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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

Instead, my body lay there limp, worried if I shoved and kicked, it’ll take longer, it’ll be worse. My mind drifted out of my body, like the two were entirely separate, and my psyche went back into my childhood, to me playing in the garden with Tressy; walking my dog, Snowy; little reminders that I still have things to live for. And later, when it was over, I didn’t leave because the thought of having to face him downstairs was so repulsive, I lingered in the bathroom. I stood in the shower telling myself that I was strong. And that everything was going to be okay. See? I’m washing it off—the shame, the humiliation, all of it. I’m washing it off because I’m a strong woman.

And I was strong.

It’s later that I fall apart in the interrogation room of my own mind. So to hear Dani’s words—it can happen to anyone, even the strongest, loudest of us—it was like turning on a light in the pitch-black cave. I never for a second considered there might be others in the cave.

I pick up my phone and text Dani.

We need to talk.

Eighty

Dani

“What the hell were you thinking?” Mr. Connelly comes barging into my prep room. I look up from my text exchange with Claire. I can’t believe what happened to her and what the school decided. It takes a minute to register the tone of Mr. Connelly’s voice, the fury on his face. “I let you come to Snider, and this is what you say about me?”

Calmly, I tell him to please step out.

“Me step out?” he snorts. “You wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for me! I should have never let you come!”

I jerk backward from the sting of his words. His eyes are bloodshot, his forehead sweaty as he points a finger at the door. “Go back out there and take it back,” he orders.

“I’m not going to do that.”

“Then you’ve ruined me!” he cries. “After everything I’ve done for you.” His hands tighten into fists. “You were nothing when I found you. I made you.”

The words cut into my most sensitive, vulnerable tendon. I try to shake it off, but I can’t. “Stop. Shut up!” I move to the other side of the room.

“I’ve created a monster,” he continues. He’s standing inches from me, and I can feel his wet spittle on my face. “A disloyal, heartless monster.”

“Leave. I’m warning you. Or I will call security.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”