The Gravity of Us: Chapters 6–10

by Phil Stamper
When his father is selected to train for a NASA mission to Mars, 17-year-old Cal must move to Houston with his family and participate in a space-themed reality show called StarWatch. As he attempts to uncover secrets about the show and the space program, Cal also finds himself falling for a fellow "Astrokid."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–18, Chapter 19–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    She’s got that Hillary Clinton look, with an immaculate solid blue pantsuit.
  2. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    As her shoes clack on the sidewalk, her lavender sun dress billows in the soft breeze.
  3. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    Both of them are immaculate and prepared for this life, with easy smiles and a confident gait.
  4. composure
    steadiness of mind under stress
    StarWatch is here. It takes a while for it to settle in. Will their cameras be on me? How is Mom going to handle the constant attention? How much will it take for Dad’s composure to break?
  5. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    I pull back and almost fall out of my swing, while Leon makes a guttural gasp that makes Katherine jump back in laughter.
  6. aback
    by surprise
    “I assure you our viewers are not bothered by that. They’re interested in Calvin Lewis—Calvin Lewis Sr., I should say. Many of our viewers, of course, know all about Cal Junior. I must say, we were taken aback by his surprise announcement today.”
  7. tenacity
    persistent determination
    So, yes, I bring a lifetime of experience and enthusiasm, but I also bring a deep appreciation of the history and tenacity that made NASA what it is today.
  8. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    Mom sighs, kind of wistfully. “I don’t know how she does it. As soon as you left, she snapped into media-training mode. She taught us so much in so little time. Thank god they didn’t want to see me, though. I was a mess.”
  9. taut
    subjected to great tension; stretched tight
    One look at the subject line, and all the anxiety sucks back up into me, pulling my muscles taut and pushing an ache through my nervous system.
  10. verbiage
    overabundance of words
    So I slow my pace and read through the email in my mind. The letterhead was fancy, but was it there just to look scary? And the verbiage they used to explain what rule I broke, it didn’t even apply to me.
  11. desist
    stop performing some action
    “Good morning! If you aren’t already subscribed to the Cal Letter, you’re going to want to fix that now, because tonight I’m going to send you the full text of my cease-and-desist letter from StarWatch. Yeah, that’s right. StarWatch is threatening to sue me, of all people, but unfortunately for them, I didn’t sign any nondisclosure agreement.”
  12. innocuous
    not causing disapproval
    While I’m no stranger to mild fame, I’ve never seen myself on the news doing something as innocuous as getting Starbucks or shopping at The Container Store.
  13. stifle
    smother or suppress
    She fails to stifle a laugh.
  14. sweltering
    excessively hot and humid; marked by sweating and faintness
    The heat is sweltering, but a few clouds have gone by.
  15. expansive
    able or tending to extend in one or more directions
    The park is expansive by Clear Lake standards—at least the length of a couple of football fields.
  16. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    I come up to a sprawling patch of vines, and my gaze falls across the guy who’s closely inspecting each leaf.
  17. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    When he looks up at me, all disheveled and covered in dirt, I doubt I’ll ever be able to speak again.
  18. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
    Leon stands, and for a second, we just smile at each other. There’s a peace in being alone with him, even when we’re not saying much. The nuanced expressions, the rising pulse rate, all bring a rush, a high all over my body.
  19. cheeky
    offensively bold
    “It’s hard to always be on. I always feel pressured to have the cheekiest take on an issue, or to know every cool thing happening in the city. It’s a lot of work to keep this up, and I think, because it’s ‘just social media,’ people don’t see that.”
  20. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    He won’t make eye contact with me now, and I see the boy in the magazine photo again with his distant stare, his sullen expression.
  21. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    My voice is thin, the bravado vanishing by the second.
  22. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    I look to Leon, and he’s more expressive than I’ve ever seen him: rolling his eyes, an incredulous look on his face.
  23. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    She smiles and tilts her head like we’re puppies, which definitely isn’t condescending or enraging at all—I have to physically strain to hide my disgust on camera.
  24. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    The silence on the other end is palpable, and I realize I’m being pretty rude.
  25. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    I can’t discern the music that plays, but the strumming of a rhythmic guitar floods the room.
  26. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
    Some bizarre nostalgia for an era that came half a century before my existence.
  27. respite
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    The moon’s glow lights the backyard, enough for me to see that there’s no one back here. I walk around the yard, taking in the brief respite, wondering when Kat and Leon will join me, when I hear a noise.
  28. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    “We’re kind of playing the same role. We have this massive public presence, but we’ve got this whole life that the public doesn’t see. I can’t believe you’re that stoic, almost regal cutie from the Time magazine cover.”
  29. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    I want him to know the improbability of two people meeting like this. That it’s astounding, no matter how inconsequential it is. Sure, strangers meet all the time. It’s the universe’s way to say we don’t matter. None of this matters.
  30. modicum
    a small or moderate or token amount
    But if she wanted to expose us, she wouldn’t have told me. So I have to trust that there might be a modicum of dignity with Shooting Stars.
  31. naive
    lacking information or instruction
    “Isn’t going to Mars dramatic enough?” I ask. “Maybe I’m naive, but there are so many people working on this project—especially outside of the twenty astronauts—that you could focus on.”
  32. lyre
    a harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment
    “The brief version? Eurydice dies; Orpheus takes his magical lyre and travels to Hades to save her. He plays his lyre for Hades, who promises to return Eurydice under one condition: she would follow, but if he turned to look at her, she’d be gone forever.”
  33. imperceptibly
    in a manner that is difficult to discern
    His eyes narrow, and he shakes his head almost imperceptibly, but in a flash, he drops all the tightness in his body.
  34. perverse
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
    He’s not low right now, and nowhere in my perverse mind do I think he needs this kiss to fix him.
  35. opulent
    rich and superior in quality
    Brooklyn is where I’ll live; Manhattan is where I’ll work and go to school. Texas simply doesn’t fit into the equation. But I can’t hide the fact that, even though I so recently fell into this opulent and bizarre world, the thought of leaving makes my chest ache with regret.
  36. bane
    something causing misery or death
    Both Dad and I turn—sharing my name with Dad is the bane of my existence—to see Donna running toward us, iPhone flailing precariously in her loose-wristed grip.
  37. precariously
    in a manner affording no ease or reassurance
    Both Dad and I turn—sharing my name with Dad is the bane of my existence—to see Donna running toward us, iPhone flailing precariously in her loose-wristed grip.
  38. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    Leon’s participation in the conversation dwindles to nonexistence, so when she turns a sharp corner and we’re momentarily alone, I place a hand softly on his shoulder and squeeze.
  39. niche
    a position well suited to the person who occupies it
    Even as I find my niche, and I start to fit in around here...as I start to feel a little happy, a little positive or hopeful or whatever it is, I think of my dad.
  40. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    His smile faltering, while Donna made a show of taking me around. It’s not fair to him.
Created on Wed Apr 01 16:08:12 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Apr 07 16:34:02 EDT 2020)

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