介绍： 关于初恋，最好的一本英文小说，比电影来得更细水流长，更能打动人心。朗读者也很好地演绎了这段感情，值得去慢慢体会。

Chapter 12：The Dinner

By the time I got home, I knew it would be selfish of me to boycott the Loskis' dinner party. My mother had already spent a lot of time humming over pie recipes and going t...

介绍： 关于初恋，最好的一本英文小说，比电影来得更细水流长，更能打动人心。朗读者也很好地演绎了这段感情，值得去慢慢体会。

Chapter 12：The Dinner

By the time I got home, I knew it would be selfish of me to boycott the Loskis' dinner party. My mother had already spent a lot of time humming over pie recipes and going through her closet for “something suitable to wear.” She'd even bought a new shirt for Dad and had scrutinized what the boys intended to wear. Obviously she was looking forward to the dinner— not that I really understood that, but I didn't want to ruin everything by telling her about my newfound hatred of Bryce.And Dad felt bad enough about David already. The last thing he needed was to hear about crackpot comments made by immature eighth graders.

So that night I went through the motions of baking pies with my mother and convinced myself that I was doing the right thing. One dinner couldn't change anyone's life. I just had to get through it.Friday at school I avoided the blue-eyed brat the best I could, but that night as I got dressed, I found myself staring at the painting my father had given me and became furious all over again. Bryce had never been a friend to me, ever! He hadn't made a stand for the tree, he'd thrown away my eggs, and he'd made fun of me at my uncle's expense….

Why was I playing along like we were jolly friends and neighbors?When my mother called that it was time to go, I went out in the hall with every intention of telling her that I would not, could not go to the Loskis' for dinner, but she looked so lovely and happy that I couldn't. I just couldn't. I took a deep breath, wrapped up a pie, and shuffled across the street behind my brothers and parents.

Chet answered the door. Maybe I should've been mad at him, too, for telling the Loskis about my uncle, but I wasn't. I hadn't asked him not to tell,and he certainly wasn't the one making fun of David.Mrs. Loski came up behind Chet, whisked us in, and fluttered about. And even though she had quite a bit of makeup on, I was surprised to see the blueness of bags beneath her eyes. Then Mrs. Loski and my mother went off with the pies, my brothers vanished down the hall with Lynetta, and my father followed Chet into the living room.And wasn't that just dandy? That left me alone in the foyer with Bryce.He said hi to me and I lost it.

I spun on him, snapping, “Don't you speak to me! I overheard you and Garrett in the library, and I don't want to talk to you now or ever!”

I started to walk into the living room, but he stopped me. “Juli! Juli, wait!”

he whispered. “I'm not the bad guy here! That was Garrett. That was all Garrett!”

I glared at him. “I know what I heard.”

“No! No you don't! I …I was feeling bad about, you know, the eggs and what I'd said about your yard. I didn't know anything about your uncle or what kind of situation your family was in, okay? I just wanted to talk to someone about it.” Our eyes locked for a minute, and for the first time the blueness of his didn't freeze up my brain.

......

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