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 have to say, things are looking good for you for Snider!” She marvels at me. “Wouldn’t that be amazing to have on your college app?”
I linger. If there’s ever a time to say anything to her, now’s the time. Mrs. Mandalay’s phone rings, and she lifts up her index finger. “Sorry, I have to take this.” She clicks on her phone, the vein on her forehead popping as she answers, “This is Joanna Mandalay. Yes, we’re very excited to have your child join us in May! We’ve talked to the agent, and everything’s ready for her, including her host family.” She turns and click-clacks her pumps back to her office.
Ming runs over to me from the bathroom after Mrs. Mandalay leaves. “Oh, Dani, you won’t believe what happened,” she says. Her face is wet, like she’d just washed it. Still her eyes are swollen.
“Is it your violin?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. She tells me she finally confronted Florence about not inviting her to her party, and Florence came over to her place and apologized. She was really sorry and asked how she could make it up to Ming. The two of them started fooling around, that’s when Underwear Kevin walked in on them.
“He got so mad, he kicked Florence out and told me I could have no more visitors,” she says. “And this morning he removed all the locks on the doors.”
“What?”
Ming nods, running her hands up and down along the goose bumps on her arms. “He says we’re going to have an open-door policy from now on.”
“Fuck that,” I tell her. I take her hand and lead her down the hallway to Mrs. Mandalay’s office. “We’re going to get you out of there right now.”
Thirty-Five
Claire
To: The American Prep Student Body (undisclosed emails)
From: Mrs. Candice Wallace (English Department)
Subject: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS—PLEASE READ
Dear international students,
PLEASE be more considerate of others when choosing which language to speak at school. I know it must be challenging for you to speak English, as it is not your mother tongue, but you attend an American school now, and it is rude for you to use a language others cannot understand. Also, it is best for your future if you speak English 100 percent of the time you are at school. Isn’t that the whole point of attending an American school? In the interests of your educational and future professional goals, please try to use English.
Regards,
Mrs. Wallace
OMG. This is about me. Mrs. Wallace sent it because she heard me and Jess talking outside her class in Chinese. My phone rings. It’s Jess.
“Are you looking at this trash email?” Jess exclaims. “Is this because of us? She’s out of her mind! Claire, you seriously need to move back to our class—”
“I’m not moving back!” I say.