Merci Suárez Can’t Dance: Chapters 20–33

by Meg Medina
In this second book of the trilogy, Merci is dismayed, despite coming from a family of dancers, that Seaward Pines Academy's tradition for building teamwork among seventh graders is the Heart Ball.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–19, Chapters 20–33, Chapters 34–49
40 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. amethyst
    a transparent purple variety of quartz; used as a gemstone
    My favorite is the amethyst geode. Outside, it’s an ugly round rock, like any one you’d see in your yard. But when he held it open for us, amethyst crystals glittered inside like little purple ice chips.
  2. stance
    standing posture
    “Stand over there,” I say, “and make sure you can see yourself on the screen. Hold a pose.”
    He takes a wide stance and crosses his arms across his chest.
  3. breach
    a failure to perform some promised act or obligation
    “Breach of contract,” I tell her. “You said I didn’t have to go inside, remember?”
  4. stifling
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    The air feels stifling in here, the way it does when we have a pep rally.
  5. rafter
    one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
    All that energy is rising and rising with nowhere to go, like one of the balloons trapped in the rafters.
  6. giddy
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    People are already crowding the doors like a mob, though, even as chaperones try to get us to make a line. It’s no use with everyone giddy and pushing.
  7. jostle
    come into rough contact with while moving
    "Stop!" I shout again as the stand gets jostled even more.
  8. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    The LED light is dead, and the iPad screen is cracked into a thousand jigsaw pieces. Wilson blurts out a dirty word when he sees the mangled mess.
  9. grisly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    Maybe it’s an assassin here to slit our throats in our sleep if we’ve left a door unlocked, the way Abuela is always fearing. Even that grisly idea seems easier than having to tell Mami and Papi what I did.
  10. stubble
    short hairs growing on a man's face when he has not shaved
    He’s in bed and looking pretty rough. Stubble, puffy eyes, hair sticking up.
  11. flashy
    tastelessly showy
    This is way too flashy for him. He doesn’t even like to wear T-shirts in bright colors.
  12. scraggly
    lacking neatness or order
    His beard doesn’t look scraggly anymore, either.
  13. commute
    travel back and forth regularly, as between work and home
    She said she liked the shady paths and pretty old buildings on the campus, which was different from how she commuted to night school.
  14. installment
    a payment of part of a debt
    When our refrigerator broke down a couple of years ago, Papi bought us a new one on installments.
  15. ledger
    a record in which commercial accounts are recorded
    “Yes, you do have some earnings waiting for you,” the salesclerk says when she checks the ledger.
  16. measly
    contemptibly small in amount
    Then she opens the cash register and hands me a measly thirty-six dollars.
  17. regard
    look at attentively
    She takes off her glasses and lets them dangle on her chain as she regards me.
  18. voucher
    a negotiable certificate that can be redeemed as needed
    “But, here, I see I have a voucher for Inés, too. Fifty-three dollars. Do you want to sign for it and save her the trip?” she asks.
  19. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    The saleslady walks me to the front of the store and watches as I unlock my bike.
    “What a good-looking way to get around,” she says. “Very stylish.”
    I straddle it and strap on my helmet.
  20. serenade
    sing and play for somebody
    Then he serenades her in his tiny voice. He knows the whole verse, every single word.
  21. sheepishly
    in a manner showing embarrassment or shame
    I look at him sheepishly, remembering how I’ve been hating on him. Now he’s the person I have to ask for help.
  22. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    Her cheeks are getting blotchy, the way they always do when she’s flustered.
  23. tranquility
    a disposition free from stress or emotion
    “The stone of transition and tranquility. Maybe it will help.”
  24. formality
    a manner that strictly observes all forms and ceremonies
    “In the interest of time, I will dispense with formalities. I imagine you girls know why you are here.”
  25. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    “But what does not happen here at Seaward Pines Academy is covering up accidents and pretending we know nothing about them, particularly when it involves damage to property. That is a poor moral decision that is utterly beneath our student conduct code. I will not have it.”
  26. substantial
    fairly large
    You owe Dr. Santos and his daughter Edna a huge apology for your dishonesty, which I’ll expect in writing tomorrow. And you owe our entire school community a debt for embarrassing us in this way—a debt that you will pay with substantial additional community service hours.
  27. accomplice
    a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan
    “You’ll be an accomplice.”
    “I’m aware.”
    I’ve never gone to a boy’s house after school. I’ve never eaten dinner at a boy’s house. I’ve never tricked someone’s mother on purpose, either.
  28. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    “We wanted to ride bikes after we finish our homework,” he tells her casually.
  29. inconsolable
    sad beyond comforting
    One of our vocabulary words in English last month was inconsolable, which means being so sad that nothing in the whole wide world can make you feel better. It’s spelled exactly the same in Spanish and English, too. Right now, in both languages, that’s how I feel.
  30. careen
    move at high speed and in an uncontrolled way
    One slip and our hero will go careening into the blackness of space forever.
  31. chasm
    a deep opening in the earth's surface
    Then, at that exact spot when Jake Rodrigo is being held over the chasm, Wilson takes my hand and squeezes it in excitement.
  32. chassis
    the skeleton of a motor vehicle
    He starts driving toward our driveway, the van’s chassis heaving noisily as he pulls up to our house.
  33. mirage
    something illusory and unattainable
    There, like some sort of wheeled mirage, is my bike.
  34. hallucinate
    have illusions; perceive what is not actually there
    I run my fingers along the basket and seat. I even ring the bell once to be sure I’m not hallucinating.
  35. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    “We don’t have to get Simón in trouble, do we?”
    Tía lets out a long breath and glances at Simón warily.
  36. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    “Who decided that deadline without telling me?” I whisper.
    Edna gives me a smug look.
  37. neutral
    not supporting or favoring either side in a dispute
    The hard part of warring with your friends is the icy feeling inside you, plus the fact that then other people are expected to take sides. Lena is miserable. She’s been struggling to stay neutral because she’s friends with both me and Hannah.
  38. divergent
    tending to move apart in different directions
    I barely pay attention to Mr. Ellis droning on about divergent boundaries and other earthquake stuff.
  39. grudge
    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
    Hannah is still mad that I didn’t tell her the truth. Now she’s holding a grudge.
  40. rabid
    infected by an acute viral disease of the nervous system
    Hannah hates fights, so her face looks completely changed, angry as she is. It’s like watching the sweetest kitten morph into a rabid, fanged beast.
Created on Tue Jun 18 11:50:34 EDT 2024 (updated Wed Jun 19 15:09:06 EDT 2024)

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