Free Period: Chapters 22–25

by Ali Terese
In this novel, best friends Helen and Gracie fight to stay out of trouble, maintain their friendship, and help secure free access to menstrual hygiene products for students at their middle school.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1-2, Chapters 3-4, Chapters 5-6, Chapters 7-9, Chapters 10-11, Chapters 12-14, Chapters 15-18, Chapters 19-21, Chapters 22-25, Chapters 26-29.

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bout
    a period of indeterminate length marked by some condition
    A very well-timed bout of insomnia meant I’d spent the night rearranging the rhinestones on my cat burglar onesie from LA PUZZA to SANGUINA.
  2. parched
    extremely thirsty
    “A little parched,” I said and poured my entire water bottle down my throat.
  3. invoke
    cite as an authority
    “Wait for the bell,” he said, invoking the stupid policy, that this one time was very useful, of not letting us go to the bathroom during the last ten minutes of class.
  4. obstacle
    something that stands in the way and must be surmounted
    “You say you want to decide how the school spends its money, but it is just more prank nonsense the minute there is an obstacle in your way.”
  5. unpredictability
    the quality of being guided by sudden impulses
    Anyway, I can help bring a little joy, a little fun, and a lot of unpredictability to help people see something they never imagined before.”
  6. luxurious
    rich and superior in quality
    I turned back to Mommy and said, “Let me do this, and then I will sit in my room like a gorgeous, grounded Rapunzel for all of eternity, and all I will ask of you is some luxurious leave-in conditioners.”
  7. ascot
    a tie with wide square ends
    Rachel, the girl giving me and Mom the grand tour on my last day of suspension, was wearing all the pep, even an ascot emblazoned with the school’s logo.
  8. diploma
    a document certifying the completion of a course of study
    “It’s my fourth school in four years and they’re giving me a diploma so I can move on with my life. So, I love it. Seriously, though, the academics are tops, and there’s a lot less nonsense than other schools.”
  9. trimester
    a period of three months
    “Every girl is required to play or assist with a sport each trimester. My three sports were fencing, chess, and softball.”
  10. accommodation
    the act of providing something to meet a need
    “Helen, you’re so silly. The school makes every accommodation so every girl can join three teams,” Rachel said.
  11. abyss
    a bottomless gulf or pit
    Mom and me, staring across an abyss strewn with rainbow sprinkles and cracker crumbs, with nothing to say.
  12. blubber
    cry or whine with snuffling
    “It isn’t just me. This stuff matters to every kid who has had to hide a tampon on their way to the bathroom or who checked their butt a thousand times a day for the outline of the pad. And also, about all the girls and other kids who are sick of it,” I said through actual blubbering.
  13. blot
    remove liquid from a surface with an absorbent material
    I asked, blotting my eyes for what I hoped would be the last time in the next thousand years.
  14. faux
    not genuine or real
    My red trench, power jeggings, and a pair of faux snakeskin pumps I snagged at a thrift store even though I could barely walk in them would have to do this time around.
  15. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
    I jumped to my feet in case intrepid reporter Claudette Kang had raced back from a hostage situation or burning building to meet me.
  16. sentient
    endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness
    She was my best friend because I loved her, and sometimes when you love someone, you’ve got to tell them the boy they have a crush on is moldier than a sentient blue cheese.
  17. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    I hobbled on those heels to get in front of her.
  18. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    “Sorry, I’m new to this clandestine stuff. I’m Gracie. This is Helen. We’re here for justice.”
  19. coverage
    the news as presented by reporters for the media
    “Even from your days as an intrepid student at the Daily Collegian—loved the Fashion Week coverage, by the way—through to the last time you wrote about our town when the old superintendent tried to cancel Halloween last year,” I said.
  20. dispensary
    clinic where medicine and medical supplies are distributed
    Rounding the end of the baby formula aisle, I met Carmella’s gaze from the dispensary counter.
  21. prowess
    a superior skill learned by study and practice
    “I’ll tell her you almost brought a school down with your knot-tying prowess,” I continued and turned toward his front door, but Michael F. had reached out and was holding my hand in his.
  22. spleen
    a large oval organ between the stomach and the diaphragm
    I told Michael F. about trying to make peace with Madison and working together and telling her about the uterus locks ahead of time and that it was literally eating me up from the spleen out.
  23. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
    “Call the doctor, I’m having an epiphany!”
  24. rendition
    a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role
    “Gracie, I didn’t think Madison came up with that gorgeous rendition of a classic pooping analogy on her own. It had heart. Of course you wrote it.”
  25. recreational
    of or relating to an activity that diverts or amuses
    “Indeed. I did recreational math, and we’re about to find out if it was enough.”
Created on Wed Mar 05 07:41:25 EST 2025 (updated Thu Mar 06 04:17:46 EST 2025)

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