March 1, 1:42 p.m. PST

<Drew>

Watching you fight for what you want, trying to find balance and not just give up…

You inspire me

<Chloe>

♥

I’ve been thinking about Jordan a lot

I wrote him a really long email

But I haven’t sent it yet

He may have been young when everything happened but he’s old enough to make his own decisions now

Send it when you’re ready

I think I’m ready now

I just… needed you to know first

I’m in your corner

I’ve got the stool and water bottle ready to go

Now I just need my Rocky montage

I’m not running up all those steps with you but I’ll cheer you on

Haha ok

Thanks for having my back

Always

SPRING BREAK

Chloe CHAPTER 69 SCAMPERING MOUSE

March 21

My mother didn’t talk to me for a month.

To be fair, I didn’t talk to her for a month either. I think she was still too upset at how I had thrown our miànzi in the toilet over and over again, and I was too angry that our reputation was all she cared about.

But, as usual, I was going to be the bigger person. So the week before my late-March spring break, I started calling, leaving voicemails, sending a few texts. She didn’t return any of them, but I knew they were chipping away at her defenses, because by the day I left Chicago, she’d stopped sending my phone calls straight to voicemail.

When I arrived home, Drew and my father were waiting for me in the living room, my father on the couch and Drew on the armchair. I dropped my bag and ran and hugged my dad, then kissed Drew. My father didn’t smile, but he didn’t look upset, either.

“Welcome home, Jing,” my dad said, and I beamed at the single-syllable sound of my name, which was still fairly new. Then he joked, “And to think I was so worried about Drew living in the dorms with you when you’ve been thousands of miles apart.”