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
I go to the bookstore on Sunday and buy all the books on the English III syllabus Dani gave me. I bet she gets straight As, that Dani. She doesn’t have to deal with idiot boys getting mad at her if she just wants to talk. She’s going to be so massively successful when she grows up.
My dad says success isn’t about what you know but who you know and the relationships you form. I think about our date later this week. So far, he hasn’t canceled yet. Just seven more days until he gets here.
On Monday, I go to my new English class. There are seven white kids in my class, a black kid, two Hispanic kids, and three Asians. I look hopefully at the Asian American girls and recognize Emma Lau, the one who argued with Jess in the cafeteria. She’s in this class too? Great.
“Listen up, everyone!” Mrs. Wallace shouts, an intense-looking white woman with gray hair and reading glasses, which she holds tight in her hands and points at us like a baton as she talks. The students take their seats. “Today we have a new student in the class.”
She turns to me. “Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, Claire?”
I look down at my laptop in my arms, feeling the intensity of all the eyeballs on me.
“Hi, I’m Claire,” I start to say. “I like to watch American movies.”
“Over here they’re just called movies!” one of the white kids in the back calls out. The whole class laughs.
“All right, that’s enough,” Mrs. Wallace says. She points to an unoccupied desk toward the back. “Take a seat.”
Despite the glances and snickers from the other kids, the hour passes quickly. I try to channel my inner Dani and sit up as straight as I can, ignoring them and focusing on Mrs. Wallace. She talks about The Great Gatsby and how it’s a reflection of the social elitism of the time. As she’s talking, I raise my hand.
“Yes, Claire,” she calls on me, surprised.
“Actually, I think the elitism still happens today. The way people look down on ‘new money,’” I say, doing air quotes with my hands, and feeling very American. “Just because they amassed their wealth quickly. That’s more reason to respect them, not less. It means they’re smart and they worked hard.”
Emma Lau raises her hand to respond.