Rosa by Any Other Name: Chapters 13–27

by Hailey Alcaraz
This Romeo and Juliet-inspired historical novel tells the story of Rosa, a Mexican-American girl who is passing as white at her high school until a tragedy forces her to choose between her community and her future.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue–Chapter 12, Chapters 13–27, Chapters 28–44, Chapters 45–60, Chapters 61–75
15 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. modicum
    a small or moderate or token amount
    I straightened, throwing my shoulders back to put a modicum of extra distance between us.
  2. boisterous
    marked by exuberance and high spirits
    What stunned me now was the boisterous crowd of people who had gathered here on a Friday night.
  3. cryptic
    of an obscure nature
    There was a glimmer in his eyes that said he knew just how cryptic his answer was.
  4. idealistic
    motivated by noble or moral beliefs rather than practicality
    It was ridiculous and silly and idealistic and exactly the type of thing Ramón would be drawn to.
  5. miscegenation
    marriage or reproduction by people of different races
    “Interracial marriage is illegal in this country, you know that. Miscegenation—”
    “No one’s talking about getting married,” she said in a light, hurried way that made me certain that it had come up between the two of them.
  6. fruition
    the attainment or fulfillment of a plan or objective
    Despite all the outlandish details we’d drum up in the early evenings, Señor Montoya and his boys believed it would all come to fruition one of these days.
  7. covenant
    a signed written agreement between two or more parties
    However, many of the houses we have been interested in have racially restrictive covenants that prohibit the sale to persons with, as one deed called it, “perceptible strains of Asiatic, Mexican, Mexican-Indian, Negro, Filipino, or Hindu races.”
  8. perceptible
    easily seen or detected
    However, many of the houses we have been interested in have racially restrictive covenants that prohibit the sale to persons with, as one deed called it, “perceptible strains of Asiatic, Mexican, Mexican-Indian, Negro, Filipino, or Hindu races.”
  9. quell
    suppress or crush completely
    I took a deep breath, trying to quell my uneasiness before I nodded.
  10. lede
    the attention-grabbing introductory section of a news story
    I grabbed a notepad and pencil from my bookbag as Simon and Walter began discussing the article’s lede.
  11. cavalier
    showing a lack of concern or seriousness
    Instead of writing him off for being unruly and shameless and cavalier, I caught myself stealing glances at him as we walked, wondering what was going on in that head of his, wondering what he was thinking about…
  12. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    I shook my head, fascinated by the play of emotions on Marco’s face. The clear interest and trepidation as well as the half-hearted attempt at nonchalance.
  13. nonchalance
    the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care
    I shook my head, fascinated by the play of emotions on Marco’s face. The clear interest and trepidation as well as the half-hearted attempt at nonchalance.
  14. vulnerability
    susceptibility to injury or attack
    But I could see the vulnerability he was trying to tamp down in his copper eyes, and I thought better of it.
  15. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    I rose and began perusing the stack of brightly colored sleeves.
Created on Wed Aug 12 08:40:11 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Sep 01 14:20:26 EDT 2026)

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