finally retreats back to the kitchen.