Keep It Together, Keiko Carter: Chapters 6–9

by Debbi Michiko Florence
Keiko has always counted on her best friends, Audrey and Jenna — but the girls' friendship is tested as they navigate seventh grade.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–17, Chapters 18–24, Chapters 25–32
30 words 127 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. churn
    be agitated
    I couldn’t do that. How could I keep a secret from Audrey? My insides churned like I’d eaten cheap chocolate. “She’s our best friend, too.”
  2. dutiful
    willingly obedient out of a sense of respect
    I didn’t say anything else and dutifully cut out a square from Audrey’s mom’s silk shirt.
  3. consult
    have a conference in order to talk something over
    “You and Audrey consulted with each other, but I went ahead and sent mine in without sharing it. Not because I didn’t want to tell you guys, but because I came up with it in the middle of the night and sent it off.”
  4. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    When I turned back to Audrey, she was staring wistfully at him.
  5. truffle
    creamy chocolate candy
    I reached into the side pocket of my backpack, pulled out a small gold box, grabbed the closest truffle, and popped it into my mouth.
  6. exertion
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
    By the time the bell finally rang, I’d almost passed out from the exertion of trying to make time speed up.
  7. perky
    characterized by liveliness and lightheartedness
    “Hi, Gregor,” Nicole said, all perky. “What a cool name.”
  8. scrimmage
    practice play between two teams
    After PE, where Coach put me and Jenna on separate basketball courts for scrimmages, Jenna took off for her after-school newspaper meeting and I headed to the library to study with Audrey.
  9. lurk
    be about
    I glanced around, just in case anyone was lurking. But we were the only ones in the library so early in the semester.
  10. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    “Oh! That’s so great, Keiko! I’m happy for you!” Audrey gushed.
  11. radiate
    send out rays or waves
    Even though we weren’t touching, I could feel his body heat radiating from him.
  12. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
    “That’s an understatement,” I said, grateful he didn’t mention Conner’s insult.
  13. heft
    lift or elevate
    Macy ignored me and tossed clothes into her overnight bag, then hefted it onto her shoulder.
  14. nuzzle
    nestle or cuddle together
    I nuzzled Lumpy, feeling bad for him. A wagging tail was a good thing. Lumpy was happy. Dogs are almost always happy. That’s one of the things that makes them so great.
  15. scrawl
    write carelessly
    Hanging on the far wall was a big handmade banner with “Fall Ball” scrawled across it.
  16. daze
    overcome as with astonishment or disbelief
    Jenna looked dazed.
  17. grimace
    a contorted facial expression
    I was miles and miles away from Gregor ever asking me out. I tried to grin, but I’m sure it came out more like a grimace.
  18. octave
    a musical interval of eight tones
    Audrey swirled back on me. “You know?” Audrey’s voice went up a whole octave like it always did when she got upset.
  19. resolution
    something settled
    As much as I hated conflict, I hated lack of resolution even more.
  20. muzzle
    forward projecting part of the head of certain animals
    Lumpy leaned his muzzle on my shoulder, and I stroked his smooth fur.
  21. stereotype
    treat or classify according to a conventional conception
    It was totally stereotyped and wrong.
  22. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “It is pretty insulting,” Conner said.
    Audrey scoffed.
  23. retrospect
    contemplation of things past
    I hadn’t thought so then, but in retrospect, yeah, it was weird, because the Conner of today would have made fun of me.
  24. truce
    a state of peace agreed to between opponents
    Just when we were getting along, I probably ruined the truce, short-lived as it was.
  25. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
    “Pretty much.” Couldn’t argue with that at all. He’d been obnoxious and mean for more than a year. “What happened? We used to be friends.”
  26. retort
    a quick reply to a question or remark
    Normally I’d shoot back another weak retort, but this time I held my tongue.
  27. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    Conner pulled out his desk chair and straddled it.
  28. grudge
    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
    Audrey proved she could hold a grudge like no one else.
  29. retaliate
    make a counterattack and return like for like
    I blinked at Conner. “You’ve been mad all this time because I picked my best friend? And you thought retaliating by calling us horrible and hurtful names would fix things?”
  30. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    Conner stood up, his arm muscles taut. “I’m not talking about Audrey. I’m not sorry about her at all.”
Created on Fri Mar 19 19:43:15 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Mar 29 12:38:28 EDT 2021)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.