BooksBarbecue
Back This Time Will Be Different Save as PDF
Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. A Series of Screw-ups: The Chisaki Joan Katsuyama Story, Part I
  6. 3
  7. The History of My Beef with Brynn Foer-Preston
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part I
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part I
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part II
  20. 13
  21. The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part II
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. The Complicated History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Imaginary Relationship with Her Nonexistent Dad
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part III
  33. 23
  34. 24
  35. 25
  36. A Brief, Backward History of the McAllister Family, as Paraphrased from the San Jose Mercury News
  37. 26
  38. 27
  39. 28
  40. A Quick and Eerily Relevant History of Asians in America
  41. 29
  42. 30
  43. 31
  44. 32
  45. 33
  46. 34
  47. 35
  48. 36
  49. A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part IV
  50. 37
  51. 38
  52. 39
  53. 40
  54. 41
  55. 42
  56. 43
  57. 44
  58. A Series of Screw-ups: The Chisaki Joan Katsuyama Story, Part II (Or Maybe It’s a Prequel)
  59. 45
  60. 46
  61. 47
  62. 48
  63. 49
  64. 50
  65. 51
  66. 52
  67. 53
  68. The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part III
  69. 54
  70. A Note from the Author
  71. Index of Flowers and their Meanings
  72. Acknowledgments
  73. About the Author
  74. Praise for This Time Will Be Different
  75. Books by Misa Sugiura
  76. Back Ad
  77. About the Publisher

OWEN’S HERE. HE’S PARKED SEVERAL CARS BEHIND me, so that means he got here after I did. A wave of joy ripples through me, followed immediately by another wave of apprehension.

Did he see my car? Does he know I’m here? Did he see me helping Shane? I have to tell him what happened. I can’t let him think—as I’m sure anyone who’s seen me with Shane tonight will tell him—that Shane and I are together. I have to let him know that he’s the one I choose.

Please let him choose me back.

I send him a text:

Hey, I’m at this crazy party in the hills. Saw your truck. Where are you?

No answer.

I rush back inside. Where could he be? A quick tour of the first floor reveals nothing. Shane is sleeping peacefully in the reading nook; Sad Drunk Girl has recovered and is dancing furiously with her friends in front of the picture window. I go down to the basement, and before I’ve even made it to the bottom of the stairs, I spot him near the bar.

“Owen!” I shout as I wade toward him through the crowd. I’m shameless. But who cares. He doesn’t hear me, so I stand on my tiptoes and shout again. “Owen!”

This time he does hear. I watch him scan the room, looking for me. Some guy as big as a wall steps in front of me on his way to the bar and finds it necessary to stop and talk to a friend. I’ve barely nudged my way past him when it happens.

I emerge from behind Wall Guy’s triceps and catch Owen’s eye, and it’s like watching my life in slow motion. I can see what’s coming, but I can’t stop it. I can only stand and watch, horrified, as one of the beneficiaries of Liam Hoa’s bartenderly generosity turns away from the bar . . . trips . . . staggers . . . and empties a cup full of purportedly gluten-free alcoholic beverage all over my shirt.

A collective “Ohh, shit!” goes up from the crowd, and the staggering drink spiller, one hand over his mouth, the other hand outstretched in apology, repeats over and over, “Oh, fuck. Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”

I shake him off—there’s nothing he can do about it now. I wring my shirt out and wonder if this humiliation will at least win me a little sympathy from Owen, despite everything.

In the end, the person who comes rushing over to help me is not Owen.

It’s Sabrina.

“Oh, CJ! Oh my god, are you okay? What is that, beer? Oh, you poor thing.”