Hi! My name is Zu and I have an important story to tell.

嗨，我的名字是Zu，我想告诉你们一个很重要的故事。

I have a friend called Kat and he is an absolute hot head.

我有一个名叫Kat的朋友，他是一个性子非常急躁的人。

His ego is sky high and his pride higher.

他十分自大，十二分的骄傲。

I have known him since I was 6 and ever since I first met him, I’ve looked up to him.

我从6岁起就认识他了，从我认识他起，我就一直很崇拜他。

He was never afraid and was strong, I really admired him for that.

他从不害怕任何事，总是很坚强，为此我非常佩服他。

We would do everything together, go running through the woods, fishing at the stream and just living life like children should.

我们干什么都一起，在树林里跑啦，在小溪里钓鱼啦，就像一般小孩那样度过了童年。

But as we got older, he began to change, he started to become violent and angry all the time.

但随着我们长大，他开始变了，他开始变得很暴力，成天气鼓鼓的。

Kat would take his anger out on me and eventually seemed to hate me.

Kat常把火气撒在我头上，最后似乎讨厌起我来。

I didn't understand why he resented me but he always said he didn't want to be around a pathetic worm like me.

我不明白他为什么讨厌我，不过他总会对我说，他不想跟我这样的可怜虫混在一起。

He’d shove me down but I’d always come running back to him.

他时常把我推倒在地，而我总会跑回去找他。

I was so intent on seeing what he became in life that I couldn’t help but want to watch him grow.

我太想看看他会变成什么样的人，我忍不住想要看着他改变。

Kat beat up kids older than him and he had his heart set on a high school.

Kat打赢了比他年长的学生，还立志要考入一所中学。

The problem was, I wanted to go there too, it was my dream!

问题是，我也想进那所中学，那是我的梦想！

The school had a low acceptance rate and it was obvious that Kat was going to get in, there was no doubt!

这所学校的入学率很低，我知道Kat一定能考上，毫无疑问！

But me? I was second rate, not nearly as good as Kat.

而我呢？我是差一等级的学生，比Kat差得不是一点半点。

I kept studying and studying, working my way through work sheets upon work sheets until the test day came.

我坚持不懈的努力学习，一本练习册接着一本练习册的刻苦做题，直到考试的那一天来了。

Long story short, we both got accepted. Kat wasn’t happy, he wanted to be the first to go to the high school from our elementary school.

长话短说，我们俩都被录取了。Kat却很不开心。他想要先我一步从小学迈入那所中学。

 I dont know why, but I felt strong that day, I told him that I was going to go and that he couldn’t stop me.

我不知道为什么，但是那天我感到自己很强大，我告诉他，我要去读那所中学，他无法阻止我。

Through out the year of our new high school, we made new friends and funnily enough, he was teased for his temper and not me.

在我们在新高中度过的几年中，我们结交了新朋友。有意思的是，是他而不是我因为脾气的缺陷而被取笑。

I started at the bottom of our schools ranking but eventually made my way to the top, surpassing Kat.

我从学校排名最末端的位置开始努力，终于一路升到了排名最前列，超过了Kat。

He eventually had enough and took me to the back of school.

他终于受够了，把我带到学校后面僻静的地方。

We fought and through our fighting we talked, well more yelled but we both laid our feelings out in the open.

我们打了起来，边打边谈话，大部分时候都是在对对方吼叫，我们都开诚布公的表白了自己的感受。

He had to be the best because without the scholarship, he wouldn’t be able to to stay at the high school and I was close to taking it from him.

他的成绩必须名列前茅，才能得到奖学金，否则他就不能留在学校里了，而我就快把他的奖学金夺走了。

Kat was scared of me, the boy who told me to swan dive off the top of the roof, was scared of me.

Kat很怕我，那个教我像鸟一样从屋顶上跳下去的男孩，很怕我。

For years he called me names and threatened me but Kat was just scared of giving up his dream.

数年以来他一直在给我起外号，恐吓我，其实他只是害怕会丧失自己的梦想。

Kat and I both now have a friendly rivalry instead of the toxic one we had before.

现在Kat和我缔结了友好的竞争关系，我们不再像以前那样恶意竞争了。

Just keep in mind, people don't ever really change, what they show on the surface may not always be what’s on the inside. And what’s on the inside is what counts.

请记住，江山易改本性难移，人们显露在外的模样与他们内在真实的样子并不总是一致的。而真正重要的是他们内在真实的样子。

（翻译：小木）