The Gravity of Us: Chapter 19–Epilogue

by Phil Stamper
When his father is selected to train for a NASA mission to Mars, 17-year-old Cal must move to Houston with his family and participate in a space-themed reality show called StarWatch. As he attempts to uncover secrets about the show and the space program, Cal also finds himself falling for a fellow "Astrokid."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–18, Chapter 19–Epilogue
40 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    This part of Florida is...sparse. It’s wet and swampy out there, but the dirt still seems dry. I could count the trees we’ve passed in this drive.
  2. wane
    grow smaller
    The perfect thing to revitalize the waning interest in the launch. Young love and a shuttle launch.
  3. fervor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
    Kennedy’s promise was the one thing all sides of the political spectrum could agree on: that we’d get a man on the moon by the end of the decade. StarWatch thought that fervor could work for them.
  4. fallout
    any adverse and unwanted secondary effect
    “Grace, dear, I want to start by saying how heartbreaking it is that the Orpheus Twenty—I’m sorry, the Orpheus Nineteen—have to deal with the fallout from this. Can you walk us through the incident?”
  5. mitigate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
    In the future, we could find a way to make Mars habitable, sure, but more important, we could learn more about how Mars became what it is today, and mitigate that process on Earth.
  6. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    Since I returned to the house, my life has been devoid of conversation. Leon hasn’t felt like talking to me, or anyone, apparently.
  7. revitalize
    give new life or vigor to
    StarWatch has promised everyone a revitalizing special tonight—one that will reportedly be extremely interesting to their viewers.
  8. embed
    fix or set securely or deeply
    I check my phone, watching a few likes and comments trickle in. Most of them are from my postexplosion video, which is nearing a million views. There aren’t many videos out there of the immediate aftermath, and mine’s the easiest to embed in a news story or pick up for a live report.
  9. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    My stomach lurches.
  10. inflection
    the modification of pitch, tone, or volume when speaking
    I keep out the burning fear that he can hear the weakness in my voice, the worry in my cracking inflections.
  11. ensemble
    a coordinated outfit (set of clothing)
    I remember, back at the airport, the phone tucked into her shirt pocket was the only pop of color in her entire ensemble.
  12. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    My followers will think I’m trying to jump ship and monetize the channel with ads, or worse—BuzzFeed wanted to enhance my coverage, but a larger media company like Condé Nast buying my account? Josh’s lie is almost plausible.
  13. coherent
    capable of thinking in a clear and consistent manner
    Looking back at my phone, I see notifications start to pile up on my FlashFame app—I know what they’ll say. I can’t check them, and I can’t form a coherent response fast enough.
  14. haphazardly
    in a random manner
    My shoulders tense so hard, I start to shake. Haphazardly, at first, then steadier. It’s like being outside in a snowstorm, or jumping into a freezing lake.
  15. vindicate
    show to be right by providing justification or proof
    A lot of them think I’m a sellout.
    Some of them think I’m “using that guy” to get more famous.
    But all of them are vindicated by my silence.
  16. moot
    of no legal significance, as having been previously decided
    “Kind of a moot point if we all get kicked out of here.”
  17. allocation
    the act of distributing or apportioning according to a plan
    I’m Shooting Stars host Josh Farrow, and it’s my honor to welcome US Representative Halima Ali from Maryland. You may remember her as the most outspoken opponent of the government’s allocation of funds toward NASA.
  18. repercussion
    a remote or indirect consequence of some action
    “I certainly hope so. And I don’t mean to be rude—I understand the repercussions of this, but the funds can be put toward so many more important projects.”
  19. constituent
    a citizen who is represented in a government by officials
    But my constituents don't have the faith in NASA to use the funding wisely.
  20. impulsive
    without forethought
    We break apart, and I bring up Flash’s scheduled video function. I prefer the live, impulsive act of recording something that’s not overrehearsed. But this has to be right.
  21. barrage
    the rapid and continuous delivery of communication
    The barrage of short videos might be taken as spamming my followers, but it’ll be worth it if just a few watch them, or share them, or if it gets covered by other online media.
  22. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    “We all know there’s no such thing as a perfect family. But when that didn’t work, StarWatch bumped up the drama, and who could blame them? They just want viewers.”
    He pauses, and I briefly worry that he’s going to end on that bleak note.
  23. insulate
    place or set apart
    Social media is a weird space, so insulated by the followers that you have.
  24. staggering
    so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
    But I have comments from my normal followers, plus the old grandma Facebook market, the geeky high schooler market, the college engineers, a staggering number of trolls, and everyone in between.
  25. demise
    the time when something ends
    Getting shared on Facebook by the New York Times is one thing, but waking up to a Times online feature is another: “Astrokid Calls on Americans to Save NASA From Clickbait Demise.”
  26. averse
    strongly opposed
    She hesitates, and I hear her giving this some real consideration, even though I know how averse she is to getting on camera.
  27. ploy
    a maneuver in a game, conversation, or situation
    Maybe I need to confront them for the last time, compare viewers, and chew Kiara out for secretly videotaping me and making my relationship seem like a ploy to get a leg up in this business.
  28. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
    A swath of unnaturally black hair blows in the breeze as Kiara throws a heavy suitcase in the van.
  29. amends
    something done or paid to make up for a wrong
    My feet take me away from the van, and I hate how unresolved everything feels. But maybe that’s what real life is like. Unlike when you’re stuck with family or friends for so long you have to make amends.
  30. dissonant
    harmonically unresolved
    You can end working relationships on a dissonant chord, one that leaves you feeling gross and wrong all over.
  31. frazzle
    exhaust physically or emotionally
    And I’m glad NASA has someone like Donna, who—though she’s a frazzled mess most of the time—actually knows her stuff.
  32. jaded
    bored or apathetic after experiencing too much of something
    There’s a way to be a journo, even for a gossip blog or show, and still be a good person. She may be jaded, and I may be naive, but it has to be true.
  33. spiel
    artful or slick talk used to persuade
    “We’ve just come from the board meeting. Every director in attendance was in agreement, and each gave their own spiel for why Orpheus V should be kept on. We even showed clips from Cal’s video, which just passed twenty-five million views in less than twenty-four hours.”
  34. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    The din of the celebration is muted when I make my way to him.
  35. convulse
    shake uncontrollably
    Two sets of lips, barely touching, but my body nearly convulses with chills.
  36. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    We head down a side road that leads to a dead end, with a few houses on either side obscured by bushes.
  37. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    We have to keep the door open when we’re in there—again, the obliviousness of his parents is nothing short of adorable—but I’ve barely talked to my parents about Leon, though they obviously know (they’re not blind).
  38. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
    There’s something so pleasing in the mundane way that our conversations have gone lately. Something right about how easy things are now.
  39. assent
    agreement with a statement or proposal to do something
    We nod our assent, and within minutes we’re at the nearest restaurant with a giant margarita in front of Dad and an equally large basket of chips in front of me.
  40. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    “What’s this about?” I ask warily.
Created on Wed Apr 01 16:09:20 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Apr 07 16:33:33 EDT 2020)

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