The Insiders: Chapters 1–10

by Mark Oshiro
While adjusting to a new life in a small town and getting bullied for being gay, Héctor stumbles upon a magic room that connects him to new friends and adventure.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–21, Chapters 22–33, Chapter 34–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. faux
    not genuine or real
    “Depends on if your new classmates have any taste,” she said in a faux serious tone. “You might just be too cool for them.”
  2. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    It was a single story. Sprawling. The green grass of the sports field stretched so far back that Héctor couldn’t even see the fence on the other side of campus.
  3. impeccable
    without error or flaw
    A woman stood tall in front of Héctor, her arms crossed in front of her, and she wore a head-to-toe gray outfit: gray skirt, gray blazer over a gray shirt, and a gray cloth headband pulling her brown hair back, with impeccably shined gym sneakers on her feet.
  4. intone
    speak carefully, as with rising and falling pitch
    “Mr. Muñoz, that is none of your business,” she intoned, her voice dropping in pitch.
  5. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    He passed each table and observed for a moment or two, hoping that he’d see something familiar: kids practicing their lines; impromptu fashion shows; harmonized sing-alongs.
  6. complexion
    the coloring of a person's face
    She was brown, slightly lighter in complexion than Héctor’s deep brown, and he really liked how she did her makeup, with sharp eyeliner and red lip gloss.
  7. drawl
    a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels
    His drawl was absolutely that of a surfer.
  8. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
    “Anyway,” said Aishah, “Taylor isn’t wrong. I’m the Black Muslim girl into art, and all the art kids think I’m pretentious.”
  9. robust
    strong enough to withstand intellectual challenges
    “Lilliam, did you hear that? No drama, he says.”
    She clicked her tongue against her teeth. “I’m sorry, mijo,” she told Héctor. “I didn’t know that when we were researching schools. They told me they had a ‘robust art department.’”
  10. temperament
    your usual mood
    If he got his temperament and humor from Mami, and most of his looks from Papi, then his sense of style...well, that all came from Abuela.
  11. forge
    make out of components, often in an improvising manner
    “Well, maybe those are your people. You know, forge your own path.”
  12. initiative
    readiness to embark on bold new ventures
    She told him that she was glad he was “showing initiative” by choosing to do art, and he told her the truth: he would prefer to do theater, and this was the next best thing.
  13. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
    “Yo, what’s with the food here?” Héctor asked. “It all seems...I don’t know. Not that great?”
    “That’s an understatement,” said Jackson, and he adjusted his glasses.
  14. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    He sauntered off.
  15. minion
    a servile or fawning dependent
    “The Minions,” explained Aishah. “Carlos is the Mexican kid, Frank is the white one.”
    “Why are they named after those things from the Despicable Me movies?”
    “They do whatever Mike tells them,” said Taylor, brushing his blond hair to the side.
  16. vaquero
    a cowboy or cattle driver
    Carlos was short and stocky, and he wore tight blue denim jeans over pointy boots and a white button-down. He had a whole vaquero thing going on.
  17. specimen
    a bit of tissue or fluid taken for diagnostic purposes
    Mike examined Héctor, like he was a specimen in a lab.
  18. stupor
    feeling of distress and disbelief when something bad happens
    He shook himself out of his stupor and headed for art class, his nerves thrumming with energy. Had he just made everything worse?
  19. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    The bell rang, and the last few stragglers rushed inside to sit down.
  20. monochrome
    having or appearing to have only one color
    That morning, he’d anticipated the heat this time and put on some gray shorts, a black V-neck, and some black Jordans. It was a simple, monochrome look, but it gave him confidence.
  21. torrent
    a violently fast stream of water or other liquid
    “You gotta watch where you’re going,” said Frank, and Héctor didn’t know how, but his hair looked even greasier today. Was his shower just a torrent of oil?
  22. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
    There was a malevolent smirk on his face.
  23. futile
    producing no result or effect
    “I wasn’t checking anyone out,” he said, but he knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth, this was pointless. Futile.
  24. lurch
    move abruptly
    Mike lurched forward and Héctor’s reaction was instinctual:
    He ran.
  25. sire
    a title formerly used for a man of rank and authority
    “Good evening, sire,” he proclaimed in a fake British accent. “Ever so sorry to bother you in your kingdom.”
  26. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    As he went off to go find it, Mami sidled up to him.
  27. notion
    an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
    Even though he was full from breakfast, he couldn’t resist the notion of having boba on such a hot day.
  28. gnarly
    rough and misshapen and full of knots
    They didn’t make it to their destination due to a gnarly tree root that had warped the sidewalk, causing him to fall.
  29. feral
    wild and menacing
    “I’d like to tell him he’s got a feral sidewalk issue on his hands.”
  30. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    As Héctor hobbled his way into his sky-blue house, he vowed to find some other way to make Orangevale his home.
  31. savory
    pleasing to the sense of taste
    She used a large ladle to fill a bowl with the savory soup, then brought it over to Héctor.
  32. forsake
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
    “Forsaking your only child to manipulate your grandson.”
  33. commission
    a special assignment that is given to a person or group
    But Mami was swamped with her new job, and his papi had gotten a new commission to help plan a building in town.
  34. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    He left the computer and plodded over to his room and crashed down onto his bed.
  35. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “One of those magnet schools?” She scoffed at Héctor. “None of them know how to properly discipline their students.”
Created on Tue Jan 25 11:32:02 EST 2022 (updated Mon Jan 31 09:56:23 EST 2022)

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