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
Jay comes up to me at school on Monday and pulls me aside. I had texted him last night saying, I think we need to take a break.
“Please don’t do this,” he says. He puts his arms around me. Everyone is staring at us. Jess, Nancy, and Florence try to usher us into an empty classroom, but my feet remain stubbornly glued to the pavement. Jay seems oblivious to the many eyeballs on us and talks to me as if we’re the only two people in the courtyard.
“Claire, I’m sorry,” he says. “But you’re the one who’s always making me wait. And I got mad.”
Jess covers her eyes with her arm, like this is too much to watch.
He pulls me in for another hug. “Please, Claire,” he says. I feel his neediness in his voice, his hands, the way they grip my back.
I break free from his grasp and walk away.
At lunch, he stares at me from across the cafeteria.
“Look at him,” Nancy says, popping a carrot into her mouth. “It’s like he’s undressing you with his eyes.”
“Yeah, well, he certainly didn’t undress her with his hands,” Jess says, giggling.
I smack her arm lightly. “Stop.”
The girls turn to me, all wide-eyed. “Is it true you didn’t put out?” Nancy asks.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I say.
“Leave her alone,” Florence says, casting the others a firm look. “It’s her body and her sexuality.”
Despite what Florence says, Nancy gazes over at Jay and sighs, “Poor guy.”
As I look around, the entire cafeteria of parachutes is making sad, puppy-dog faces at Jay.
Jess suggests we go do karaoke to take my mind off things. After school, we pile into Jess’s Porsche and drive over to Monterey Park, where she knows a great karaoke bar with private rooms and soft white leather couches.
The owner greets us warmly, showing us into a VIP room. We order food and drinks off the menu as we choose our songs.
As Nancy and Florence sing, Jess bumps her knee into mine and asks me how I’m feeling. I shake my head. To be honest, I miss him. I keep thinking about our weekend in Newport, how he was so patient with me, so nice he even taught me how to drive. We were so good then. What happened?
A tear trickles down my cheek.
“I’m sorry, boo,” Jess says, hugging me and giving me a tissue.
Nancy and Florence stop singing and wrap their arms around me too. Gently Florence reaches for my phone on the table.
“Are you sure you don’t want to call him?” she asks. “Sometimes when my girlfriend and I get into a fight, talking it out helps.”
Jess stares at her.
“I mean boyfriend,” Florence quickly corrects. “From before. Like in China.”
I look down longingly at the phone, debating.