Not Like Other Girls: Chapters 23–29

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. decrepit
    worn and broken down by hard use
    The decrepit tackle shop and the rotted dock and the muted ice and sky and rocks, like it was stuck in grayscale.
  2. garish
    tastelessly showy
    This was my favorite part as a kid: the garish wallpaper, the needless extravagance.
  3. patter
    make light, rapid and repeated sounds
    My heart patters in a weird way.
  4. assessor
    an official who evaluates property in order to tax it
    “My dad is an assessor for the city, remember?” he asks.
  5. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    I think this might be my personal hell: Miles and Hudson on either side, tension palpable, silence unbearable.
  6. fidgety
    nervous and unable to relax
    Hudson stares, unblinking, at the progress bar, but Miles is fidgety.
  7. offend
    hurt the feelings of
    “I’m offended that you think I’m being nice,” Kathleen says, and I think...it might...be a joke?
  8. convey
    serve as a means for expressing something
    “I need an outfit that conveys that I’m bisexual and interested. Probably overalls, right? Or—oh!”
  9. hoarse
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness
    My skin pricks at that voice—hoarse, loud.
  10. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    The sick smell of burned pepperoni seeps from under the door.
  11. immediate
    performed with little or no delay
    The “nothing” I felt was so immediate I never hesitated.
  12. execution
    the act of doing something successfully
    “I thought I was nervous about the”—he searches for the word—“execution. But sex is big, you know?”
  13. flounce
    walk in an emphatic or exaggerated way
    I hogged the karaoke machine, flounced around in my perfect dress.
  14. retire
    pull back or move away or backward
    But I’d retired to the kitchen to make a gin gimlet from a recipe card I’d found.
  15. neglect
    fail to attend to
    “I don’t know. Because I’m neglecting your penis.”
  16. indescribable
    defying expression
    Those texts from Hudson fill me with an indescribable feeling each time I reread them.
  17. illuminate
    make lighter or brighter
    Justin has overtaken a recording booth near the end of the hall, his laptop illuminating his face, his feet kicked onto the table.
  18. remiss
    failing in what duty requires
    “But I’d be remiss not to explore all possible angles, and perhaps that involves some light investigation.”
  19. alliance
    a connection based on kinship, marriage, or common interest
    I can see it in the way she stares at me, like this is an uneasy alliance.
  20. acoustics
    the qualities that determine how sound is heard in a space
    Something is off about the acoustics in here; each strike and gutter ball and collision of pins is so goddamn loud.
  21. skulk
    move stealthily
    His smile falls when Cody Forsythe skulks inside the bowling alley.
  22. seething
    in constant agitation
    He beelines over to him, seething.
  23. efficient
    being effective without wasting time, effort, or expense
    “Damn, she’s efficient.”
  24. botch
    make a mess of, destroy, or ruin
    The captions botch her words, so I catch only snippets: “I would never...Maddie would never...I don’t...understand she left the note but...is such a perfect girl and...where did she...why...vicious attacks...vile rumors...”
  25. utter
    complete
    “I’m struggling with the utter lack of interest from her peers. Her friends.”
Created on Wed Mar 26 06:52:07 EDT 2025 (updated Thu Mar 27 04:44:50 EDT 2025)

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