Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 The next day, school seemed to drag on even more than usual. We had a spelling test. I got three words out of ten right, and two of those were my name. I had to give an oral report on parakeets, but my brain was so busy thinking about basketball practice that I forgot to mention that parakeets are birds. Luckily, I did remember to mention that they have beaks and wings. After school, Frankie, Ashley, and I ran all the way to the gym. Ms. Adolf was already standing at the entrance, clipboard in hand. "See how prompt we are, Ms. Adolf?" I said with my best grin. "There is no need for you to celebrate what is your responsibility," the old sourpuss said. You'd think she could come up with a little tiny smile, even a twitch of her upper lip. But

第6章第二天，上学的时间似乎比平时还要漫长。 我们进行了拼写测试。十个单词中我只说对了三个，其中两个是我的名字。 我必须做一个关于长尾小鹦鹉的口头报告，但我的大脑忙于篮球练习，以至于我忘了说长尾小鹦鹉是鸟。 幸运的是，我记得提到过它们有喙和翅膀。 放学后，弗兰基，阿什莉和我一路跑到健身房。 阿道夫女士已经站在门口，手里拿着写字板。 “你看，我们来得多快啊！ 阿道夫?”我咧着嘴笑着说。 “你没有必要为你的责任而庆祝，”老怒气冲冲地说。 你会认为她可以露出一个小小的微笑，甚至是上唇的抽搐。 但

nooooooooooooooo, all she said was, "Practice begins now." The other kids arrived, and we spent the first few minutes warming up together on the court. I loved the squeaky sound our sneakers made against the polished wooden floor. I loved the echo of the ball bouncing on the court. I loved passing the ball and watching everyone take a shot. I was having so much fun, I didn't even get nervous when Ryan Shimozato passed me the ball and it was my turn to shoot. It didn't go in, but the ball actually touched the backboard. "Why don't you try shooting with your eyes open, Zipper Butt," Nick McKelty shouted from

不，她只说了一句：“现在开始练习。” 其他孩子也来了，我们花了最初的几分钟在球场上一起热身。 我喜欢我们的球鞋在光滑的木地板上发出的吱吱声。 我喜欢球在球场上弹跳的回声。 我喜欢传球，看着每个人投篮。 我玩得很开心，当Ryan Shimozato把球传给我，轮到我投篮的时候，我甚至都没有紧张。 球没有进，但确实碰到了篮板。 “你为什么不睁着眼睛射击呢，拉链屁股，”尼克·麦凯尔蒂喊道

across the court. "Because if my eyes were open, I'd have to see you," I shouted back to him. The big creep had no comeback for that. It feels really good to put a bully in his place. But the good feeling didn't last long. It ended when I saw my dad walk into the gym, wearing his street shoes, which left a trail of black scuff marks all over the floor.

穿过球场。“因为只要我睁开眼睛，我就会看到你。”我对他喊道。 这个大变态没有反击的余地。 让一个恶霸乖乖听话感觉真好。 但这种美好的感觉并没有持续多久。 当我看到我爸爸走进健身房时，一切都结束了，他穿着他的街头鞋，地板上到处都是黑色的磨损痕迹。

Ms. Adolf spoke to him before I had a chance to stop him. "Pardon me," she said, "but parents are not invited to practice. You may come to the game on Friday." "That's what I want to talk to you about," my dad said. "It will only take a moment of your time." I closed my eyes and wished that I could fly. I would fly to Iceland and stay there until my father left. "I practiced with my son, Hank, last night," my dad said, "and I saw major improvement." "I have yet to see any improvement," she answered. "I believe Hank will surprise you," my dad went on, "if you just let him play. People can't improve unless you give them a chance." "Mr. Zipzer, the point is, we are trying to create a winning team, not a losing one." I was so embarrassed! I had to stop this conversation any way I could. I ran over to my dad and took him by the arm.

阿道夫女士在我阻止他之前就跟他说话了。 “对不起，”她说，“父母不被邀请来练习。 你可以星期五来看比赛。” “这就是我想跟你说的，”爸爸说。 “只需要你花一点时间。” 我闭上眼睛，希望我能飞起来。 我会飞到冰岛，一直待到我父亲离开。 “昨晚我和儿子汉克一起练习，”爸爸说，“我看到了很大的进步。” “我还没有看到任何改善，”她回答说。 “我相信汉克会给你惊喜的，”爸爸继续说，“如果你让他玩的话。 除非你给他们机会，否则他们不会进步。” “齐泽尔先生，重点是，我们正在努力打造一支必胜的队伍，而不是一支失败的队伍。” 我太尴尬了！我必须想尽办法阻止这场谈话。 我跑向爸爸，抓住他的胳膊。

"Thanks for stopping by, Dad," I said, leading him toward the door. "Be sure and tell Mom I said hi." I held the door open for him, but he didn't leave. Instead he stopped, turned to Ms. Adolf, and gave her his grumpy stare. I know that stare very well, because I get it every report- card day. And every left-my-homework-at school day. And every forgot-to-make-my-bed day.

“谢谢你过来，爸爸。”我说着，把他领到门口。 “记得代我向妈妈问好。” 我扶着门等他，但他没有离开。 相反，他停了下来，转向她。 阿道夫，恶狠狠地瞪了她一眼。 我很了解这种眼神，因为我每天收到成绩单的时候都会受到这种眼神。 还有每个留作业的日子。 还有每个忘记整理床铺的日子。

But Ms. Adolf didn't care. She just stared right back at him. That woman could stare down a snorting moose. "Bye, Dad," I said, practically shutting the door in his face. As soon as the door was closed, I ran back to Ms. Adolf. Like I said, she is not a person who likes being told what to do, and I knew my dad's little visit had probably made her mad. I was right. By the time I reached her, you could almost see the steam shooting out of her ears. "My dad loves to kid around," I said, before she could say one word. "That part about letting me play was just a joke. You don't have to do that." "Let's see just how improved you are," she said. "Please join your teammates for a passing and shooting drill." Each person had to pass the ball to another team member, who then got to take a shot at the basket. We went around and around the circle. Each time I got to shoot, I missed the basket entirely, and felt worse and worse. i

但阿道夫并不在意。 她只是盯着他看。 那女人能盯着一头打鼾的驼鹿。 “再见，爸爸。”我说，几乎是当着他的面把门关上了。 门一关上，我就跑回她身边。 阿道夫。就像我说的，她不是一个喜欢被人指挥的人，我知道我爸爸的小拜访可能让她生气了。 我是对的。当我到达她身边时，你几乎可以看到她的耳朵里冒出了蒸汽。 “我爸爸喜欢开玩笑，”她还没来得及说话，我就说。 “让我上场只是个玩笑。 你不必这么做。” “让我们看看你进步了多少，”她说。 “请和你的队友一起练习传球和投篮。” 每个人都要把球传给另一个队员，然后另一个队员在篮下投篮。 我们绕着圆圈转了一圈又一圈。 每一次投篮，我都完全投丢了，感觉越来越糟。 我