Chapter 26
I suddenly felt I was making a complete fool out of myself, knowing Andy’s dirty tricks but helping him on at the same time. I stopped eating, it was terrible.
小荷作文网 www.zww.cn “I don’t have much appetite. Sorry, may I be excused?”
“Yes of course, you may.” His mom disturbed. I drew out the chair and sprang out to the balcony. So much fresh air, cool. Air is all you think of once you entered this dark loathsome house.
The relationship between Andy and I can sometimes get a little tricky. I hate him for what he is, but then hate myself for not knowing who he is. The worst, I pity him for what he is, and then mind him for who I am. It’s hard to explain. I want to expose what he did, but then being too weak about it. I’m in his power, I know that. He knows things I don’t, bad things, nasty secrets. That’s what I’ve been trying to find out. In that case, I’ll have to put up with him.
“What’s wrong with you today?” He came over, all puzzled.
“Nothing, just that I have to put up with your sick performance.”
He looked more puzzled than ever.
“Never mind then. I’m perfectly fine.” There’s always class between us. He’s rich with all the fortune his father left him. He could get everything he wanted, but there’s one thing he can’t have, real friendship. I ought to teach him a lesson. We were friends since…I don’t know when, maybe kindergarten. But not for one minute I thought of him as a friend, a true friend. I only made friends with him because I pitied him.
Now thinking about it, how silly I was. He was a weirdo just like his mom, no one wanted to be near him. But the poor boy can’t help it, which was what I always thought.
And now I knew, it’s your own fault to be what you are. Really, destiny depends, on which side you act on. I felt that way, until the big event coming up…
I got back to the table with Andy’s claims.
He insisted that I really ought to try some garlic bread. I said that I’ve already had some. But that won’t do, so I had more. It was too spicy; I didn’t know where he got that from, too much garlic. It costs the taste, and destroys every decent thing.
“Jessy, you’ve got bits of ketchup on the corner of your mouth.” Helen teased, half giggling.
“I do? I have to look in a mirror.” Then I remembered there ain’t any mirrors here, in this damn house.
So I reached for one in my bag. A rather small one.
The very second I showed it, it sparkled with light just like Miss. Bolton’s eyes. She fixed her icy eyes on my mirror.
“What’s that?” She looked alarmed.
“Mirror!” As if she was a jerk.
Before I could realize what she was doing, she stepped forward and grabbed the mirror out of my hands in a flash. And it fell down to the floor and crushed into small shiny pieces.
“Hey! What was that for?” I cried.
She had that ghastly smile on her face again, as if she did something great. “Looking glasses ain’t good.”
“Huh?” I was sure of what she was talking about.
“Break a looking glass, ”She explained. “That’s seven years of bad luck. You don’t want bad luck do you?” She thought she was trying to help.
“But you just smashed one!” I was more confused.
Helen tugged me at the back, signaling I should say no more, or else it would have been impolite.
“Didn’t you know.” Andy cut in. “That my mom was very superstitious?”
Nothing of big deal, I guess. Just a mirror.
But there were more than just a mirror that’s troubling me.
Watching the small tiny pieces of mirror, Miss Bolton smiled, almost evilly.
注释：
1. felt: feel的过去时，感觉
2. complete:完全的
3. make a fool out of oneself: 使自己出丑，丢人
4. trick:诡计
5. terrible: 可怕的
6. anxiously:忧虑地，不安地
7 appetite:食欲
8. be excused: 用于正式场合，告退之前的说法
9. disturb：动词，打扰
10. sprang: spring的过去时，跃出
11. balcony: 阳台
12. fresh air:新鲜空气
13. loathsome：讨厌的
14. relationship:关系
15. tricky:狡猾的，机警的
16. pity: 这里是动词，怜悯
17. explain：解释
18. expose：暴露
19. power：动力
20. nasty：肮脏的
21. secret：秘密
22. case：情形
23. perfectly：极佳地
24. class：等级
25. fortune：财产
26. friendship：友谊
27. kindergarten：幼儿园
28. silly：愚蠢的
29. fault：缺点
30. destiny：命运
31. depend：取决于
32. event：事变
33. claim：这里是名词，主张
34. insist：强调
35. spicy：辛辣的
36. cost: 这里是，使失去
37. taste：味道
38. tease：取消
39. giggle:傻笑
40. ain’t: 口语化，方言，isn’t 或 aren’t
41. damn:没有具体意思，加强语气
42. rather:有点，相当
43. sparkle：放光
44. alarmed：惊慌的
45. jerk：性情古怪的人，这里有骂人意思
46. realize：认识到
47. grab：抓，抢
48. flash：一瞬间
49. crush：粉碎
50. piece:碎片
51. break a looking glass, seven years of bad luck: 外国人传统有人迷信，摔坏一面镜子，七年遭厄运。
52. smash：摔碎
53. confused：混乱的
54. tug：戳，捅
55. signal：发信号
56. superstitious：迷信的
57. big deal: 大问题
58. trouble:使烦恼
59. tiny:微小的
60. evilly：邪恶地
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