Shadowing Practice: I'm A secret Star - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hi, quick warning before I start.
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All names have been changed to predict the guilty, the dramatic, and the people who would definitely sue me.
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Hi again.
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My name is Mara Bulgren.
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I'm not sure where I'm originally from because I got lost
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when I was six and never found my way back to my parents.
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My adoptive parents found me and raised me as their own.
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The only things I had with me were a golden necklace I still wear to this day, with a tiny engraving of me as a baby on the pendant,
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and a sketch of my mom that the police drew based on what I remembered.
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My adoptive parents were super wealthy, and by the time I was 16, I'd become a huge YouTube star.
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I posted videos of my outfits, my mansion, my vacations, and my ridiculous rich girl life, and people were obsessed with me.
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I was popular at school too, which should have been amazing.
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Except for one tiny problem.
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Morgan.
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Morgan was my sister, and she was only a couple of months older than me, which meant we were stuck in the same grade.
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And since we were always in the same classes, teachers loved comparing us.
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Once in the third grade, a substitute teacher actually mistook Morgan for a boy.
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We walked into class that morning holding hands, and the teacher smiled at us.
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Aw, aren't you two adorable?
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You're such a lucky little boy, Morgan.
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Do I look like a boy to you, lady?
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And with that, she lifted her skirt to show everyone the Elsa pajama shorts she was still wearing underneath.
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Well, honey, this is a very accepting school.
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What is wrong with you?
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She was about to lunge at the poor woman, but I grabbed her just in time.
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It's okay, Morgan.
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Let it go.
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You let it go!
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This is all your fault!
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You just had to be pretty and cute!
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Then she shoved me, and that was the beginning of my sister hating me.
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We looked completely different, and people always noticed me first.
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But when I became famous on YouTube, Morgan hated me even more, even though fame came with hate comments, creepy messages, and actual threats.
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But Morgan didn't care about the scary part.
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She only saw a chance to ruin me.
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One day, she posted our school's name online, and suddenly, random strangers started showing up outside the gates,
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waiting for me with cameras and signs.
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Then one afternoon, a guy in a hoodie grabbed my arm and tried to pull me toward his car.
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Thank God some seniors walked by at that exact moment and scared him off.
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That was when my parents stopped calling it drama and started calling it danger, and they grounded Morgan for a month.
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Whatever, the charity case already stole my life.
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She's pretty, rich, famous, and now she gets to be in danger too?
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Must be nice.
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How is being stalked nice, you psycho?
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Because even your trauma gets more attention than me.
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I knew Morgan was a dumb bully, but that one hit.
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The day I got lost wasn't just some story she could throw at me whenever she felt jealous.
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It still hurt.
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Not knowing who my real parents were felt like walking around with a missing piece of myself.
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But at least my adoptive parents were amazing, so I couldn't really complain.
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After that, they hired private tutors to homeschool me, which somehow made Morgan even more insane.
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She said I was getting celebrity princess treatment while she had to suffer through actual school like a peasant.
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So she made it her life's mission to chase every tutor away.
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Like this one time, my parents hired an old teacher who had hearing problems and wore hearing aids.
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Morgan brought in a massive guide dog in the middle of our session, and the thing started barking so loudly the poor man jumped out of his chair and ran for his life.
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What?
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It's a guide dog!
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Don't deaf people need those to bark directions at them?
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That's for blind people, you moron!
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After that, I begged my parents to send me to another private school, but they refused.
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They said it was too dangerous and that people would recognize me anywhere.
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Not if I don't go as Mara, I could disguise myself.
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New hair, new clothes, fake glasses, different makeup.
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I'll use a different name.
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No one would ever know it's me.
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After way too much arguing, they finally gave in.
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And a few weeks later, I walked into my new school as Mira.
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A totally normal, totally boring girl who definitely didn't have millions of followers online at least
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that was the plan I walked into the school hallway
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and no one even recognized me
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which felt weird then I saw a bunch of girls filming a YouTube short using my trending sound
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and just as they hit the chorus a tall insanely hot
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guy snatched the phone right out of this one girl's hand
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seriously you're dancing to this Mara is literally the most overrated
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rich girl on the planet What does she even contribute to humanity besides being spoiled and having good lighting?
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Okay.
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Ouch.
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That was harsh. And also...
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Why did my first hater at the school have to be hot?
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Dude, tone it down a notch, will ya?
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That's a messed up way to talk about a girl.
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I turned around and saw another cute guy standing by the lockers.
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He had soft eyes, messy hair, and major nerd vibes.
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He noticed me staring, so I immediately looked away.
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His name was Elliot, and apparently the rude hot guy was his cousin, Aaron.
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Aaron stepped so close to Elliot that their foreheads almost touched.
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How about you keep your smart little comments to yourself, bud? Or what?
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Aaron lifted the baseball bat in his hand.
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Or I'll remind you, I'm literally holding a bat.
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Not anymore.
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And with that, Elliot snatched the bat right out of his hand.
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Aaron immediately shoved him, and I don't know what came over me, but before I could think, I jumped between them.
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Everyone stared.
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Stop it!
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Who the hell are you?
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I'm Ma -Nee -Mira.
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Ma -Me -Moo?
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Whatever, get out of my way, Moo.
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Did you just nickname me after a cow?
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I don't know, did you just step between us like an idiot?
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Then he shoved past me, glaring at Elliot.
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This isn't over, cousin.
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He left, and everyone was staring at me like I'd lost my mind.
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So I bolted to the bathroom.
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Yep.
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Threw yourself between two hot guys and almost say your real name.
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Amazing undercover work, Mara.
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Later, when I got to class, I found out I was sitting next to Elliot.
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He gave me a wide smile and told me Aaron was basically a jerk and a bully.
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He said he'd never liked the way Aaron acted and that the two of them never got along.
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Even though they were literally family.
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But I liked your courage, Mira.
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That was cool.
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And embarrassing as heck.
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But I guess first impressions aren't exactly my thing.
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Just then, the teacher started class and put up a video on the screen.
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And of course, it was a cow going, Moo, moo.
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Everyone laughed.
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I looked over at Aaron.
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He had shoved a piece of lettuce into his mouth and was chewing it like a cow while mouthing, Moo, moo.
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I had no idea what to do.
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So I crossed my eyes and made the ugliest face I could.
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Jesus, he was so annoying.
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And just like that, he started bullying me whenever he saw me.
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In the hallway, he'd bumped into me like I was invisible.
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In gym, he aimed every pass like he was trying to knock my soul out of my body.
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In class, he'd grab my stuff without asking, use it like it was his, then hand it back with a smug little, thanks, Moo.
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I asked Elliot not to get involved.
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He agreed, but only after looking like he wanted to argue for a full minute.
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The last thing I needed was another fight because of me.
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But he stayed by my side anyway, which was weirdly comforting since no one else was exactly rushing to talk to the weird new girl.
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If I thought Aaron was my biggest problem, I was so wrong.
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One day, our school held this fancy charity event for sick kids, and somehow I ended up sitting in the front yard at a face painting booth,
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letting a cute little girl paint on my face.
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Are we done here, sweetie?
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Please don't call me sweetie.
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That's so cringe.
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Oh, okay, sorry.
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How much longer do you need?
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Do you always ask dumb questions, or are you just dumb in general?
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Hey, that's enough.
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Show some respect.
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I only show respect to two kinds of people.
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Old people and Mara Bullring.
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Are you one of them?
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I got so mad at that little girl that I blurted out...
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Yes!
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You're 16, so don't even try the old people thing.
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No, do you even know who I am?
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I'm...
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Mara!
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I froze.
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I turned around and saw Morgan looking for me, calling my name.
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My real freaking name.
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What was this lunatic doing here?
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I panicked, jumped up, and hid behind one of the booths.
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From there, I watched her run straight into Aaron and ask about me.
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Ugh, trust me.
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If she went here, I'd have already been annoyed by her.
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What's your name, cutie?
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Morgan.
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And are those abs real?
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Or did heaven draw them on?
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She reached out and touched his stomach, and Aaron instantly puffed up like a peacock.
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God, I nearly gagged.
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Then his eyes flicked past hers and landed right on me.
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Wow, you really committed to this whole cow personality, Mira.
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Mira?
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Ew, that's way too close to my sister's name.
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She's my parents' little charity case, so they sent me here to babysit her or whatever.
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That lying snake!
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She didn't even recognize me.
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She definitely wasn't sent by my parents.
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And I knew for a fact that she begged her way into the school like the jealous little psycho she was.
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So, Morgan, let me show you around.
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See you later, Moo.
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Did you call her Moo?
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That's actually adorable.
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Call me that instead.
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It makes way more sense for me.
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Morgan literally starts with M .O like hello.
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Then she looked me up and down.
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And honestly, it fits me better than it fits whatever that is.
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And with that, she tucked her arm around his, and they walked away laughing like old friends.
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I thought this couldn't get any worse, but wow, was I wrong.
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Ten minutes later, I was in the bathroom trying to wipe off that stupid cow painting, except it refused to come off.
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I was freaking out, scrubbing my face, splashing water everywhere, and somehow making myself look even more insane.
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Dear God, I'm not exactly a prayer expert, but could you maybe make this a tiny bit easier?
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Just then, my phone buzzed.
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It was Elliot.
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Come right now.
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They're calling you for your speech.
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You're on in five minutes.
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My stomach dropped.
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I had completely forgotten I was supposed to give a speech at the charity event today.
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God, I really do need to work on my praying skills, don't I?
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Five minutes later, I was standing on stage with a half -smeared cow face while everyone stared at me.
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Then I spotted the rude little girl from earlier in the crowd taking money from Erin.
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She noticed me, smiled, and stuck her tongue out. Of course.
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I gave the most awkward speech in human history, stuttering every three words and blinking like a hostage.
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Until the principal finally came over and gently dragged me away.
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Later that day, after the event ended, the teacher gathered us in the classroom before dismissal.
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Aaron and Morgan kept switching between flirting with each other and looking over at me to snicker.
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Elliot looked at me and gave me a reassuring smile.
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If it helps, the cow spots kind of made your eyes pop.
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Please don't.
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I meant that as a compliment.
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That makes it worse.
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The teacher dismissed everyone, and before Morgan could leave, I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back.
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What the heck are you doing here?
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Who even are you?
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Seriously?
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You don't even recognize my voice?
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She squinted at me.
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Mara?
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Oh my god.
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I didn't recognize you with the pigtails.
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Since when do you do pigtails?
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What?
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Whatever.
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Listen, you cannot join this school.
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My life is already hell here, and I don't need your stupidity blowing my cover.
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Aww, poor thing.
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You call this hell?
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Fancy school?
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Cute friend?
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Cute bully?
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Tragic.
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I don't want any of this, and it's literally your fault I'm here because you couldn't control your pathetic jealousy and had strangers stalking me every single day.
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I don't see the problem.
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You have crazy fans who worship you, and mom and dad found you like some special little prize.
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Meanwhile, I had to be born into this family like a regular person.
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Don't talk about it like that.
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I lost my real parents, Morgan.
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That's not a privilege.
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Whatever, I don't have time for this.
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Aaron's throwing a huge party today, and I need to go make myself impossible to ignore.
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Ciao!
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And with that, she left, calling for Aaron to wait for her.
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Great.
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What was this psycho about to do now?
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That night, I opened YouTube and found a fresh wave of hate comments and threats.
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People were calling me spoiled and out of touch, and some were saying they'd find me and teach me how the real world works.
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And maybe it was the threats, or Morgan, or the fact that I was pretending to be someone else every day.
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But for the first time in years, I felt lost again.
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Maybe YouTube had been my escape from that feeling.
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But now that I was just Mira, invisible and pretending, the emptiness came crawling back.
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I opened my drawer and took out the sketch of my mom.
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I thought I had her eyes, and for the first time in a long time, I wondered if she'd left me on purpose,
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or if she was still out there, hurting too.
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My chest felt tight, but before I could drown in my own thoughts, my phone buzzed.
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It was a text from Elliot.
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My dad dragged me to Aaron's stupid party and won't let me leave.
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Aaron's been annoying me for 20 minutes straight.
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Please come save me before I commit a crime.
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I didn't want Elliot getting in trouble, especially since Aaron was actually insane.
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And now he had Morgan on his side.
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Those two together could probably start a natural disaster by accident.
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So I got dressed and headed to the party.
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Man, I should have stayed home.
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The party was insane.
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I was pretty sure half the town was packed into Aaron's backyard.
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I spotted Aaron and Elliot by the pool.
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And from the look on Elliot's face, someone was about to get.. punched.
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So I marched over, grabbed Elliot's arm, and dragged him away.
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He broke my phone
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because I wasn't paying attention to his stupid story about how
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he had two dates at the same restaurant at the same time and somehow neither girl noticed.
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That's weirdly impressive and super messed up.
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Thank you.
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That's exactly what I said.
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Why do you guys hate each other so much?
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Elliot sighed and looked back at Aaron.
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Because when we were kids, everyone treated me like the smart one.
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My grandpa kept saying I'd be the one to run his company someday, and Aaron never got over it.
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So now he acts like making my life miserable is his full -time job.
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So you were the smart one?
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Yeah, I guess.
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Funny.
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Every family gives people a tag, don't they?
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The smart one, the pretty one, the troublemaker, the favorite, the disappointment.
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Which one were you?
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I used to think I was the lucky one.
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Now, I think Morgan might be right.
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I'm confused.
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Sorry, never mind.
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I should probably watch some msa videos to emotionally recover before i continue you guys should too like and subscribe
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and tell me in the comments what were you in your
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family the smart one the pretty one the troublemaker the favorite
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or the one
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that everyone blamed for everything just then i heard morgan laughing
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at a group of girls who were filming a youtube short with my trending sound
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so i rushed over oh my god you actually follow that clown wait until i tell you who she really is.
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I grabbed her arm and pulled her close.
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Are you out of your mind?
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Mara isn't even in the States.
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She's visiting relatives in Portugal.
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She said it on her page.
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And you believed that?
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Also, what relatives?
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That girl doesn't have a real family.
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Well, except for the people who adopted her, but that doesn't count.
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Everyone went quiet.
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I felt my stomach twist.
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Fine.
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Mara is here and I'm going to prove it.
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Then she looked straight at me.
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Before I could move, she grabbed my wig and yanked it hard, but it didn't come off.
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Thank God for the stupidly expensive wig glue.
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Everything happened so fast.
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I panicked, shoved her out of the way, and Morgan stumbled backward with a scream before falling straight into the pool.
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Everyone gasped, and I ran like my life depended on it.
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And from that day on, Morgan made it her life's mission to ruin school for me.
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She laughed with Aaron whenever he annoyed me, accidentally called me by my real name in crowded hallways, and every time someone brought up Mara Bulgren,
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she bad -mouthed me like she was getting paid for it.
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And weirdly enough, the threatening messages started getting worse too.
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One day during class, I got a notification from YouTube.
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It was a comment that said, I know where your school is, and I'm going to find you, Moo.
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And the username was MooHunter2011.
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My head snapped up, only to find Aaron staring right at me.
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Then he winked.
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Oh my god, would he really stoop that low?
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And more importantly, did he know who I really was?
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Had that witch Morgan told him?
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I felt sick to my stomach and shot straight up from my seat.
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The teacher called after me, but I didn't stop.
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I ran straight to the bathroom and locked myself in one of the stalls.
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I was about to call my parents when screaming exploded in the hallway.
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It was Morgan, and she had Aaron cornered by the lockers.
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Who's Natalie?
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Huh?
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Who is she?
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Answer me before I end you!
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Aaron looked genuinely scared for half a second.
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But the moment he saw me watching, he straightened up, tried to look cool, and flicked Morgan's forehead.
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Relax, it's not my fault I'm hot and girls comment on my Instagram.
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That made her even crazier.
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She started throwing everything in her bag at him.
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Stop it, you psycho!
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Who said we were even together?
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Did I ever say I liked you?
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Did I ask you to be my girlfriend?
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We bonded over hating Mira!
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Was that not special to you?
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Uh, no. Please stay away from me.
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You scare me, and I literally own a baseball bat.
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Then he pushed past her and walked away.
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And even though I was still worried he might be my stalker, I couldn't help snickering at the way he left Morgan standing there with her jaw on the floor.
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Big mistake.
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Morgan noticed me smiling and charged toward me.
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So I did the only smart thing I'd done all day.
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I ran like my life depended on it.
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And soon, exams started so I got distracted from the stalking thing, Morgan's jealousy, and basically every disaster in my life.
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But weirdly enough, Elliot was struggling.
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I was shocked, especially since Elliot had basically given himself the family genius tag.
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And guess it was acing every exam like it was nothing.
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Aaron.
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Freaking Aaron.
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Maybe you could tutor me, Mira.
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I've got some family stuff going on, and I think I'd do better with some quiet and good company.
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I happily agreed, and we started studying together in the library after school.
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You know, no matter how hard I try, I still feel like Aaron's better at everything.
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He always gets his way, and I'm sure he's trying to convince Grandpa he's the responsible grandchild.
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I don't know how he's suddenly getting all these high grades, but I know he's up to something.
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Well, let him try.
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As long as you focus on yourself instead of worrying about what he's doing, you'll find your way.
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If I had listened to Morgan, I never would have gotten this far.
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I mean, I wouldn't have fans who actually care about me.
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Elliot looked confused, but he didn't ask what I meant, which was weird.
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Instead, he just looked into my eyes and leaned in.
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He was about to kiss me when someone slammed a book down on the table.
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Ew!
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I thought losing my dignity when Aaron dumped me was the worst thing that could happen to me.
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Then I walked in here and wished I'd lost my eyesight instead.
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Two weeks later, exams were finally over, and our school had one last camping trip before spring break.
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Of course, I didn't want to go.
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The words camping and possible stalker didn't exactly sound like a dream combo.
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But Elliot begged me to come, saying it would be one last fun thing before break.
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He even suggested I ask my parents to let a few bodyguards stay nearby without anyone noticing, just to make them feel better.
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So I did, and somehow, they agreed.
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But before leaving, I made sure to lock Morgan's bedroom door from the outside.
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The last thing I needed was her craziness ruining my trip before it even started.
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Two minutes later, I heard her screaming from upstairs.
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Mara!
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Open this door!
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I know this was you!
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Sorry, can't hear you.
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I'm busy escaping your personality.
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You can't escape me.
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I'm iconic.
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And with that beautiful goodbye, I left for the camping trip.
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The trip was actually amazing.
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For 30 whole minutes.
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Then Morgan showed up, limping, covered in leaves, and looking like she'd fought a bush and lost.
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You thought you could escape me?
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Please.
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I'm not a person.
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I'm an experience.
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Also, I had to jump out the window, so if my ankle swells, that's on you.
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Ugh, Jesus.
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This girl was impossible.
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Then night came, and we all sat around the fire while Morgan flirted with every guy within breathing distance, clearly trying to make Erin jealous.
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But Erin didn't even look her way.
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Actually, he was too busy staring at me, which was creepy.
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So I asked Elliot if he wanted to walk around and get some fresh air.
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He nodded, and we both slipped away from the group.
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We walked for about ten minutes into the woods.
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At first, it was nice and peaceful.
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Then, it started feeling wrong.
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I looked around, and this strange feeling crawled up my spine.
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The trees, the trail, the little wooden bridge nearby.
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Somehow, I knew this place.
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Looks familiar?
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I turned to him, and for the first time ever, Elliot looked scary.
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What's going on?
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Let's go back.
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I tried to run, but he grabbed my arm.
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I screamed for my bodyguards, but no one came.
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Don't bother.
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I sent them to the other side of the camp.
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Then his phone rang.
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Yeah, she's with me.
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We'll be there in ten.
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Ask for the ransom we agreed on.
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My blood went cold.
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Was he kidnapping me?
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Was Elliot the stalker all along?
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I tried to yank my arm free, but he held on tighter.
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You really don't remember me, do you, Mara?
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We were friends when we were kids.
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We were playing in these woods the day you disappeared.
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I froze.
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I can't believe you actually didn't recognize me.
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I couldn't speak.
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All I could think was that I needed to get out of here alive.
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Then suddenly, someone came out of the darkness and punched Elliot hard enough to send him crashing to the ground.
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I gasped.
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The figure stepped into the moonlight.
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It was Aaron.
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Are you okay?
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Come on, we need to go.
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As we hurried back through the woods, I looked at Aaron.
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What is going on?
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I knew who you were the second I saw you.
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You're Mara.
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You were my neighbor when we were kids.
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You, me, and Elliot used to play together all the time.
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You knew me?
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Aaron looked away, and for the first time, he didn't look cocky or annoying.
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He looked guilty.
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The day you disappeared, we were playing hide -and -seek in the woods.
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I wanted to win, so I convinced Elliot to send you farther into the trees.
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It was my fault.
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You got lost.
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Wait, so you knew who I was this whole time?
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And you knew my real family?
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Why didn't you say anything?
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Because what was I supposed to say?
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That your mom fell apart after she lost you?
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That your dad left when their marriage broke down?
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That her health got so bad, she had to move into a care facility?
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I stared at him, frozen.
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We were all poor back then.
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But later, my grandpa's company took off, and my family got rich.
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We moved away, but I never forgot what happened.
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I told my parents the guilt was eating me alive.
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So they started paying for your mom's care.
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You knew where my mom was this whole time?
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Aaron nodded, barely able to look at me.
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I knew Elliot was up to something.
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He recognized you too.
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And when I saw how close he was getting to you, I panicked.
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So your brilliant plan was to bully me?
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I know, it was stupid.
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And it doesn't excuse how I treated you.
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I thought if I made you hate this school, you'd leave.
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And if you left, Elliot couldn't get to you.
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But he wouldn't leave you alone.
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Listen, everything Elliot told you was a lie.
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Grandpa never said he was leaving him the company.
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He actually didn't trust Elliot at all, because he was always wasting money, lying, and using people.
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So I tried to keep an eye on you.
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I even dated your crazy sister to stay near you without making Elliot suspicious.
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Then Aaron told me his grandpa had actually cut Elliot off.
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Elliot was desperate for money.
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So when he realized I was Mara Bulkren, he used the threats to scare me, get close to me, and set up the whole kidnapping for ransom.
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I didn't know what to say.
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I just stood there, trying to process everything Aaron had dumped on me.
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Mara, I'm sorry.
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I thought you were better off not knowing.
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Your adoptive parents love you.
492
You had a good life, and your real mom was sick, poor, and alone.
493
I thought telling you would only hurt you.
494
That wasn't your decision to make, Erin.
495
You should have told me everything.
496
By the time we reached camp, my head was still spinning.
497
But the second Morgan saw me walking back with Erin, she completely lost it.
498
Aha!
499
I knew it!
500
He dumped me because he has a crush on you!
501
Wasn't stealing my parents, my life, and my spotlight enough?
502
Now you want my boyfriend too?
503
Something inside me snapped.
504
You know what, Morgan?
505
I'm done with you.
506
I didn't steal anything from you.
507
You had parents, money, a home, and a chance to make your own life.
508
But instead, you spent years blaming me because being jealous was easier than being interesting.
509
Morgan's mouth fell open.
510
Then she lunged at me, but I slapped her first.
511
Maybe that'll knock some sense into you.
512
For once, Morgan had nothing to say.
513
Thirty minutes later, the police arrived, and so did my parents.
514
They hugged me tight, and for the first time that night, I finally felt like I could breathe.
515
Then I saw the police dragging Elliot out of the woods, and my whole body went cold all over again.
516
A few weeks later, I told my parents I was ready.
517
When I walked into the room, my heart almost stopped.
518
My birth mom was sitting in a rocking chair by the window, looking smaller than I'd imagined, but peaceful.
519
Then her eyes landed on me.
520
For a second, she just stared.
521
Why are you wearing my daughter's necklace?
522
Who are you?
523
I broke down right there.
524
Her eyes widened, and her voice came out shaking.
525
Oh, is that you, honey?
526
Hope.
527
That was my real name.
528
I ran to her, and she pulled me into her arms, crying like she'd been holding it in for ten years.
529
I knew you'd come back.
530
They said I was crazy, but I knew it.
531
You're my little girl.
532
My hope.
533
I hugged her tighter.
534
I'm here now, Mom.
535
And for the first time in my life, I didn't feel lost.
536
I didn't feel like a girl walking around with a missing piece anymore.
537
Finding her didn't make my adoptive parents any less my parents.
538
It just helped me feel whole.
539
I looked down the hallway and saw Aaron standing by the window, watching us with the softest smile on his face.
540
For years, I thought being found meant knowing where I came from.
541
But maybe it also meant knowing who was willing to stay.
542
I love you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 542 sentences and 4995 words to shadow. The speech runs for 29:54. The speaker talks at a natural 167 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| morgan noun | /ˈmɔɹɡən/ | A unit for expressing the relative distance between genes on a chromosome. |
| stare verb | /stɛɚ/ | To look fixedly (at something). |
| charity noun | /ˈtʃæɹɪti/ | An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose. |
| stomach noun | /ˈstʌmək/ | An organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion. |
| insane adjective | /ɪnˈseɪn/ | Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad. |
| jealous adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/ | Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity. |
| bully noun | /ˈbʊli/ | A person who is intentionally physically or emotionally cruel to others, especially to those whom they perceive as being vulnerable or of less power or… |
| grandpa noun | /ˈɡɹæm.pɑː/ | grandfather. |
| hallway noun | /ˈhɔlˌweɪ/ | A corridor in a building that connects rooms. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| drag verb | /dɹæɡ/ | To pull along a surface or through a medium, sometimes with difficulty. |
| scream verb | /skɹiːm/ | To cry out with a shrill voice; to utter a sudden, sharp outcry, or shrill, loud cry, as in fright or extreme pain; to screech, to shriek. |
| dump verb | /dʌmp/ | To release, especially in large quantities and chaotic manner. |
| relative noun | /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv/ | Someone connected by blood, marriage, or adoption; someone in the same family. |
| confused adjective | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | unable to think clearly or understand |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| break down verb | To stop functioning. |
| come off verb | To become detached. |
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. |
| look away verb | To ignore something; to pretend not to have seen or noticed something; to avoid dealing with something. |
| mess up verb | To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss. |
| turn around verb | To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount. |
| walk away verb | To withdraw from a problematic situation. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If she went here, I'd have |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to think · used to play |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been changed · were obsessed · were stuck |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who would · teacher who had · anyway, which was |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 111 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, thirty /ˈθɝti/, gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, wealthy /ˈwɛl.θi/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shock /ʃɔk/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, worship /ˈwɝ.ʃɪp/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, crush /kɹʌʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: invisible /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/, adorable /əˈdoɹ.əˌbəl/, ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, humanity /hjuˈmænɪti/, celebrity /səˈlɛb.ɹɪ.ɾi/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like morgan, stare, charity.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.