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
“It’s okay if you want to go in,” Florence says gently, putting down her burger. “We’ll support you.”
“Is that what you want?” Jess asks.
I shake my head. I know there’s nothing in there that’s going to magically undo what happened or make it all better. And yet, I just want to sit for a minute and visualize going in. To know that I have the power to walk in there and take back control. Even if it’s not today. Even if it’s not tomorrow.
After all the shakes and fries and burgers have been demolished, I turn to Jess and tell her to drop me off at home.
“Are you sure?” she asks.
I nod as she restarts the car.
Zach comes over later. I’m texting with Dani—she’s coming by tomorrow so we can finally talk. I hear a knock on my door. I get up and open the front door to find my mom standing there with two suitcases.
“Mom! What are you doing here?”
My mom glances at me and Zach, who grabs one of her suitcases.
“Hi, Mrs. Wang! Here, let me help you with that,” Zach says.
My mom holds her suitcase out of the way and won’t let go. I take her suitcase and gently mutter to Zach, “Maybe you better go.”
Zach nods and waves goodbye as he runs down the stairs to his Honda Civic. My mom studies him, taking off her sunglasses as she peers at his ride, remarking to me in Mandarin, “Didn’t think you’d get a new boyfriend . . . so soon.”
I shake my head at her. “If you’re here to lecture me—”
“No, I’m not here to lecture you,” she says, kicking off her shoes. She takes a seat on the couch, reaches into her purse, sprays Evian mineral water mist over her face, and rubs her eyes. With a deep breath, she tells me, “I’m thinking about leaving Dad.”
“What?” I drop the suitcase, absorbing the full impact of the news.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she says.
I shake my head. “I don’t understand. What happened?”
My mom crosses her legs and sighs. “Well, if you must know, I found texts on his phone. I think he’s having another affair.”
“But why now?” I ask. After all these years, when she’s consistently turned a blind eye, what’s changed?
My mom exhales. “I guess hearing you insist on going to the ad board thing, I realized, maybe I don’t need to be so afraid. I don’t just have to take it, I have other options.”
I study her, like it’s a freeze frame in a movie. I want to believe her words, but they sound so foreign coming out of her mouth.
“But you were so against me going to the ad board,” I say.