Patina: Chapters 5–9

by Jason Reynolds
The second book in the Track series focuses on Patty, a runner who struggles to fit in at her new school after she moves in with her aunt and uncle.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–16

Here are links to our lists for the Track series: Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu

Here are links to our lists for other books by Jason Reynolds: When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys, Long Way Down
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. elaborate
    add details to clarify an idea
    "Anyway, just my mid-distance runners for now," Coach elaborated.
  2. slump
    a noticeable deterioration in performance or quality
    I didn't join them, but their silly dancing definitely helped with the process of pulling me out of my second-place slump.
  3. endurance
    the power to withstand hardship or stress
    The distance runners were working on pacing, the other eight-hundred runners were running fart licks, working on endurance, and the sprinters, well, specifically, Lu and Ghost, they were looking over at us, smirking.
  4. stance
    standing posture
    Krystal threw herself into a lazy karate stance.
  5. conduct
    lead musicians in the performance of
    Whit took a pause, inhaled and lifted her arms as if she was conducting an orchestra, and started again with the count.
  6. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    I cringed, already knowing what was happening, but I had to look anyway.
  7. cackle
    a loud laugh suggestive of a hen's sound after laying an egg
    He had been working with the boys' relay on the field and was now walking toward Lu and Ghost, letting out the nastiest cackle ever.
  8. wrangle
    herd or round up
    "Okay, okay, ladies," Coach Whit cut us off, still laughing, and tried to wrangle us back in.
  9. composure
    steadiness of mind under stress
    We all regained our composure and tried to reposition ourselves for more waltzing.
  10. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    "Nice and smooth. Remember when you were closer, the pressure of your partner, knowing the steps, working and moving in unison."
  11. grouse
    complain
    "Doubt it," Krystal groused under her breath, but still loud enough for us to hear.
  12. synchronized
    operating in unison
    Reminded me of the Olympics—the only thing I like to watch, besides running, are the synchronized swimmers.
  13. chime in
    break into a conversation
    Krystal went on mimicking the one-two-three count, Deja chiming in with the perfect amount of complementary snark, Brit-Brat laughing at them both.
  14. complementary
    serving to fill out, enhance, or supply what is lacking
    Krystal went on mimicking the one-two-three count, Deja chiming in with the perfect amount of complementary snark, Brit-Brat laughing at them both.
  15. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    Uncle Tony lurched forward, pumping his legs, panting, "This...is...how...you...do...it...Patty..." and I kept snickering.
  16. hypotenuse
    the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle
    Ms. Teller says "perpendicular" and "hypotenuse" like her life depends on it.
  17. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    And I felt...funny. Like, confused, and weirded out, and skeptical, and yes, I can't front, a little excited.
  18. mural
    a painting that is applied to a wall surface
    "And that's where she met Diego Rivera, who at the time was painting a mural in the school auditorium."
  19. interject
    speak abruptly, especially as an interruption
    "That's the fat man, right?" Becca interjected, excited to share more of what she must've seen in the movie.
  20. sift
    check and sort carefully
    Becca sifted through the papers until finding one with his picture, and stabbed his face with her finger.
  21. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    "Him? She could've done better than him. And he looks so old," Taylor scoffed.
  22. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    Taylor grimaced.
  23. bustle
    a rapid active commotion
    From the moment I met her in the hallway she'd been blabbing, so excited about the hustle and bustle she'd experienced earlier in the day.
  24. yak
    talk profusely
    The ride to MLK Park was the one thing that got Maddy to stop yakking about fire drills...for some reason she still geeked out at the fancy houses we passed on the way, especially the big white ones, their wooden castle doors with knobs like golden fists.
  25. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    Okay, okay, knuckleheads," Coach cut him off, sauntering over, swinging his stopwatch.
  26. momentum
    the product of a body's mass and its velocity
    "Now, watch and learn," Whit said, and started demonstrating the blind handoff, a technique that usually only sprinters do during relays because of the momentum of the incoming runner.
  27. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    Brit nodded sheepishly.
  28. trapezoid
    a quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides
    And even worse, when she asked us to describe a trapezoid, which I wanted to raise my hand and say, "A trapezoid is another name for a scary kidnapper."
  29. octave
    a musical interval of eight tones
    Becca's voice rang an octave higher than normal, putting her at almost glass-shatter level.
  30. stump
    cause to be perplexed or confounded
    Becca looked stumped.
Created on Fri Apr 27 09:39:44 EDT 2018 (updated Wed Oct 31 11:00:40 EDT 2018)

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