l is for love

Jenny couldn?t be sure that the L who?d sent her a note on Valentine?s Day was actually the boy from Bendel?s. He could?ve been a total nerd or even a gross, perverted¹ old man, but secretly she was already in love with him. She felt like a girl in a fairy tale in love with a man in a mask, and she was determined² to ride the Seventy-ninth Street crosstown bus until she met him face-to-face. Monday and Tuesday she rode the bus alone until 7P.M. with no luck. On Wednesday after school Elise came with her. ?I don?t get it. Why are we doing this again?? Elise asked. She?d already finished all her homework and was staring out the window over Jenny?s shoulder, bored nearly to tears. ?I told you. I left my favorite hat on the bus this morning and if I ride enough buses, I?m sure I?ll see it,? Jenny lied. ?Someone probably took it,? Elise argued. ?Your cute fuzzy red hat? I?m sure someone took it.? A swollen-ankled middle-aged³ woman wearing a dowdy⁴ trench⁵ coat and reading theWall Street Journal glared at them the way people are always glaring at teenagers when they?re talking in public. Like, could you please just press the mute button? Well,excuse me. ?Just this last bus and then we can go home,? Jenny promised, even though she?d promised that two buses ago. Elise put her hand on Jenny?s black-stockinged knee and left it there. ?I don?t really mind. It?s not like I have anything better to do.? Jenny waited for Elise to remove her hand. ?What are you doing?? she whispered loudly.
 ?With what?? ?With yourhand .? ?The book says to express your affection with gentle caresses,? Elise declared. ?But I don?t want you to. Besides, we?re on abus ,? Jenny hissed⁷, pushing Elise?s hand away. The last thing she wanted was for L to see her and Elisecaressing each other.God. How embarrassing. ?What?s wrong with it?? Elise cried, shoving Jenny in the leg just as the bus lurched over a bump. Jenny slipped off the seat and onto the floor, her butt⁶ landing hard on her neighbor?s shoes. Jenny closed her eyes, too mortified⁸ to open them. If her secret admirer were watching now, he wouldn?t be writing her any more love notes. The bus lurched over another bump as it roared across the park and Jenny?s boobs bounced mercilessly, as if she hadn?t been through enough. ?Here.? A hand gripped her arm. ?Fuck off,? Jenny mumbled⁹ in total humiliation¹⁰. She batted the hand away and struggled to her feet. A blond head loomed¹¹ above her. Tall. Nice nose. Hazel eyes with blond-tipped lashes¹². It washim ?the Bendel?s boy! ?Are you all right?? he asked. ?There?s an empty seat back here. Why don?t you sit down?? He took her hand and pushed backward through the crowd. Jenny slid into the hard, narrow seat and looked up at the boy, her heart pounding. He looked to be about sixteen and he was perfect, just perfect. ?Are you L?? she asked breathlessly. He smiled shyly. One of his front teeth was chipped a little. It was extremely cute. ?Yes. It?s Leo,? he answered. Leo. Ofcourse . ?I?m Jennifer!? Jenny practically screamed, she was so excited. ?Jennifer,? Leo repeated, as if it were the most uniquely beautiful name he?d ever heard. Elise poked¹³ her head through the rush-hour crowd and narrowed her blue eyes at Jenny. ?Hey, I?m sorry I pushed you. Are you okay?? Leo smiled his adorable chip-toothed smile at her as if to say that any friend of Jenny?s was a friend of his. Jenny?s first instinct was to snarl¹⁴ at Elise to buzz off so she and Leo could get acquainted in peace. But she didn?t want Leo to think she was a total bitch. The man seated next to her stood up and Jenny patted the seat. ?Sit down.? Elise let go of the handrail and plunked herself down in the seat. ?Hey,? she said, looking up at Leo. She clacked her knee against Jenny?s leg when she recognized him. ?Hey.? ?Elise, this is Leo. Leo, this is Elise,? Jenny introduced them sweetly. The bus halted abruptly¹⁵ and Leo reached for her shoulder to steady himself.Oh, God. He touched me! He touched me! Jenny could feel Elise studying them as she tried to figure out what was going on. ?Do you go to Constance Billard, too?? Leo asked Elise. Elise nodded, looking totally confused. All of a sudden, Jenny felt bad for her. She put her arm around her friend and smiled up at Leo. ?We?re best friends.? Elise giggled¹⁶ and let her head fall on Jenny?s shoulder. ?I guess you found your hat,? she whispered quietly. ?Yup,? Jenny giggled back, relieved that Elise was cool enough not to ask too many questions. When they were alone, she would explain everything, just like best friends were supposed to. She gazed up at Leo?s perfectly¹⁷ structured, perfectly paintable face, swooning as he flashed his shy, chipped-tooth smile again. ?I knew your name couldn?t be Lance.?

1 perverted   

adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落

参考例句：

• Some scientific discoveries have been perverted to create weapons of destruction. 某些科学发明被滥用来生产毁灭性武器。
• sexual acts, normal and perverted 正常的和变态的性行为

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

4 dowdy   

adj.不整洁的；过旧的

参考例句：

• She was in a dowdy blue frock.她穿了件不大洁净的蓝上衣。
• She looked very plain and dowdy.她长得非常普通，衣也过时。

5 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

6 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

7 hissed   

发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对

参考例句：

• Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？
• The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

8 mortified   

v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等）

参考例句：

• She was mortified to realize he had heard every word she said. 她意识到自己的每句话都被他听到了，直羞得无地自容。
• The knowledge of future evils mortified the present felicities. 对未来苦难的了解压抑了目前的喜悦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 mumbled   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
• George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

10 humiliation   

n.羞辱

参考例句：

• He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
• He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

11 loomed   

v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
• The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 snarl   

v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮

参考例句：

• At the seaside we could hear the snarl of the waves.在海边我们可以听见波涛的咆哮。
• The traffic was all in a snarl near the accident.事故发生处附近交通一片混乱。

15 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

16 giggled   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。