Leah on the Offbeat: Chapters 27-32

by Becky Albertalli
In this sequel to Simon vs. the Homo-Sapiens Agenda, Leah Burke navigates difficulties during her senior year: her mom's new relationship, college admissions, tensions among her friends, and a painful crush.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-5, Chapters 6-11, Chapters 12-16, Chapters 17-26, Chapters 27-35

Here is a link to our lists for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
30 words 20 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. deadpan
    deliberately impassive in manner
    Bram’s so deadpan when he says it that I can’t help but smile.
  2. concoct
    invent
    But I can’t stop thinking about tomorrow afternoon. This mysterious after-school plan that Abby’s concocting.
  3. platonic
    free from physical desire
    I mean, he’s falling apart—and this is over the idea of Abby and me as friends. Platonic, hetero, after-school friends.
  4. supine
    lying face upward
    By the time I catch up to her, she’s lying supine, propped up on her elbows.
  5. unimpeachable
    beyond doubt or reproach
    “I mean, I’m not going to lie. That comment sucked. It’s just super hurtful. And I get it all the time. So then I get obsessed with the idea of proving people wrong and being, like, unimpeachably perfect, which probably isn’t healthy, and it’s just really exhausting. I hate it.”
  6. rebuff
    reject outright and bluntly
    And poor, clueless Garrett, whom I haven’t bothered to rebuff.
  7. aesthetic
    a philosophical theory as to what is beautiful
    “Okay, I’ll stop. I don’t want you sobbing over me and ruining your prom aesthetic.”
  8. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    She cuts herself off, and her whole demeanor changes.
  9. hearsay
    gossip passed around by word of mouth
    I lean forward. “That’s hearsay.”
  10. grope
    feel about uncertainly or blindly
    She gropes in her purse for a pen and scribbles a few things down on the back of a receipt.
  11. boutonniere
    a flower that is worn in a buttonhole
    He gives me a bone-white corsage for my wrist, and Mom helps me pin a boutonniere to the lapel of his tux.
  12. lapel
    a fold of fabric below the collar of a coat or jacket
    He gives me a bone-white corsage for my wrist, and Mom helps me pin a boutonniere to the lapel of his tux.
  13. taut
    subjected to great tension; stretched tight
    There’s this weird, taut silence as we walk down the driveway.
  14. paparazzo
    a freelance photographer who pursues celebrities
    “Your paparazzi awaits.”
  15. subtlety
    the quality of being difficult to detect or analyze
    Then Garrett stretches and—honest to God—slips his arm behind my shoulders. Master of subtlety. I scoot forward, just an inch.
  16. compensate
    adjust for
    My side-eye is so intense, I should be walking sideways to compensate.
  17. pavilion
    a large and often sumptuous tent
    I’m about to snark about it to Simon, but then I spot the pavilion—and my heart catches in my throat.
  18. aviary
    a building where birds are kept
    It doesn’t feel like this space could have anything to do with Creekwood High School, but Creekwood people are everywhere—on the paths, by the aviary, seated at picnic tables on the grass.
  19. periphery
    the outside boundary or surface of something
    I catch a glimpse of white in my periphery, which turns out to be Taylor in a full-on glide.
  20. bashful
    self-consciously timid
    Then she catches me looking and shoots me a bashful grin.
  21. agape
    with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe
    He pats us each on the shoulder before jogging back to the soccer boys as Simon and I watch, agape.
  22. swivel
    turn on a pivot
    Then he swivels his hips in circles.
  23. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    And then, as if I’ve conjured him myself, Nick appears at our table.
  24. resolutely
    showing firm determination or purpose
    He nods resolutely.
  25. secluded
    providing privacy
    It’s strange how secluded this feels, even with the pavilion directly behind me.
  26. mutiny
    engage in an open rebellion against an authority
    How nice: my body’s decided to mutiny.
  27. foliage
    the collective amount of leaves of one or more plants
    I just stand there, staring into the foliage.
  28. nape
    the back side of the neck
    And Bram’s hand sweeps smoothly over the nape of Simon’s neck.
  29. giddy
    having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
    But I feel giddy and wild and twenty times braver than usual.
  30. quad
    a rectangular area surrounded on all sides by buildings
    It was one of those perfect sunny days, so we just spread a blanket out on the North Campus quad and she was reading and I was drawing and she kept pushing her sock against mine, like our feet were kissing and NOW I'M BLUSHING, ARE YOU HAPPY?
Created on Wed May 23 15:01:24 EDT 2018 (updated Wed May 23 15:14:46 EDT 2018)

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