Dear Justyce: List 1

by Nic Stone
In this companion novel to Dear Martin, a teenager in a juvenile detention center tries to make sense of his life by writing letters to an old friend.

This list covers Part One, from Snapshot: Two Boys on a Brand-New Playground (2010) to Chapter 5.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 493 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. beeline
    the most direct route
    He makes a beeline for the rocket ship.
  2. tumult
    a state of commotion and noise and confusion
    Then the tumult shifted to the left. He heard Daddy’s door bang against the wall, then what sounded like eight tons of giant bricks tumbling down the stairs.
  3. viscous
    having the sticky properties of an adhesive
    Maybe Quan can’t draw breath because the darkness has solidified. Turned viscous, dense and sticky and heavy.
  4. subsequent
    following in time or order
    The sudden freezing air as Quan was whisked outside in his thin Iron Man pajamas with no shoes or jacket...and the subsequent strange warmth running down Quan’s legs when he saw Just. How. Many.
    Police cars.
    There were.
    Outside.
  5. haphazardly
    in a random manner
    A helicopter circling overhead, its spotlight held steady on the team of men dragging Daddy toward the group of cop vehicles parked haphazardly and blocking the street.
  6. ward
    a person who is under the protection of another
    Ma'am, he can't go with you. Until further notice, he's a ward of the state—
  7. statutory
    prescribed or authorized by or punishable under law
    Yeah, what he did for a living wasn't exactly "statutory," as he used to say.
  8. upstanding
    meriting respect or esteem
    Because despite Daddy’s absence, Quan was determined (maybe now even more determined) to make the old man proud. Become the upstanding dude Daddy wanted him to be.
  9. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    Yeah, the impromptu visit had really set Dwight off—
  10. indiscretion
    a petty misdeed
    “And best believe your father is gonna hear about this. Might even send him the evidence of your indiscretion.” Quan could hear the paper crinkle as she surely held it up in the air. “Cheating. I can’t even believe you—”
  11. bound
    governed by fate
    Were these "incidents" bound to happen?
  12. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “l mean, he definitely did some killing," I said, mulling it over, “but ‘killer' just sounds so...malintentioned. Like it's something dude decided to do after giving it some serious thought."
  13. inevitability
    the quality of being unavoidable
    And of course "inevitability" isn't an excuse, and the consequences are (obviously) still the consequences, but I dunno.
  14. conniving
    good at tricking people to get something
    He was controlling. Conniving.
  15. incapacitated
    lacking in or deprived of strength or power
    But she made the mistake of sending Dwight to the store with the card on one of the days she was incapacitated.
  16. trove
    a valuable collection or treasure found hidden
    Quan was convinced Dwight thought Mama had access to some treasure trove of cash and jewels that belonged to Daddy.
  17. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
    He needed a break, Quan did. From the shiver of unease that permeated the whole house like some awful supersonic vibration.
  18. conscience
    motivation deriving from ethical or moral principles
    Tiff hadn’t even known Mama—Trish—existed until Mama's—Trish’s—mama died and Tiff/Trish’s shared daddy had a crisis of conscience and spilled the beans.
  19. novelty
    a small inexpensive mass-produced article
    While the snack aisle was tempting, Quan found himself drawn to an end-of-the-aisle display filled with...novelties is the only way to describe it. There were something called Pez, which looked like weird toys but apparently involved candy.
  20. paraphernalia
    equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles
    There were bags of variously colored marbles. There were packages of dice and oddly shaped lighters. There was even some... paraphernalia. Brightly colored glass pipes and bowls.
  21. beckon
    appear inviting
    He just knows they called to him. Beckoned.
  22. gusto
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
    Quan found air the moment Swole Cop’s ham-ish hand locked around Quan’s (still scrawny) upper arm in a death grip. Sucked that air in with gusto as he gasped from the sudden burst of pain.
  23. churning
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    Nothing but his churning thoughts, gnawing fear, and growing rage to keep him company.
  24. arraignment
    the act of calling someone before a court to be formally charged and to enter a plea
    Would he go to jail? Would that mean arraignment -indictment-plea-trial-verdict-sentencing...all the stuff Daddy had to go through?
  25. indictment
    a formal document charging a person with some offense
    Would he go to jail? Would that mean arraignment- indictment -plea-trial-verdict-sentencing...all the stuff Daddy had to go through?
  26. delinquent
    a young offender
    Was the D in his DNA for delinquent?
  27. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
    ...the doors to the lobby opened, and a commotion ensued.
  28. quip
    make jokes or witty remarks
    “Took you long enough,” the older boy quipped, smile slanted.
  29. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    Quan was utterly and completely alone.
  30. oblivion
    the state of being disregarded or forgotten
    “You not gone cry, are you?” Trey asked as Quan sat down beside him, more than ready to blast off into oblivion.
  31. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    “I seent your mom’s demeanor,” Trey continued. “She not really speakin’ to you now, right?”
  32. pro bono
    done for the public good without compensation
    I had this white lawyer once—really wanted to help kids like us, so he took my case pro bono.
  33. caliber
    diameter of a tube or gun barrel
    With the second arrest, he got lucky (and Trey did too because the boys had just parted ways): he was charged—juvenile possession of a firearm...not that he had any intention of using the .22 caliber he’d gotten from Trey that was about the size of his palm—but it was a misdemeanor.
  34. misdemeanor
    a crime less serious than a felony
    With the second arrest, he got lucky (and Trey did too because the boys had just parted ways): he was charged—juvenile possession of a firearm...not that he had any intention of using the .22 caliber he’d gotten from Trey that was about the size of his palm—but it was a misdemeanor.
  35. stint
    an unbroken period of time during which you do something
    The charge attached to his third arrest stuck—breaking and entering tended to do that—and Quan did his first ninety-day stint in a youth detention center.
  36. ceremonious
    characterized by pomp and stately display
    Quan—tripped ceremoniously and the single wheel on the front of the stroller hit the table just as he’d planned.
  37. enlightened
    having knowledge and spiritual insight
    Twelve months in a regional youth detention
    center was the sentence.
    And Quan came out...different.
    Enlightened. To darkness. His own, and how it
    affected things.
  38. aggravated
    made more severe or intense especially in law
    There was Antoine (about as dark as him), age thirteen—doing eight months on an aggravated assault charge.
  39. venture
    a commercial undertaking that risks a loss
    “New, uhh...business venture,” Trey said, pushing to his feet.
  40. privy
    informed about something secret or not generally known
    "Yeah,” he said, answering a question Quan wasn’t privy to.
Created on Wed Nov 11 12:07:41 EST 2020 (updated Thu Nov 12 12:53:15 EST 2020)

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