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
“They brought in a mistress dispeller,” she says, shrugging. “This young, hot guy to seduce my father’s mistress away.” She grins and taps my arm with her hand. “In China, there’s always a private solution.”
Wow. That sounds so wicked and brilliant at the same time. Also I can’t believe her dad had a mistress too! I know it’s common in China, but to hear someone else go through the same experience, it warms me in places I didn’t even know were cold. I want to ask her what it was like for her and her mom, and now that her dad’s back, are things okay? But Jess is more interested in unpacking her wallet than her feelings.
“C’mon, let’s go to Gucci,” she says, dumping all the stuff she’s picked out on the sales counter and pulling out her Amex.
I can’t believe she’s buying so much. “Where do you even have space to put all that?” I ask. I can barely manage to squeeze all my clothes from China in my small closet. I’d taken a pic of the tiny closet and posted it this morning on my WeChat, to the horror of my girlfriends back home.
“My mom rented me two rooms. One for me and one for all my crap,” she says.
I laugh. “What?” I ask.
“She can’t put me here and not let me shop!” she cries. “I told the bitch, ‘You want me gone? You better give me storage space.’”
I crack up so hard, the other shoppers look at me. I stroll over to the swimsuit section while she pays. I reach out with my finger and touch the stretch fabric.
“Hey, have you signed up for any extracurriculars?” I ask.
Jess shakes her head, making a face, like, Ew, gross. Then she spins around and flashes me a naughty smile. “But I am hooking up with my trainer. Does that count?”
Fourteen
Dani
Claire’s mom slid $6,000 cash in big bulging envelopes, three months’ rent in advance, across the kitchen table before she left. Together with the $2,000 for the mattress, it’s more cash than my mom and I have ever seen. Still, it does little to assuage the fact that they threw out my dad’s mattress without even asking. And now it’s gone.
The next morning, it’s a Sunday and Claire sleeps in. Ming calls me at the crack of dawn to tell me it worked—Mr. Rufus scared the crap out of her host dad, and this morning he returned her violin to her.
“I’m glad he put the fear of God in him!” I giggle.
Ming laughs.
“Have you decided to call that girl Florence?” I ask.
“Not yet,” Ming says. “But I added her on WhatsApp.”