A woman remarried a man from Mexico. She already had a 16-year-old daughter named Bethany, while her husband had a 14-year-old daughter named Maria. Maria and Bethany had been in each other’s lives since they were children. Their relationship as stepsisters was good until recently.

The entire family was busy planning Maria’s Quinceanera (成人礼). The woman’s husband and his ex-wife joined forces to get her a beautiful dress to celebrate the occasion. In total, the dress cost $3,000.

Bethany made it clear that she was jealous (嫉妒的) of the party. Her mom had to make her understand that in Mexican culture, a Quinceanera was a great deal, just like how she had a sweet sixteen party. However, Bethany kept comparing her party to that of Maria’s. It was a massive issue for her, and it reflected in the way she behaved around everyone at home.

Knowing how it made Bethany feel, the mom tried to spend more time with her daughter to assure her that she wasn’t being disregarded. They even got her a lovely dress for the Quinceanera, but much cheaper than Maria’s dress.

Two weeks before the big day, Maria and Bethany got into an argument regarding the TV. Bethany retaliated (报复) against her stepsister by tearing off the back part of her Quinceanera dress. After finding out what Bethany did, everyone was angry. The mom couldn’t believe what her daughter did and quickly gave her husband and his ex-wife money to get a new dress.

The mom told Bethany that she needed to get a job to pay back the total price of the dress. It was her punishment for such an unreasonable act against her stepsister. However, Bethany claimed her mom was unfair by choosing Maria over her. This made the mom question whether she was in the wrong for giving her daughter no choice but to find a job. She wrote about the story online, hoping to get opinions from others on whether what she did was wrong.

To her surprise, she got everybody’s support.

Finally, the mom was determined to teach her 16-year-old a lesson.

Maggie sat in the attic (阁楼), hugging her doll and thinking about Tom. She was very excited because Tom was coming home from the Academy. She missed him when he was away at school and always counted the days until he would come home for the holidays. Now that he was coming home, they would have lots of fun. They would go fishing. They would take long walks along the river. There was only one thing that made her upset: she was worried about the rabbits. Tom had told her to take care of his rabbits while he was away, but she had forgotten and the rabbits had died. How could she tell Tom? He would be angry.

Just then she heard the sound of the carriage coming. She threw her doll on the floor and ran out. Her mother and father were already outside. Instantly Tom got out of the carriage, Mrs. Tulliver threw her arms around his neck and cried, “There you are, my sweet boy!” Then Maggie gave him such a tight hug that his face went pink.

“Hello, mom. Hello, Maggie!” said Tom.

Mr. Tulliver shook Tom's hand, and they all went in for lunch. As soon as lunch was over, Tom turned to his sister and said, “Let’s go, Maggie.”

Maggie jumped up and delighted to go anywhere with Tom, and holding hands, they ran out of the house. They ran through the fields together, climbing over fences and splashing (溅起水花) through the mud. As they passed by a tree near the river, a lovely bird, singing merrily in it, caught their attention.

Having enjoyed the bird’s song, Tom said abruptly, “Well, let’s go to see the rabbits, Maggie. I hope you took good care of them.”

Maggie looked up at Tom’s face with anxiety. “Please don’t be annoyed with me, Tom.” She said.

“What do you mean? What’s happened to the rabbits?” he demanded in an angry voice.

“I’m sorry, Tom. I just forgot about them, and now they’re all dead.”

Tom’s face went red with anger. “I don’t love you, Maggie.” he yelled.

“Oh, Tom, don’t say that.” begged Maggie. “I’m sorry. It was an accident, Tom. Please forgive me.”

“No, I won’t forgive you. You are a naughty girl. Just go away and leave me alone!”

Maggie ran back into the house and up to the attic, sobbing pitifully.

When Tom came back, Mrs Tulliver handed him a cake and a cup of tea, asking,“Where is Maggie?”

My younger sister and I loved to play the piano, so when the annual winter concert was canceled, we were disappointed. We had been looking forward to it for a long time and had already prepared two of our best pieces. “You and your sister can perform at Carriage House Senior Living (CHSL),” my mom suggested. “The seniors there would love your music and you could each play more than just two pieces.” It seemed like a win-win situation because I’d play more songs and also have the chance to cheer up the residents with some lively music.

My mom called CHSL and made arrangements for my sister and me to perform. We were told we could play the piano during the Sunday dinner hour in two weeks. In the coming days, I worked hard to polish up fifteen pieces that I thought the crowd would enjoy. My sister and I decided that first I would play three songs and then she would. We would take turns playing until the end of the hour.

When the day finally arrived, we reached CHSL, and stepped into an entryway that overlooked the big dining room. Right at the entrance to the room stood the piano. The dining area was filled with round tables. At nearly every table several gray-haired people were seated, enjoying an early dinner and the company that the crowded room provided. Regardless of the conversations going on at various tables, isolation (孤独) hung like a dark cloud in the room.

Almost immediately, we were greeted by an old woman who introduced herself as Phyllis. “You two must be here to play the piano,” she said smiling. When we nodded, she seemed pleased and told someone to get a microphone. “I’ll introduce you to the audience,” she said. She told us that she was always the one in charge of doing things like that. I asked her if I could introduce myself and she agreed. While we were waiting for the microphone, I pressed a key on the piano and it produced a beautiful sound.

Soon a man returned with a microphone.

My nervousness disappeared as I began the song.

It was a Friday. Once the school bus dropped me off at my home, I ran quickly into the house. “Dad, I’m here. I’m ready!” I called out. He would drive me to the supermarket and then I would continue taking my driving courses. On the way to the supermarket, I told my dad I needed to get two pairs of shoes. “One pair is enough,” Dad replied.

Unhappy, I felt our car slow down, as he pulled up. “Dad, why are we stopping?” I asked. Dad said, “The lady back there looks like she’s in trouble.” I turned around, seeing a little, old truck pulled to the side of the highway. Dad told me there was a lady inside and that she was having trouble with the truck and needed some help. “Dad, why do we have to stop and help her? Let somebody else do it,” I said, wanting to reach the supermarket quickly.

“Look, girl. Don’t be selfish (自私的),” he said seriously. “By helping this lady, there’s a great possibility that if you ever get stuck or need help, someone just might stop and help you. Sit here. I’ll be right back!”

Then, he walked through the rain back towards the woman’s truck. Minutes later he was back, saying she had run out of gas. Then, he drove to a gas station and bought gas for the lady without asking her to pay. I felt unhappy because helping her took us much time.

Days later, I had my learner’s permit (许可证) and then my driver’s license (驾照). I drove everywhere during the summer, and I was excited when school started because I drove myself to school: no more bus for me. Autumn turned quickly into winter, and I still loved the freedom my second-hand car gave me.

But my first winter of driving in the snow was a challenge. Not knowing it would have an unexpected snowstorm that day and that I would have a big problem, I started my car on that clear winter morning.

I just gladly left home and drove to school.

“I’ll push while you give it a little gas,” the stranger instructed, looking at my car stuck in the snow.

Tom was a skilled teenage surfer. He had always been attracted by the ocean and the challenge of riding its waves. He had trained tirelessly for years, sharpening his skills and perfecting his technique. He had participated in many competitions and won several titles. But one day, his world was turned upside down.

It was a routine training day. While Tom was concentrating on his training in the sea, a shark came in through the broken shark-proof net and approached him. The animal knocked over Tom’s surfboard and bit his right leg, tearing through his flesh (肉体) and causing massive damage. Despite the seriousness of his injuries, Tom was lucky to survive the attack. He was rushed to the hospital, where he received an emergency operation. With the efforts of doctors, his leg was saved.

Tom’s recovery was long and painful, but he refused to give up on his dream of surfing. At first, his progress was slow. He had to learn to walk again, and then to run, and then to jump. Every movement was a struggle. But with the help of his family and friends, as well as his own fierce determination, Tom gradually began to make progress.   He spent hours every day in the gym, doing strength and balance exercises to rebuild his body.

Finally, after months of hard work, Tom was ready to get back into the water. His first training was incredibly difficult, as he struggled to overcome his fear of the ocean and the memory of the shark attack. But gradually, he began to regain his confidence and his love for surfing. As his strength and skills returned, Tom set his sights on competing once again. He trained tirelessly, working with a coach to perfect his technique and improve his performance.   And finally, the day of the competition arrived.

Standing in front of the starting line again, Tom felt nervous．

Tom fell into the sea．