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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

Emily shrugs. “Okay. But if the Merc story doesn’t generate interest, I bet you could get her to help with an awareness campaign or something. I told her about how the McAllisters want to buy Heart’s Desire, and she’s fired up about how they treated your family. Nikki, too.”

“What? When? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t she tell me?” What the hell? Em didn’t have my permission. Also: “And Nikki Henry? Since when do you hang with her?”

“Oh. I um. I went to the lacrosse game on Friday night, and I was talking with her afterward. I just dropped by for a second after work to meet a couple of friends,” she adds when I stare at her with what probably looks like shock, because it is.

“Who? Aviana?”

“What? No, Aviana had to babysit.”

“So who did you go with? And why? Why would you go to a lacrosse game? And why were you talking to Nikki?”

Em recoils a little and I realize that my voice has shot up about six levels, from Irate to Nearly Hysterical.

I take a breath to try to calm down, and Em says in her Irate-level voice, “Jeez, chill, CJ. A couple of kids from class asked if I wanted to go, and I knew you wouldn’t want to. So.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“You’re not mad about it, are you? It was really no big deal.”

“No, I’m not mad. It’s fine.”

It’s so not fine.

But I have to say it’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with going to a lacrosse game with people who aren’t your best friend. Em’s right—I wouldn’t have gone, even if I could have. The only negative emotion I have any right to feel is concern that Emily’s going to end up getting her heart broken by Brynn. But instead, I’m mad. And confused. I feel totally betrayed.

But Em and I are friends. I can’t let her know I’m this petty.

25

“WAKE UP, CJ. CJ. COME ON, CEEJ, YOU HAVE TO get up.”

It can’t possibly be time to get up yet.

Mom flicks on the light, and I wince. Shielding my eyes, I squint at her and mumble, “What time is it?”

“It’s four thirty. Get up.”

“What the hell, Mom? Why?”

“There’s an article in the Merc about MVC’s offer to buy Heart’s Desire, and I don’t want to risk being here if the local TV news crews show up. Come on. Get up. I don’t want you to have to deal with them, and I sure as hell am not going to give those jackals what they want.”

Oh, right. It’s Monday morning. “What’s it say?” I ask. It must be serious if Mom’s waking me up to avoid television news crews.