Heroes and Villains (I)

Author’s note：The point ofHeroes and Villainsis to not judge others by what they seem to be, for in life, there are no heroes or villains. Everyone has a reason behind their decisions and some people just take the wrong road. And so, people should always listen to both sides of the story before pointing fingers. The world would be a better place if people controlled their prejudices until after getting to know the person.导语：《英雄和坏蛋》这个故事的宗旨是不以表面现象对人下结论，因为生活中没有绝对的英雄或坏蛋。每个人做决定都有内在原因，只是有些人误入了歧途。所以判定指摘别人前应先听取各方观点 。如果人们都能控制个人偏见，先去了解别人，这个世界就会更美好。

The world would be much better off if people like Josh weren’t in this world. It was not that Josh was the only one. It probably was not even his fault that he ended up like this, but he did and the world suffered because of it. This was what Audric was thinking at that precise moment. A few seconds before this thought popped into his head, he had been drifting along to the beautiful tune of an orchestra in unison1unison（歌唱或演奏）齐声，同音。. But that had passed and the conductor’s head had turned, and so followed the chatter.

如果世上没有乔希这类人该多好！虽然他这样的人还有很多，他成为现在这样子甚至可能都不是他的错，可他究竟就是这个样子呀，而且好端端的世界还要跟着遭殃。奥德里克此时想的就是这个。这念头钻进他脑子里几秒钟前他还徜徉在乐队优美的合奏声中。但那好景不长；指挥把头一转过去，这边叽叽喳喳的交谈就开始了。

[2] While the violinists listened lethargically2lethargically无精打采，意兴索然。to the conductor’s brisk notes, the cellists3cellist大提琴演奏者。had turned their heads and opened their mouths. And once their mouths were open, the antics4antics荒唐行为。began. Audric stared forward at the violinists, watching their eyes watching the conductor. Some nodded in agreement as he marked comments, while the rest just looked blank.

[3] “What are you looking at?” someone asked from behind Audric. He did not even bother to turn his head.

“Your face,” another person replied crudely. Audric frowned and stared ahead. His stand partner was looking behind him and shaking his head at another boy.

“You seriously got a B on that test?”he said. There was a response but Audric did not hear it. His mind was fi lled with notes, of all shapes and sizes, moving together to create harmonies and melodies the world had only dreamed of.

[4] “Audric. Hey, Audric,” a voice said. Audric’s frown deepened. He knew that voice too well. It bugged him every day at this particular time during this particular class period.

“What is it this time, Josh?” Audric asked turning his body around to look at the boy behind him. A con fi dent pair of brown irises5iris虹膜。stared back. There was bit of a sneer around his lips whenever he spoke.

[2]小提琴手们无精打采地听着指挥兴致勃勃的点拨，大提琴手们便扭头开始说话，滑稽取笑接踵而来。奥德里克向前盯着那些小提琴手，他们一个个都看着指挥，有的点头同意他的评语，其他的则面无表情。

[3]“你看什么呢？”奥德里克身后有人问他。他连头都懒得回。

“你的脸。”另一个人粗鲁地插嘴道。奥德里克皱了一下眉头仍盯着前方。与他合用乐谱架的搭档朝他身后看，朝另一个男孩摇头。

“你考试真拿了个B吗？”他问。对方答复了一声，可奥德里克没听见。他脑子里满是形状各异、大小不一的音符，组成如梦如幻般的和声旋律。

[4]“奥德里克，嘿，奥德里克！”一个声音插进来。奥德里克的眉头锁得更紧了。这声音太熟悉了，每天在这堂课上的这个特殊时间，都会听到这个烦人的声音。

“又怎么啦，乔希？”奥德里克转身面对背后那位男孩。一对棕眼珠毫不示弱地与他对视，每吐一个字，嘴角都露出一丝嘲弄。

[5] “Do you want to switch seats?”Audric sighed slowly and turned back around.

“No, Josh. I don’t want to switch seats.”

“I’m going to challenge you again,”he threatened.

“I know, Josh,” Audric said.

[6] “I’m going to win this time,” Josh said smoothly6smoothly平静地；自信地。.

“No, you’re not going to win, Josh,”Audric repeated, monotonously. In his mind he added,You’re never going to win if you don’t try harder, Josh.

“You watch and see,” Josh con fi dently said. “I’m going to be fi rst stand,” he stated. Audric ignored him and stared ahead.

Josh had challenged him at least fi ve times in a row though he had not realized yet that without practice, he would never get anywhere. He did not care though. All he wanted was the title and position of fi rst chair.

[7] “You know the reason you never are going to get that chair, Josh?” a girl said from the violas7violas〈乐〉中提琴。. “It’s because Audric is much better than you and always will be much better than you. He’ll always place fi rst and you, second.”

“Shut up Deidrah,” Josh retorted. It was a habit of his to tell someone to shut up if he could not think of a better response.

[5]“愿不愿意换座位？”奥德里克慢慢地叹口气，转回身来。

“不愿意，乔希，我不愿意换位子。”

“我还会向你挑战的。”乔希威胁说。

“我知道，乔希。”奥德里克答道。

[6]“我这次会赢的。”乔希平静地说。

“你赢不了，乔希。”奥德里克重复了一遍，语调平淡。他在心里又添上一句：“你要不加把劲儿永远也别想赢，乔希。”

“你等着瞧，我会坐上首席的。”乔希信心十足地宣布。奥德里克凝视前方不理他。

乔希连续挑战过奥德里克不下五次，他还没意识到不加以练习，他绝成不了首席。他不在意练琴，只一心追求第一大提琴手的头衔和位置。

[7]“你明白为什么永远也得不到那个位置吗？”一个拉中提琴的女孩插话。“因为奥德里克比你强得多，永远都会比你强得多。他总会是首席，你呢，就待在次席吧。”

“闭嘴，戴德拉。”乔希反击道。在想不出更好的回复时他习惯喝令对方住口。

[8] The boys were not always like this though. At some point in their lives,they’d both been good, decent people.Audric had always been shy and aloof of the others and became much more mature than them because of it, though his distance was taken to be vanity and snobbishness. Josh always had been a bit needy8needy缺乏自信的；需要精神支持的。but he was loyal and could be intelligent if prodded.

[9] Both boys had grown up playing in the same orchestra. Neither had paid much attention to the other, until one fateful day when Josh’s father decided that in order to succeed in life, Josh had to be moved to the Fairview district, only ten minutes drive from his old school.And as life would have it, they moved,fi fteen blocks north, in order to avoid the burden of paying a yearly tuition.

[10] Josh had showed up, meek as a lamb on the fi rst day. Audric had rather taken a fancy to the curious boy who seemed so shy. He’d even prepared to say ‘hello’ to him the next day, until Josh showed up, gaudy9gaudy花哨的。in his bright neon shirt with a pack of friends trailing behind. Audric swallowed10swallow收回。the greeting and went back to his music.

[11] The next seating audition11audition（拟进行表演者的）试演，试唱，试音。the orchestra had placed Audric first chair with Josh as a close second. He’d sat right behind him, because of the practical, but not preferable seating the conductor arranged. Josh was always jabbing him in the back, complaining on how Audric was doing something wrong.

[8]不过，这两个男孩可不老是这样的，曾几何时，他们都是正经的好孩子。奥德里克害羞孤傲，也因此变得比同龄人更成熟，但是他的超然离群被人误解成虚荣势利。乔希则总是缺乏自信，但待人忠厚，点拨一下悟性也还挺强的。

[9]两个孩子从小到大都在同一个管弦乐队里拉琴，但彼此没有太多交往，直到有一天，好像命中注定，乔希的爸爸下决心要让乔希到费尔维尤区去上学，为了将来能取得成功，费尔维尤区离他原来的学校开车仅需10分钟。就这样，乔希家北迁了15条街（就近入学），省了一年的学费。

[10]乔希第一天到校时驯顺得像只羊羔。奥德里克对这个害臊的男孩蛮好奇，打算第二天结识他，谁想乔希再来时身着鲜亮的尼龙衬衫，后面还跟了一伙朋友，十分招摇。奥德里克便没去理他，回去顾自己的音乐去了。

[11]下一次试演排座位时奥德里克被排在首席，乔希其次。他在奥德里克正后方落座是因为要上实践课，不是指挥有意厚此薄彼安排的。乔希总用手去捅奥德里克的背，埋怨他这里或那里不对。

[12] “I can’t hear you, play louder.”“Can you give us a bigger nod?”

“Turn around, Audric and mind your own business.”

“That’s an F sharp not a natural12natural本位音，还原音。,Audric. Get it right. Gosh.”

[13] Audric was offended, but whenever he shot a remark, it boomeranged13boomerang像飞镖似的返回;对自己的言行起反作用。and came back.

“That was you playing the F natural, Josh,” he’d said once.

“No one cares, Audric.Stop being so OCD14=obsessive-compulsive disorder强迫症。,” Josh said, slouching his seat.

[14] Sadly, Audric shared a math class with the impertinent15impertinent粗鲁无礼的。and ever so arrogant boy as well. He decided to ask a very unintelligent question one day.

“Is there such thing as a positive or a negative zero?”

Audric laughed, and Josh gave him a glaring look.

[15] Back in the orchestra room, the insults continued and increased.

[12]“大声点儿， 我听不见你拉琴呀。”

“朝我们点头能不能明显一点？”

“转回去，奥德里克，管好你自己吧。”

“那是F高音，不是还原音，奥德里克。能不能拉得准点儿呀？”

[13]奥德里克气恼得很，可他每次反驳都被乔希给呛回来。

有一次他说：“是你在拉F还原音，乔希。”

“没人在乎这个，奥德里克，别那么较真了。”乔希仰坐在椅子上说。

[14]倒霉的奥德里克也跟这个傲慢无礼的家伙同班学数学。一天，他决定问乔什一个愚蠢的问题。

“零有没有正负之分？”

奥德里克大笑。乔希瞪他一眼。

[15]回到乐团排练室里，辱骂又开始了，而且渐渐升级。

“你的琴弦又闷了。”

〔〕〔〕

“Your strings are fl at, again.”

“It’s legato16legato〈乐〉〈意大利语〉连奏的乐曲。, not spiccato17spiccato〈弦乐器演奏术语〉跳弓演奏；须用跳弓演奏的段落。. What are you doing?”

“Hey, do us a favor and tune me?”

“Stop the screeching! You’re killing me back here.”

[16] Audric decided to bring a pair of earplugs for next practice. They were taken almost immediately after they entered Audric’s ears. He resolved to do his best to ignore Josh. ■

(To be continued)

“是悠扬而不是短促。你干什么呢？”

“喂，帮个忙，给我调调音行不行？”

“别拉得那么尖声尖气的！我受不了！”

[16]下次排练时奥德里克带来一副耳塞，可是耳塞刚塞进耳朵就被没收了。他决定尽最大努力不理睬乔希。 □

（未完待续）