[怦然心动][Chapter 1] Diving under 躲开她

                                                                       阅读导览

第一章：Bryce全家搬到了Juli居住的小镇，这周本书的主角Bryce和Juli初见面。他们之间会产生什么样的火花呢？

本章字数：2682个单词

阅读时间：10分钟

阅读难度：★★☆☆☆

阅读建议：两遍阅读法，第一遍快速阅读以掌握主要信息，第二遍信息补全式阅读。

                                                                             正文

1

情节提要：Bryce对Juli的第一印象并不好。那么，这到底是为什么呢？

All I've ever wanted is for Juli Baker to leave me alone. For her to back off — you know, just give me some space.

It all started the summer before second grade when our moving van pulled into her neighborhood. And since we're now about done with the eighth grade, that, my friend, makes more than half a decade of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.

字词解释

Back off: 后退，离开

Moving van: 家具搬运车

句子分析

And since we're now about done with the eighth grade, that, my friend, makes more than half a decade of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.

这个句子的难点在于理解strategic avoidance and social discomfort。 这里指的是Bryce通过一些策略来避开Juli，以及Juli让他在社交上产生的不适感。

2

情节提要：到这里，前面的谜题就解开了。Juli为什么会给Bryce留下坏印象呢？首先，她突然闯入他生活，并且也不能领会别人叫她离开的暗示。其次，Juli显然是脏兮兮地闯入Bryce的生活的。那么，Bryce会如何应对这位不速之客呢？

She didn't just barge into my life. She barged and shoved and wedged her way into my life. Did we invite her to get into our moving van and start climbing all over boxes? No! But that's exactly what she did, taking over and showing off like only Juli Baker can.

My dad tried to stop her. “Hey!” he says as she's catapulting herself on board. “What are you doing? You're getting mud everywhere!” So true, too. Her shoes were, like, caked with the stuff.

She didn't hop out, though. Instead, she planted her rear end on the floor and started pushing a big box with her feet. “Don't you want some help?” She glanced my way. “It sure looks like you need it.”

I didn't like the implication. And even though my dad had been tossing me the same sort of look all week, I could tell — he didn't like this girl either. “Hey! Don't do that,” he warned her. “There are some really valuable things in that box.”

“Oh. Well, how about this one?” She scoots over to a box labeled LENOX and looks my way again. “We should push it together!”

“No, no, no!” my dad says, then pulls her up by the arm. “Why don't you run along home? Your mother's probably wondering where you are.”

This was the beginning of my soon-to-become-acute awareness that the girl cannot take a hint. Of any kind. Does she zip on home like a kid should when they've been invited to leave? No. She says, “Oh, my mom knows where I am. She said it was fine.” Then she points across the street and says, “We just live right over there.”

重点字词解释

Barge: （蛮不讲理地）闯入

Shove: 挤，猛推

Wedge: 挤进；楔住

Show off: 炫耀。如果你就按照字典上的理解，认为Juli就是来炫耀，就可能疑惑她到底在炫耀什么。其实这是中英文翻译过程中造成的一种误解。查找一下韦伯字典，你会发现有一行解释是“to seek to attract attention by conspicuous behavior”。因此，这里实际上并不是要炫耀什么，而是“大摇大摆地出现”。

Catapult: 弹射

Be caked with: 表面覆盖着某物

Hop out: 快速离开

Rear end: 尾部，在这里指鞋跟

Toss: 投掷

Scoot: 快速走动

Take a hint: 领会别人的暗示

Zip: 快速移动

句子分析

This was the beginning of my soon-to-become-acute awareness that the girl cannot take a hint.

Bryce从Juli的行为中得出了一个结论：女孩子领会不了暗示。

3

情节提要：这里答案就出来了。Bryce的爸爸通过使眼色跟他配合着上演了一出甩人计划。那么，不懂别人暗示的Juli是不是就这么容易被甩掉呢？

My father looks to where she's pointing and mutters, “Oh boy.” Then he looks at me and winks as he says, “Bryce, isn't it time for you to go inside and help your mother?”

I knew right off that this was a ditch play. And I didn't think about it until later, but ditch wasn't a play I'd run with my dad before. Face it, pulling a ditch is not something discussed with dads. It's like, against parental law to tell your kid it's okay to ditch someone, no matter how annoying or muddy they might be.

But there he was, putting the play in motion, and man, he didn't have to wink twice. I smiled and said, “Sure thing!” then jumped off the liftgate and headed for my new front door.

字词解释

Wink: 使眼色

Ditch: 丢弃，甩掉

Annoying: 令人讨厌的

Put...in motion: 展开行动

Liftgate: 车后面的升降门

句子分析

It's like, against parental law to tell your kid it's okay to ditch someone, no matter how annoying or muddy they might be.

似乎，告诉孩子去甩掉某人，不管他多令人讨厌或者脏兮兮，都是违背做父母的准则的。

4

情节提示：看来，Bryce不但没有轻易就摆脱Juli，还被她紧紧抓住了。躲到妈妈身后似乎是7岁的Bryce能做的唯一的事情了。那么，Bryce是不是就成功躲开Juli了呢？

I heard her coming after me but I couldn't believe it. Maybe it just sounded like she was chasing me; maybe she was really going the other way. But before I got up the nerve to look, she blasted right past me, grabbing my arm and yanking me along.

This was too much. I planted myself and was about to tell her to get lost when the weirdest thing happened. I was making this big windmill motion to break away from her, but somehow on the downswing my hand wound up tangling into hers. I couldn't believe it. There I was, holding the mud monkey's hand!

I tried to shake her off, but she just clamped on tight and yanked me along, saying, “C'mon!”

My mom came out of the house and immediately got the world's sappiest look on her face. 

“Well, hello,” she says to Juli.

“Hi!”

I'm still trying to pull free, but the girl's got me in a death grip. My mom's grinning, looking at our hands and my fiery red face. “And what's your name, honey?”

“Julianna Baker. I live right over there,” she says, pointing with her unoccupied hand.

“Well, I see you've met my son,” she says, still grinning away.

“Uh-huh!”

Finally I break free and do the only manly thing available when you're seven years old — I dive behind my mother.

字词解释

Got up the nerve: 鼓起勇气

Yank: 猛拉

On the downswing: 向下摆的时候

Clamp on tight: 紧紧钳住

In a death grip: 死死抓住

Fiery: 炽烈的，燃烧般的

Manly: 像男子汉的

Dive behind: 躲在后面

句子分析

I was making this big windmill motion to break away from her, but somehow on the downswing my hand wound up tangling into hers.

小Bryce的手像风车一样旋转，想要甩开Juli的手。但是他的手在向下转的时候却跟Juli的手缠在一起。

5

情节提要：最后Bryce躲在卫生间里面，Juli才离开了。但是故事才开始，接下去他们的故事会更加精彩。

Mom puts her arm around me and says, “Bryce, honey, why don't you show Julianna around the house?”

I flash her help and warning signals with every part of my body, but she's not receiving. Then she shakes me off and says, “Go on.”

Juli would've tramped right in if my mother hadn't noticed her shoes and told her to take them off. And after those were off, my mom told her that her dirty socks had to go, too. Juli wasn't embarrassed. Not a bit. She just peeled them off and left them in a crusty heap on our porch.

I didn't exactly give her a tour. I locked myself in the bathroom instead. And after about ten minutes of yelling back at her that no, I wasn't coming out anytime soon, things got quiet out in the hall. Another ten minutes went by before I got the nerve to peek out the door.

No Juli.

I snuck out and looked around, and yes! She was gone.

Not a very sophisticated ditch, but hey, I was only seven.

字词解释

Show around: 带着四处逛逛

Flash her help: 使眼色求助

Tramp: 践踏

Peel off: 剥去

Sneak out: 偷偷溜出来

句子分析

Not a very sophisticated ditch, but hey, I was only seven.

Sophisticated是复杂的，高明的意思。所以这句话可以理解为“这可不是什么高明的甩人行动，但是，嘿，我那时候才7岁。“

6

情节提要：面对Juli的不懈进攻，Bryce只能选择躲避。每次Jul来找Bryce，他的父亲都会帮他推掉或者避开。但是她姐姐可就不那么如他所愿了。Bryce的姐姐Lynetta比他大四岁，却很容易与他吵架。Bryce也因此学习到了新的技能，那就是不管别人怎么样，你都不要理他，不要生气，也不要吵架，这样对付很快就会放弃。

My troubles were far from over, though. Every day she came back, over and over again. “Can Bryce play?” I could hear her asking from my hiding place behind the couch. “Is he ready yet?” One time she even cut across the yard and looked through my window. I spotted her in the nick of time and dove under my bed, but man, that right there tells you something about Juli Baker. She's got no concept of personal space. No respect for privacy. The world is her playground, and watch out below — Juli's on the slide!

Lucky for me, my dad was willing to run block. And he did it over and over again. He told her I was busy or sleeping or just plain gone. He was a lifesaver.

My sister, on the other hand, tried to sabotage me any chance she got. Lynetta's like that. She's four years older than me, and buddy, I've learned from watching her how not to run your life. She's got ANTAGONIZE written all over her. Just look at her — not cross-eyed or with your tongue sticking out or anything — just look at her and you've started an argument.

I used to knock-down-drag-out with her, but it's just not worth it. Girls don't fight fair. They pull your hair and gouge you and pinch you; then they run off gasping to mommy when you try and defend yourself with a fist. Then you get locked into time-out, and for what? No, my friend, the secret is, don't snap at the bait. Let it dangle. Swim around it. Laugh it off. After a while they'll give up and try to lure someone else.

At least that's the way it is with Lynetta. And the bonus of having her as a pain-in-the-rear sister was figuring out that this method works on everyone. Teachers, jerks at school, even Mom and Dad. Seriously. There's no winning arguments with your parents, so why get all pumped up over them? It is way better to dive down and get out of the way than it is to get clobbered by some parental tidal wave.

The funny thing is, Lynetta's still clueless when it comes to dealing with Mom and Dad. She goes straight into thrash mode and is too busy drowning in the argument to take a deep breath and dive for calmer water.

And she thinks I'm stupid.

字词解释

cut across the yard：直接穿越源自

no concept of personal space：没有个人空间的概念

Antagonize: 使...敌对

句子分析

She goes straight into thrash mode and is too busy drowning in the argument to take a deep breath and dive for calmer water.

Lynetta对付父母的方式依然很具有斗争意识。所以她每次跟父母都会容易陷入争吵，并且在争吵中越陷越深。

7

情节提要：在Lynetta的帮助下，Juli对Bryce更加是穷追不舍。Bryce搬进新家的第一周都一直躲在家里，生怕出去了就被Juli纠缠。啊哈，看来小Juli真的很执着。那么，他们在学校又是怎么样相处的呢？

Anyway, true to form, Lynetta tried to bait me with Juli those first few days. She even snuck her past Dad once and marched her all around the house, hunting me down. I wedged myself up on the top shelf of my closet, and lucky for me, neither of them looked up. A few minutes later I heard Dad yell at Juli to get off the antique furniture, and once again, she got booted.

I don't think I went outside that whole first week. I helped unpack stuff and watched TV and just kind of hung around while my mom and dad arranged and rearranged the furniture, debating whether Empire settees and French Rococo tables should even be put in the same room.

So believe me, I was dying to go outside. But every time I checked through the window, I could see Juli showing off in her yard. She'd be heading a soccer ball or doing high kicks with it or dribbling it up and down their driveway. And when she wasn't busy showing off, she'd just sit on the curb with the ball between her feet, staring at our house.

My mom didn't understand why it was so awful that “that cute little girl” had held my hand. She thought I should make friends with her. “I thought you liked soccer, honey. Why don't you go out there and kick the ball around?”

Because I didn't want to be kicked around, that's why. And although I couldn't say it like that at the time, I still had enough sense at age seven and a half to know that Juli Baker was dangerous.

字词解释

Run block: 美式橄榄球的阻止进攻

Sabotage: 搞破坏

Antagonize: 使...敌对

Bonus: 额外好处

Pump up: 打气，鼓励，教育

Deal with: 对付

Hunt down: 穷追不舍

Dribble: 运球

8

情节提要：看来就算是在学校，Juli也对Bryce紧追不舍。那么，这一次Bryce会想到什么办法来摆脱Juli呢？

Unavoidably dangerous, as it turns out. The minute I walked into Mrs. Yelson's second-grade classroom, I was dead meat. “Bryce!” Juli squeals. “You're here.” Then she charges across the room and tackles me.

Mrs. Yelson tried to explain this attack away as a “welcome hug,” but man, that was no hug. That was a front-line, take-'em-down tackle. And even though I shook her off, it was too late. I was branded for life. Everyone jeered, “Where's your girl friend, Bryce?” “Are you married yet, Bryce?” And then when she chased me around at recess and tried to lay kisses on me, the whole school started singing, “Bryce and Juli sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…”

My first year in town was a disaster.

Third grade wasn't much better. She was still hot on my trail every time I turned around. Same with fourth. But then in fifth grade I took action.

It started out slow — one of those Nah-that's-not-right ideas you get and forget. But the more I played with the idea, the more I thought, What better way to ward Juli off? What better way to say to her, “Juli, you are not my type”?

字词解释

I am dead meat: 口语，相当于中文的“我死定了”

Squeal: 尖叫

Jeer: 嘲弄

At recess: 在休息时间

Hot on my trail: 紧跟不舍

Ward off: 避开

句子分析

She chased me around at recess and tried to lay kisses on me.

她在休息的时候追着我跑，总是想亲上我。

9

情节提要：Bryce通过跟Shelly（Juli讨厌的人）接近来避开Juli。可惜很快就东窗事发，Bryce的计划被Shelly发现，自此Bryce的生活又回到了以前。

And so, my friend, I hatched the plan.

I asked Shelly Stalls out.

To fully appreciate the brilliance of this, you have to understand that Juli hates Shelly Stalls. She always has, though it beats me why. Shelly's nice and she's friendly and she's got a lot of hair. What's not to like? But Juli hated her, and I was going to make this little gem of knowledge the solution to my problem.

What I was thinking was that Shelly would eat lunch at our table and maybe walk around a little with me. That way, anytime Juli was around, all I'd have to do was hang a little closer to Shelly and things would just naturally take care of themselves. What happened, though, is that Shelly took things way too seriously. She went around telling everybody— including Juli — that we were in love.

In no time Juli and Shelly got into some kind of catfight, and while Shelly was recovering from that, my supposed friend Garrett — who had been totally behind this plan — told her what I was up to. He's always denied it, but I've since learned that his code of honor is easily corrupted by weepy females.

That afternoon the principal tried cross-examining me, but I wouldn't cop to anything. I just kept telling her that I was sorry and that I really didn't understand what had happened. Finally she let me go.

Shelly cried for days and followed me around school sniffling and making me feel like a real jerk, which was even worse than having Juli as a shadow.

字词解释

Hatch：策划

Catfight: 激烈的争辩

Code of honor: 荣誉准则

Cop to: 承认接受

Jerk: 混蛋

句子分析

I was going to make this little gem of knowledge the solution to my problem. 

理解这句话，主要是需要理解make...the solution to，也就是让某事成为解决办法。this little gem of knowledge指的是Juli讨厌Shelly这个事情。

10

情节提要：Shelly甩了Bryce之后，Juli又开始了含情脉脉地注视着Bryce。但是到了六年级以后，Juli就不再尾随着Bryce了。她改成了嗅Bryce。这是怎么回事呢？

Everything blew over at the one-week mark, though, when Shelly officially dumped me and started going out with Kyle Larsen. Then Juli started up with the goo-goo eyes again, and I was back to square one.

Now, in sixth grade things changed, though whether they improved is hard to say. I don't remember Juli actually chasing me in the sixth grade. But I do remember her sniffing me.

Yes, my friend, I said sniffing.

And you can blame that on our teacher, Mr. Mertins. He stuck Juli to me like glue. Mr. Mertins has got some kind of doctorate in seating arrangements or something, because he analyzed and scrutinized and practically baptized the seats we had to sit in. And of course he decided to seat Juli right next to me.

Juli Baker is the kind of annoying person who makes a point of letting you know she's smart. Her hand is the first one up; her answers are usually complete dissertations; her projects are always turned in early and used as weapons against the rest of the class. Teachers always have to hold her project up and say, “This is what I'm looking for, class. This is an example of A-plus work.” Add all the extra credit she does to an already perfect score, and I swear she's never gotten less than 120 percent in any subject.

But after Mr. Mertins stuck Juli right next to me, her annoying knowledge of all subjects far and wide came in handy. See, suddenly Juli's perfect answers, written in perfect cursive, were right across the aisle, just an eye-shot away. You wouldn't believe the number of answers I snagged from her. I started getting A's and B's on everything! It was great!

But then Mr. Mertins pulled the shift. He had some new idea for “optimizing positional latitude and longitude,” and when the dust finally settled, I was sitting right in front of Juli Baker.

This is where the sniffing comes in. That maniac started leaning forward and sniffing my hair. 

She'd edge her nose practically up to my scalp and sniff-sniff-sniff.

字词解释

Goo-goo eyes: 爱慕的眼神

Scrutinize：仔细检查

Baptize：洗礼

Dissertations：学术论文

far and wide：广泛地

sniff： 嗅，闻

句子分析

Mr. Mertins has got some kind of doctorate in seating arrangements or something, because he analyzed and scrutinized and practically baptized the seats we had to sit in.

Mertins先生在座位安排上面是一位专家，因为他仔细地分析，审查，实际上他给我们的座位都进行了“洗礼”。

11

情节提要：为了躲避Juli的嗅，Bryce把椅子往前挪了，也尝试过用包挡在他们中间。然而这一切都无济于事。另一方面，Bryce也受益于Juli在学习上的帮助，因此对她也无可奈何。但是好在他们很快就要上初中了。

I tried elbowing and back-kicking. I tried scooting my chair way forward or putting my backpack between me and the seat. Nothing helped. She'd just scoot up, too, or lean over a little farther and sniff-sniff-sniff.

I finally asked Mr. Mertins to move me, but he wouldn't do it. Something about not wanting to disturb the delicate balance of educational energies.

Whatever. I was stuck with her sniffing. And since I couldn't see her perfectly penned answers anymore, my grades took a dive. Especially in spelling.

Then one time, during a test, Juli's in the middle of sniffing my hair when she notices that I've blown a spelling word. A lot of words. Suddenly the sniffing stops and the whispering starts. At first I couldn't believe it. Juli Baker cheating? But sure enough, she was spelling words for me, right in my ear.

Juli'd always been sly about sniffing, which really bugged me because no one ever noticed her doing it, but she was just as sly about giving me answers, which was okay by me. The bad thing about it was that I started counting on her spelling in my ear. I mean, why study when you don't have to, right? But after a while, taking all those answers made me feel sort of indebted to her. How can you tell someone to bug off or quit sniffing you when you owe them? It's, you know, wrong.

So I spent the sixth grade somewhere between uncomfortable and unhappy, but I kept thinking that next year, next year, things would be different. We'd be in junior high — a big school — in different classes. It would be a world with too many people to worry about ever seeing Juli Baker again.

It was finally, finally going to be over.

字词解释

blown a spelling word：搞砸一个单词的拼写

Sly: 狡猾

Bug: 烦扰

Be indebted to: 受恩于

句子分析

Juli'd always been sly about sniffing, which really bugged me because no one ever noticed her doing it, but she was just as sly about giving me answers, which was okay by me. 

Juli总是很小心地嗅我，这很让我烦恼，因为她嗅我的事情没有被人注意到。但是她悄悄给我答案的事情同样没有被人注意到，这一点我觉得不错。

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