Not Like Other Girls: Chapters 9–13

by Meredith Adamo
In this mystery novel, a high school senior searches for her missing ex-best friend and comes face-to-face with her own trauma in the process.


Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1-4, Chapter 5-8, Chapter 9-13, Chapter 14-17, Chapter 18-22, Chapter 23-29, Chapter 30-34, Chapter 35-42, Chapter 43-49, Chapter 50-Epilogue

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dispatch
    send away towards a designated goal
    The other stations have dispatched their fresh meat to shiver in the cold, thrust microphones into stunned faces.
  2. fraternize
    be on friendly terms with someone, as if with a brother
    “Kate Kirby’s daughter. I don’t fraternize with the enemy.”
  3. tantalizing
    arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable
    Sabrina extends the microphone, like it’s so tantalizing.
  4. lackey
    a servile or submissive follower
    No, these are sort-of, kind-of pals—lackeys from the soccer team, pretty sophomore girls.
  5. erroneously
    in a mistaken manner
    It’s loaded to an article from the New York Times: “NYU erroneously releases more than a thousand early decision acceptances.”
  6. brooding
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    He looks like a boy our mothers would hate, so brooding with those dark clothes, the long hair.
  7. perverse
    marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict
    The more I say it, the more it makes sense in some small, perverse way.
  8. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    I reach for a fork right as Dad materializes, wielding a spatula like a weapon.
  9. bleary
    tired to the point of exhaustion
    His eyes are bleary, his face pillow-creased.
  10. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    He blinks, dazed, his eyes gray and sunken, then glances warily over his shoulder.
  11. vigil
    a peaceful, stationary demonstration or protest, especially at night
    “Geoff says no posters. No vigils. It’ll only push her further away. I pushed her away.”
  12. overbearing
    expecting unquestioning obedience
    Like, her mom was (is?) overbearing—tracking Maddie’s location, snooping through her drawers, searching under her mattress for a diary.
  13. deceive
    cause someone to believe an untruth
    “I never meant to deceive anyone,” Mrs. Price whispers, voice rattling.
  14. skitter
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    The dog howls, skitters down the hall.
  15. heed
    pay close attention to
    How he is always right, and how I never heed his warnings until it’s too late.
  16. unwavering
    not showing abrupt variations
    He and Hudson may be ranked one and two, but it’s not really a competition; Miles has an unwavering hold on that top spot.
  17. preen
    clean with one's bill
    Pretty, nice Maddie Price is unnecessarily patient with Miles— listening to him ramble at parties, refusing to roll her eyes when he preens in class.
  18. obscene
    offensive to the mind
    The metal is painted an obscene yellow, defaced with marker.
  19. tentative
    under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon
    Back in the fall, we got emails with our projected senior rank, but Lund said over and over that it’s tentative until first semester grades get factored in.
  20. endorsement
    formal and explicit approval
    “What a ringing endorsement.”
  21. brazen
    not held back by conventional ideas of behavior
    Before, I had a brazen kind of confidence.
  22. pertinent
    having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand
    He knows it, too, but he says, “Then let’s exchange pertinent information. I now know you love Billy Joel. I also know that you...have a brother.”
  23. unscathed
    not injured
    The moment I step into Culver and sacrifice any real hope for surviving the year unseen, unscathed, the moment we—
    “Birds,” Hudson whispers.
  24. obtuse
    slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
    “Don’t be obtuse, Jo.”
  25. stricken
    grievously affected especially by disease
    His face falls, stricken.
Created on Wed Mar 26 06:50:14 EDT 2025 (updated Wed Mar 26 08:32:05 EDT 2025)

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