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 smile and breathe in her pride as she holds me. “But I need quiet, Mom,” I tell her. “I can’t have someone else living here, distracting me while I’m trying to train.”
My mom swats at my concern. “She won’t distract you. And besides, a little distraction could be good for you in case . . .”
I pull away. I know what’s at the end of that sentence, and she’s wrong. My mom thinks my debating is like a hot night in Vegas. Everything good comes to a disappointing end. But it won’t. I’ll show her. And when I win, our lives are going to change. I’m going to get into Yale, and we won’t have to ever worry about not making another mortgage payment again.
I get to band early the next day to take my loaned flute out before anyone sees. Zach is also there. As I’m cleaning my flute, Zach blows too hard on his clarinet and makes an eek sound. He turns red and apologizes to me. And I think maybe today’s the day when we’ll finally talk, like in one of those romantic comedies where the dorky girl somehow ends up with the hot guy and it turns out she’s not really so dorky, it was just the glasses.
But no. We don’t talk. He just goes back to playing his sheet music, and I sit there, wishing I was his sheet music.
Ming walks over. “You ready for the fund-raiser tonight?”
Mrs. Mandalay requires us full-scholarship students to attend the American Prep cocktail fund-raisers she’s always putting on to solicit donations for the school’s already inflated endowment. It’s an opportunity for new parents to ingratiate themselves with her, usually in the form of a five-figure or six-figure check. But at least there’s good food. I usually have to make a speech, and Ming does a solo performance. All the new parents ooh and aah and it feels a bit like we’re on display at a zoo. I remind myself it’s a small price to pay. My old public school had more security checks than an airport.
“You guys going to that thing too?” Zach asks.
My head snaps. Did he just speak?
“Yeah, are you?” Ming asks. She smiles at me, raising her eyebrows suggestively. She knows all about my crush on Zach.
Zach nods and goes back to fiddling with his reed.