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Back Parachutes
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

I point to the white kids as they walk past. “So they really don’t take classes with us?” I ask.

“You sound so disappointed.” Jess giggles. She flashes me a wicked smile. “Someone likes some milk with her tea!”

I blush hard. “No, no, no . . . that’s not what I meant,” I say. I try to explain I have a boyfriend. But no matter what I say, the girls won’t stop teasing me. They make kissing lips at me and all the American boys stare as they walk by.

Twelve

Dani

When I get to work later that afternoon, I find Ming sitting outside Budget Maids on the curb. She’s in tears.

“He took away my violin,” she says. “My host dad, he just grabbed it from me. I thought he was going to break it!”

I dig into my backpack for tissues and hand her a pack as I sit down next to her. She blows hard on her nose.

“I wasn’t even practicing loud,” she says. “I wasn’t!”

I put my arm around her and try to calm her down. “I know,” I say. Our heads touch. “You’ve got to get out of there. You can come and stay at my place for a while.”

Ming twists away from me. “I just want my violin back,” she says. “Please, Dani, help me get it back. It was a gift from my uncle!”

I pull out my phone and start scrolling through my contacts. I pause when I get to the headmistress’s office, but Ming shakes her head.

I try to reason with her. What he did is not okay. He can’t just take her violin, that’s her personal property!

“There has to be another way,” she says. “I don’t want to go to the headmistress, okay?”

I rack my brain trying to think. “How about Mr. Rufus then? He can call your host dad and ask him to explain where your violin is.” Having a school official call up Underwear Kevin might scare him, and Mr. Rufus will be extra motivated to help, since Ming’s his star violinist.

Ming doesn’t say anything.

“C’mon, we have to tell someone!” As I search up the direct number for Mr. Rufus, I tell her about the loaned-instruments program at school. It’ll tide her over until she gets her violin back. Ming nods, rubbing her eyes and resting her head on my shoulder. She gazes out at the strip mall plaza, and I tell her about the confrontation I’ve just had with Heather.

“That’s so mean,” she says. “If it makes you feel any better, they call me foreign aid. And the parachutes—they call me an international mooch.”

I put down my phone, so shocked to hear this. I thought all the parachutes would be so proud of her, I know I am!