“Something about a girl. We were immature and stubborn. It was a waste of time. My advice to you is this: don’t let things fester between you and your friends. Nip problems in the bud. Be direct. And let me know anytime you’d like to talk. Good night, sweetheart. Love you.”

“Love you, Dad.”

In the dim light from the streetlamp outside, I stared at the ceiling. I’d started out talking about Sierra, but my friendship with Colin was in danger too. I rolled onto my side. I hadn’t nipped that problem in the bud, and now it might be too late. I thought about asking Tamiko for advice—she gave great advice—but I didn’t want to bug her on her vacation, especially for boy advice, friendship or otherwise. Tamiko was great at sharing wisdom about romance, but it kind of annoyed her to do it.

I decided I would handle this on my own.

At work the next day Sierra was normal, thank goodness, and I quickly relaxed into our usual comfortable companionship. The store was empty and I was mopping the floor, when suddenly Sierra squealed.

“Oooh! We got a snap from Tamiko!”

“No way!” I did a last swab of the floor and put the mop aside for a moment. Then I pulled out my phone to see.

Tamiko had sent a photo of herself hugging her grandfather, and she was wearing a cute new minidress in vivid shades of purple and red. In her hand she held some kind of fried food that peeked out of a small paper bag.

Kon’nichiwa, besties! she’d written. I’m having a great visit with my grandfather. He’s so happy to see all of us. Today I went shopping in Harajuku in the city and found lots of cool stuff, like this dress I’m wearing. Who would have ever thought of wearing purple and red together? But somehow it works, right? Also, I tried the best sweet treat ever—a long, crunchy cream puff. YUM! Maybe we can do them at Molly’s! Miss you guys! Xoxo

My heart pinched at the sight of my beloved bestie, now so far away. I missed her terribly and needed her. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I shook my head in amazement. “Tamiko can make any outfit look good,” I said, in a lighter tone than I felt.

Sierra agreed. “Just watch. Tamiko will wear that dress to school once, and suddenly red-and-purple combos will be the next big thing.”

“Where’s Harajuku?” I asked.

“Hmm.” Sierra’s fingers flew across the screen of her phone. “Harajuku,” she typed. Zillions of hits came up as I watched over her shoulder.

“Let’s check this out,” Sierra said, clicking on a YouTube video called “Tour of Harajuku!”