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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

“What? I’m sorry, who’s always all, ‘I’m sick of being single’?”

“Whatever. Jeez.”

“Did you get her number, though?”

“Maybe.”

“Yes.” I hold up my palm for a high five and she slaps it, blushing. This is great.

“But mostly it was nice to hang with other queer kids, like, in real life.”

I nod. Again—so great.

Em yawns, then smiles at me. “Thanks for having my back, Ceej. You’re the best, friend.”

“So are you, friend.” I could not be happier for her. She’s got a new community, a new (potential) girlfriend—everything we could have hoped for.

Em’s staying over tonight, and we drive the rest of the way home in comfortable, dreamy silence. As we pull into the driveway, though, I have to make sure about one thing. “Hey, I’m sorry I left you stranded with Brynn. Why didn’t you text me or something? I would have rescued you a lot earlier.”

I meant it as a joke, but Emily takes me seriously. She looks out the window and says, “God, Ceej, it’s not like she’s going to ask me out. I don’t think she likes me that way. I mean . . . What do you think?”

Oh, Emily. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. For the millionth time, there are way better girls out there for you.”

“Yeah.”

“Fiona, for one.” I know it’s pushy. But seriously. How hard has Emily been pushing me and Owen? In fact, I’m surprised she hasn’t mentioned him.

“Yeah.” Em smiles just a little, like she can’t help it. A thrill of vicarious excitement zings through me, and I smile, too. She deserves a good girlfriend.

Emily falls asleep almost immediately on the air mattress next to my bed, and I’m just about to do the same, when a question we haven’t addressed floats through my head: Who is the girl Owen is into, though?

What if it’s me?

I don’t know what I’ll do if it’s me.

I hope it’s not.

Right? Because I don’t like him that way.

No, really. I really don’t.

18

E: Guess who’s going to Golfland with someone she met at OUTlet

THIS GIRL

CJ: Yesssssssss, I knew it image

Em and Fiona

Sitting in a tree

K

I

S

S

I

N

G

Now if only my life would follow suit. Shane and I finally started texting, but there’s been no invitation to do anything or go anywhere in person. Though in some ways, online is more my speed. I have time to think of funny things to say, I can send memes and emojis when I can’t think of funny things to say, I don’t have to worry if my breath stinks or if my hair looks weird or if he’s grossed out by the giant zit on my chin.