Be Real, Macy Weaver: Chapters 28–39

by Lakita Wilson
In both South Carolina and Maryland, eleven-year-old Macy, desperate for a best friend, weaves a web of lies that she hopes would be impressive.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–12, Chapters 13–27, Chapters 28–39, Chapters 40–57
30 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. flashy
    tastelessly showy
    “You won’t truly fall in love with the show until you understand how it all started. It wasn’t always the flashy big-budget reality show you see today,” Pax explained, then bit the tip of his tongue.
  2. bland
    lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting
    I’ve never seen such hideously bland clothes my entire life. Everywhere I looked—same, same, same.
  3. suede
    leather with a napped surface
    The glitter was eye-catching, but the suede material under Macy’s fingertips felt soft and comforting—almost like a mom-hug.
  4. barge
    push one's way
    “Hope you kids don’t mind me hanging out with you until your dad gets home.” PJ barged in and threw her pocketbook on the couch.
  5. audacity
    aggressive or outright boldness
    Macy scowled at the audacity of this woman, who was practically a stranger, forcing her way into her house—again.
  6. snub
    reject outright and bluntly
    Macy wanted to snub her. She deserved it for getting all up in her personal space without asking.
  7. pore
    direct one's attention on something
    Macy wanted to figure out why Grace spent all her time poring over it, but all those legal words quickly bored her.
  8. prance
    move or step in a lively, spirited, or showy way
    But when Brynn and Grace couldn’t stop giggling, unicorn prancing, or balancing briefcases on their heads, Macy gave up and pulled out her phone.
  9. churn
    be agitated
    Sometimes, Macy really hated lying. It made her stomach churn.
  10. faux
    not genuine or real
    They found colorful socks and lampshades, a fisherman’s net, a velvet hat, faux feathers from a busted open couch pillow, and lots and lots of odds and ends.
  11. cohesive
    combining well to form a unified whole
    I think pulling ten cohesive pieces together could make a solid fashion statement.
  12. collaborate
    work together on a common enterprise or project
    The next day, House of Anomaly collaborated on a look for Macy. They spent all afternoon making sure each detail was perfect.
  13. chignon
    a roll of hair worn at the nape of the neck
    Her hair was scooped up in a tight chignon at the top of her head.
  14. haute couture
    trend-setting fashions
    “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
    Macy plastered a smug look on her face. “That’s because this is haute couture. And the designers who created this are going to feature it in a fashion show, very soon.”
  15. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    Ever since you’ve been wearing your own designs, you’ve really been strutting—and PJ loves it!
  16. drone
    talk in a monotonous voice
    Macy tapped her pen on her desk while Ms. Levi droned on about finding the main idea of a passage.
  17. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    Hearing Brynn cry for the first time broke Macy’s heart. She desperately wanted to burst from the bathroom stall and console her.
  18. sincere
    open and genuine; not deceitful
    Even Macy couldn’t deny how sincere and caring Grace sounded in the eighth-grade bathroom today.
  19. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    Brynn grabbed Grace’s hand and together they trudged down the aisle and off the bus together.
  20. ingrained
    deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held
    The floors were whitewashed wood, with flecks of gold ingrained in the wood.
  21. loafer
    a low leather shoe with no laces
    A tall man, with dark brown skin and curls like Pax’s, came into the room wearing a dress shirt, long pants, and loafers.
  22. high horse
    an attitude of arrogant superiority
    “You’re always on your high horse, refusing to use a phone, or wear Nike sneakers—when the whole time? You’re a sheep, too.”
  23. swag
    products that are free (usually for promotional purposes)
    Not all models cozied up to fashion designers for free swag.
  24. steep
    set at a high angle (of a slope)
    And then, time unexpectedly sped up, like the first steep fall on a tall roller coaster—as Brynn zeroed in on Grace one more time—and then burst into tears.
  25. dote
    shower with love; show excessive affection for
    While everyone doted on Brynn, Macy took a seat on the other side of Tati.
  26. mandate
    a formal statement of a command to do something
    “Silent lunch.”
    Those two powerful words yanked the voice of every sixth grader in the lunchroom like a giant television plug from the wall.
    But nothing—not even a silent-lunch mandate—could stop the electrifying energy in the room.
  27. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Oh, please! Girls have been full of drama since the beginning of time. They’ll be friends by fourth mod,” Nathan scoffed from the next table over.
  28. pang
    a sudden sharp feeling
    Macy took a bite of her mixed vegetables, pretending the pang in her stomach was from hunger—and not guilt.
  29. frazzle
    exhaust physically or emotionally
    By the time they got on the afternoon bus, Grace was a jittery, frazzled mess.
  30. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    “I snuck onto my mom’s laptop and googled it.”
    Macy half closed her eyes. “I thought you hated technology?”
    A sheepish look appeared on Pax’s face.
Created on Sat Dec 02 10:27:40 EST 2023 (updated Mon Dec 04 10:35:21 EST 2023)

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