I Cancelled My Dream School To Escape Their Justice Chapter 02

I Cancelled My Dream School To Escape Their Justice Chapter 02

Liam never replied.

The last time he’d messaged me was last year—on Sophie’s birthday.

He asked me what gift she’d like.

I put my phone down. My eyes fell to my shoes. They’d been patched so many times that I could barely tell what color they’d once been.[第二句是碎句，而且对应“缝缝补补，破旧得看不出颜色”。能读，但译文感比较重]

They were Sophie’s castoffs.

In ninth grade, I finished at the top of my class[“年级第一”直译。 美国英语不说 got first place in the grade]. With my first scholarship, I bought myself a pair of sneakers.

That day, Sophie scored last.

That night, she stood on the rooftop, crying hysterically:

“My grades are terrible. I’m useless. Maybe I should just die. Then at least I won’t embarrass Mom and Dad anymore.”[逻辑很中文：“死了就不给爸妈丢人”。英语说法不够自然。]

My parents were terrified. They pulled her down while screaming at me:

“Why do you have to show off like that? Do you want to push your sister over the edge?”

They cut my shoes to shreds and threw them in the trash.

They made me kneel and apologize to Sophie. When I refused, they locked me in my room.

Then they bought Sophie over a dozen pairs of designer sneakers. She wore a different pair every day for two weeks.

Only after she got tired of them did she hand them down to me, as if she were doing me some huge favor.[toss them to me like charity 搭配略生]

I’d been wearing these ill-fitting shoes for four years. My feet were covered in blisters.

I’d told my parents countless times I needed new shoes.

They’d always snap back: “Your sister gave you her favorite pair. How can you be so ungrateful?”

Back then, only Liam saw how miserable I was.

He secretly brought me ointment[不地道。sneak someone something 虽非完全不存在，但这里很别扭], took my shoes home for his mom to fix, and pinky-swore with me:

“When I grow up, I’ll buy you so many shoes that no one will ever bully you again.”

But now even he was bullying me.

My eyes burned. I wiped them dry.

There was a knock at the door. Liam walked in without quite meeting my eyes.[his gaze evasive 是“目光闪躲”的典型对应翻译]

“Nora, your parents said Sophie didn’t do well, but you got into Stanford. That’s not fair. So tomorrow, they’re only throwing her a graduation party.”

My heart twisted. I clenched my fists.

“What about me?”

His face stiffened, irritation creeping in.

“It’s just a party. You already got into Stanford. Why are you being so petty?”

“Once we’re in San Francisco, whatever they don’t give you, I’ll make up double.”

I stared at him for a long moment. “Did you see my message?”

“What message?”

His phone buzzed. He opened it. Sophie was pinned at the top. My message was at the bottom—gray, unread.

He’d blocked me.

He read Sophie’s new message and smiled softly. When he looked back at me, he hesitated.

“Sophie’s embarrassed about getting into community college, so Mom and Dad are telling everyone she got into Stanford. If anyone asks you tomorrow, don’t slip up.”

I laughed.

“She got into Stanford? Then what am I—a community college student?”

His face fell. Before he could answer, Sophie came in, red-eyed.

“Nora, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken credit for your Stanford acceptance[语义翻错。 中文是“抢走你考上清北的名头”，不是实际抢走 Stanford 的录取名额。spot 会让人理解成她占用了 Nora 的 admission seat]. I won’t go tomorrow. I’ll give you back your party.”

Mom and Dad stormed in, furious, jabbing their fingers in my face.

“Why are you so petty? It’s just a title! You’ve been competing with your sister your whole life, and now that you’ve got into Stanford, you still can’t let her have this?”

Liam stepped in front of Sophie, glaring at me.

“You already have so much. Just let her have this one thing. That’s fair.”

Fair.

There it was again.

Every word was about fairness. Every word was biased.

I couldn’t speak. I just took a breath and said, “Fine.”

Fine.

I didn’t want the party. I didn’t want the family.

I used the scholarship money I’d saved over the years to buy a ticket to Boston.

I was leaving right after the party tomorrow.