Ex-Best Friends

What should you do if your classmates write mean things about you on their blogs?

Mar.23

Paula, Kathy and Summer have been best friends since elementary school. They are now in junior high school. Over the last few months, Paula and Kathy have been spending more and more time together — without Summer. They go shopping and don't invite her. They have stopped asking Summer to study with them too. Their behavior makes Summer feel very left out. Recently, Paula and Kathy started writing a blog. They call it "Best Friends' Blog".

One day after school, Summer read their blog. She was shocked. Kathy and Paula had written horrible, untrue things about Summer.

If you were Summer, what would you do?

Decision 1

(Summer talks to her older sister, Elizabeth, a college student.)
Summer: How can they be so cruel? We used to be best friends!
Elizabeth: I know. I'm so sorry they wrote those terrible things about you, Summer.
Summer: Everyone will read what they wrote. I'm so humiliated!
Elizabeth: They want you to feel humiliated.
Summer: If they don't know I'm embarrassed, will they stop writing about me?
Elizabeth: Maybe. Don't waste your time worrying about their blog. You know those things aren't true.
Summer: You're right. Besides, I have lots of other friends. I don't need to care what Paula and Kathy think.
Elizabeth: Right. Focus on your real friends. Pretend you never read the blog. If you ignore it, the situation will blow over soon.
Summer: OK. Thanks, Elizabeth.

Word Bank:

Leave out (idiom) 孤立；忽略
Everyone went to the party but me. I really felt left out.

Horrible (adj.) 糟糕的；讨厌的
The road was closed for hours because of a horrible accident involving 10 cars.

Cruel (adj.) 残酷的
The man lost his job because of the cruel way he treated the animals at the zoo.

Humiliate (v.) 羞辱；使……丢脸
Bob humiliated Claire when he said she was fat in front of their friends.

Mar.24

Decision 2

Summer: Kathy and Paula are so mean! How could they write those awful things?
Elizabeth: Young girls are often cruel to each other. It's a big problem. And the problem is getting bigger because of blogs.
Summer: Maybe I should start a blog too. Then I can write mean things about them.
Elizabeth: That won't help.
Summer: It will make me feel better!
Elizabeth: No, it won't. Tearing them down will only make you feel worse.
Summer: But it will give them a taste of their own medicine! Then they will feel humiliated too.
Elizabeth: Summer, treating other people badly is wrong. You should build others up.
Summer: But they're not building me up! So I'll tear them down too. I'll start a blog tomorrow.

Decision 3

Summer: So what should I do? I can't just ignore Paula and Kathy's blog.
Elizabeth: Talk to them. Be honest. Tell them you are hurt.
Summer: No way! Thay'll just laugh at me. They clearly don't want to be my friends anymore.
Elizabeth: You don't have to be best friends again. Just tell them you want to try to get along.
Summer: But I don't want to get along with them!
Elizabeth: This is your first year if junior high. Paula and Kathy will be your classmates for two more years. You should try to get along with them.
Summer: Maybe you're right. Talking to them might make school easier for me.
Elizabeth: Right. And talking to them is a mature thing to do.
Summer: I'll call them now to set up a time to meet. Thanks for your help, Elizabeth!

Word Bank:

Tear someone down (phr.v.) 诋毁某人
Mary's brother really tore her down yestoday. He told her she was ugly.

Build someone up (phr.v.) 赞美某人
Campbell always buids his coworkers up. He makes them feel good about themselves.

Mature (adj.) 成熟的
Even though Eva is only 12 years old, she is very mature. She always makes good decisions.

Set up (phr.v.) 安排
Rebecca set up a meeting with her professor to discuss her plans to study abroad.

More Information

Blow over (phr.v.) 平息；消失

Give someone a taste of their own medicine (idiom) 以其人之道，还治其人之身

Usage Tip

Don't waste your time worrying about their blog.
浪费时间做某事 waste time (in) doing something
句中的介词 in 通常会被省略掉，这就是为什么 time 后的动作要使用 ing 形态了。
例句：
1.Don't waste your time solving that math problem.
2.You waste too much time watching TV.

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