Shut Up, This Is Serious: Chapters 10-13

by Carolina Ixta
In this novel, high school senior Belén deals with panic attacks in the wake of her father leaving while she tries to help her pregnant best friend Leti prepare to be a mother.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1-3, Chapter 4-6, Chapter 7-9, Chapter 10-13, Chapter 14-17, Chapter 18-20, Chapter 21-24, Chapter 25-28, Chapter 29-32, Chapter 33-37
25 words 16 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. pious
    having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity
    A pious look drilled into her during Mass mixed with her ma’s constipated expression.
  2. contribution
    the part played by a person in bringing about a result
    A bunch of bullshit about a thesis I’d write in the future or a positive contribution I’d make to research.
  3. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
    Ali is perpetually listening to music. It’s almost obnoxious.
  4. skeletal
    giving only major points; lacking completeness
    When it’s quiet enough, I can hear a skeletal beat whispering through the classroom.
  5. villain
    the principal bad character in a film or work of fiction
    She’s like the worst telenovela villain you could imagine but with zero of the glamour.
  6. accusatory
    containing or expressing blame
    Her tone is firm, already scold-like and accusatory.
  7. spew
    eject or send out in large quantities
    No one that quiet can just naturally spew out so much.
  8. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    “¿Qué te pasa, mija?” he asks Leti, who is heaving now, thick, guttural sobs coming from her throat.
  9. kiosk
    small area set off by walls for special use
    White people look at us with squinted eyes as we avoid the fare, but the person at the customer service kiosk looks like they couldn’t care less.
  10. lug
    carry with difficulty
    She lugs her backpack with her, like she’s gonna study while they do an ultrasound.
  11. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    I read the wary expression on his face.
  12. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
    Even though he’s smart and hardworking and kind, all they will see the inevitable moment they have to meet is his race.
  13. elaborate
    add details to clarify an idea
    I stare at him for a moment, waiting for him to elaborate.
  14. consequence
    the outcome of an event
    In health class, it was described as a consequence.
  15. exception
    an instance that does not conform to a rule
    No matter how much I love Leti, her baby will be no exception.
  16. disposition
    your usual mood
    Just the idea of it caused her to revert to her pre-appointment disposition—quiet and stuck in place.
  17. accountability
    responsibility to someone or for some activity
    But then I remember the leaps and bounds she’d gone through to stop her husband from hitting Leti—and not because it was the right thing to do, but because it avoided the embarrassment of accountability.
  18. incredulity
    doubt about the truth of something
    I dart my eyes from the tears pooling in Leti’s palms to Quentin’s expression, pained with incredulity.
  19. fantasize
    indulge in imagination unrestricted by reality
    He has no idea how long she’s been fantasizing about going to Berkeley, how it has become her beacon of light at the end of her parents’ tunnel.
  20. profound
    showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
    “Good choice, that’s usually the most profound. How much do you have done?”
  21. nape
    the back side of the neck
    It’s followed by dampness along the nape of my neck.
  22. rifle
    go through in search of something
    She takes the packet from my hands and rifles through it, stopping at my records from my first two years of school.
  23. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    She presses the tip of her pen against the paper, ink seeping onto the white like blue blood, ready to take notes at any moment.
  24. consistency
    logical coherence and accordance with the facts
    “I’ve found some large consistencies in your examples.”
  25. coy
    showing marked and often playful evasiveness or reluctance
    Ali gives a coy smile, then he shrugs and slips his headphones back on.
Created on Tue Apr 22 06:50:56 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Apr 25 18:36:30 EDT 2025)

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