The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School: Chapters 13–17

by Sonora Reyes
Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores is a queer Mexican-American girl who navigates Catholic school and first love while learning to be authentic to herself.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–27
35 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. aesthetic
    a philosophical theory as to what is beautiful
    Even though I like the beadwork best as far as aesthetics go, the woven bracelets are my favorite to work on.
  2. palette
    range of color characteristic of a painting, artist, etc.
    The friendship bracelets all have different color palettes, from desert sunset to cotton candy to jungle flowers.
  3. sacrament
    a formal religious ceremony conferring a specific grace
    We have a half day of classes to celebrate the sacrament of Confession. Once a year, almost the entire student body has to confess their sins to the priest.
  4. leverage
    strategic advantage; power to act effectively
    Maybe I need to stop thinking of secrets as leverage.
  5. fixation
    an unhealthy preoccupation with something or someone
    God, I’m annoying myself with my fixation on Bo and Jamie.
  6. spiel
    artful or slick talk used to persuade
    For once I’m happy to hear the priest’s confession spiel, because it distracts me from my thoughts, even though I’m not particularly looking forward to telling all my secrets to some old guy I don’t know.
  7. entity
    that which is perceived to have its own distinct existence
    Still, I’d prefer not to be damned to hell just because I skip out of formally telling my sins to a priest to pass it on to the all-knowing entity he worships.
  8. absolve
    grant remission of a sin to
    If confession is supposed to absolve me, it’s not working.
  9. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    I can feel Hunter’s eyes on me every now and then, like he’s trying to gauge my reaction.
  10. penance
    a Catholic sacrament involving confession and atonement
    Penance is to say a bunch of Hail Marys.
  11. discreet
    marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
    He’s discreet enough to wait for the door to close before letting out a laugh.
  12. scrounge
    collect or look around for
    I’m desperately trying to scrounge up enough money to move out before she finds out and makes me.
  13. coherent
    marked by an orderly and consistent relation of parts
    “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asks, then shoves his toothbrush into his mouth and starts brushing. A smart move, so he won’t have to answer any questions coherently.
  14. blatantly
    in a completely obvious manner
    It’s one thing for Bo to notice me looking, but David? Who else can see how blatantly gay I am?
  15. adulate
    flatter in an obsequious manner
    THOU SHALT NOT ADULATE
 FALSE IDOLS
  16. contract
    squeeze or push together
    My throat contracts.
  17. perpetually
    everlastingly; for all time
    Canela was the only duck with a ball of fuzz perpetually stuck to her head, so she was our favorite.
  18. stigma
    a symbol of disgrace or infamy
    ...there’s a stigma around being closeted.
  19. fickle
    marked by erratic changeableness in affections
    “I thought you guys broke up,” Cesar says coldly, and I have to resist rolling my eyes at him—he’s so fickle.
  20. itinerary
    a proposed route of travel
    “I’ve been saving up some money. I have enough to send the two of you over to your dad’s for the winter break!” She shows me a printed-out itinerary, tearing up.
  21. bile
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
    I swallow down bile.
  22. blubber
    cry or whine with snuffling
    I break down into a teary, blubbering mess, and she ditches Cesar to hug me instead.
  23. petty
    preoccupied with unimportant matters in a spiteful way
    If he would just apologize, I’d forgive him in an instant. I know it’s petty to hold a grudge, but what am I supposed to do?
  24. grudge
    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
    THOU SHALT NOT FOSTER 
PETTY GRUDGES
  25. mortified
    made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride
    I would be mortified to let anyone hear me singing, let alone in the shower.
  26. insinuate
    suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand
    I can’t tell if this is a generic “troubled teen” pep talk or if he’s trying to insinuate something.
  27. mainstream
    adhering to what is commonly accepted
    It’s almost a rite of passage for Mexican Americans to have seen it, but it’s probably not mainstream enough for Bo’s family to own.
  28. tapioca
    cassava starch used to thicken foods, especially puddings
    I start with the drink, since it’s a bit tamer than the meal, and chew on the cool tapioca balls while I build up my confidence to eat the soup.
  29. lull
    a pause during which things are calm
    “Um, I know we’re not doing presents, but I made something for you guys,” I say as soon as there’s a lull in the conversation.
  30. scrutinize
    examine carefully for accuracy
    I avoid eye contact with any of them as they look over the portrait. Probably scrutinizing all the flaws and comparing it to Bo’s perfect artistry.
  31. ideal
    conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection
    “Why not? You have the ideal situation here. You could go into her room and woo her right now.”
  32. woo
    make amorous advances towards
    “Woo her? Seriously, what century are we in?”
  33. inherently
    in an essential manner
    Closing the gap to warm up our fingers is the logical thing to do. Holding hands isn’t even inherently gay.
  34. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    I scoot back even though I don’t want to. Can’t ruin this conversation by feeling all flustered.
  35. element
    the situation in which you are happiest and most effective
    You seemed so in your element. You just, belonged, you know?
Created on Sat Nov 05 10:09:38 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Nov 18 17:20:57 EST 2022)

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