Thirteen Reasons Why: Cassette 5–The Next Day

by Jay Asher
After Hannah Baker's death, classmate Clay Jenson receives a set of cassette tapes in which Hannah makes painful revelations.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Cassette 2, Cassettes 3–4, Cassette 5–The Next Day
35 words 233 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bluff
    deceive someone about your strength or intentions
    Hannah wasn't bluffing.
  2. deny
    declare untrue; contradict
    I can try and deny it. Pretend I have no clue what he's talking about.
  3. distraction
    an entertainment that provokes pleased interest
    Overhearing gossip about Clay became a similar distraction.
  4. salivate
    be desirous, eager for, or extremely happy about something
    I hope you aren't just listening—salivating—-for gossip.
  5. concentrate
    direct one's attention on something
    I lean my head against the window and close my eyes, concentrating on the cold glass.
  6. diminish
    lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of
    But does that diminish any of your stories? Are your stories any less meaningful because I'm not telling you everything?
  7. precise
    sharply exact or accurate or delimited
    Unfortunately, you can't be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person's life, you're messing with their entire life.
  8. random
    lacking any definite plan or order or purpose
    A random night that none of you can take back.
  9. consequence
    the outcome of an event
    Of course, if the tapes do get out, you'll have to deal with consequences completely out of your control.
  10. minimal
    the least possible
    For some of you, those consequences may be minimal. Maybe shame. Or embarrassment.
  11. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    I stopped walking and, for what seemed like several minutes, just watched from the sidewalk. Mesmerized.
  12. lurch
    move abruptly
    He got in the car, lurched it down the driveway, and drove off.
  13. surreal
    characterized by fantastic and incongruous imagery
    But whatever the reason, it felt surreal. Two people—me and him—one house.
  14. incident
    a single distinct event
    Even the best moments of the night were affected by that one incident—by that non-incident—in front of my old house.
  15. sarcastic
    expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
    I'm sure you heard a lot of sarcastic remarks when you first arrived, but by the time I got there, to everyone else you were just a part of the party.
  16. intrusive
    tending to enter uninvited
    The questions were personal, as if catching up for the time we let pass. Yet the questions never felt intrusive.
  17. potential
    the inherent capacity for coming into being
    Everything seemed good, but I knew it had the potential to be awful.
  18. hilarious
    extremely funny; causing laughter
    And you were hilarious, Clay. You were exactly what I needed.
  19. hazardous
    involving risk or danger
    And with my balance not what it should've been, to run across the floor felt a little hazardous.
  20. rationalize
    defend, explain, or make excuses for by reasoning
    Rationalize why this isn't the tape you're making a return appearance on.
  21. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    But light from the hallway seeped into the room, into the closet, and his footsteps walked away.
  22. inappropriate
    not in keeping with what is correct or proper
    Like laughing at a funeral. Maybe inappropriate, but definitely needed.
  23. repercussion
    a remote or indirect consequence of some action
    You'd like to forget what we did—what happened with your car and the Stop sign. The repercussions.
  24. quiver
    shake with fast, tremulous movements
    I let out a quivering breath and close my eyes.
  25. outskirts
    area relatively far from the center, as of a city or town
    And there are so many places to do that on the outskirts of town.
  26. stranded
    cut off or left behind
    She's the one who left me stranded with no one to talk to.
  27. genuine
    not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
    And you sounded so genuine, which surprised me.
  28. terror
    an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
    But with the calming water also came terror.
  29. clench
    squeeze together tightly
    Bryce, you had to see my jaw clench.
  30. conspiracy
    a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act
    Not like a conspiracy or anything. But it feels like I never know when something's going to pop out of the woodwork.
  31. confidential
    entrusted with private information of another
    Sometimes it's hard for people to open up. Even to a counselor where everything is strictly confidential.
  32. confront
    deal with head on
    But if you won't press charges and you won't confront him, you need to consider the possibility of moving beyond this.
  33. static
    crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference
    Without her voice, the slight static hum that constantly played beneath her words sounds louder.
  34. profoundly
    to a great depth psychologically
    But today, for me, is profoundly different than yesterday.
  35. pity
    a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for misfortunes of others
    A flood of emotion rushes into me. Pain and anger. Sadness and pity. But most surprising of all, hope.
Created on Thu Mar 26 19:49:56 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Oct 01 15:18:47 EDT 2018)

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