"You're going to do WHAT?"I asked my best friend, Julie, in surprise.
" I'm going to try out for the cheer-leading squad (啦啦队)," she said, eyes fixed on the ground. We had been best friends since second grade and we did everything together, but now she was going off on her own. I was sure that if she joined the cheer-leading squad, she would become best friends with someone else and I couldn't stand the thought.
"Why are you doing this? Do you really want to hang around with those girls instead of me?" I cried angrily.
"It's not about the girls," Julie said." It's about the sport. I want to be on the squad at the high school level because they win scholarships (奖学金) at state competitions, and I have a better chance if I'm on the squad here," she explained." Besides," she added," it's not like I'm leaving the country or something."
"Goodbye," I ran away, leaving Julie standing with a sad look on her face.
The rest of that week I was unhappy, and I avoided Julie in the hall. I planned to watch the first game and take no notice of Julie. Instead, I was amazed by the enthusiasm (热情) and skill of Julie's cheering. Although she was the youngest member of the team, Julie enthusiastically led cheer after cheer. I saw how her face lit up with joy. I was stunned (目瞪口呆) as I realized that she loved the sport. Trying out for the team had nothing to do with me—maybe it was just something she wanted to do.
I walked to her, feeling ashamed (羞愧的), but Julie smiled immediately. " Hey, you were really great." I began, and then added quickly," I'm so sorry I've been rude to you about your joining the squad."
Julie smiled and replied," A group of us are going for ice cream. Why don't you come along?"
▲ , but I smiled in return. As I walked toward the cheerleaders, I realized there was room in Julie's life for all of us.
