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’m grateful to have her take charge, but what am I going to do when I see Jay on campus? She can’t block the sight of him in real life.
“Who else knows?” Jess asks.
I shake my head. “No one.”
“Good.” Jess nods, strategizing what to do. “I won’t say a word, not even to Florence or Nancy. The good thing is you guys don’t have any classes together. I’ll stay by your side when we’re at school, and if he tries to come up to you, I’ll bitch-slap his ass to China.”
She makes it sound so easy, but the thought of going back to school and seeing him again is like swallowing broken glass.
“I don’t want to go back and see him,” I say.
“So . . . you’re going to switch to another school?”
“No!” I say. Why do I have to switch to another school? He should switch. He should go to jail as far as I’m concerned! I feel the heat of my anger exploding inside me as I hug my chest with my arms.
Jess looks down at her knees and says quietly, “This is why I told you to go and talk to him . . . before he found out some other way.”
My eyes jerk up at her. Wow. The judgment.
“What? I’m just being real with you. If you’d been more careful—”
“I was careful!” I jump up from the couch and shout at her.
I don’t need this right now. I walk over to the door. As I hold the door open, Jess gets up reluctantly from the couch and says she’s so sorry and to call if I need anything. After she leaves, I throw away her scones and coffee and stare at the wall, feeling so alone.
I go to find Zach after school. I tried calling my parents but couldn’t get through. I think back to my mother’s words when she first sent me here, I’m one phone call away. If something goes wrong, I’ll be right over. I want to shout Bullshit! at the sky.
Stepping out of the Uber, I’m disoriented for a second. Zach had said Sun Grove, but that can’t be right. There are no houses in Sun Grove, only mobile homes and tents. I’ve never seen a mobile home up close before, only in movies. I turn around, trying to wave down the Uber driver before he leaves so he can take me out of here, and then I see him. Zach stands next to a trailer, washing out his red swim trunks.
“Zach?” I call out.
His face turns the same shade as his trunks when he sees me. The door to his trailer swings open, and a really strung-out-looking white woman comes stumbling outside calling for him.