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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

“Claire.” My mother’s voice jumps on the line. In the background, I hear the clinging of forks and knives and chopsticks. Are they entertaining? “Be smart about this. We’re just trying to protect you.”

I hear my grandmother’s voice in the background. “Is that Claire? I want to speak to her.”

“No, Nai Nai, now’s not a good time,” my mom calls back.

I hear my mother close the door and she turns her attention to me. “This isn’t like the email with your teacher. If you make a big stink about this, everyone will know,” she says. She holds the phone closer to her mouth and whispers, “Do you really want your name synonymous with rape?”

She hisses the word “rape” like it’s a dirty word that we can’t even say, let alone report. I cry into my fist. It chokes my neck, their shame.

“Don’t do anything until we discuss first,” my dad says.

As my parents wait for me to respond, I think about all the years passed. All the birthday parties where they chose the guest list, not me, all the school photos, where I closed my eyes so there would be no physical evidence of my once single eyelids.

All I’ve ever been to them was a pawn, not a daughter.

Sixty-Eight

Dani

I find the movers at my house when I get home. “What’s going on?” I ask, standing in the doorway as the movers wrap up Claire’s Sealy mattress in Bubble Wrap and drag it along the carpet.

Claire ignores me and directs the movers to pack up her stuff into boxes.

I follow her to her room. Is this really necessary? We had a fight. And now she’s moving out?

“Look, I didn’t mean what I said . . . ,” I mutter to the carpet. “I was angry.”

Claire ignores me and continues packing. She has her sunglasses on and I can’t see her eyes. She pushes past me to her closet, knocking into me with her shoulder.

“Claire, please!” I call out. I think about my mom and how devastated she’s going to be when she finds out she’s lost her tenant. “My mom’s going to freak out when she comes home and finds out you’re gone!”

“You should have thought about that.” Claire glares at me, taking her dresses from her closet and stuffing them into boxes.

I walk over and try to block her from getting more of her dresses, but Claire mistakes it for me wanting the hangers.

“You want the hangers?” she asks. She takes a plastic hanger and throws it at me.

It hits me on the leg, and I wince. “Ow!”

“Here’s another one!” Claire says, holding up another hanger.

I throw up my hands. “Fine, you want to move out? Move out!”