The Honest Truth: Chapters 4–6

by Dan Gemeinhart
Afflicted with recurring cancer, Mark is determined to go on the adventure of a lifetime — so he runs away from home and attempts to climb Mount Rainier. As Mark confronts the challenges of the mountain, his best friend Jessie faces her own struggle: whether or not to reveal Mark's secret.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3 ½, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 6 ½–9 ½, Chapters 10–13 ½
25 words 93 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. muffled
    being or made softer or less loud or clear
    My words were blurry and muffled from the blood in my mouth and my split, swollen lips.
  2. jolt
    a sudden jarring impact
    Jolts and jabs of pain rocketed around inside me.
  3. clot
    a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid
    I spit a clot of dried blood out of my mouth and listened.
  4. asphalt
    mixed substance used for paving and roofing
    I was sitting on the dirty asphalt of an alley, tucked into a corner between a brick wall and a green Dumpster.
  5. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    I was too sick and too tired to fight back the tears that seeped up into my eyes.
  6. fragile
    vulnerably delicate
    My voice was small and fragile.
  7. reek
    a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
    Along with the singing voices came another, better smell. It pushed through the reek of the Dumpster. Frying onions. Cooking beans. Grilling tortillas.
  8. blare
    make a loud noise
    A little radio was up on a shelf blaring out some song in Spanish, but their voices drowned it out as they sang along.
  9. skitter
    move or skip quickly across a surface
    Beau’s claws skittered on the tile floor as he turned with me toward the door.
  10. grumble
    utter or emit low, dull sounds
    My mouth was watering and my stomach grumbled angrily, but I turned toward the phone on the messy desk.
  11. waft
    be driven or carried along, as by the air
    The smell that wafted up to me almost made my knees buckle.
  12. nerve
    the courage to carry on
    Jessie asked the question quick, before she lost her nerve.
  13. haiku
    an epigrammatic Japanese verse form of three short lines
    “It’s a kind of poem,” I said, “called a haiku. It’s always three lines.”
  14. flare
    become widened, usually at one end
    Her fingers were tight in her lap. I could see her anger in her lips. In the red of her cheeks. In her flaring nostrils.
  15. reluctant
    not eager
    A reluctant smile broke through her frown.
  16. blankly
    without expression
    I looked back at Shelby. She blinked blankly at me.
  17. absolute
    complete and without restriction or qualification
    They’d always done nothing but the best for me. And now I was doing the absolute worst to them.
  18. gnaw
    bite or chew on with the teeth
    The headache was gnawing on my brain with rusty razor teeth.
  19. passion
    something that is desired intensely
    Mountain climbing became his secret passion.
  20. relieve
    free from a burden, evil, or distress
    She’d waited at Mark’s that morning, waited with his parents for the next call, which they were sure would be the police saying that they’d found Mark at the restaurant and that he’d be home soon. She’d been so relieved.
  21. static
    crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference
    “Elbe,” the driver announced through hissy static over the speakers.
  22. mallet
    a tool resembling a hammer but with a large head
    My head was a broken drum that was still getting pounded with a mallet.
  23. gloomy
    depressingly dark
    While we waited in the gloomy afternoon, several more people showed up and joined us.
  24. hoist
    move from one place to another by lifting
    Tickets and money were passed back and forth; backpacks were handed over and hoisted aboard.
  25. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    “Maybe he’s afraid of dying,” she said, her eyes solemn and teary.
Created on Thu Nov 15 14:20:56 EST 2018 (updated Thu Nov 15 14:40:37 EST 2018)

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