Opposite of Always: List 2

by Justin A. Reynolds
In this blend of science fiction and romance, Jack keeps returning to the moment when he and Kate first met—and he must try to alter the past in order to prevent her death.

This list covers Part 2, "So Sequels Usually Suck, But..."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 44 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sterile
    free of pathological microorganisms
    But I figure a hospital bed is more probable. So, when I open my eyes, I’m not sure what awaits.
    Sterile, white walls, maybe.
  2. careen
    move sideways or in an unsteady way
    These voices are young, carefree, celebratory. These voices careen around the room with abandon, with energy.
  3. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    I wave inexplicably hard at her, like I’m her mom watching her climb onto the school bus for the first time.
  4. nostalgic
    unhappy about being away and longing for familiar things
    It’s sort of nostalgic, recalling how she always made me laugh.
  5. subtly
    in a manner difficult to detect or grasp
    “Like a campus visit? As in you’re still in high school?”
    “I’m a senior,” I say. I attempt to subtly bassify my voice.
  6. partiality
    an inclination to favor one group or view over alternatives
    We show zero partiality. Fruity cereal, nutty cereal, thousand-grain cereal, it doesn’t matter. If it floats in milk, it’s in our cart.
  7. trove
    a valuable collection or treasure found hidden
    “What should we do with our remaining treasure trove of whole-grain wheat and artificial flavors?”
  8. exasperate
    make furious
    She’s leaning against the car, her body language invoking rather lovely vocabulary, such as:
    Irked.
    Exasperated.
    Aggravated assault.
  9. aggravated
    made more severe or intense especially in law
    She’s leaning against the car, her body language invoking rather lovely vocabulary, such as:
    Irked.
    Exasperated.
    Aggravated assault.
  10. decrepit
    worn and broken down by hard use
    I mean, out of all the places for God, the cosmos, whomever, whatever, to plunk me down in the stream of time, why here—on a set of decrepit steps, with the girl that I almost-love, the girl who died, now alive and well and annoyed with me for blocking her staircase descent?
  11. elusive
    skillful at evading capture
    Since sleep is still elusive...I invest my time elsewhere.
  12. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    So here’s some info about me that I’m hopeful may sway you, should you happen to still be mulling over your decision.
  13. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
    Uncomfortable silence ensues.
    Which I break with strategically disarming small talk.
  14. disarming
    capable of allaying hostility
    Uncomfortable silence ensues.
    Which I break with strategically disarming small talk.
  15. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    But Jillian stares intently at her phone, as if any minute now POTUS is going to call her for advice on overseas troop deployment.
  16. backpedal
    reverse or retreat from one's position on an issue
    “Huh? You must’ve mentioned it.”
    “No, I definitely didn’t, Jack.”
    “I mean, uh.” Backpedal, Jack. Backpedal.
  17. existential
    relating to or dealing with the state of being
    “I just assumed, you know, if I was having an existential crisis, I’d probably go back to, uh, where I grew up, you know, for answers. Yeah.”
  18. throes
    violent pangs of suffering
    In the throes of a mind-numbingly boring fifth-period study hall, this pops up...
  19. charlatan
    a flamboyant deceiver
    How come they don’t make parties where you can show up in your jogging pants, and with your hair tied up in an old (non-chic) bandanna, without people thinking you’re a charlatan?
  20. kismet
    fate or fortune
    Once upon a time there was a moment, at a party very much like the one you and I met at, where I nearly told her the truth. But something (fate/kismet/chance/divine orchestration) made me hold back.
  21. poach
    hunt illegally
    But I can’t think of a good way, so instead I spend my time warding off Franny’s forked attempts to poach Mom’s homemade ravioli from my plate.
  22. impeccable
    without error or flaw
    “I just think you should be prepared...like, you know his track record isn’t exactly impeccable. I just want you to be okay if...you know...he’s not...if he doesn’t...”
  23. astronomical
    inconceivably large
    But I can’t explain any of this to him. How astronomically high the stakes are. No one, not even my dad, who would want to believe me, could actually believe me.
  24. unwitting
    not done with purpose or intent
    And you’ve unwittingly exposed our alien plot to take over Earth.
  25. orifice
    an opening, especially one that opens into a bodily cavity
    “You don’t look so well, Jack,” Mrs. Randleman says, watching me rub my stomach counterclockwise, my body slightly compressed and forward-leaning, as if at any moment I might explode from all my orifices.
  26. gusto
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
    Because when the roadblock of traffic finally begins to subside, I realize my car isn’t picking up speed with its usual halfhearted gusto.
  27. deluge
    a heavy rain
    A freaking deluge of rain from nowhere, as if mankind just won a championship and God decided to empty the Gatorade cooler over our heads.
  28. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    I weave in and out of traffic, elicit my share of horn blares and middle fingers.
  29. consensus
    agreement in the judgment reached by a group as a whole
    In all our years knowing each other, we’ve never physically fought. Probably because the consensus is that he’d pulverize me.
  30. absolve
    excuse or free from blame
    “If you’re thinking I’m about to absolve you of your guilt, it’s not the time, man.”
  31. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
    “Would I sound pretentious if I told you it’s because I know the band?”
  32. gilded
    made from or covered with gold
    I explode into the gold-gilded lobby, my head on a pivot, sweat flinging left and right, and I possibly induce a heart attack in an old woman alarmed by my bluster, only I’m busy staring at Kate’s empty elevator.
  33. bluster
    noisy confusion and turbulence
    I explode into the gold-gilded lobby, my head on a pivot, sweat flinging left and right, and I possibly induce a heart attack in an old woman alarmed by my bluster, only I’m busy staring at Kate’s empty elevator.
  34. contention
    a point asserted as part of an argument
    It is my contention that getting it is seriously overrated.
  35. monochromatic
    having or appearing to have only one color
    Everything is gray now. And not shiny chrome gray. Dull, monochromatic gray.
  36. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    “Wow, Molly, that was a very rude yet decently composed joke,” Ms. Haggerty, the art teacher, concedes.
  37. slew
    a large number or amount or extent
    “What?” she says, tapping the brake just in time to avoid a slew of mailboxes.
  38. dissertation
    a treatise advancing a point of view resulting from research
    And you sit there, waiting, watching enough reruns to write a Fresh Prince dissertation, and you wait and wait to feel better, and sometimes you do in a few days, and sometimes it’s weeks.
  39. discombobulate
    cause to be confused emotionally
    And then I hear a discombobulating shrill. Up ahead, red flashing lights falling horizontally against the dusk.
  40. misshapen
    so badly formed or distorted as to be ugly
    But then the train blares its get the hell back horn again and I have to throw the car in reverse, cursing my luck, cursing every locomotive ever built and every track they’ve ever railed along, cursing the whole misshapen world.
Created on Tue Apr 30 11:14:42 EDT 2019 (updated Wed May 01 15:11:38 EDT 2019)

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