Opposite of Always: List 4

by Justin A. Reynolds
In this blend of science fiction and romance, Jack keeps returning to the moment when he and Kate first met—and he must try to alter the past in order to prevent her death.

This list covers Parts 4 and 5, "Four You & Me" and "Five-ever."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
35 words 16 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. invoke
    cite as an authority
    As in, I’m going to invoke cliché to explain my running away from Kate.
  2. cliche
    a trite or obvious remark
    As in, I’m going to invoke cliché to explain my running away from Kate.
  3. dank
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    You see, it’s just occurred to me (well, it occurred to me before but I promptly shoved the thought into the dankest, most cobwebbed corner of my brain) that maybe I’m not supposed to save Kate.
  4. splice
    join the ends of
    When you’ve experienced the same, or at least very similar, moments multiple times over, it’s easy for your brain to splice them together to make one scene.
  5. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    She looks up from the mound of pizza dough she’s kneading, only to see me doing some weird impromptu jig in the storefront window, beside the giant Pizza Pauper decal.
  6. decal
    a design that can be transferred from paper to some surface
    She looks up from the mound of pizza dough she’s kneading, only to see me doing some weird impromptu jig in the storefront window, beside the giant Pizza Pauper decal.
  7. amends
    something done or paid to make up for a wrong
    Part of me wants Dad to come back and make amends so Mom can go back to being Mom again.
  8. flux
    a state of constant change
    And depending on when you ask me, the ratio of see him versus never see him is always in flux.
  9. regress
    get worse or fall back to a previous condition
    “And she needs both injections?”
    Dr. Sowunmi nods. “Without both, she’d eventually regress back to her original condition, yes.”
  10. impropriety
    a wrong or indecent act
    Mrs. Edwards, to tell you the truth, I have not even been formally introduced to your daughter. But I can assure you there is no impropriety here.
  11. bequest
    a gift of personal property by will
    Every year the board reviews dozens of applications for candidates who may be in need of some form of assistance. This is at the bequest of several of our rather, to be perfectly blunt, financially able alumni who are eager to give back to the school that they love.
  12. alumnus
    a person who has received a degree from a school
    Every year the board reviews dozens of applications for candidates who may be in need of some form of assistance. This is at the bequest of several of our rather, to be perfectly blunt, financially able alumni who are eager to give back to the school that they love.
  13. cynicism
    a pessimistic feeling of distrust
    “I just can’t believe this is happening. I’m grateful. I am. But...well, pardon my cynicism, but...”
  14. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    Even after my Thurgood Marshall Thomas II routine (or maybe directly because of), it’s safe to say Kate’s mom is still (understandably) skeptical, but eventually, once I’ve forwarded her all of the appointment information, along with a letter of explanation printed on Whittier letterhead..., she slowly starts believing.
  15. premise
    a statement that is held to be true
    The premise of an elevator is uncomfortable enough—standing silent and motionless in a cramped rectangular box centimeters away from random strangers?
  16. doting
    extravagantly or foolishly loving and indulgent
    “I need to be studying right now, but I have to be here. Gotta be the doting, supportive boyfriend.”
  17. articulate
    express or state clearly
    I step around the cart and there she is, lying in bed, a book open on her lap, and although she’s staring right at me, it’s clear she doesn’t know me. Which, while expected, is still brutal on a level I’m incapable of articulating.
  18. inevitably
    in such a manner as could not be otherwise
    You know how in the movies the two people who are in love and who will inevitably wind up together by the end have all these artificial obstacles thrown in front of them?
  19. attribute
    credit to
    The only fault I can possibly attribute to her, you know, other than the minor transgressions, like how she squeezes from the bottom of the toothpaste tube (uh, weird) or how she leaves the toilet seat down after she’s finished (the nerve!), is that she’s not Kate.
  20. mince
    make less severe or harsh
    I opt not to mince words. “You haven’t seen Franny.”
  21. rift
    a personal or social separation
    The Panthers advance deeper into the playoffs than before, and I wonder what the Franny-Jack rift has to do with that.
  22. leer
    look suggestively or obliquely
    Franny leers at me. “Time heals all wounds. Isn’t that what they say, Jack?”
  23. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    I decide not to remind everyone that he hates my guts. Because that’s inconsequential. I just want him to be okay, whether he hates me forever or not.
  24. opine
    express one's view openly and without fear or hesitation
    But she’s also the person who makes me better. So if I have to choose between someone opining about which cereal actually has the most beneficial fiber...
  25. unrelenting
    never-ceasing
    And we dance our ugly dances with unrelenting gusto, as if we’ve just discovered that ugly dancing saves lives, and we are determined to save every life that we can.
  26. ecstatic
    feeling great rapture or delight
    Franny pretends like he’s only mildly excited, but anyone who knows him knows he’s ecstatic.
  27. savant
    a learned person
    This time he goes with Kate and me to the movies and proceeds to 1) sit between us, 2) hog the popcorn that I bought, and 3) spoil virtually every scene, which initially I thought made him some sort of plot-guessing film savant, only to later learn, no, he’d already seen the movie...
  28. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “What,” she says, incredulously. “I’ve been on time before.”
  29. flub
    blunder; make a mess of something
    After four summers of practice (condensed into one), I still find a way to flub a few notes in the beginning, but no one seems to notice.
  30. wiry
    lean but strong
    His partner, a wiry, gray-haired man, seems less eager to engage me.
  31. credibility
    the quality of being believable or trustworthy
    Maybe because at this point I have officially lost all my I’m not crazy credibility, I scream, “They’re trying to kill me!” and flail and karate chop and contort my body into pretzellike configurations.
  32. hemoglobin
    a red protein in blood that transports oxygen
    The doctor frowns. “Well, we’ve moved her into an observation room. We want to keep her overnight. Make sure her hemoglobin remains stable. We’ll draw some more blood in the morning. You can see her now.”
  33. brace
    prepare for something unpleasant or difficult
    “Okay, brace yourself...”
    “I’m braced.”
    “Jate.”
    “That’s what I was bracing myself for?”
  34. scaffold
    a temporary arrangement erected around a building
    “Cool,” I repeat, doing a dance I like to call cleaning windows on scaffolding fifty-six floors up.
  35. repertoire
    a collection of works that an artist or company can perform
    That move happens to be a staple in my repertoire.
Created on Tue Apr 30 11:15:42 EDT 2019 (updated Wed May 01 16:24:28 EDT 2019)

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