Shadowing Practice: My Boyfriend’s Ex Became My Worst Nightmare - Learn English Speaking with Video

Think about your favorite spot.

It's probably a tree in the woods, a couch in your sitting room, or maybe your parents car.

For me, it's always been the kitchen.

In fact, this kitchen saved me from becoming a raging monster with a thirst for vengeance, destruction, devastation, and oh sorry,

I didn't mean to scare you.

I'm Lily, and before I continue, please like and subscribe.

You see, my parents were amazing chefs who owned a popular restaurant in town.

My grandmother was a baker extraordinaire.

Dad's bread literally made grown men cry.

And Mom's pasta won a dozen awards.

I'd clearly inherited their love for cooking.

And they started teaching me when I was really young.

But the cooking gene entirely skipped my twin sister Mia.

The poor thing couldn't even boil an egg right.

She burned everything she bigged.

And once she got so frustrated that she threw a pot out the window.

Cooking sucks.

After that, she was banned from the kitchen for life.

In middle school, Mia was the absolute worst.

On my parents' anniversary, I baked a fancy cake.

Then Mia burst into the kitchen on her skateboard.

She banged into me and I fell face first into the cake.

Oops, sorry, didn't see you there.

That night, I stormed up to Mia's room, grabbed her precious laptop, and smashed it to pieces.

Mia went ballistic.

We fought like a pack of hyenas.

Mom and Dad grounded us for a month.

The summer before our freshman year, our parents sat us down and told us they wanted us to help out at the restaurant.

I was so excited.

I can't wait.

This is gonna be awesome.

Meh.

But on our first day, my parents gave me the worst news.

They said Mia would work in the office while I'd be a waitress.

What?

I can't be a waitress.

I'm a chef.

I've been training for this for years.

My parents gave me a dozen reasons why they needed me to be a waitress, but I can't remember one.

As I looked out onto the busy restaurant floor, I felt sick to my stomach.

I forgot to mention, I'm terrified of crowds.

I mean, it's bad.

Like, one time I was in a school play.

I mean, I only had one line.

The moment I saw all those beady eyes staring at me, I got so nervous.

I fainted, fell backward, bumped into a backdrop that smashed into a light, and then the whole stage came tumbling down.

Lily, are you listening?

I don't think this is a good idea.

You'll do just fine.

My first shift was the worst.

I screwed up two orders, spilled a drink on the floor, and then one of our biggest customers, Mr. Spinster, yelled at me.

My order isn't right.

Did you leave your brain in the sink?

Just as I was about to burst into tears, this gorgeous boy named Wyatt came to the rescue.

He was a waiter at the restaurant, and everyone loved him.

Wyatt calmed the customer down, fixed their order, and had them smiling in seconds.

They even gave him a big tip when they left.

Ignore Mr. Spinster.

He's a jerk.

This is for you.

Wyatt handed me a hundred dollar bill!

I can't take this!

You did all the work!

We were a team.

Then Wyatt smiled at me and put his hand on my shoulder, and my heart raced like it had just entered the Indy 500!

Wyatt was my parents' best employee, and he took me under his wing.

He taught me how to be a great waiter and helped me overcome my fear of crowds.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

Picture them as silly clowns with big red noses and floppy shoes.

Soon we started dating.

One time, Mia caught us kissing in the kitchen after hours.

Gross!

Get a room!

Wyatt and I had so much in common.

We loved the same foods and MSA videos.

He even wanted to own a restaurant someday.

Wyatt was my first love, and even my parents adored him.

It took some time, but Mia eventually warmed up to Wyatt after he fixed her laptop.

But when school started, everything changed.

Wyatt was my senior and one of the most popular boys in school.

All the girls had a crush on him, but he only had eyes for me.

Which didn't sit well with his ex-girlfriend Sophie.

One day, Wyatt and I were talking near my locker when Sophie marched up to us.

She was the most popular girl in school.

Her father owned a dozen hotels around the world, and she was a social media star with millions of followers subscribing to hear about her ultra-rich life.

And then, Sophie shoved me to the side.

Out of my way, nerd.

Hey!

I lost my balance and stumbled backwards.

I marched towards Sophie so I could smack her in her stupid face, but then two huge bodyguards grabbed me and set me down five feet away.

Sophie, why are you being a witch?

Oh, Wyatt, that doesn't matter.

Listen, I was thinking, breaking up with you was a mistake.

I traveled the world and dated a dozen boys, but I could never stop thinking about you.

I love you, Wyatt.

Let's get back together and make it insta-official.

Sophie pulled out her cell phone and started recording as she leaned in for a kiss.

Wyatt moved to the side and Sophie fell flat on her face.

100

She was so embarrassed!

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Sorry, I have a new girlfriend.

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What girlfriend?

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Wyatt marched straight up to me.

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Her name is Lily and we're in love.

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Sophie took one look at me and laughed.

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That's your girlfriend?

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No way!

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I thought she was your mutant brother that lived under the stairs

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because his face was so ugly he made your mother cry!

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I was so mad I wanted to throw a book at her, but then Wyatt pulled me close and kissed me.

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Come on, babe.

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Let's get out of here.

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Sophie was so angry, she started screaming like a peacock.

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Yeah, peacock scream.

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I saw it on YouTube.

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It's actually pretty wild.

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That night, Wyatt and I were in my room studying and kissing when Mia barged in.

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Jeez, Mia, get out!

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Can we have some privacy, please?

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What did you guys do to Sophie?

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She's trashing our restaurant.

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Mia showed us Sophie's latest livestream on her phone.

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So I ordered their famous spaghetti and meatballs, and it was like I was eating rubber bands.

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And don't even get me started on their so-called gourmet burger.

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It was as dry as the Sahara Desert.

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I had to drink a gallon of water just to wash it down.

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Sophie made a dozen more posts just like it and got a million likes.

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The next day, people stopped coming to our restaurant, and it continued for weeks.

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The bills started piling up and my parents had to lay off most of their employees, including Wyatt.

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They were devastated.

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I tried to reason with Sophie.

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I'm just being honest.

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Your parents' food is as disgusting as your gross face.

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By the way, has anyone ever told you that you smell like a rotten egg that ate a pile of poop?

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Sophie and her friends laughed like it was the funniest joke in the world.

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Then something inside me just snapped.

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I'll show you disgusting.

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I charged Sophie like a bull.

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I slipped past Sophie's bodyguards, punched her in the eye, and shoved her hard.

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Sophie fell and broke her arm.

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The next day, Sophie's parents filed a lawsuit against me and my family, sued my parents for a ton of money, and won.

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My parents' bank accounts were drained, and they were forced to close the restaurant.

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I felt horrible.

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I'm so sorry.

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This is all my fault.

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I don't know what came over me.

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You turned into a crazy maniac, and now we're poor!

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Everything will be fine.

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I've got this under control.

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Dad took all the money out of our savings account and started giving it away to charities.

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He invested in a ton of shady business ventures and even threw $500 into a wishing well.

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Dad, have you lost your mind?

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Don't worry, girls.

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The more money you put into the world, the more you'll get back.

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That doesn't sound right.

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We lost our car, then our house, and then we had to live with our grandmother.

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Mom got so pissed, she left Dad and moved to another town.

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A few weeks later, Dad and one of his shady business partners were arrested and sent to jail for fraud.

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My life was in shambles, but at least I had Wyatt.

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On Wyatt's birthday, I walked to his house to surprise him with his favorite cookies, but I caught him kissing Sophie on his front porch.

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Hey, loser, what's up?

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Wyatt finally came to his senses.

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He's no longer interested in trolls.

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I just stood there, speechless.

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I couldn't believe my eyes.

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If you're gonna stand there like a dummy, do you mind making yourself useful and taking a good kissing picture of us?

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I'm commissioning a world-famous artist to make some oil paintings of us as a couple.

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How could you do this to me, Wyatt?

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I thought we were in love.

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Things changed.

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I realized that I'm still in love with Sophie.

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Sophie convinced her dad to give me a new job at one of his restaurants.

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Isn't she an angel?

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I'm perfect.

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I can't help it.

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I'm irresistible like cotton candy and gummy bears.

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Sophie and I never should have broken up.

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I didn't mean to hurt you Lily.

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I hope we can still be friends. Or not.

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I'm allergic to losers and every time Lily's around, she makes me want to puke.

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At school, Sophie and Wyatt were all over each other.

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Every time I saw them, I got angrier and angrier.

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Mia tried to be the voice of reason.

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Forget those jerks.

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They're not worth your time.

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But I couldn't ignore them.

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I was furious.

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Sophie and Wyatt had to pay.

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I woke up early the next morning to dish out my revenge.

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First, I threw a rock at Wyatt's bedroom window.

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I slashed the tires on Sophie's car.

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Then, I showed up in disguise at Sophie's dad's fancy restaurant, where I knew Wyatt was working.

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I had a bag of roaches hidden in my backpack.

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When no one was looking, I let the roaches loose on the floor.

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They jumped on tables, took a swim in a man's chicken soup, and a couple of them crawled into Wyatt's hair.

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The customer started screaming and ran toward the door.

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An old rich lady dropped her fancy purse.

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Hey lady, you forgot your purse!

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But the lady was so scared, she rushed right past me, hopped into her limousine, and drove off.

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The next day, the health inspector shut the restaurant down, and Wyatt lost his job.

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Mia caught me laughing in my room as I watched the whole thing on the news.

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I know you're behind what happened to Wyatt.

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You've got no proof.

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And even if I was behind it, why do you care?

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He's a jerk.

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You said so yourself.

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Who are you?

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And what have you done with my sister?

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I shoved Mia out of my room and slammed the door shut.

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I didn't have time for any distractions.

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I had one thing on my mind.

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Getting back at Sophie.

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I kept following her around, ready to attack her with a paintball gun or rotten eggs.

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But ever since I'd hurt her earlier, the bodyguards stayed even closer to her.

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But Sophie was such a witch, she fired at least one of them daily and had a replacement by the next morning.

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Like one time, one of her new bodyguards named Simon accidentally photobombed Sophia's selfie, and she lost her mind.

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You stupid idiot!

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Your hideous face ruined my selfie!

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I'm sorry, ma'am.

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It won't happen again.

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Of course it won't, because you're fired!

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Simon begged Sophie to let him keep his job, but Sophie just laughed in his face.

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So the next day, I met Simon at a coffee shop.

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He was so pissed at Sophie that he wanted to humiliate her just as much as I did.

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Sophie's gonna be attending a really posh event at the National Museum tomorrow.

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Everybody who is anybody will be there.

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If you're gonna try something to humiliate her, that would be the place to do it.

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I was so pumped!

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I had the perfect time and place.

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Now all I needed to do was figure out how to crush Sophie in the worst way imaginable.

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Then, the best thing happened.

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I was walking home

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when I saw this news report about how some old rich lady's purse was stolen at one of Sophie's dad's restaurants.

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And inside was a priceless diamond necklace.

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There was a $50,000 reward for anyone who returned it.

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The old lady's face popped up on the screen, and I immediately recognized her and her purse.

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I raced home and found the purse in my closet with the diamond necklace inside.

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Then I had an amazing idea!

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I could frame Sophie for stealing the rich lady's necklace and make sure she got caught at the museum event.

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The next day, I put on a disguise, and just as I was putting the necklace in my bag, I heard Mia behind me.

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You better be returning that necklace to get the reward money, because if you're planning What I think you're planning?

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You've lost your mind.

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It's none of your business.

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I pushed past Mia and headed toward the front door.

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Then a salt shaker hit me in the back of the head.

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Ouch!

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Step away from the door, sis.

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I can't let you do this.

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Mia grabbed a huge wooden spoon.

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I grabbed a rolling pin.

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I'm leaving.

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Then you'll have to go through me.

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Mia lunged toward me, and we sparred like Jedi.

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I knocked the spoon out of Mia's hand.

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Then Mia threw a plate.

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I dove for cover.

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Then I grabbed a bunch of muffins off the counter and threw them at Mia one by one.

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Mia picked up a cutting board and used it as a shield.

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I grabbed a bottle of cooking oil and sprayed it in her eyes.

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I can't see!

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I darted out the door and headed straight to the museum.

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When I saw Sophie get out of her car, I walked up to her but was stopped by her bodyguards.

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Please, sir.

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I'm Sophie's biggest fan.

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I just want her autograph.

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I'm saving money to get plastic surgery to look just like her.

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Sophie heard that and told her bodyguards to step aside as she gave me an autograph.

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Dear, whoever you are, you smell like failure.

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Wishing you well with your life as a loser.

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XOXO, Soph.

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While she was busy doing that, I slipped the diamond necklace into her purse, and then I stepped back and waited.

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Sure enough, the minute Sophie's bag went through security at the museum entrance, they found the necklace inside.

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She was immediately arrested and carried off by the police, kicking and screaming.

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I'm innocent you morons!

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Take your filthy hands off me!

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On the day of Sophie's trial, I was over the moon!

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My revenge would finally be complete!

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But just as I was about to go to the courthouse to hear Sophie's jail sentence, my grandmother, Mia, and mom confronted me.

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You stupid tattletale!

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Why would you tell mom?

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I was worried about you.

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You've changed, Lily!

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All you think about is revenge!

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Sophie has to pay for what she did!

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She took everything from us!

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Dad made his own mistakes, and you can't keep living in the past and blaming yourself.

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You have to forgive, honey.

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Wyatt and Sophie don't deserve my forgiveness.

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We're not talking about them.

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You have to forgive yourself.

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Tears streamed down my face as the weight of the guilt

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I was carrying dropped down on me like a ton of bricks.

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We're here for you, Lily.

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You're better than this.

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You have to let this go and move on.

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I went to the courthouse and told the judge that it was all a misunderstanding.

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I explained how I'd found the diamond necklace and gave it to Sophie to return to the lady.

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Is this true?

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Sophie went along with my story and the judge dismissed the case.

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Afterward, Sophie came up to me.

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Why did you do that?

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I ruined your life and you could have easily ruined mine.

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Because someone reminded me that I'm a better person.

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After the trial, I apologized to Wyatt for what I did

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and he said he was sorry for being a big fat jerk.

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I also started working on my anger issues.

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I went to counseling, started cooking again, and doing lots of yoga.

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Sophie's dad felt so bad about what Sophie did to me that he gave me a huge check.

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No, thank you, sir.

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Your apology is enough.

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Mia pulled me to the side.

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It's great that you're zen and all now, but don't be stupid.

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Mia was right.

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I ran to catch up with Sophie's dad.

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Excuse me, sir.

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On second thought, we'll take the check.

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I used the money to reopen our family restaurant.

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Dad even came to the opening since he got out early on Good Behavior.

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And it was the happiest day of my life.

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.

Shadowing Practice: My Boyfriend’s Ex Became My Worst Nightmare - Learn English Speaking with Video

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What is the Shadowing Technique?