Not Like Other Girls: Chapters 5–8

by Meredith Adamo
In this mystery novel, a high school senior searches for her missing ex-best friend and comes face-to-face with her own trauma in the process.


Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1-4, Chapter 5-8, Chapter 9-13, Chapter 14-17, Chapter 18-22, Chapter 23-29, Chapter 30-34, Chapter 35-42, Chapter 43-49, Chapter 50-Epilogue

25 words 17 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. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    Last-minute stragglers hustle to the late buses, the ancient engines rumbling, chugging.
  2. tolerable
    capable of being borne or endured
    Of the Birds, she’s the most tolerable.
  3. conniption
    a display of bad temper
    “Let’s go before she has a conniption,” Kathleen says.
  4. cryptic
    of an obscure nature
    “That’s not cryptic.”
  5. quiver
    a shaky motion
    I should know better than to trust Maddie Price, but this—the tears, the lower lip quiver, the insistence that no one can ever know about this—is way dark, even for her.
  6. prowess
    a superior skill learned by study and practice
    It was merely a ploy to impress Katie Lynn Springer, former Miss Tennessee Teen, as if their daughters could absorb her prowess through proximity alone.
  7. grievance
    a complaint about a wrong that causes resentment
    This is yet another gripe for her List of Price Grievances.
  8. romp
    play boisterously
    Or maybe it was Bay Leaf romping around the kitchen with an uncooked strand of linguini.
  9. proceed
    continue talking
    Teeth gritted, I say, “Proceed.”
  10. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    “The purpose of this meeting is to assess Jo-Lynn’s current academic status. I’m pleased to say she’s avoided any penalties that would have extended the length of her review. However...”
  11. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    I talk out of turn, disrupt my peers, squander my potential.
  12. rigorous
    strict; allowing no deviation from a standard
    “As the top magnet school in the district, we pride ourselves on our rigorous academic standards,” Conti says, as if Lee and I didn’t veer wildly off-script.
  13. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    It’s only when he turns back to me that I realize how haggard he looks: eyes sunken, skin pale.
  14. swig
    a large and hurried swallow
    Chasing a soccer ball on the field, chasing girls off it, chasing a shot of liquor with a swig of beer—how could Cody find time for school?
  15. embellish
    add details to
    She suggested a simple nude for my manicure; I picked neon pink, which totally clashed with my dress, a gorgeous beige tulle embellished with tiny daisies.
  16. beeline
    the most direct route
    Then I make a beeline for Hudson Harper-Moore.
  17. vestibule
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    “He was on a business trip,” Mrs. Price says absently, but then she nods, stepping toward the vestibule.
  18. cower
    crouch or curl up
    One eye roll, one bitter laugh, and they’d cower from me.
  19. sallow
    unhealthy looking
    His face is a sick, sallow green.
  20. imperceptible
    impossible or difficult to sense
    She stares at those girls—jaw set, face serious—and shakes her head the most imperceptible amount.
  21. whereabouts
    the general location of someone or something
    “Authorities ask anyone with information regarding her whereabouts to call 911. Now, your five-day forecast.”
  22. askew
    turned or twisted to one side
    He swipes his eye, knocking his glasses askew.
  23. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    He’s so gangly, all limbs, like a puppy who hasn’t grown into his paws.
  24. inclusivity
    the practice of promoting diversity and equal opportunity
    (This, from a school with “inclusivity” as a core value.)
  25. devastating
    physically or spiritually destructive
    Losing Maddie was devastating in a way I didn’t understand.
Created on Wed Mar 26 06:48:59 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Mar 28 11:26:50 EDT 2025)

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.