Crashing into You: Chapters 17–28

by Rocky Callen
When tragedy strikes, 17-year-old street racer Leti Rivera blames herself for her brother's accident and vows to give up racing. But will she be able to?

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–16, Chapters 17–28, Chapters 29–47, Chapters 48–63
15 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. smattering
    a small number or amount
    And just like that, the crew nods and lifts up wrenches and rags as if in a toast and their voices punctuate the air in a smattering of declarations.
  2. aversion
    a feeling of intense dislike
    I’ve already told them about his aversion to touch.
  3. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    They also know to not overwhelm him with their incessant noise.
  4. scandalous
    giving offense to moral sensibilities
    “How do you even know my size?”
    “I am a woman. I spied.”
    “Scandalous.”
  5. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    Monster brought his speaker, and it’s nearly as tall as he is, so the bass feels like a second heartbeat reverberating all around us.
  6. willowy
    slender and graceful
    If maybe there is a part of him that doesn’t want to touch me because I don’t look like the willowy girls at our school.
  7. resigned
    accepting that something unpleasant cannot be changed
    I think about Papi and his farawayness, his avoidance, his resigned quiet.
  8. pathetic
    inspiring mixed contempt and pity
    I turn the engine and it makes a pathetic sputtering sound.
  9. ominous
    presaging ill fortune
    “We will all be shut up soon,” Monster says as the ominous darkness of the cornfield whips at the sides of our car.
  10. gluttonous
    given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink
    Car doors are swung open, music is blaring. Adrenaline is hot and sticky and we are all gluttonous for it.
  11. ritual
    any customary observance or practice
    See, we all have rituals.
  12. genuflect
    bend the knees and bow before a religious superior or image
    Catholics genuflect at altars.
  13. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    Monster is all hands and bravado as he gets up in Derek’s face.
  14. outrageous
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    Where Fuego has his outlandish style and outrageous buoyance, his boyfriend is jeans and tees.
  15. annihilate
    kill in large numbers
    I am shaking, too, but Santos looks like a comet about to annihilate.
Created on Fri Jun 19 03:17:46 EDT 2026 (updated Mon Jul 06 19:24:43 EDT 2026)

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