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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

“Okay, that’s a bit harsh. But yeah. The Brynn Show, basically.”

“But what if it’s not just The Brynn Show? What if she has to make herself visible at school so she won’t feel invisible at home? Maybe she’s making the world she wants to live in as a human being. Maybe she feels like being proud and like, joyful and unashamed of who you are helps spread positivity.”

“Maybe.”

“Or maybe she’s also really ambitious. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Well that’s new, coming from you.” I can see Emily biting back a smile.

“You don’t have to be the Lesbian Date of Our First Lesbian Prom Queen. Just be a girl who goes to prom with another girl who’s totally in love with you.”

“I’m not going to prom with her.”

“Okay, fine. Be a girl who talks to another girl who’s totally in love with you.”

“She did say she’s in love with me, huh?”

I smile. “In front of the whole school.”

“Hm.” Em is wavering.

“She just wants a chance to grovel, really. And maybe win you back.”

“I am not a prize to be won.”

“Right. It’s totally up to you what happens after the groveling.”

Em looks away and sighs. “Okay. I’ll talk to her. But no promises.”

50

“OKAY, FINE, I ADMIT IT. I’M GLAD WE CAME. This is cool.”

Owen and I are standing inside the burned-out trunk of a giant redwood tree in Muir Woods, north of San Francisco. There’s enough space inside for Owen and me both to stand comfortably and look up at the rest of the tree through a hole in the ceiling of this little chamber. It’s so tall I get dizzy looking up to the top. This tree has a room-sized hole burned into the base of its trunk, and it’s still growing. That’s grit.

“I had a feeling you’d like it,” I say. I duck out and scramble back up to the path with Owen close behind me.

On my way, I pat the burned-out tree and whisper, “Thank you.”

I probably owe Hannah a thank-you, too. She may be the world’s biggest flake, but she’s the one who suggested this place, and I’m glad I took her advice. Muir Woods National Monument is the only old-growth redwood forest in the Bay Area, and I’ve pretty much dragged Owen here with me today. I showed up at his house early this morning with a nosegay of star-of-Bethlehem and fresh-baked muffins from Sweet Emily’s, and Owen’s mom, who Hannah told me has also been rooting for the two of us for weeks—she’s the one who told Hannah that Owen and Sabrina are no longer a thing—pushed him out the door.