There Goes the Neighborhood: Chapters 24–30

by Jade Adia
When her Los Angeles neighborhood starts developing and reducing the amount of affordable housing, fifteen-year-old Rhea leads her friends in creating fake news about gang activity in order to scare away invasive investors.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 5, Chapters 6–14, Chapters 15–23, Chapters 24–30, Chapter 31–Epilogue
40 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ankh
    the ancient Egyptian symbol for life and immortality
    She rubs the tattoo of an ankh on her wrist.
  2. reel
    be dizzy, disoriented, or bewildered
    Lacy crosses her arms in a way that makes it seem like even though she’s relieved to have her girl home safe, she’s still reeling from the stress that Camesha put her through.
  3. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Marley sends an elaborate string of emojis including the thumbs-up, twinkle stars, unicorn, roller skates, and heart eyes smiley.
  4. debrief
    elicit a report from someone about a mission, job, or event
    We can debrief the Tesla situation there, she adds.
  5. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    Marley at one point gets bold and tries to go backward, which ends with her splayed out on the floor, pom-poms disheveled, laughing so hard that she cries.
  6. distinctive
    of a feature that helps to identify a person or thing
    Seated on the refuge of benches, Marley’s profile is so distinctive—a massive forehead and high, round cheekbones.
  7. waft
    be driven or carried along, as by the air
    Marley pauses, memories wafting across her eyes.
  8. wholesale
    on a large scale without careful discrimination
    It sort of started when my half siblings left for college, but it wasn’t until maybe second grade when she wholesale checked out.
  9. tangent
    a message that departs from the main subject
    Marley’s eyes light up with the glimmer of a tangent, but I cut her off before we stray.
  10. ambient
    completely enveloping
    We settle into the lapse in conversation, the silence between us drowned out by the ambient noise of skates on polished wood circling around us.
  11. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    I look at Marley and her eyes are fixed on mine, waiting intently for an earnest response.
  12. sentimental
    marked by tender, romantic, or nostalgic emotion
    Right then, Malachi skates by mouthing the words to the sentimental neo-soul hit that’s been featured in every romcom and prom-posal this year.
  13. sappy
    very sentimental or emotional
    Another sappy song plays and Zeke skates by, blowing us a kiss, but in a way that feels a little performative.
  14. excursion
    a journey taken for pleasure
    Yesterday, Marley’s beach idea seemed like a fun little excursion, but today, it’s become a necessity.
  15. preface
    furnish with an introduction
    My mom does this occasionally—preface her opinion as “I told you,” even though the reality is that she doesn’t tell me much of anything at all.
  16. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    She pushed this flowy, oversize yellow shirtdress, claiming vehemently that Black women created the color.
  17. disdainful
    expressing extreme contempt
    A disdainful groan gurgles from my throat as I debate whether to claw out my eyes or his.
  18. solidarity
    a union of interests or purposes among members of a group
    We could really benefit from the support of local businesses. You can donate supplies and attend as a display of solidarity.
  19. flurry
    a sudden and overwhelming outpouring or amount
    Auntie is interrupted once again by a flurry of commotion outside—commotion apart from Zeke’s horrific sign twirling, I mean.
  20. affable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
    She smiles affably at the news team.
  21. stance
    standing posture
    Auntie crosses her arms, venom oozing from her strong stance.
  22. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    He gingerly motions us all out of the news crew’s shot.
  23. coalition
    an organization of people involved in a pact or treaty
    “Are you working with those law students from the block party? The Eviction Defense Guild Coalition Co-op Whatever?”
  24. impeccable
    without error or flaw
    I don’t know how seriously I should take a text message threat with impeccable grammar.
  25. relentless
    never-ceasing
    “Boooooooooo!!!” The whole car erupts in relentless jeers.
  26. psychedelic
    producing distorted sensory perceptions and feelings
    We all start singing along to this psychedelic Brazilian track, pretending to know the words but mostly just hitting the oohs and aaahs.
  27. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    Camesha shrugs, her demeanor switching up real quick.
  28. onslaught
    a rapid and continuous outpouring
    She puts on her turn signal and changes lanes to avoid the onslaught of traffic forming in the right-hand lane of the 10 freeway.
  29. ideal
    conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection
    We find a decent spot on the sand between a group of greased-up older men in Speedos and a family with a million screaming kids. Not the most ideal neighbors, but we’re far enough from the boardwalk on a stretch of sand that’s surprisingly clean, so we take it.
  30. stark
    complete or extreme
    He towers over me, his height and glowing skin so stark that a group of girls passing by do a double take.
  31. inextricably
    in a manner incapable of being disentangled or untied
    The newness of the boardwalk and its distance from our neighborhood—inextricably tied to the history of how our relationship has always been—creates room for me to indulge in the fantasy of a new version of me and Malachi, together.
  32. revel
    take delight in
    I listen and revel in the comfort of him knowing all of the details of my life, all of my quirks, because he was there to witness it all.
  33. repressed
    characterized by the suppression of impulses or emotions
    I wait for him to play games and act like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about like every communication-averse, emotionally repressed high school boy, but he doesn’t.
  34. cataclysmic
    severely destructive
    “What are you doing here?” I’m trying hard to mask the cataclysmic pounding in my chest. Now that he’s out, the cops are probably moving fast to arrest someone else.
  35. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    “Ay, yo, don’t talk to her like that,” Malachi seethes, taking a step toward Diego.
  36. mogul
    a very wealthy or powerful businessperson
    Amelia Reagan, daughter of murdered real estate mogul and developer, announces plan to convert late father’s company into a community revitalization organization.
  37. revitalization
    the act of bringing new life, activity, or prominence to
    Amelia Reagan, daughter of murdered real estate mogul and developer, announces plan to convert late father’s company into a community revitalization organization.
  38. mecca
    a place that attracts many visitors
    Sometimes when people talk about South LA, they act as if there isn’t life here already. We’re literally a mecca of hip-hop culture and small-business innovation—not some dusty old, abandoned Mars wasteland.
  39. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    Malachi knocks on the door seconds after my anger manifests as a full-blown ugly cry.
  40. chafe
    tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading
    I use the sleeve of my sweatshirt to rub away the tears, but it’s pointless—the fabric quickly becomes so soaked that it starts to chafe, leaving my skin stinging and raw.
Created on Mon Apr 08 16:28:48 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Apr 09 16:15:20 EDT 2024)

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