How did the "cool kids" from your high school turn out?

你高中的那些酷炫男孩毕业后都怎么样？

My brother was a “cool kid” in high school.

我哥哥是个高中的cool kid

cool kid

A stylish, charismatic guy with many impressive skills; he was popular with the guys and girls alike.

一个时髦、有魅力且有很多令人印象深刻技能的家伙，他很受男女老少的欢迎。

He was a basketball player, he played the guitar and had a band for some of his time at school. He also liked to act in the annual school play. There wasn't a kid in my high school who didn't know his name.

他玩篮球、玩吉他，在学校时有一个乐队。他喜欢学校一年一度的戏剧表演。我的那个高中没有一个孩子不认识他。

He was a bit of a class clown, always with a joke ready. He dated the “hot” girls and hung out with the other jocks.

他有点像小丑，总是准备好段子。他约辣妹而且和酷男孩（jocks）闲逛。

After school his life took some serious turns. He didn't put enough focus on his academic life and as a result didn't really prepare enough for college. He ended up going to community for a few semesters but ended up having some trouble keeping up.

校外他的生活发生了一些严重的变化。他没有关注血液生化导致他并没有真正地准备好上大学。他最终去了社区学了几个学期，到最后造成了一些麻烦。

Now, don't get me wrong. My brother is very smart and can learn or do anything he puts his mind to. He could easily have been a straight-A student. He just wasn't interested in it at all and as a result ended up dropping out within a few years.

现在，别误会我的意思。我哥哥很聪明，能够学习或者做他想做的任何事。它很容易成为一个正直的学生。他仅仅是对此根本不感冒，结果几年内就辍学了。

cool kid

His goals shifted, he made the sort of mistakes many of us do when we’re young and he fell in and out of different crowds. He started working odd jobs in construction or painting. He still chased after the “popular” spoiled girls and only wanted to drive the coolest cars.

他的目标改变了，他在年青的时候就犯了很多错，然后他在不同的人间出入。他开始在建筑或者绘画之间做兼职。他仍然追求那些受欢迎的坏女孩，只想驾驶最酷的汽车。

On paper, it really looked like my brother was screwing up his life. People made such nasty comments and almost took joy in watching the “cool kid” fail and fall on his face… but I've never thought as much.

理论上看，我的哥哥貌似搞砸自己的生活。人们发表一些糟糕的看法，很期望看到坏孩子最终失败……但我从来没有想过这么多。

To me, when I saw my big brother, I saw someone who was really living his life. He had the guts to walk an unknown road, to try stupid things, fit in with different crowds and make those youthful mistakes. By 20, he'd lived a more interesting life than anyone I’d known.

对我来说，当我看到我的大哥时，我看到了一个真正过着自己生活的人。他有胆量走陌生的路，尝试愚蠢的事情，适应不同的人群，犯那些年轻的错误。到了20岁，他比我认识的任何人都生活得更加有趣。

Sure, he was making mistakes but he was growing up. He was leaving behind bad habits and he was developing as a person.

当然，他在犯错，他也在成长。他丢掉了坏习惯，发展为一个健全的人。

Fast forward 12 years.

12年后

高中的差生会成功吗？

My brother is now a stable, secure man. Still has that great style, that charisma and wit. Only now, he manages a financial office and has just been offered a position that will put him on track to becoming the CFO of a well-respected company just after his 30th birthday.

我哥哥现在是一个稳健、靠谱的人。仍然有伟大的风格，魅力和智慧。现在，他管理着一个财务办公室，而且刚刚被提供了一个将使他在第三十岁生日后成为一家受人尊敬的公司的首席财务官（CFO）的位置。

He has a lovely home, a wife and a happy little dog. He is a philanthropist, volunteering his time every week without fail and he has grown into a remarkable musician.

他有一个可爱的家，一个妻子和一只快乐的小狗。他是慈善家，每周都在志愿工作，他已经成长为一名杰出的音乐家。

He is now kind to the family, has tried to right every wrong he ever did to anybody and as of May of this year he has the degree he gave up on one decade ago.

他现在对家庭很好，他试图纠正他对人们做的每个错误，今年5月他就有了十年前放弃的学位。

So you see, it's not all black and white.

你看，世界并不是非黑即白。

For me, my brother has never been more cool.

在我看来，我的哥哥不能再酷了。