BooksBarbecue
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

Jess mutters, “Be right back.” I hear a guy in the background. There’s music playing. Is she at the gym?

“Hey, Claire, I have to go,” she says. “I’m at my trainer’s.”

“Oh . . . ,” I say. It’s funny how she never calls him her boyfriend. He’s still just her trainer. “Okay, call me!” I linger for a second before adding, “Be safe.”

I hang up the phone and glance at the time. It’s 9:00 a.m. in China, too late to Skype Teddy. He’s already in school. I think about texting my mom. Instead, I walk over to Dani’s room, hesitating for a second at her door before knocking.

“Busy ako,” she calls out to her mom in Tagalog.

“No . . . it’s me,” I say.

Dani opens the door. She takes off her headphones. I glance at her headphones, old worn-out Sonys, and wonder, Can she hear me and Teddy in the morning? Maybe I should buy her a better pair.

“What’s up?” she asks, letting me into her room.

I lean against the wall and tell her about my English placement test.

“I don’t know what to do,” I tell her. “It’s been two weeks!”

“You should definitely email Mrs. Mandalay. She probably just forgot. She’s been so busy with fund-raisers lately,” Dani tells me.

I cock my head. “Is that where you were going the other day?” I saw her walking out of the house in a sleek black dress. I was surprised. I didn’t know she had such a nice body hiding underneath those sweats and hoodies.

Her body language says it’s no big deal, but her face nods with pride.

“I had to go make a speech,” Dani says.

I want to say, Your speeches are amazing, but I don’t. She’d be too weirded out if she knew I listen to her from my room sometimes. As I would be too if she listened to me.

“So I should just email her?” I ask.

Dani nods.

I linger, hesitating. “But in China, if we nudge a teacher, let alone a headmistress, it’s considered rude,” I say.

“Well, here, nudging is considered adulting,” she informs me. She pulls out her phone. “Speaking of which, my mom wants to know how to add your mom to WeChat.”

“Sure, I can show you,” I say, pulling out my phone. I use my own account handle on WeChat to add Dani to show her how to do it.

My phone dings as I’m adding Dani. This time it’s a message from my dad.

What’s this your mother tells me about an English placement test? Are you sure that’s such a good idea? You’ve only just gotten there! You don’t want to offend the school. CALL ME.