Parachutes: Chapters 66–85

To facilitate continued expansion of its portfolio assets, international real estate firm Phoenix Capital Limited has raised $128 million in a Series B round backed by Morgan Stanley.

“Are you looking to buy or sell? I have several houses over in North Hills! All spectacular and within twenty minutes of the esteemed private school American Prep! May I show you some?”

We do a lot of work with Asian real estate funds. Most of them are affiliated with Li Incorporated.

“The school wants its students to feel protected. Look how quickly they got rid of Mrs. Wallace. They have an obligation.”

“That’s why they have administrative proceedings and other disciplinary procedures—they have systems in place to protect their students.”

She’s a lot more clinical than Ms. Jones, asking for times and details almost like a doctor would.

My face is ashen white, hair a disheveled mess, the sick drying on my shirt as I march back into Mrs. Mandalay's office for the second time today.

My face is ashen white, hair a disheveled mess, the sick drying on my shirt as I march back into Mrs. Mandalay's office for the second time today.

I look over at the ever-growing table of Jay sycophants, most of them guys, but also a couple of girls. What’d he promise them? A flight home on his private jet?

There’s remorse in his eyes, I can see it.

They’ve poured millions into American Prep through various subsidiary companies. They practically own the school!

I type PS, debating whether to include a postscript.

I know you’re scared but trust you are doing the right thing and every rational, impartial adult who hears your story will believe you.

I don’t know how to explain it, this inexplicable fear I have.

It grows inside me, breeding worries and anxieties I can neither articulate nor control whenever I think about what Jay will say tomorrow.

He’s been steadfastly sweet to me, coming by every day, sitting with me and my friends at lunch, even though Jess eyes him like he’s a statement button I picked up at Gap Outlet.

This house believes the state should lace water supply with a chemical that homogenizes people's intelligence to the intelligence level of an average university graduate.

This house believes that developing countries should heavily disincentivize rural to urban migration.

That night, I grapple with major imposter syndrome. As I listen to Audrey’s loud snoring, the doubts swirl through my head.

Even if I win, will it make one iota of difference?

I walk over to the sink to wash my hands as nonchalantly as I can.

The main adjudicators are up on the stage tallying up the scores.

It sneaks into my euphoria.

But as I turn the motion around in my head, I can’t shake the pins and needles in my fingers, the demoralizing notion that he forgives me?

It gives me some comfort that Emma Lau, of all people, chose to believe me, and I cling to it. That it wasn’t unanimous.

“Now you know why the ad board was rigged.”

It’s probably one of his old students, looking to scream at me for tarnishing the image of their beloved coach.

The letter, sent from Jay’s family’s attorney’s office, proposed a nondisclosure agreement between me and Jay, whereby I agree not to reveal the facts relating to the dispute of what happened the night of Friday the fifteenth in exchange for a monetary settlement.

I think about the torrent of emotions going through Jess, all the things she wants to say to him now but can’t.

“Texting my mom and searching pro bono lawyers,” Dani says, fingers tapping on her phone.