Red Flags and Butterflies: Chapters 32–41

by Sheryl Azzam
Tenth-grader Lexie is applying to a fine arts high school, but her unsupportive father and a confusing new relationship leave her searching for a way to make everyone else happy at the cost of her own dreams.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–16, Chapters 17–22, Chapters 23–31, Chapters 32–41
15 words 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. deluge
    a heavy rain
    Granite gray clouds, thick like colored cotton, threaten to unleash their deluge on me as I rush out of the rec center, my hair still wet and smelling of chlorine, and down the road to Sunridge.
  2. acutely
    in a sharp or intense manner
    Suddenly I’m acutely aware of the exact position of every muscle in my body.
  3. futile
    unproductive of success
    I tried to explain that it wasn’t me that sent the email, but it was as futile as eating soup with a fork.
  4. cacophony
    a loud harsh or strident noise
    It’s a stressful moment, but my favorite moment: the split second before the cacophony of sounds erupts and the race begins.
  5. acrid
    strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
    Inside, I’m greeted with the tired smell of old, pent-up, sick-people air, combined with the acrid smell of too much antiseptic.
  6. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    The way she calls my name makes my butterflies take up their flags, stand in a line like an army poised for battle — like what I’m about to walk into might be dangerous.
  7. bout
    a period of illness
    “Your dad suffered a bout of indigestion, and compounded with all the stress he says he’s been under, it manifested as chest pain.”
  8. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    “Your dad suffered a bout of indigestion, and compounded with all the stress he says he’s been under, it manifested as chest pain.”
  9. belie
    be in contradiction with
    The look in Jonah’s eyes belie it though, and it shatters me a little more, knowing that in choosing to put myself first, I’ve cemented Jonah’s inability to do the same.
  10. desiccated
    thoroughly dried out
    I turn the desiccated stump around in its pot, consider it from all angles.
  11. burgeon
    grow and flourish
    I bite my bottom lip, the pain a distraction to stop the wave of emotion burgeoning behind my ribs again.
  12. crux
    the most important point
    And there it is. The crux of it.
  13. preclude
    keep from happening or arising
    “Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean that you stop loving them. One doesn’t preclude the other. It’s not crazy at all.”
  14. smidgen
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
    I try to convince myself that his silence is better than his harassing texts and gaslighting, but I can’t help feeling abandoned all over again, and I try not to let the immense noise of his silence erase the burgeoning smidgen of approval I’ve allowed myself.
  15. executor
    a person appointed to carry out the terms of the will
    “I’m the executor of Mr. George Harris’s will.”
Created on Wed Feb 25 08:36:00 EST 2026 (updated Fri Mar 20 17:30:26 EDT 2026)

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