Here to Stay: Chapters 9–13

by Sara Farizan
When Bijan Majidi sinks the winning basket at a varsity basketball game, he unexpectedly finds himself enjoying the perks of popularity. But his success also sparks rivalry — and makes Bijan the target of an anonymous cyberbully.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–6, Chapters 7–8, Chapters 9–13, Chapters 14–18, Chapters 19–24
30 words 116 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. egregious
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
    “I think it is shameful but very telling of the climate at Granger that someone felt entitled to do something as egregious as send that email,” said Stephanie Bergner, creator of the No Tradition of Violence campaign.
  2. endeavor
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    When Bergner was asked if the campaign would continue, she responded, “I plan to continue. I never intended for anyone to get hurt by this endeavor.”
  3. facilitate
    make easier
    Our desks were arranged in a U shape because Ms. McCrea said that being able to see each other facilitated discussion.
  4. subjective
    taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias
    “Nailed it. Either that or I failed horribly. Could go either way, based on subjectivity and revisionist history,” Sean murmured.
  5. internment
    confinement during wartime
    So today we’re going to resume our discussion on Executive Order 9066, which, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, resulted in the internment of American citizens and permanent residents, many of whom were children.
  6. blight
    a state or condition being devastated or run-down
    “The internment camps are a horrendous blight on our founding principles. Let’s remember that while these things have happened in the past, and it may be difficult to imagine, these were real people with real lives.”
  7. testy
    easily irritated or annoyed
    “Hey, guys, wait up a minute,” Ms. McCrea said to Sean and me as we stood up. “I know things got a little testy today. I think I need to reframe my questions next time. But dialogue is always good. There’s no solution without communication.”
  8. rife
    excessively abundant
    “Nothing to be nervous about! So it’s a big game. But in the grand scheme of things, in a world rife with famine, disease, war, natural disasters, and crime, is a game all that important?”
  9. jest
    activity characterized by good humor
    “Yeah. You’ll be great,” Sean said as he batted his eyelashes in jest.
  10. akimbo
    bent outward with the joint away from the body
    “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you guys to box out.” Coach stood with his arms akimbo.
  11. petty
    small and of little importance
    “You all think I’ve got time for your petty crap? This is the team now! Whether you like it or not...as a matter of fact, I don’t care if you don’t like it,” Coach continued.
  12. bluff
    deceive someone about your strength or intentions
    Nobody said anything, but we knew he was bluffing. He wanted to win. He wasn’t going to trade in the playoffs for a lesson about bullying.
  13. bristle
    react in an offended or angry manner
    I bristled. I hated that kind of thing.
  14. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    It was usually a phrase dropped by people adamantly trying to prove they weren’t racist.
  15. pantomime
    act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements
    Students crowded around Sean and me as we walked to morning assembly. Some slapped me on the back. Others pantomimed my dunking for their friends.
  16. insufferable
    extremely unpleasant or annoying
    “We finally got Armstead!” Emily offered me a high five. “I have a cousin who goes there. She’s insufferable and always brags about how great it is there. I loved rubbing the score in her face! ”
  17. initiate
    bring up a topic for discussion
    They had sat in front of me for years and had never initiated a conversation with me during assembly.
  18. mush
    drive a team of dogs or a dogsled
    “The coolest of the cool. Subzero. The Iceman not only cometh, he has arrived, and it’s going to be a chilly time at Granger. Have your snowshoes ready and tell those dogs to mush, because Bijan is bringing on the FREEZE!”
  19. conspire
    act in agreement and in secret towards a deceitful purpose
    It made my stomach churn to think there was a whole group conspiring to make sure I had a lousy junior year.
  20. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    “Noah, did you tell Stephanie I was looking for her on Friday?” Noah balked.
  21. backlash
    an adverse reaction to some political or social occurrence
    She wouldn’t even acknowledge that although she’d started this crusade, I was the one receiving the backlash.
  22. minion
    a servile or fawning dependent
    Erin turned to her redheaded minion. “I think I’m going to sit here for lunch.”
  23. exalted
    of high moral or intellectual value
    “Should we bring anything? Champagne? Caviar?” Sean asked our exalted table guest and future hostess.
  24. abysmal
    very great; limitless
    "So this next drill is in honor of your abysmal rebounding. The offensive man is trying to get possession of the ball at the top of the key without fouling...."
  25. culpability
    a state of guilt
    “That’s some Bill Laimbeer style of play right there. Rough, tough, and no sense of culpability for his actions, Reggie.”
  26. tenacity
    persistent determination
    “That’s the kind of tenacity I want to see.” Coach pointed at us.
  27. malice
    the desire to see others suffer
    “Why don’t you quit?” he asked. I turned around to look at him. There wasn’t a hint of malice in his voice or on his face. He was genuinely curious.
  28. clique
    an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
    I wasn’t sure how cliques worked. I had never been a part of one.
  29. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
    Stephanie blanched, but Erin mostly maintained her composure, aside from her eyes darting side to side.
  30. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
    I know what people say about me and post about me online. But I can take it. I don’t like it, but I’m resilient enough to not let it get in my way.
Created on Tue May 28 13:09:20 EDT 2019 (updated Tue May 28 16:19:13 EDT 2019)

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