Chaos Theory: Phase 4–Epilogue

by Nic Stone
In Peachtree Corners, Georgia, high school senior Walter Andrew Criddle struggles to uphold the terms of a signed friendship agreement that outlines how he should support Shelbi Camille Augustine through her troubles.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: April 5–Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. strew
    spread by scattering
    When he reaches the kitchen, the world turns upside down…well, at least it seems to: the kitchen table is overturned with one sad chair pinned beneath it, the crystal vase that usually sits at its center is in shards on the floor, and there are sheets of paper strewn everywhere.
  2. sleazy
    morally degraded
    There’s one of those sleazy tabloid magazines on the kitchen counter, and the headline reads like a scream: CONGRESSWOMAN CRIS CRIDDLE’S DIRTY LITTLE CAMPAIGN SECRET.
  3. counterproductive
    tending to hinder the achievement of a goal
    Rage is the first thing he feels—thirteen months of pent-up emotions will do that to a person—but rage would probably be counterproductive right now, so he leans into the second option: “Mom, are you all right?”
  4. churn
    be agitated
    And now they’re churning…the fury and the hurt and the resentment.
  5. futile
    producing no result or effect
    But then an image he isn’t expecting pops to the front of his mind: the shift in her face from hope to despair when it was clear that Dad’s CPR attempts on Emma were futile.
  6. feigned
    not genuine
    “Girl, bye. I don’t know who you think you foolin’ with all that feigned nonchalance, but you can definitely miss me. Tryna act like you don’t care about that boy…Tuh!”
  7. nonchalance
    the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care
    “Girl, bye. I don’t know who you think you foolin’ with all that feigned nonchalance, but you can definitely miss me. Tryna act like you don’t care about that boy…Tuh!”
  8. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
    Which rule was that? And we all know YOU broke the ‘no falling in love’ one. Which was a dumb—not to mention presumptuous—one to even have on there.
  9. grit
    clench together
    Shelbi grits her teeth. She hates talking about this.
  10. diminish
    lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of
    Are you really diminishing this man’s pursuit of sobriety?!
  11. recollection
    something recalled to the mind
    “With zero recollection, Becky. When Andy reacted to me the way he did? My brain just flipped into doing its own thing. And took my body with it. It’s absolutely terrifying.”
  12. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    But the outcome was pretty much the same: blackout, stitches in her side, hospitalization, medication changes, and an arduous (and ongoing) climb out of the pit of short-circuited brain chemicals.
  13. vicariously
    indirectly, as, by, or through a substitute
    You not ’bout to live vicariously through my love life because you refuse to fix yours.
  14. resolve
    the trait of being firm in purpose or belief
    As they make their way inside, Andy’s resolve strengthens. He’s sure Dad will understand.
  15. defiance
    an act boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    Again in defiance of his own expectations, once Andy opens his mouth, a bunch of feelings he didn’t realize were in him start pouring out.
  16. galore
    existing in abundance
    No idea how he even gets there, but the next thing Andy knows, he’s wrapped in his dad’s arms on the couch, sobbing like a newborn baby. There’s drool and snot and eye gunk galore.
  17. renege
    fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
    You can transfer wherever you’d like after the first semester. But you’re definitely going. You’ve worked too hard and come too far not to, and Criddles don’t renege on our commitments—no shade over your mom, or whatever the hell you kids say these days.
  18. expressly
    with a clear or definite meaning or purpose
    “Mmhmm. Now prove it by starting to pack,” he says, smacking Andy on the back a little harder than is expressly necessary.
  19. alcove
    a small recess opening off a large room or garden
    She reaches her favorite little alcove at the top and unrolls her yoga mat.
  20. dingy
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
    It’s held in place with a decent-sized rock that isn’t typically there, and based on how dingy and worn it looks, it’s been there for at least a few days.
  21. scrawl
    poor handwriting
    She takes a “prada-vaka” breath, as Becky puts it, then lifts the rock to remove the envelope from beneath it. Shelbi Camille, it says on the front in Walter’s familiar scrawl.
  22. insufficient
    of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement
    In addition to that wildly insufficient apology, I also want to thank you.
  23. diverge
    move or draw apart
    I know our paths are technically about to diverge or whatever, but I wanted you to know that I really do love you—even though I feel incredibly wack for saying it after my epic failure to show you it’s true.
  24. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
    She’s not ready for the warm feeling in her chest when their thoughts and feelings align, or for the inevitable disagreements because they are two different people who have been shaped by different experiences.
  25. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
    I think you have the wrong person.
    Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!
    What you ARE is adorably gullible.
  26. staggering
    so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
    Shelbi plus snow equals big no-go.
    Man. I would really love to see and hear you say that aloud.
    My poetic prowess is staggering, isn’t it?
  27. gist
    the choicest or most vital part of some idea or experience
    Anyway, there’s this thing called chaos theory. Granted: I don’t FULLY understand it and I have quite a bit of studying to do before this exam next Wednesday... But the gist is there are systems governed by hard and fast deterministic laws that exhibit apparently random and/or unpredictable behaviors.
  28. rapt
    feeling great delight and interest
    You’re 100% speaking science geek right now, but I can assure you I am rapt.
  29. decline
    a downward slope or bend
    My point: it hit me that if it’s impossible to know all the variables involved in something as concrete as a ball traveling down a decline...how much MORE impossible must it be to know all the variables involved in any given interaction between highly complex human beings?
  30. salient
    conspicuous, prominent, or important
    And what is this salient shift you’ve experienced, m’lady?
    Basically: trying to predict what will happen at any given moment between two vastly complex human beings is futile.
Created on Mon Jan 22 10:46:43 EST 2024 (updated Mon Jan 22 17:43:17 EST 2024)

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