The Running Dream: Part II

by Wendelin Van Draanen
Track star Jessica is devastated when her leg must be amputated after a terrible car accident — but she is determined to run again.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V
30 words 194 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    But then I remember my mother crying at the table, and the stinging is replaced by a flush of adrenaline.
  2. civility
    the act of showing regard for others
    I look from side to side. “Uh...a little civility?”
  3. haphazard
    marked by great carelessness
    And now that I’m home, I’ve been getting by with haphazard sponge baths, but my hair has only been washed once.
  4. mangy
    affected with a skin disease causing itching and hair loss
    The rest of me feels matted and mangy and...gross.
  5. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    It seems an ominous stretch, and I’m already tired from all my senseless hopping around.
  6. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    I swing my stump over the side of the tub and stand straddling the curb, trying to figure out the next step of this obstacle course.
  7. complement
    make perfect or supply what is wanting
    I start paying attention to all my movements. How one arm complements the other.
  8. ecstatic
    feeling great rapture or delight
    “Yup. I guess it’s happy with me, huh?”
    She pulls away from the curb. “More like ecstatic.”
  9. casualty
    someone injured or killed in an accident
    “Can I borrow your phone?” I ask Fiona.
    Mine was a casualty of the wreck.
  10. diligently
    in a hard-working manner
    We work diligently and I make good progress, especially with Fiona tutoring me through the math problems.
  11. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    Mom gushes as I hop to the kitchen table.
  12. chafe
    become or make sore by or as if by rubbing
    I’m really sore from all my activity yesterday, and my armpits are chafed from my trip to Angelo’s.
  13. precarious
    fraught with danger
    It seems too small and too big, too precarious and too safe, all at the same time.
  14. fluster
    cause to be nervous or upset
    It bothers me.
    Flusters me.
    Then totally freaks me out.
  15. mortified
    made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride
    I know it’s not my fault. I know I haven’t done anything wrong. I know it’s irrational. But still, I’m mortified.
    Mortified to be me.
  16. smother
    envelop completely
    “Girl, you’re back!” she cries, smothering me in a hug.
  17. discus
    a circular plate used in throwing competitions
    Shandall is a sophomore, is fast enough to run the 100 for varsity, and is potentially deadly with a discus.
  18. hub
    central part of a car wheel through which the axle passes
    Liberty High is laid out like a wagon wheel, with the courtyard as the hub.
  19. catapult
    shoot forth or launch
    I can no longer catapult.
    Or swing.
    Or slide.
    I can only roll.
  20. leeway
    a permissible difference
    “There must be some leeway?”
  21. damper
    a depressing restraint
    “I sure didn’t mean to put a damper on your party. Enjoy yourself, would you? We’ve waited a long time to celebrate your return.”
  22. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    Her life is all about numbers, and her demeanor is as severe as her haircut, which is a dark, straight, asymmetrical bob.
  23. asymmetrical
    characterized by an imbalance in spatial arrangement
    Her life is all about numbers, and her demeanor is as severe as her haircut, which is a dark, straight, asymmetrical bob.
  24. spiel
    artful or slick talk used to persuade
    So I’m a little flustered as I go into my spiel about cutting back my homework, and during it Ms. Rucker’s expression never cracks.
  25. cardinal
    serving as an essential component
    Midway through this process Rosa surprises me by committing a cardinal sin—she passes me a note.
  26. obsess
    be preoccupied with something
    “Look, I know you hate her, but I’m starting to think you’re obsessing about her because you like him.”
  27. bristle
    react in an offended or angry manner
    I can feel myself bristle.
  28. avert
    turn away or aside
    I tell her the basics—that my homework load is greatly reduced, that Fiona was amazing, that there was a big party for me in Kyro’s room, and that people were nice to me—but I don’t mention the stares or averted eyes.
  29. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    “Your father’s not mad at him, really. He’s mad at the situation, and I think that in the beginning Kyro got the brunt of that.”
  30. liable
    subject to legal action
    “Well, he’s still liable, or his estate is now. And he did own property—a sizeable chunk of it up near Penn Lake, where his widow lives.”
Created on Wed Aug 15 11:12:50 EDT 2018 (updated Wed Aug 15 13:01:33 EDT 2018)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.