The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky: Chapters 26–30

by Josh Galarza
This novel delves into one boy's experience of struggling with an eating disorder and self-esteem issues after going through an enormous loss.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–20, Chapters 21–25, Chapters 26–30, Chapters 31–35, Chapters 36–40, Chapters 41–46
25 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. foolhardy
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    Once my closet is bare, wobbling hangers finally still, I stand back and eye the summit, map the various routes to the top, the pitfalls that would bring certain death to any microscopic mountain-climber foolhardy enough to scale these craggy peaks.
  2. slough
    cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers
    I slough them from my chest and pull them from my eyes.
  3. sensory
    involving or derived from the senses
    They stand in stark contrast to the soft, feminine colors of Mallory’s bedroom—a sensory invasion: too bold, too garish, too boy.
  4. garish
    tastelessly showy
    They stand in stark contrast to the soft, feminine colors of Mallory’s bedroom—a sensory invasion: too bold, too garish, too boy.
  5. exploited
    taken advantage of
    "Make something new out of the old or used. It’s actually better than recycling because it skips the energy wasted in processing. We’re doing our part for the environment—and paying our respects to the exploited sweatshop workers who made these T-shirts.”
  6. sweatshop
    a factory where workers earn low pay in poor conditions
    “Make something new out of the old or used. It’s actually better than recycling because it skips the energy wasted in processing. We’re doing our part for the environment—and paying our respects to the exploited sweatshop workers who made these T-shirts.”
  7. broad
    very large in expanse or scope
    “First off, stop being a man about anything, especially your emotions. You’re smart, and obviously have a broad vocabulary. Do better than ‘bad.’”
  8. adept
    having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
    I guess I’m a lead foot, because Mallory encourages me to let off the foot pedal until I’m more adept at guiding the fabric.
  9. torrid
    characterized by intense emotion
    “So the rumors of your torrid gay romance are true?”
  10. wayward
    resistant to guidance or discipline
    “What are we going to do with you, my poor wayward boy?”
  11. pall
    a dark covering or cloud, as of smoke
    The shadows cast a sinister pall over Captain Condor’s rigid countenance.
  12. oversight
    an unintentional omission from failure to notice something
    It was an oversight.
  13. stanch
    stop the flow of a liquid
    His hands freed, he scrubs his face with a forearm, lifts the front of his tank top to stanch the blood draining from his nose.
  14. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    The bitterness in his voice is so palpable I can taste it—then again, I may just be tasting his blood.
  15. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    The one thing I remember about the whole ordeal, the detail that stuck with me, was that it was so violent and so sudden that my puke actually hit the wall opposite my bed.
  16. colloquial
    characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
    Note to self: Is barf too colloquial a word?
  17. dubious
    not convinced
    Mallory looks dubious.
  18. relinquish
    release, as from one's grip
    I relinquish it, suddenly anxious to see as much distance between me and that bottle as possible.
  19. akimbo
    bent outward with the joint away from the body
    We laugh as our bodies crash into each other, release a few squeals as we right ourselves, finally sitting across from each other, me cross-legged and Mallory sitting as she does on the floor, her legs akimbo to leave room for her apron.
  20. wane
    grow smaller
    When our laughs wane, I look to Mallory, hoping she’ll say something.
  21. stoicism
    an indifference to pleasure or pain
    Whatever meager reserves of stoicism I might be clinging to go with it.
  22. inflection
    the modification of pitch, tone, or volume when speaking
    Mallory underscores her words with a dramatic fist pump and the inspiring inflection of a general addressing her troops.
  23. proletariat
    a social class comprising those who do manual labor
    “We’re not paying an extra eight cents per box to line corporate America’s pockets. Fuck the oppressors. My art is for the proletariat.”
  24. Marxism
    theory that capitalism will be superseded by communism
    As she steers our cart past last year’s Lunchables and deli meats, she tells me about her favorite graphic guide to Marxism.
  25. haphazardly
    in a random manner
    Stars and stripes are drawn haphazardly around the page’s edge.
Created on Thu Mar 06 04:54:35 EST 2025 (updated Fri Mar 07 04:48:22 EST 2025)

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