There Goes the Neighborhood: Chapters 6–14

by Jade Adia
When her Los Angeles neighborhood starts developing and reducing the amount of affordable housing, fifteen-year-old Rhea leads her friends in creating fake news about gang activity in order to scare away invasive investors.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 5, Chapters 6–14, Chapters 15–23, Chapters 24–30, Chapter 31–Epilogue
40 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. earnest
    characterized by a firm, sincere belief in one's opinions
    “So, what are your signs?” Marley asks with a disgustingly earnest smile.
  2. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    The white dude beams at me with wide, condescending eyes like I’m a prize-winning poodle at the Westminster Dog Show.
  3. stifle
    smother or suppress
    I bite my lip to stifle a laugh.
  4. elusive
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    “Ohmigod, Mean Oxtail Lady is here!” Zeke squeals.
    Ah, yes—the elusive owner of Ackee Rainbow.
  5. fraternize
    be on friendly terms with someone, as if with a brother
    Fraternizing with the enemy. Classic. What else would I expect from him after the way he’s been cozying up to the fake twins all week?
  6. incense
    a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
    Before she can even open her pretty little mouth, I veer left and jump between a crowd of adults hovering around a stall selling black soap and incense.
  7. coup
    a sudden and decisive change of government by force
    Well, she can stage a coup if she wants, but I’m not going to make it easy for her.
  8. profusely
    in very large amounts or quantities; extremely
    Mr. Laita is one of those giant men, probably a former linebacker or army guy, and is sweating profusely. Beads of moisture—so big that you can hear them drop—roll down his bald head.
  9. gesticulate
    show, express, or direct through movement
    He and his friend gesticulate at her, copying the mannerisms of their wack older brothers who they’re still too young and ignorant to realize don’t have any game either.
  10. parse
    analyze in detail in order to discover essential features
    “Whoa,” we mutter in awe, parsing through the brightly colored tubes and canisters decorated with warnings that read: “Peligro Extremo.”
  11. quip
    make jokes or witty remarks
    “I told you, things are complicated in our house,” Marley says defensively.
    “I’m sure they are,” I quip back.
  12. culminate
    end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
    When he hits his final move—a vogue trot that turns into a cartwheel culminating in a backbreaking pose—the crowd goes wild.
  13. zealously
    in an enthusiastic, eager, or ardent manner
    I watch Marley zealously cheer on her brother and wonder if maybe, just maybe, I’ve made some unfair assumptions about her too.
  14. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    Lou stands as far away as possible from the circle of humans around him and maintains his signature resting pensive face.
  15. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    When the DJ motions at Lou for him to take his turn, the tension is palpable.
  16. clamor
    utter or proclaim insistently and noisily
    Everyone behind us is jumping, clamoring, and climbing over one another in awe and sheer excitement as Lou dusts off his pants to collect the grand prize from the DJ.
  17. deviation
    a variation from the standard or norm
    “Why are you here with him?” Marley says with some bite in her voice. I’m intrigued by the deviation from her typical la-dee-da sunshine tone.
  18. shoddy
    cheap and poorly built
    It’s a shoddy school in East LA fashioned out of an old, abandoned church building.
  19. encroach
    impinge or infringe upon
    The encroaching darkness of the postsunset sky charms the streetlights to turn on.
  20. keen
    having or showing interest and intense desire
    Zeke has already fallen for Lou, and Malachi seems real keen to keep Marley close, so then where will that leave me?
  21. mediate
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    “She could rat us out immediately, then the plan falls apart and then Zeke’s gone. Is that what you want?” I push.
    Zeke attempts to mediate. “Guys, I know we’re all under a lot of stress with this—”
  22. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    From their bedroom, Stella and Kiké “ooooooooooooh” in unison at the sound of their brother being chastised.
  23. decadent
    relating to indulgence in something pleasurable
    Lupe calls Stella and Kiké into the room and sets out the giant bowl of cooked shrimp. “It was on sale at Vallarta. Seventy-five percent off regular price! Can you believe it?”
    And believe it we do, devouring the decadent seafood meal to the very last bite.
  24. callous
    emotionally hardened
    “That’s exactly how they want us. Against each other.” There’s a callous casualness in his voice that makes me want to protest, but the depth of his observation catches me off guard.
  25. spiel
    artful or slick talk used to persuade
    “Hm. Good guess,” Malachi says, visibly a little disappointed by his reveal being spoiled. He shakes it off and launches into his spiel.
  26. complicit
    associated with or involved in some crime or wrongdoing
    “C’mon, let’s help them out. It’s a good plan.”
    She doesn’t look sold yet, so I pile it on thick. The only thing worse than letting Marley in on SOSI would be her knowing our plan but not being complicit.
  27. subversion
    the act of overthrowing or destroying, as a government
    He’s always been a Good Kid (he’s only brave enough to break house rules when his dad’s not home), but he’s been leaning more into these subtle acts of subversion recently.
  28. default
    an option that is selected automatically
    For the past two years, Malachi and I have been super into nature documentaries. It didn’t really start for any particular reason, but it’s become the default thing that we always end up watching when it’s just me and him around.
  29. ample
    more than enough in size or scope or capacity
    Marley’s hair is pulled back in a giant, low ponytail poof with ample extensions in a way that shows off her large forehead.
  30. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
    “All I’m saying is that you need to be careful. Nuance and body language can be hard for him, which makes dating tricky. Plus, hanging out with people all day can take a ton of effort,” Marley explains to Zeke, who looks more annoyed at her than I’ve ever seen.
  31. curtly
    in an abrupt and discourteous manner
    “I don’t know where it is,” I say curtly.
  32. per se
    with respect to its inherent nature
    I’ve never really had girl friends (not that Marley’s a friend per se), but still, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.
  33. rendition
    the act of expressing something in an artistic performance
    Instead, though, while Diego bats his deep brown eyes at her and offers up the best rendition of his crooked, hot bad-boy smile, I flash her two enthusiastic thumbs-up.
  34. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    “You can’t be that blind, can you? Every time he says something to me, he immediately looks at you to gauge your reaction.”
  35. vapid
    lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest
    “So then he was like, ‘Whoahhh!’ and I was like, ‘Ayeeeeeee!!’” Malachi leans groggily as he talks while the guys around him laugh in slow motion at whatever vapid story he’s telling.
  36. dwindling
    gradually decreasing until little remains
    In the distance, I hear the DJ change to a slow R&B song, which means that the crowd must be dwindling.
  37. subside
    wear off or die down
    Once the adrenaline subsides, we sit on a street corner with a light pole to catch our breath.
  38. nondescript
    lacking distinct or individual characteristics
    A nondescript town car with tinted windows pulls up behind us, and she jumps in.
  39. profoundly
    to a great depth psychologically
    “Maybe. But that’s assuming that these feelings will just go away with time.” He exhales profoundly.
  40. contour
    any spatial attributes, especially as defined by outline
    We’ve looked at each other before, thousands of times over the course of our friendship. I know every line, every contour, of his face, so nothing in this stare should be new to me.
Created on Mon Apr 08 16:28:16 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Apr 09 15:10:21 EDT 2024)

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