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
Mrs. Mandalay stands up and holds open her door, telling me to go back to class. As I get up to leave, she takes my essay, rips it up, and warns, “I better not find this on another website.”
Forty-Seven
Claire
I text Jess as Jay and I drive up and down Balboa Island, a tiny island in Newport Beach with waterfront houses, sailboats, and idyllic streets. Jay leans over and kisses my cheek, and I want so desperately to forget what happened, to lose myself in this picture-perfect postcard. But the question nags at my brain, who are those other girls?
They’re probably just his exes, big deal! Jess texts back. He deleted them for you! That’s so good!
But 129?! How does he have that many?! I text back.
He probably didn’t sleep with them all!
Three dots appear.
If he did, she texts, then DAMN. He probably has great technique!
I peer over at Jay. He flashes me a smile, and I feel my anger soften. It’s difficult staying mad at him when I’m in a place this beautiful and I’m cruising down the street with a guy this gorgeous. Who just deleted all his exes for me. Jay pulls over the Lamborghini.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He unbuckles his seat belt and mine. “Get up. We’re switching seats,” he says with a grin. “I’m teaching you how to drive.”
My hands grip my seat belt. “What? Now? Here?”
He pushes up his car door, comes over to my side, and pulls me out of my seat.
“Sure, why not,” he says. “You couldn’t ask for more peaceful streets.”
Reluctantly, I walk over to the other side and slide into the driver’s seat. As the engine revs, I beg Jay with my eyes.
“Please, I’ve never done this before,” I tell him.
He grins. “You’ve never done a lot of things before. Time to start changing that,” he says with a wink. He pushes a button on the center console to put the car into automatic.
As I release the break and step lightly on the gas, the car flies down the road. I scream and turn to Jay. I really don’t want to crash his car.
“Slow down. You’re doing fine,” Jay says. He puts his hands over mine and helps me steer.
The whole time, I’m looking at the road and I’m trying not to freak out. “I don’t think learning to drive in a Lamborghini is a good idea!” I tell him.
“Maybe not, but we’re doing it,” he says.