That Summer — Vocabulary
Sarah Dessen
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My mother was an erratic defroster.†3 more

It was as if I was attached to her with a tether, her every movement yanking at me, my own hands reaching to shield her from the dangers of her waving arms.†4 more

"Honey," my mother said, trying to be calm, but there was that crazy edge creeping into her voice, the family hysteria swelling to full force.†4 more

My mother kept her outbursts about that to a minimum, but I could tell by the way she winced when they showed my father and Lorna together at their subordinate news desk that it still hurt.†1 more

Tall people are revered and respected in this world.†1 more

They rock back and forth and their faces get all contorted.†1 more

I said again, louder this time because in our house you have to make a commotion to even be heard.†1 more

I couldn't picture her anywhere there, except standing in front of famous landmarks from my history books.†2 more

I was still in my fugitive mode, suspicious, as I passed a group of tiny old women, all of them hunched over and white haired.†1 more

She only looked at us for a few moments, with that haunted, gaunt expression before her mother prodded her along and she ducked into the doorway, vanishing.†1 more

Lewis talked the same way; he was a placater, a peacemaker, the kind of person who would hold your hand on an airplane if you were scared, able to quote verbatim the statistics about how it was the safest thing, honestly.†1 more

I was watching the stage as she spoke, which now had two white partitions covering the big leaves I'd seen a few weeks ago.†1 more

It was all a bit overwhelming, a definite change from the show of last year, which consisted of one lone ficus tree that the models walked by, posed around, and then pulled to the edge of the stage for the big finale, where they threw its leaves on the audience to symbolize fall.†1 more

I could have said it all right there, all the Hallmark kinds of things that I felt I should say to my mother, words of support and solidarity and comfort.†

We walked into the lobby of the church and were immediately gathered up in the large arms of my aunt Ree, who was representing the bulk of my father's side of the family, most of whom were still upset about the divorce and sided with my mother, family loyalty notwithstanding.†

When the music stopped and I opened my eyes, all those elderly couples were grouped around us, applauding and smiling and nodding at each other, a silent consensus that what I'd felt wasn't just imagined.†

No one wants to be inconsequential.†

She was what they called a meteorologist and what my mother called the Weather Pet, but only when she was feeling vindictive.†

Just looking at her made me acutely aware of my own height,1 more

I was all bony elbows and acute angles, like a jigsaw puzzle piece that can only go in the middle, waiting for the others to fit around it to make it whole.1 more