Why We Fly: Chapters 1–4

by Kimberly Jones, Gilly Segal
High school cheerleaders Eleanor and Chanel face a tumultuous senior year after their decision to kneel during the national anthem at the first football game of the season.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–15, Chapters 16–21
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    I. Will. Fly. Again.
    Every word is a squat, and every squat is a word. The mantra keeps me going, balancing on the stability ball as my physical therapist, Elliot, counts reps.
  2. bout
    a period of illness
    Though it happened all the time when I first began PT, it’s been months since a bout of dizziness sent me off the ball.
  3. prone
    having a tendency
    He promised he wasn’t giving up on me when I had to come back after the second fall, when the doctors started throwing around phrases like “prone to concussions” and “career-ending.”
  4. ratchet
    move by degrees in one direction only
    I try to beam my thoughts directly into his brain without ratcheting the pain level in mine up to a twelve on a scale of ten.
  5. splay
    widen or spread apart
    No one would start a conversation with some half-dead-looking stranger splayed out on a bench outside a doctor’s office.
  6. relinquish
    release, as from one's grip
    “I didn’t know you were injured,” I say as he relinquishes control of the ice pack to me.
  7. orthopedic
    of or relating to the treatment of bones or joints
    “You’re outside an orthopedic surgeon’s office, smelling like physical therapy sweat and Bengay, carrying instant cold packs in your gym bag.”
  8. exude
    make apparent by one's mood or behavior
    Being the superstar he is on the field and in the halls at school and at every party. Honestly, I thought that might be a front, that he couldn’t possibly exude charisma all the time, but this car ride is proving me wrong.
  9. emblazon
    decorate, adorn, or inscribe with a design
    A floor-to-ceiling banner hangs in the front window, emblazoned with Three’s number in Franklin’s colors, blue and green.
  10. rafter
    one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
    Championship banners hang from the rafters.
  11. ambient
    completely enveloping
    When the music fades and I finish, hitting one last perfect mark, and the ambient noise in the room returns to me, people are applauding.
  12. cliched
    repeated regularly without thought or originality
    He strides over to me, looking a bit clichéd in his eighties-movie-gym-teacher attire, complete with shorts, pale legs, and knee-high athletic socks.
  13. pedestrian
    lacking wit or imagination
    Now I have to pretend this is the first time I’ve ever heard that pedestrian old joke.
  14. philanthropic
    of or relating to charitable giving
    My mother spent her time taking my older sister, Alana, to Jack and Jill meetings, where they organized social events and philanthropic work for African American mothers and children.
  15. cotillion
    a ball at which young ladies are presented to society
    She’s even still seeing the boy, Sebastian, who was her escort to cotillion.
  16. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    I didn’t mean to listen to their conversation, but I’m now trying to conquer the whirlwind that happens in my mind when something piques my interest.
  17. accolade
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
    I’ve spent my entire academic career accumulating accolades so I can get into the best business school in the country.
  18. hype
    blatant or sensational promotion
    And she’s all hype about some program she found that she’s dying to apply for.
  19. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
    Usually, I wish people didn’t know about my concussion. They’re too solicitous, wanting to do everything for me. And they’re too worried.
  20. in tandem
    with one beside or behind the other
    I catch up to Three, and we jog in tandem for a minute. But then he pulls ahead.
  21. spur
    goad with sharp prods fixed to a rider's heel
    I feel it like a jab in the back—like someone is literally spurring me forward.
  22. labored
    requiring or showing effort
    I can’t believe he's talking while he’s running—we're really pushing now—but at least his words are labored.
  23. frenetic
    fast and energetic in an uncontrolled or wild way
    I much prefer the frenetic pace of a routine, my brain working overtime, thinking three moves ahead, calculating where I am and where the rest of the team should be.
  24. ruminate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    No, I scold the competitive part of my brain. The part that never yields first. The sore-loser part that will ruminate on this for hours—days, even—tightening into a peach pit in my stomach every time I recall it, reminding me that I gave up.
  25. disconcerting
    causing an emotional disturbance
    He looks so much like Three that it’s a little disconcerting, especially because I’ve never seen that level of intensity on Three’s face before, except on the football field.
  26. reproach
    a mild rebuke or criticism
    A strong handshake matters, my dad has always said. He drilled that into me and my brothers and made us practice with him and each other until he felt our firm handshakes were above reproach.
  27. quirk
    twist or curve abruptly
    I squeeze Mr. Walters’s hand hard in response and am gratified to see one of his eyebrows quirk up.
  28. connotation
    an idea that is implied or suggested
    He didn’t call me a cheerleader, with all the connotations that normally accompany the word.
  29. scrutiny
    the act of examining something closely, as for mistakes
    His scrutiny and the fact that I don’t yet have medical clearance make me wonder if I get to claim it. Can you call yourself a cheerleader if you can't compete?
  30. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
    He kisses her cheek and takes the box into the kitchen while she removes her shoes—a pair of beaded platform sandals I’ve been coveting at Macy’s for a couple of weeks—and rests them on a shoe rack beside the door.
  31. unabashed
    not embarrassed
    He sways closer, and for a wild second, I think he’s going to kiss me. But then he glances at the house, where his mother stands on the porch, staring at us unabashedly.
  32. pristine
    completely free from dirt or contamination
    Actually, I hope she’s not stalling because my car’s not in the same pristine condition I left it in.
  33. blurb
    a promotional statement, as on the dust jacket of a book
    I also spot a reference to the same high-performance camp I just attended in the blurb beside one girl’s photo.
  34. croon
    sing softly
    "Bumblebee!" I croon, patting the perfect yellow paint job.
  35. trowel
    a small hand tool with a handle and metal blade
    Leni fidgets with a trowel Mom must have left out while I crack open the LaCroix cans and set them in the koozies we had printed up for the squad last year, the ones that say FLY HIGH, DO OR DIE in green-and-blue script.
Created on Tue Jan 11 11:48:00 EST 2022 (updated Fri Jan 21 11:06:38 EST 2022)

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