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
“Thanks, Zach,” I whisper. He’s been steadfastly sweet to me, coming by every day, sitting with me and my friends at lunch, even though Jess eyes him like he’s a statement button I picked up at Gap Outlet.
“Hey, I talked to Dani today,” he says.
“And?”
“I think you should talk to her.”
I sigh into the phone. I’m not ready to talk to her. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. Instead, I bid Zach a good night and hang up to try to catch some sleep. I tell myself there’s nothing to be scared of tomorrow. The worst thing that can happen to me has already happened.
Seventy-Four
Dani
Ming takes me to the airport. We linger in Starbucks until the last minute, so I don’t have to join Mr. Connelly and my teammates any earlier than I have to.
“How do you feel?” Ming asks.
“Like I really don’t want to go on a five-hour flight with those assholes.”
“Don’t think about them,” Ming says. “You’re not debating for them or for American Prep. You’re debating for you.”
I lean in to hug her. “Thanks.”
As I gather up my boarding pass and start walking toward the gate, Ming calls out to me, “Hey, Dani!”
I turn around.
“Show ’em you don’t need a parachute to soar!”
It takes five and a half hours to fly to Boston, during which time I ignore the whispers from my teammates and Mr. Connelly downing one Bloody Mary after another, two rows up. I repeat Ming’s words in my head—I’m doing this for me. I’m doing this for my mom, for Yale, for a future I can’t afford to give up on.
When the plane lands, I text Claire again on Messenger. Still no response. She’s not checking her messages. We get two Ubers to the hotel. As we pull up, I see the banner hanging on the Charles Hotel: Welcome to the 5th Annual Snider Cup: The Nation’s Top Debating and Public Speaking Tournament. I take a minute to take it in. This is it. I made it.
Mr. Connelly assigns me to a room with Audrey. When we unpack, Audrey wrinkles her nose at my polyester-rayon black dress. She hangs up her own Theory stretch wool dress in the closet and points to my cheap Payless shoes.
“You might want to draw over your shoes with a permanent marker,” Audrey says.
My face reddens. My pumps are so overworn, the fake black leather’s peeling off.
“No, thanks,” I say, picking up the shoes and hugging them close to my chest.
At the opening ceremony, the Hotchkiss kids huddle next to us going over last-minute motions. I peek over at their motions.