Chapters (77)
- Cover
- Dedication
- 1
- 2
- A Series of Screw-ups: The Chisaki Joan Katsuyama Story, Part I
- 3
- The History of My Beef with Brynn Foer-Preston
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part I
- 8
- 9
- A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part I
- 10
- 11
- 12
- A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part II
- 13
- The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part II
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- The Complicated History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Imaginary Relationship with Her Nonexistent Dad
- 20
- 21
- 22
- A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part III
- 23
- 24
- 25
- A Brief, Backward History of the McAllister Family, as Paraphrased from the San Jose Mercury News
- 26
- 27
- 28
- A Quick and Eerily Relevant History of Asians in America
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part IV
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- A Series of Screw-ups: The Chisaki Joan Katsuyama Story, Part II (Or Maybe It’s a Prequel)
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part III
- 54
- A Note from the Author
- Index of Flowers and their Meanings
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Praise for This Time Will Be Different
- Books by Misa Sugiura
- Back Ad
- About the Publisher
“Hannah.” I can’t even look at Owen, so I don’t know whether he thinks this is funny or weird or horrifying or what.
“Oh, I’m just kidding, love. I’m sure Owen has a girlfriend anyway, he’s so handsome and sweet. Or do you have a boyfriend?” She nods at me and winks, and I want to die.
But Owen seems to be taking it all in stride. “Neither, at the moment. Thanks for the compliment, though.”
“Of course!” Hannah winks at me again, and now I want her to die, too.
At that point, thank God, the front-door alert beeps, and Hannah says, “Well, enough chitchat. CJ, why don’t you take Owen out there and the two of you can get to know each other while you show him the ropes.”
6
I LEAD OWEN OUT TO THE FRONT AND MUMBLE, “Sorry about Hannah,” just in time to see Sabrina Dang, captain of the award-winning McAllister drill team, perpetual officer of the Social Service Club, and girlfriend of Shane, strolling toward the counter. She doesn’t stroll so much as sashay, hips swinging like she thinks she’s some kind of fashion model, with her fancy bag tucked under her arm.
Sabrina’s dazzling smile is plastered on the McAllister High homepage—she is literally the face of McAllister High. “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful,” she likes to say with a toss of her head. She says it like she’s joking, but it’s pretty clear that she really does think she’s beautiful. To be fair, everyone else thinks so, too. And I do have to give her credit for overcoming the way people tease her about her name and say, “Sabrina, dang!” every time she does or says something noteworthy, which is often. She must hate it. But she turned it around and used it as her campaign slogan for ASB secretary. I’ve heard she’s probably going to be valedictorian.
“Hey, Sabrina!” Owen calls, and maybe it’s unfair of me, but I’m surprised he knows her well enough to be on speaking terms. “I’m Owen. We’re in English and trig together.” Okay, so he doesn’t know her that well. A frisson of irritation sweeps over me—why do guys have to lunge after every pretty girl who crosses their path?
“Oh, right, hi!” She smiles sweetly.
Enough of this. “Can I help you with anything?” I ask Sabrina.
“Well, actually . . .” She hesitates, and I know right away that she wants to get flowers for Shane. “I wanted to get flowers for my boyfriend? Shane Morgan?” Her voice rises up to the question mark like maybe she thinks we might not have heard of him, but really she knows we have.
“Oh, yeah,” says Owen. “Big dude, looks like Legolas on steroids?”
Sabrina gives him a funny look, and I can’t say I blame her. “Uh-huh.”