布萊斯以及發現自己喜歡上了朱莉，但為什麽又不告訴朱莉呢？
因為在他們相處的六年裏，布萊斯和朱莉屬於不同世界的兩個小孩。朱莉熱情開朗，布萊斯自命不凡，虛榮還帶點小男生的慫。
他很納悶自己為什麽會對那個他討厭的女孩子產生好感。對於布萊斯這樣的男孩子來說，喜歡上自己討厭的女孩子有些不可思議。不過這和生活中的人們沒有太大的區別，有時候很難說壹定就能找到那個自己喜歡的類型，並且還可以和自己喜歡的人談戀愛。
大多數時候，我們都是被那些和自己不壹樣的人吸引，然後開始壹段新的旅程。和布萊斯壹樣，當有壹個自己討厭的女孩子喜歡上自己時，第壹反應就是逃避。不願意去接納她，朱莉做的事情在布萊斯看來都是不可理喻的，這就是為什麽布萊斯發現自己喜歡朱莉之後他不肯面對自己的情感，喜歡上自己討厭的人會讓布萊斯覺得沒面子。
結尾這段布萊斯就坦誠自己內心。After all,the last thing I needed was for Juli Baker to think I missed her.
這段外公的吃穿住行的表述很細膩，拿來用到我們寫作中就很高級了。
My grandfather's big man with a meaty nose and greased-back salt-and-pepper hair.He lives in house slippers and a sports coat,and I've never seen a whisker on him.They grow, but he shaves them off like three times a day.It's a real recreational activity for him.
Besides his meaty nose, he's also got big meaty hands.I suppose you's notice his hands regardless.but what makes you realize just how beefy they are is his wedding ring.That thing's never going to come off,and even though my mother says that's how it should be,I think he ought to get it cut off.Another few pounds and that ring's going to amputate his finger.
本章有關於餐桌上的情景我們日常生活也會遇到，下面這段素材非常好的口語素材。
At dinner my mother asked me why I was so sulky, and she kept looking from me to my grandfather.Granddad didn't seem to need any salt, which was a good thing because I might have thrown the shaker at him.
My sister and dad were all business as usual, though.Lynetta ate about two raisiness out if her carrot salad, then peeled the skin and meat off her chicken wing and nibbled gristle off the bone, while my father filled up airspace talking about office politics and the need for a shakedown in upper management.
No one was listening to him-no one ever does when he gets on one of his if-I-ran-the-circus jags-but for once Mom wasn't even pretending.And for once she wasn't trying to convince Lynatta that dinner was delicious either. She just kept eyeing me and granddad, trying to pick up on why we were miffed at each other.
整理了我們日常表達會用到的詞鏈：
her eyes are red around the edges她的眼睛四周都紅了
the words? never seem to come out這些話似乎永遠也說不出來
I just wanted to be left alone我只想壹個人呆著
you would never know it if you didn't actually look.?如果妳沒有實實在在看到，妳永遠不會知道。
a girl like that doesn't live next door to everyone這樣的女孩可不是每個人都能遇到的
for the first time in ages多年來第壹次
from what I can tell據我所知
would it have done any good 這樣做有什麽好處嗎
as a matter of fact?確切地說;事實上;恰恰相反; 確切地說; 事實上
hold that rodent up by its tail抓住那只嚙齒動物的尾巴
all business as usual壹切如常
I hadn't done anything wrong我又沒有做錯什麽
I Feel sorry for myself：自怨自艾
I Feel sorry for you：這句話壹般是不會當著別人的面說的，就像中文表達“妳真可悲”壹樣，十分具有嘲諷，貶義的感覺。表達同情用I am sorry to hear that
wait at the stoplight等紅燈
Holly waited at a stoplight, impatient for the signal to change.霍利在交通信號燈處不耐煩地等著信號改變
that／ it's much too dangerous 它太危險 ; 它太過於危險
feel like hearing first thing in the morning? 早上第壹件事就是想聽?
feel like doing sth 想要做某事 ; 想做某事 ; 喜歡做某事 ; 想要幹某事
朗文解釋：don't get me wrong here 不要誤解我；大家可別誤會
spoken?used when you think someone may understand your remarks wrongly, or be offended by them
mutant tangle of gnarly branches歪七扭八的樹枝
I couldn't seem to stop thinking about Juli我似乎壹直在想朱莉
短語搭配
take a little friendly concern有點善意的關心
beyond belief難以置信
sb have prior knowledge事先知悉; 先驗知識
press down the crease 把折痕壓下去
keep in mind that 記住，牢記
feel sort of tortured感覺有點受折磨
be mad at me生我的氣
roll her eyes?翻白眼
flop down趴倒，重重地坐下或躺下
a little overboard有點過分
go overboard，意思是對某事過度......或過分..，表示壹個人對某件事過分關心或過分激動
朗文解釋：to do or say something that is too? extreme ?for a particular situation
I might have gone a little overboard knowing you were coming to visit. 得知妳要來，我可能有點過分激動了
kind of weird 有點奇怪－kind of 表示有點兒的意思，後面加形容詞
stare out the window凝視窗外
crossword puzzles填字遊戲; 縱橫填字謎; 縱橫字謎
track stocks?追蹤股票?
front-page coverage?頭版新聞?
vacant lot／lots 空場地，空地皮;
the lot
朗文解釋：especially British English?the whole of an amount or number of things, people etc
I think that’s the lot?(=everything is included).
aesthetic sensibilities美感
screw up弄糟,搞砸了
clown around with someone?胡鬧
朗文解釋：to behave in a silly or funny way
Stop clowning around!
big chunks of bark大塊樹皮
for the world to hear讓全世界都聽到
mutant? foliage 畸形葉子
take/hold sb／sth hostage?挾持某人當作人質
be a goner已死者；無望的人，無法挽救的人；落魄的人
it‘s a goner完蛋了沒救了
an iron backbone有骨氣
a royal pain十足的討厭鬼
bordered on friendliness bordered on 接近於
blow sb off?甩掉某人，放某人鴿子，拒絕某人
half the time壹半時間；經常
lives in house slippers and a sport coat穿著拖鞋和運動服
whip her hand through the air她的手在空中揮舞
固定搭配
all of a sudden突然地，出乎意料地
talk up宣揚；熱烈地討論；誇大
for a second ＝for a moment壹會兒，片刻
for a second time 又壹次
talk one out of it 勸說某人不要做某事
talk me out of it 說服我
Come of age 到達法定年齡、成年
channel? into?通過壹種渠道傳送
plump up?（通過搖抖或拍打）使膨松，使松軟鼓起
blow over?(風暴)過去,(憂慮)消失，?被忘掉
not that I could = I do not could
not that 放在句首表否定，顯得前面的話不重要
朗文解釋：used before a sentence or phrase to mean the opposite of what follows it, and to make the previous ?sentence seem less important
Sarah has a new boyfriend –?not that I care?(=I do not care)
in somebody’s/something’s wake
朗文解釋：behind or after someone or something?
The car left clouds of dust in its wake.
scramble up? [?skr?mbl ?p]攀上,爬上,扒攏?
make a mental picture在腦海中勾勒畫面
make? a? mental? note? of 心記,默記,記住
a buffer zone緩沖區
a comfort zone舒適區
on the loose散漫；放蕩
out of nowhere不知打哪兒來；突然冒出來；莫名其妙的出現
wrench my neck扭脖子
drop off 讓……下車
dismember a body?肢解屍體
in ages＝很久? for a long time ?
come off舉行，成功；表現；脫離
wound? up?緊張的；興奮的
for once僅此壹次
For Once In My Life 壹生愛壹回 ; 壹生壹次 ; 壹生愛壹人
And all for once 傾盡所有 ; 壹切的過往 ; 壹切只發生壹次 ; 恒久如壹
for once and always 壹勞永逸地
sneak a peek偷看壹眼
weird out使感到納悶，使人感到納悶詭異，不自在
hole up?躲藏；把…監禁
punch the number撥號碼
hang up掛斷電話；擱置，拖延
生詞
brigade?[br?ɡe?d]?旅；大部隊；隊列
pushy 有進取心的；愛出風頭的；有沖勁的；固執己見的
the world's peskiest,bossiest,most know-it-all female
peskiest?pesky?討厭的，煩人的
bossiest?bossy專橫的；浮雕裝飾的；愛指揮他人的
know-it-all自以為無所不知的人
limb 肢，臂；分支；枝幹
limbs and trunk肢體
crook彎曲，成鉤形
brick-laying 砌磚
gutter路旁排水溝; 陰溝
scourge n.禍害; 禍根; 災害
boa constrictor?巨蚺(南美蟒，捕食時把獵物縊死)
beady-eyed 機警地盯著的; 目光銳利的
yak yakking ?n.牦牛(生活於中亞);v.沒完沒了地說些無聊的話
gnarl?(木材的)節,瘤
gulp? [ɡ?lp] v.狼吞虎咽; 大口吞咽; 匆匆吞下
nigthmares?噩夢; 夢魘
wrench扭傷；猛扭；曲解；折磨
specifically特別地；明確地
commotion 騷動；暴亂
slump 癱倒（肩或腦袋）耷拉著
mortify?抑制；苦修；使…受辱
blow-by-blow?詳盡的；逐壹記錄的
Every?morning?we?had to?listen?to the sound?of?herblow-by-blow?trafficreport.
每天早上我們不得不聽她壹遍又壹遍的交通預報
five stories up in the tree在五層樓高的樹上
stories? 這裏是story 或 storey的復數，1 story 等於 3.3 米
perch鱸魚; 高位；棲木；桿
gunning at full throttle 開足馬力
gun用槍射擊；加大油門快速前進
throttle流閥；[車輛] 風門；喉嚨
lopsided不平衡的，傾向壹方的
naked?裸體的；無裝飾的
grind磨碎；磨快
derailleur?[d?re?l?r]?裝有變速器的自行車
rusty?生銹的，腐蝕的；鐵銹色的，銹色的；遲鈍的
poncho?[?pɑ?nt?o?]?雨披
Salt-and-pepper深淺相間的，黑白相間的
summon 召喚；召集；鼓起；振作
whisker胡須；腮須
beefy像牛肉的；結實的；健壯的
amputate?切除；截肢
stalk追蹤，潛近；高視闊步
flinch? v.(突然)退縮; 畏縮
dismiss開除，解散（dismiss的過去分詞）；摒棄
fume對……十分惱火；冒煙，冒氣；熏（尤指木材）
sulky?生氣的；陰沈的
shaker振動器；混和器；調酒器
gristle?[?ɡr?sl]?軟骨；軟骨結構
shakedown調整，整頓；臨時床鋪；勒索；徹底搜查
miff／miffed有點生氣的，稍有點惱火的
unsolicited [?ns?l?s?t?d]. 未經請求的；主動提供的
edification啟迪；教誨；精神修養
stump樹樁；殘余部分；假肢
sucker<美俚>家夥，玩意兒；容易上當的傻瓜?[非正式]
budge?使讓步；移動；使改變態度或意見
misinterpret?[?m?s?n?t?rpr?t]?曲解，誤解
俚語
the front-room window文化背景
front是前廳 國外的那種房子才有。front room壹定是最靠近大門的，living room可以裏面些)
front-room?
朗文解釋：the? main ?room in a house where you usually sit? living room
與時間有關的俚語
at the very last minute?在最後壹刻，壹分鐘
Hit the big time?大獲成功
big-time?壹流的
big time 可以理解為壹個人事業的頂峰時期；高光時刻；歡樂時光
In the nick of time＝Crunch time?在關鍵時刻，緊要關頭
Time off 是時候離開了
Around the clock 全天候，晝夜不斷的
Against the clock 爭分奪秒
Call it a day/night?到此為止
Late in the day為時已晚、已失時機
In the cold light of day有時間冷靜考慮時、在頭腦更清醒些的第二天早晨
Days are numbered某人生命已經時日無多
In the blink of an eye 眨眼之間，形容某事發生很快