Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus: Chapters 27–39

by Dusti Bowling
When her parents take jobs at a western theme park in Arizona, Aven gets caught up in a local mystery — and tries to adjust to a new school.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–10, Chapters 11–16, Chapters 17–26, Chapters 27–39
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. coincidence
    an accidental event that seems to have been arranged
    I showed Mom the picture that evening. She stared at it a long time before whispering, “It could just be a coincidence.” She didn’t look like she believed her own words.
  2. doppelganger
    a person who is almost identical to another
    She nodded. Then she set the picture down. “It must be a coincidence. I saw this show once about doppelgangers—”
  3. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Connor glowered at me, his ticcing increasing by the moment.
  4. gawk
    look with amazement
    It was early, though, so only a few bystanders were around to gawk at him.
  5. casual
    marked by a lack of concern
    Connor put an arm around Mom’s shoulders. “Mrs. Green, you’re the coolest!”
    “I know,” she said casually.
  6. surreptitiously
    in a secretive manner
    As we sat waiting for the movie to start, the three of us surreptitiously glanced back at Mom sitting in the very back row.
  7. evasive
    deliberately vague or ambiguous
    He shrugged, and I couldn’t tell if it was a tic or if he was deliberately being evasive.
  8. funk
    a state of nervous depression
    “Hey, guess the name of the band we got to play for the festival,” I said, hoping he’d snap out of whatever funk he was in.
  9. gig
    a job, especially a temporary job
    “The Flap-Jackeroos.” I laughed. “They normally do gigs for, like, Waffle Houses and stuff, but I guess the country western breakfast entertainment business isn’t booming, so we got them to do the festival. Cheap, too.”
  10. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    Some of the only times I had ever wished for them were during those fleeting moments of frustration when my shirt got caught around my neck or some insensitive person tossed something at me without thinking, only to have it bounce off my chest or head.
  11. manic
    affected with or marked by frenzy uncontrolled by reason
    His ticcing was getting bad again. He shrugged his shoulders manically as he spoke. “I walked...to the store before coming here. I wanted to get you some gummy bears.”
  12. infuriate
    make extremely angry
    I don’t know why I let what Connor said infuriate me so badly.
  13. hothead
    a belligerent grouch
    “I don’t think he wanted to tear you down at all. Like you said, he did it because he was feeling bad about himself. I’m sure he feels terrible about the whole situation now. Stop being such a hothead.”
  14. spectacle
    something or someone seen, especially a notable sight
    “How can you say that? I wanted you to join them for a song because of how proud I am to have you for my daughter, because I want everyone to see how amazing you are, not because I want to make a spectacle of you. What’s the matter with you?”
  15. amble
    walk leisurely
    I walked around Main Street as the sky turned dark, ignoring the few visitors who still ambled around.
  16. sulk
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    I kicked the dirt and huffed and sulked as I wandered aimlessly.
  17. quiver
    shake with fast, tremulous movements
    I sighed and bit my lip. “I just...I feel so messed up right now. I wish my life were simple like everyone else’s. Do you think...” I bit down harder on my lip, trying to keep it from quivering.
  18. incorporate
    include or contain; have as a component
    I’m sure it pleased him to no end to incorporate a Sunday school lesson into our discussion.
  19. hunch
    round one's back by bending forward
    I smiled a little and hunched down in the wagon until I was sure he couldn’t see me over the rim.
  20. bedeck
    decorate
    The bartender, fully bedecked in cowboy gear (even though I knew he was just a regular old college student), raised an eyebrow at me.
  21. bash
    hit hard
    “You’ve got a big fat red spot on your face from bashing it on the bar.”
  22. mope
    be apathetic, gloomy, or dazed
    “Oh, I don’t know. Could be you’ve been moping around this place for the last few days like someone died.”
  23. spastic
    affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions
    “This is my second year. I’m sure you’ll make the team.”
    I hoped my smile wasn’t so big that I looked spastic. “You think so?”
  24. stout
    having rugged physical strength
    Jessica pointed at a short, stout, gray-haired woman, who was intensely studying a piece of paper on the other side of the field.
  25. stalk
    recur constantly and spontaneously to
    “So you’ve been stalking us?” I cried.
  26. mediocre
    moderate to inferior in quality
    “The Golden Sunset Retirement Community about five miles from here.” She nodded. “Yeah, they have a swimmin’ pool and mediocre cafeteria food. I guess it’ll do.” She stared at me. “I don’t expect you to want me in your life. I’m just glad to know y’all are doing okay now.”
  27. festivity
    any joyous diversion
    I wandered around, enjoying the festivities and talking to the vendors about their art.
  28. obscene
    offensive to the mind
    I found Zion, and we ate an obscene amount of junk food together in the rodeo arena.
  29. feverish
    marked by intense agitation or emotion
    We played “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” which I had been feverishly practicing all week, even though my part was quite simple.
  30. exuberant
    joyously unrestrained
    I ran off the stage and straight into Connor at the bottom of the stairs. I felt exuberant and full of energy I couldn’t contain.
  31. monstrous
    abnormally large
    I stopped and stared at the ground just in time to see what looked like a monstrous spider scurry into a hole.
  32. utmost
    of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
    Ease of removal is of utmost importance here.
  33. recreational
    of or relating to an activity that diverts or amuses
    10. Some kind of sport or recreational activity—soccer, dance, swimming, professional hopscotch. You can do it!
  34. congregate
    come together, usually for a purpose
    Connor, Zion, and I walked down the crowded sidewalk at school. It was lunchtime, and everyone milled about, carrying lunch bags. They congregated in the grass, eating their sandwiches.
  35. flair
    distinctive and stylish elegance
    I waited a moment for tension. Finally I said, “Splash pad,” with serious dramatic flair.
Created on Thu Oct 31 17:43:10 EDT 2019 (updated Thu Nov 07 15:43:12 EST 2019)

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