Literature / Intertwined

Trippy cover by Watermelon Caticorn. Oh, and Houssem wrote the story but never mind him!

"Two best friends in high school spend one day separately. They would've never been able to predict the amount of crap they got themselves into. A lie and a desire to be popular. Truly unpredictable."

—Synopsis

Intertwined is a Wattpad story written by IAmHoussem17 and Watermelon Caticorn. It revolves around six teens in High School: Matthew, Michael, Evelyn, Asher, Mara and Jordan trying to survive their days, all while dealing with crushes, bullies and the usual stuff...Until things spiral out of control.

The first chapter was published on December 24, 2020 and the final chapter was published on Feb 1, 2021.

You can read the story here.

IAmHoussem17 also started another book based off this one called Intertwined: The Series, which is now discontinued, and can be found here.

A sequel titled Intertwined II The Lost Spirits was also released.

An art book was published as well, showing off character art done by co-creator Watermelon Caticorn and Your Pet Cactus (who authored Waking Up Somewhere Else and Kitten Catastrophe), though it was privated later due to a falling out.

Co-creator Watermelon Caticorn released another book based off the series called Let The Red String Lead.

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Tropes that are found in Intertwined:

A-F

• Action Survivor: We're talking about a bunch of teenagers who got caught up with a serial killer who happens to be their friend. Of course they qualify for this trope.
• Actually Pretty Funny: Matt laughs when Mara says that boys are stinky, and even agrees with her.
• Acquired Situational Narcissism: It's likely that this is what happens to Mike when he temporarily becomes friends with the resident Gang of Bullies. Matt's shocked reaction to his best friend's sudden change in behavior cements this further.
• Adults Are Useless: Most of the parents mentioned are later shown to be Good Parents. The same can be said for the school staff but they are no help here.
• An Aesop: Don't let romantic feelings ruin friendships.
  • Even when you have a bad experience with a certain group, not everyone in that group is that way.
• Affectionate Nickname: All six call each other with a nickname:
  • Ash for Asher.
  • Eve for Evelyn.
  • Jordi for Jordan.
  • M, Mar or Baby Mara for Mara.
  • Matt or Matty for Matthew.
  • Mike or Mikey for Michael.
    • Dexter is also referred to as Dex.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Jordan ends up committing suicide after killing some of her classmates. Her friends show sorrow and regret that she ended up like that.
  • On a minor scale, this also applies to Rose.
• Alliterative Title: "Adorable Awkwardness", "Delightful Date Part One and Two", and "Triple Trouble Part One, Two and Three".
• All of the Other Reindeer: Mara is clearly on the receiving end of this. Until she meets the other five.
• Alpha Bitch: Rose counts as this pre-Character Development.
• Ambiguously Bi: All three boys, Mike, Matt and Asher display some vague hints that they like boys as well as girls. Especially Mike in his relationship with Matt.
• Anti-Villain: Rose, Nate and Dexter aren't at all evil, nor are they even truly mean-spirited. Jordan went further than these three ever could but even she counts as one of these.
• Anyone Can Die: Pointed out by Rose during her talk with Matt. No one is safe from being killed.
• Arc Villain: Jordan for the first book, then she commits suicide and pulls a Heel–Face Return in the sequel.
• Arc Words: "Keep your friends closer" appears on the two notes left beside Nate and Dexter. It alludes to Jordan being the murderer.
  • To a lesser degree, "They're kids just like us" in reference to the fact that Rose, Nate and Dexter being bullies doesn't make them monsters.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Evelyn hands one to Jordan at the end of her Breaking Speech: Asher tried to move and find someone else. Why couldn't you have done the same?
  • Armor-Piercing Response: When Jordan replies to the above question with Entitled to Have You, Evelyn looks distraught and gives her this: You're a monster, Jordan. A bloodthirsty, cowardly angry monster.

• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Even on a good day, fights could still erupt within the group but they did prove that they are willing to stand up for and protect each other no matter what.

• Badass Boast: One of these is delivered in the end by Matt to Jordan in response to her saying she'll never lose her snarky humor after she mocked him: I'll make sure you do.

• Batman Gambit: Jordan's Evil Plan relies on Evan's nervousness over not finding Aaron after the latter texted him (It was revealed in the sequel that it was actually Jordan texting) causing him to ask Matt for help and thus, getting locked in school after hours. She probably didn't plan for all her friends to get locked though, as only Matt is her goal. She ends up killing Rose but she probably wasn't targeted either, as her murder was an impulse control failure on Jordan's part.

• Be Careful What You Wish For: This bites Mike when he discovers that he befriended three manipulative bullies.
  • This also applies to Matt and Asher's statement that life would be better if the bullies died. Jordan takes these words to heart.

• Becoming the Mask: This happens with Matt. After a note spreading the rumor that he likes Evelyn, he’s about to defy them until she tells him that her father wants to meet him, forcing Matt to maintain the lie. And even though he’s not enjoying it and snaps at Evelyn at one point, he admits in the end that he genuinely started liking her so they start dating for real.

• Berserk Button: Do not hurt Matt or Mike when the other is nearby.
  • Do not hurt Evelyn either. That'll get Matt, Asher and Jordi to kill you.
  • Same with Mara. Mike is pretty terrifying when he wants to be.
  • If you hurt Rose, Asher will find you and beat you to a pulp. This also applies to Nate.
  • On the other hand, you can't badmouth Asher around Rose.

• Best Friend: Matt and Mike are this to each other. Evelyn to Asher and Jordi, and the aforementioned five are this to Mara.

• Betty and Veronica:
  • Asher is the Betty to Matt's Veronica and Evelyn's Archie. Matt wins.
  • Evelyn is the Archie to Matt's Betty and Jordan's Veronica.
  • Jordan's the Veronica to Mike's Betty and Mara's Archie. Mike wins.

• Beware the Nice Ones: Mike is an all around Nice Guy until you hurt his friends or threaten to hurt them. And so is Evelyn, as Asher learned.

• Big Bad: Ultimately revealed to be Jordan.
  • Big Bad Triumvirate: As harmless as they are, Rose, Nate and Dexter still count as this because they form a Gang of Bullies.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: The above and below entries: Nate, Rose and Dexter form a Gang of Bullies and antagonize the six protagonists. However, there is another person who is much eviler than they are combined, with an agenda far more sinister. That person being Jordan.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: Rose, Nate and Dexter are presented as the main source of antagonism our heroes face. However, they are immediately shut down when Jordan is revealed as the murderer. Even then, the story implies they weren't even that terrible to begin with.

• Big Damn Heroes: In spite of being hated for beating up Matt after the latter snapped at him, Asher rushes to save his friends from being killed, making them forgive him.

• The Big Guy / The Big Girl: Asher and Jordan are the strongest on the team.

• Big "SHUT UP!": Mike doesn't appreciate Matt teasing him about Mara. Neither does Matt appreciate Mike teasing him about Evelyn.

• Big "WHAT?!": Jordan lets one out just before Evelyn's Breaking Speech to her.
  • Also said by her when she learns Matt and Evelyn kissed and decided to give their relationship a try.

• Bittersweet Ending: Jordan commits suicide out of guilt. Some classmates are dead, and Jordan's friends are scarred from the horrific experience. However, they are able to overcome it together. Matt and Evelyn finally get together, with Asher finally becoming supportive of them. Mike and Mara's relationship is still going steady, and overall, the five remaining friends stick together through thick and thin, no matter what.

• Book Ends: The story begins with Matt writing on his PC, and it ends the same way.

• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Evelyn, Mara and Jordan, respectively.
  • Also Nate, Dexter and Rose respectively.

• Break the Cutie: Mike, Mara and Evelyn fall into this. Meanwhile...

• Break the Haughty: Matt, Asher, Rose and Nate fall here. Even Jordan counts, despite being the reason everyone else is suffering.

• Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: With Asher isolating himself from everyone (except Rose) after beating up Matt, he reconciles with them after defeating Jordan.

• Breather Episode: "Of Birthdays And Age Differences" is by far the most lighthearted chapter, where the main characters share their birthdays and compare how old they are.

• Broken Pedestal: Jordan used to be Evelyn's Best Friend whom she loved very much, but all that falls apart when Jordan becomes a murderer.

• The Bully: Nate, Dexter and Rose are pretty much everything you'd expect from a Jerk Jock and an Alpha Bitch.

• Bully Hunter: Jordi cannot stand the three mentioned above.

• Bully Magnet: Mara might be the stand-out for a few reasons but all six attract Rose, Nate and Dexter to the point where they annoy them three times in one day.

• Bullying a Dragon: This later proved to be the case for Rose, Nate and Dexter picking on Jordan.

• Bully Turned Buddy: Rose befriends the main six and apologize to them near the end.

• Call-Back: Evelyn recalls her "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Asher when she faces Jordan, citing his acceptance that she can't be his as the right thing that Jordan should've done about her feelings towards her, instead of snapping in a way that is plain evil.

• Cannot Spit It Out: Evelyn has no issue with this trope in regards to her feelings for Matt. He, on the other hand, has trouble telling her he's not interested in her. And even after he starts developing feelings for her, he still struggles with this trope. It does get resolved in the end.
  • On the other hand, Mike and Mara have less trouble with this trope, so they're the first couple to become official.
  • Asher has this with Evelyn and Rose, while the latter has it with Asher.
  • Jordan has this with Mara and Evelyn. This is probably the one that would've saved them all from the traumatic events later on.

• Cassandra Truth: Naturally, the first thing that Matt does is deny that he wrote the note to Evelyn and naturally, no one believes him. Except for Mara.

• Casual Danger Dialog: Briefly between Asher and Matt after the former knocks down Jordan with the door.

• Character Development: Most of the characters undergo this, but the most notable examples are Rose, Matthew and Asher.

• Clingy Jealous Girl: Mara, though she's mostly joking about it. Jordan is a serious example.

• Combat Compliment: Matt actually takes the time to admire Jordan for turning out to be stronger than she appears to be. Jordan responds by turning it against him.

• Contrived Coincidence: The story is kicked off with Matt forgetting the secret admirer note he wrote, which he coincidentally signed it with "Eve" as a nickname for Evan, unaware that the girl who likes him is also nicknamed Eve.

• Crazy Jealous Guy: It's very easy to turn Mike and Asher into this.

• Crazy-Prepared: Jordan closed all the entrances to school to execute her plan. However, she didn't expect Asher to show up. Apparently, he used his lockpicking skill.

• Cross-Referenced Titles:
  • "Normal" and "Normal II", both introduce the main characters.
  • "Six" and "Seven", where the three boys and three girls finally come together, and when Rose joins them, respectively.
  • "Trouble At Home" and "Trouble At Home: Part Two", both give us a peek into Mara's home life.
  • "Demeanor Change" and "Another Change In Demeanor", both have characters suddenly changing character (Jordan and Matthew, respectively).
  • "Triple Trouble", "Triple Trouble: Part Two" and "Triple Trouble: Part Three" all has our six heroes dealing with Rose, Nate and Dexter bullying them.

• Crush Blush: It's to be expected. Most cases come from Matt, Mara and Asher.

• Dating Catwoman: In a way, Rose's and Asher's relationship is this, seeing as how she's a bully (She eventually gets better because of this very relationship).

• Deadpan Snarker: Matthew is the biggest one in the story. Mike, Asher, Jordan and even Mara have their moments as well.

• Death Equals Redemption: Jordan commits suicide because she believes in this trope.

• Death Glare: It gets tossed around notably by Asher towards Matt, Mike towards any of his friends when they say or do anything wrong, and Matt does it with Rose, Nate and Dexter.

• Defensive "What?": Matt lets one out in confusion when he gets a chair for Rose then notice Asher glaring at him. He doesn't get an answer.

• Defiant to the End: Even when he's about to get killed, Matt still persists and calls Jordi out on her actions. It's a good thing Asher showed up when he did...

• Defied Trope: Evelyn does this during her Breaking Speech to Jordan, shutting down her Murder Is the Best Solution mentality.

• Did Not Get the Girl: Poor Asher has to endure seeing Evelyn go after Matt, and Rose dying between his arms.

• Dirty Coward: Jordan is regarded this way by Evelyn, running away from her true feelings and turning to murder when she doesn't get what she wants.

• Disappointed by the Motive: Pretty much everyone after Jordan does her Motive Rant.

• Disproportionate Retribution: Jordan understandably hates bullies, but even her friends are horrified that she would kill them just for that. Same for Matt, who indeed broke Evelyn's heart, but his intentions were good.

• The Door Slams You: Asher pulls this on Jordan accidentally, thus saving Matt from being killed.

• Dramatic Irony:
  • Matt's decision to reject Evelyn after we find out he has a genuine crush on her now.
  • Rose telling Asher to call his friends back. We saw them a few minutes beforehand trapped in school, fighting off Jordan. Even more cruel irony comes up when Rose's death is caused by her good intentions.

• Driven by Envy: Both Asher and Jordan for the same reason...Matt being the subject of Evelyn's affection.

• Driven to Suicide: Jordan, upon realizing how monstrous she's being, leaps off a building out of guilt.

• Dude Magnet: Evelyn is stated to have the whole male body at school crushing on her. Except for Matt...At first.

• Early-Bird Cameo: Evelyn's father and Mara's parents are the only adults to appear, and they only join the main cast in the sequel. Also, Mara's sister Kata.

• Endearingly Dorky: Mike, Mara and Evelyn partake in this quite a bit.

• Ensemble Cast: And a gender-equal one at that.

• Entitled to Have You: Jordan's response to Evelyn's Armor-Piercing Question: I EARNED YOU!

• Establishing Character Moment:
  • Matt starts his morning by waking up early to write on his computer, and he responds to school time approaching with a sarcastic comment.
  • On the other hand, Mike cheerfully wakes up, gets ready and goes early to school as he's looking forward to another day there.
  • Evelyn gets to school in her dad's car, she reassures him she'll be okay and waves him goodbye. When she steps inside, she's greeted and complimented by a few of her male classmates, to which she responds back just as nicely.
  • Mara starts her day with anxiety over the fighting in her home. She leaves without breakfast and when she gets to school, she's alone and resorts to observing others out of boredom.
  • The first substantial thing that Jordi does is stand up for Evelyn fiercely against three bullies, then she shares a Friendship Moment with the latter.
  • Asher is first heard on a phone call with Evelyn, subtly flirting with her and being stunned over the news of her having a boyfriend. His actual appearance has him project his jealousy of Matt while simultaneously getting along with the rest of the group.
  • Rose, Nate and Dexter are introduced by picking on an easy target (Evelyn) and backing down when Jordi shows up.
  • Evan is first seen jumbling his words over being late as he sits with Matt.
  • Aaron is shown to be depressed, monotone and generally gloomy.

• Everyone Has Standards: Nate and Rose were pretty horrified to learn about their friend's death. Similarly, none of the main six thinks that bullies deserve to be killed. Except Jordan, of course...

• Eviler than Thou: Rose, Nate and Dexter are put down from the Big Bad position when Jordan pulls her Face–Heel Turn...

• Evil Plan: Someone plots to kill bullies and Matt. Turns out to be Jordan.

• Eye Am Watching You: Asher does this to the bullies at one point.

• Face–Heel Turn: Pulled hard by Jordan in the final act.

• False Friend: Nate, Dexter and Rose to Mike.

• Fire-Forged Friends: Whether it's facing bullies together or fighting off their friend-turned-murderer, the bond between the six certainly got stronger as time went on.

• First Kiss: We have two of these, both followed by a Love Confession.
  • The first one happened between Mike and Mara when they went over to her house, initiated by him. They become an Official Couple after this.
  • The second one happened between Evelyn and Matt in the infirmary after Asher beat him up. Matt was the one to initiate it and then he admits he started liking Evelyn back.

• Fisticuff-Provoking Comment: This is how Matthew manages to get the No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from Asher.

• Flat "What": Matt can only let out one of these when Asher saves him in time from Jordan.

• Foreshadowing: There are some hints scattered through about the reveal of the Big Bad murderer Jordan whose motive is her unrequited crush on Evelyn:
  • She calls Evelyn cute on occasion after it's established that she's into girls.
  • At one point, Evelyn finds her running to school late so she took a shortcut.
  • Jordan become awfully and unusually touchy-feely with Evelyn in the final act.
  • There are also hints here for major revelations in the sequel:
  • Jordan mentions her Really Gets Around history in her Motive Rant. One of the new antagonists that show up later? Her ex-boyfriend Mason.
  • When Mike gets shot, Evelyn asks Mara if she has something she could use to treat the wound. Mara immediately pulls out some bandages that the narrative states that she has for "emergencies". Due to the tense situation, Evelyn doesn't get to inquire about them. We find out that later that Mara cuts herself.

• For Want Of A Nail: Matt forgetting the note he wrote behind is what triggers the whole plot.

• A Friend in Need: Friendship is a major theme within the story, and it shows:
  • Jordan's Establishing Character Moment has her stand up for Evelyn when she's being bullied by Nate, Dexter and Rose.
  • Matt and Mara have a few moments together that shows them supporting each other as friends.
  • Asher, despite hating Matt at first, softens up to him when they fend off the bullies together.
• Friendless Background: Mara.
• Freudian Excuse: The reason Jordan went on to murder and deception is due to her horrible dating experiences with boys in the past, coupled with the fact that she has a hopeless crush on her best friend and feeling like she needs to get Matt out of the way due to his abrasive behavior. However, She is called out on it by both Matt and Evelyn, the target of these actions and the one person she tried to protect, respectively.
• The Friends Who Never Hang:
  • Jordan doesn't really interact with Matt, Mike and Asher, and they do the same.
  • Asher and Mara don't talk a whole lot either.
    • In the sequel, this slowly becomes less apparent.

• From Bad to Worse: The relationship drama between the six leads them into a confrontation with a murderer, who's their friend, no less.

• Full-Name Basis: Matt is addressed this way on the notes found near the bodies of his classmates.

G-L

• Gang of Bullies: Who else but the two Jerk Jocks and the Alpha Bitch?

• Gender-Equal Ensemble: Three boys and three girls.

• The Ghost: Most parents, any other adult and some of the heroes' other family members, namely Mike's and Mara's siblings.

• Green-Eyed Monster: All of the main cast have shades of this...Mike over Mara and Matt, Matt over Mike, Asher over Evelyn and Rose, Evelyn over Matt, Mara over Mike and Jordan over Mara and Evelyn.

• Group Hug: Rose instigates one when the core group forgives her.

• Hair-Trigger Temper: Jordan is very fiery and aggressive.

• Ham and Deadpan Duo: See Energetic and Soft-Spoken Duo above.

• Headphones Equal Isolation: Mara.

• Heartbreak and Ice Cream: After her disastrous date with Matt, Asher offers to take Evelyn out for ice cream to help her through the heartbreak, even saying he heard ice cream helps a lot with these things.

• The Hecate Sisters: Evelyn is The Maiden, Mara is The Matron and Jordan is The Crone.

• Heel–Face Turn: Rose, thanks to Asher being nice to her.

• Heroic Sacrifice: Mike throws himself at Jordi in an attempt to save Matt, Mara and Evelyn. He gets shot for his trouble, but survives.

• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Everyone does it at one point or another.

• Heterosexual Life-Partners: The three boys and the three girls are this. The ending only leaves Mara and Evelyn to be this.

• Hidden Depths: Asher apparently knows how to lockpick, allowing him to save Matt from Jordan in time.

• Hidden Heart of Gold: Nate, Rose and Dexter might've been nicer than they would've liked to admit.

• High School

• Homage: As stated in the Shout-Out entry below, the authors took inspirations from a few musicals out of their love for them.

• I Am a Monster: Following Evelyn's You Monster! accusation towards her, Jordan has a Heel Realization and concedes that she is a monster.

• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Asher and Jordan to Matt about Evelyn.

• I Just Want to Have Friends: Mara finally finds this when she meets the other five.

• I Just Want to Be Loved: Mara's train of thoughts at the beginning screams this trope. She finds love in Nice Guy Mike.

• Insult Backfire: When Mike calls Matt a downer, Matt smirks and thanks him.

• Internal Reveal: Only Mara and the audience knew the truth behind Matt's note until he reveals it to Evelyn and everyone else.

• Intertwined Fingers: When Mike tries to reconcile with Asher after the No-Holds-Barred Beatdown he gave to Matt, Asher turns him down in favor of sticking by Rose. Mike points out how they are Holding Hands this way.

• In the Hood: Mara tends to hide this way when she gets nervous.

• Invisible Parents: They are occasionally mentioned in passing but wouldn't appear, much less play a role in the plot, until the sequel.

• Ironic Echo: Played for Laughs when Matt pulls one on Mike after comforting him when the bullies reveal their true colors.

• Irony: Evelyn, a Dude Magnet, has only ever been interested in Deadpan Snarker Matthew, who is the only boy not interested in her. He does come around, though.
  • Another example would be in the chapter where Asher delivers his If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her... speech to Matt. As the story says, Matt seems to sense Asher's crush on Evelyn and manages to get him to admit it. Very different from how he responded to Jordan doing the same thing, as Matt simply sighs and tells her he's aware. The irony comes after reading the finale and finding out that Jordan would go down a villainous road all because of her crush on Evelyn. In Matt's defense though, no one saw it coming.

• I Shall Taunt You: Because Jordan turned out to be a formidable foe, Matt resorts to this to stall for time after he's beaten to a pulp by her.

• It Amused Me: No other reason is given as to why Rose, Nate and Dexter are determined to torment the main six specifically.

• It's All About Me: Asher, Matt and Jordan have hints of this.

• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
  • Seeing how happy she is with Mike, Jordan gets over her crush on Mara. The same can't be said for her crush on Evelyn...
  • Matt tries to do this with Evelyn, thinking he's not good enough for her and hoping she'll get together with Asher instead.
  • Asher does come around to the fact that Evelyn will never date him, and accepts that she and Matt become a couple.

• Jerkass: Dexter, Nate and Rose. We get to see a softer side of the latter two, however.
  • Jordan definitely reaches this point by the time she's mercilessly trying to kill Matt.

• Jerk Jock: Dexter and Nate.

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
  • Matt and Asher both have their flaws, but they do genuinely have their friends' interests at heart.
  • Rose and Nate show this eventually, and it's safe to assume Dexter might be one as well.
  • Jordan, even after being revealed as the murderer, shows signs of this.

• Just in Time: Asher's Big Damn Heroes moment. Lampshaded by Matt.

• Kick the Dog: Dexter makes a Your Mom joke at Evelyn's expense. Her mom was confirmed to be dead a few chapters later.
  • Also Rose's remark about Jordan being a disgusting trans definitely counts as this, as we found that Jordan is bisexual and dealing with her crush on Evelyn.

• Kid Hero: All six protagonists are stated to be sixteen.

• Laughing Mad: Jordan does it quite a few times in the climax.

• The Leader: Matt gets to play this role a bit near the climax.

• Liar Revealed: Matt builds up the courage to admit that he lied to Evelyn about his feelings.

• Limited Social Circle: After the six meet each other, there's no one else they hang out with, although Matt seems to be friends with Evan and Aaron. And later on, they are joined by Rose then Eliza.

• Loners Are Freaks: Poor Mara suffers from this really badly.

• Lovable Alpha Bitch: Rose after her Character Development.

• Lovable Jock: Asher, Jordan at first. Downplayed with Nate and Dexter since it was only implied they were nicer than what they appear to be.

• Love Confession: Two of them. Mike to Mara and Matt to Evelyn.

• Love Confessor: The first time Evelyn openly admits her crush on Matt was when she told Jordan about it.

• Love Dodecahedron: Oh boy howdy. Evelyn likes Matt who doesn't reciprocate till the end, Asher likes Evelyn (though he comes to like Rose as well). Jordan likes both Evelyn and Mara, the latter only being interested in Mike.

• Love Makes You Crazy: It sure did for Jordi. There's even a chapter called "Love-Induced Derange".

• Love Makes You Evil: Jordi's crush on Evelyn drives the former down the path of becoming the story's Big Bad.

• Love Revelation Epiphany: Matt only realizes he developed feelings for Evelyn after she confessed her love for him but instead of a Relationship Upgrade, it makes him think she's too good for him and he hides his feelings by lying and brutally rejecting her.

• Love Triangle: Evelyn has Matt and Asher crushing on her. She chooses the former.

M-R

• Malicious Slander: Rose, Nate and Dexter spread rumors about Matt liking Evelyn after finding the secret admirer note he wrote and forgot on the lunch table.

• Man Hug: The boys share a few of these throughout.

• Manipulative Bastard: Jordan, Jordan, Jordan.

• Meaningful Echo: When Mike sees Rose and Nate mourning Dexter's death, he remembers Evelyn's words the day before: "They're kids, just like us."

• Mirroring Factions: The six protagonists and the three bullies. The story even highlights the latter are not different by having the main cast making comments about it.

• Mistaken for Gay: One way that Mike loves to tease Matt with.

• Missing Mom: Both Evelyn and Asher have those. Asher's seemingly ran out on her family as revealed in the sequel while Evelyn's died long before the events of the book.

• Morality Pet: Mara is this to both Jordan and Matt, as the are easily kinder with her. On the other hand, Evelyn is this for Jordan.

• Motive Rant: Jordan launches into one after being found out:
  Jordan: How could I not?! I wanted to date and be with Eve so badly. I was DONE with guys , and this...this...boy took her!! And I so badly wanted [Mara] too, but I found Mike worthy of you, but Matt (Evil Laugh), Matt wasn't. He hurt her. He dated her KNOWING he didn't like her, and he took. Her. From. Me!! [...] I wanted more!! I wanted to wake up to that...that cheerfulness everyday! But no! HE got that! HE got to hold your hand! HE got to kiss you!

• Murder Is the Best Solution: Jordan thinks this due to her operating on a major case of Blue Orange Morality.

• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Matt after dumping Evelyn.
  • Asher after beating up Matt.
  • Jordan after she goes too far with the murders.

• Nervous Wreck: Evan and Mara.

• Nice Guy / Nice Girl: Mike, Evelyn, Mara, Evan and Aaron.

• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Rose insists that Asher calls back his friends, and he does. Too bad it was at the same time they were fighting off Jordan, and when Asher and Rose go to help them, she pays with her life.

• No Name Given: Aside from the parents, there's other mentioned characters like Mike's and Mara's siblings (except for Kata).

• "Not So Different" Remark: "They're kids just like us". You'll see these words a few times later in the story when our heroes start looking at the bullies sympathetically.

• Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Jordan. She presents herself as a Well-Intentioned Extremist but that falls apart for a few reasons. In her friends' eyes, she crossed a line when she killed the bullies, no matter how awful they were, and it gets even worse for Jordan because it was heavily implied they had a Hidden Heart of Gold. Then there's her rivalry with Matt over Evelyn. While Matt was indeed harsh for breaking Evelyn's heart needlessly, he had good intentions, and he really didn't do anything to stir Jordan's anger. It's understandable for her to be protective over her best friend, but everyone makes it clear to Jordan that she's merely acting in her own self-interest. It's telling when she doesn't come after Asher even though she knows he has a crush on her as well, implying she knows Evelyn won't choose him, but Jordan's so entitled that she thinks Evelyn will take her.

• Odd Couple: At first glance, you'd understandably wonder how these six kids can tolerate each other long enough to consider each other friends.

• Odd Friendship: Matt and Evan.

• One-Liner, Name... One-Liner: "Smooth, Henderson. Real smooth."

• One-Word Title: Chapters:
  • "Normal", then there's and "Normal II"
  • "Offer"
  • "Confrontation"
  • "Six"
  • "Confession" for a Love Confession
  • "Seven", Title by Number
  • "Goodbye"

• Only Friend: Initially, Matt was this to Mike and Evan. Evelyn was this to Asher and Jordi too.

• Opposites Attract: Not just the romances, but the friendships too. The core group's bond essentially relies on this trope to hold them together.

• Outliving One's Offspring: Jordi, Nate and Dexter die at only the age of 16 over the course of the story.

• Pet the Dog: Rose and Nate are nicer than they appear to be. After Dexter dies, they approach Matt and Evan with civility. Earlier that day, Mike spots them mourning his death too.

• Platonic Life-Partners:
  • Matt and Asher with Mara and Jordan.
  • Mike and Asher with Evelyn.

• Poke the Poodle: Aside from two genuine Kick the Dog moments mentioned above, Rose, Nate and Dexter never actually end up doing anything remotely hurtful and the protagonists deflect them rather easily.

• The Pollyanna: Mike and Evelyn.

• Positive Friend Influence: Being the nicest in the group, Mike, Mara and Evelyn do this for Matt, Jordan and Asher in one way or another:
  • All three have this on Matt by virtue of being his Best Friend, Morality Pet and Love Interest, respectively.
  • Mara and Evelyn bring out Jordi's kind side as the latter gets along better with girls than boys.
  • Mike and Evelyn are arguably Asher's closest relationships within the group due to his Birds of a Feather dynamic with Mike and his crush on Evelyn.

• Posthumous Character: Evelyn's mom is stated to be dead.

• The Power of Friendship: Undeniably.

• The Quiet One: Mara, Aaron and Dexter.

• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: A few of these get handed around:
  • First one comes around when Evelyn gets bullied, and Jordi comes to the rescue. After that, there are a few more directed at the bullies from the protagonists, namely Mike and Matt.
  • Evelyn fires one at Asher when he insensitively hurts Matt's feelings as the latter tries to apologize.
  • Matt and Mike exchange some of these during "Harsh But Unfair Words", with Matt mostly being the instigator.

• Relationship Upgrade: Mike/Mara becomes official after their First Kiss.

• The Reveal: Of the Big Bad. It's Jordan.

S-Y

• Sarcasm Mode: A staple of Matt's personality, and even others have their moments.

• Sarcastic Title: That of the chapters "Delightful Date" and "Delightful Date: Part Two".

• School Forced Us Together: Matt, Mike, Evelyn, Mara, Asher and Jordan end up becoming friends due to this trope. They lampshade this to Eliza in the sequel.

• Self-Deprecation: The one time it's Played for Laughs.

• Senseless Sacrifice: Mike's sacrifice. While it did as a distraction to get Mara, Evelyn and Mike himself away from Jordan and to safety, it was still pretty reckless and dangerous, especially since, as Mara puts it, Mike had no plan. He just jumped a psychotic girl who was holding a gun.

• She Is Not My Girlfriend: A whole chapter is dedicated to this trope with Mike and Mara.

• Shipper on Deck: Matt, Evelyn, Asher and Jordi are this for Mike and Mara. Mike and Mara and (eventually) Asher start supporting Matt and Evelyn. Jordan seems to be the only one to take issue with it...

• Shipping Torpedo: Jordan and Asher for Matt/Evelyn. Asher comes around, Jordan does not...Until the sequel, at least.

• Ship Sinking: Done twice by Evelyn in the same method:
  • First to Asher after he says insensitive things to Matt. Even more heartbreaking is that this occurred after Evelyn agreed to go get ice cream with Asher after Matt rejected her.
  • Second one is to Jordan after the latter is revealed to be the killer. Evelyn calls her out on everything and makes sure that Jordan gets that there will never be a thing between them.

• Ship Tease: Between Matt and Evelyn, Mike and Mara and Asher and Rose. The first two work out, the third one doesn't.

• Shout-Out: The book takes elements from a few musicals favored by the authors:
  • Writing a note in private only for it to be found and disclosed publicly, causing the one who wrote it to start a lie that eventually spirals out of control.
  • In the original chapter, the way Matt announces his endorsement for Mike against Asher is a direct reference to Hamilton. Also, Mike is said to have made a "chick-a-plao" sound at one point.
  • Mike's desire to be more popular in spite of his best friend Matt not wanting that is similar to what happens between Jeremy and Michael.
  • Jordi going on a murder spree only to commit suicide in the end, all due to a twist sense of love within her makes her similar to JD.
    • Also, Mara mentions listening to My Chemical Romance at one point.

• Shrinking Violet: Mara and Evan.

• Shut Up, Hannibal!: The only logical response you would have to say to your former friend who became a killer, and Matt and Evelyn make sure Jordan gets it.

• Sincerity Mode: Matt being impressed with Asher's perfect timing when he swung the door at Jordan.

• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: The three bullies are this to the main six protagonists. The trio aren't dangerous nor evil, but they are very petty and often collide with the six for the sake of their amusement.

• Smitten Teenage Girl: Evelyn could come off this way in the beginning with her crush on Matthew. We don't know for how long she had it or why exactly she has it, aside from looks. The story eventually builds up Evelyn as having a case of Single-Target Sexuality because she can see Matt as a good person despite his flaws.

• Snark-to-Snark Combat: It often ensues between Matt, Mike, Asher and Mara.

• So Proud of You: Matt says this to Asher for unearthing Rose's kind side as they're standing over her grave.

• Stealth Insult: Jordan deals a good one to Matt in the finale. Noteworthy as the latter is known for his sharp comebacks.

• Straw Feminist: Jordan is a downplayed example. Her view on boys (due to her Freudian Excuse mentioned above) are only subtly hinted at from her interactions with the three boys until the end where she states them outright in her Motive Rant. The narrative and the characters both deem her very mistaken and wrong for them).

• Sympathy for the Devil: All the main cast express sadness for the death of the bullies and Jordan, even if she was the one who killed the former.

• Teens Are Monsters: Downplayed with the three bullies. The one who's truly a monster in here is Jordan.

• Terrible Trio: Downplayed with Nate, Dexter and Rose. They aren't villains nor exactly comedic but they are a Gang of Bullies.

• Thanking the Viewer: There are a couple of chapters where the creators announce milestones and thank the readers.

• There Are No Adults: Aside from the Invisible Parents mentioned above, there's no mention at all of school faculty, again, until the sequel.

• The Three Faces of Adam: Mara is The Wife, Jordan is The Seductress and Evelyn is The Child.

• The Three Faces of Eve: Asher is The Hunter, Mike is The Lord an Matt is The Prophet.

• Together in Death: Rose's tragic last words to Asher have shades of this.

• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Jordan and Mara are tomboyish while Evelyn is more feminine.

• Took a Level in Badass: Arguably Matt, Mike and Evelyn since they all directly confronted Jordan one way or another.

• Took a Level in Jerkass: Although Jordi becomes more antagonistic and winds up being the main antagonist, she does regret her actions by the end.

• Took a Level in Kindness: Matt, Asher and Rose notably go through this.

• Trauma Conga Line: Very much so for all six (Except Jordi) and Rose.

• Tranquil Fury: Being the most collected, this is how Matt shows his anger for the most part.

• Troubled, but Cute: Mara and Jordan.

• True Companions: Jordan doesn't live to be part of this, but the remaining five live this trope by the end of the story. It's even the title of the final chapter.

• Unnamed Parent: None of the parents (except Dianna) are referred to by name here. We only learn them in the sequel.

• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Evan for asking Matt to write a secret admirer note.

• Verbed Title: The work's title as a whole.

• Villains Act, Heroes React: The plot is driven by someone becoming a Serial Killer and the main cast try to figure it out.

• Villain Has a Point: Although there is a consensus that Jordan is a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist, she does make a good point about Matt breaking Evelyn's heart and lying to her and everyone else.

• Violently Protective Girlfriend: Mara's not violent, per se, but she did wrap her arms around Mike protectively and hiss at one point. Her smirk afterwards indicate it's a joke though.

• Vitriolic Best Buds: All six protagonists have hints of this, but it's mostly clear in Matt's relationship with Mike and Asher.

• Was Too Hard on Him: The aptly-named chapter "Was I Too Hard?" has Mike ask Mara if he went too far with objecting to Asher's Save the Jerk mentality in regards to Rose. Mara explains that he wasn't entirely wrong but since Rose is probably in serious danger that she doesn't deserve, Mike should try to look at things from Asher's perspective.

• We Hardly Knew Ye: Applies to Dexter, Nate, Evan and Aaron. The first two die while the second two live, and even then, we don't find out a lot about them.

• We Used to Be Friends: Mara and Evelyn are the most heartbroken to find out Jordan is the killer, feeling that she betrayed their friendship.

• Wham Episode: Quite a few of them:
  • "Confrontation" where Nate, Dexter and Rose spread rumors about Matt liking Evelyn because he wrote and forgot a secret admirer note seeming addressed to her.
  • "Delightful Date" has Matt admitting to Evelyn that he never liked her nor wrote that note to her, despite the fact that by now, he does like her.
  • "The Aftermath" reveals the first death: Dexter.
  • "Second Loss" reveals that Nate was murdered like Dexter, and their deaths contribute to Rose bettering herself and becoming closer with the six.
  • "They Were With Us All Along" lives up to its name by revealing that Jordi is the Big Bad murderer of the story due to jealousy and envy over Evelyn not noticing her feelings for her.

• Wham Line:
  • From "Confrontation":
  Mike: Matt, I didn't realize you'd actually take my advice. Maybe you're not that bad of a friend after all?
  • Followed by:
  Nate: So you're cheating on Evelyn, huh?
  • You guys heard? Someone from our school died.
  • N-Nate. H-he's dead.
  • In the aforementioned chapter "They Were With Us All Along", uttered by the murderer themselves.
  Jordan: Allow me to explain.

• Wham Shot:
  • The bullies and Mike approaching Matt and Mara in "Confrontation".

• What Does She See in Him?: Asher clearly feels this way about Evelyn's interest in Matt. He's not the only one.

• What the Hell, Hero?: Asher and Jordan to Matt after he broke Evelyn's heart. And Evelyn, Mike, Mara and even Jordi to Asher for beating Matt up.

• White-and-Grey Morality: The closest Shade Of Conflict in the story, more or less. The six protagonists have an even Nice Person / Jerk with a Heart of Gold ratio while the three bullies who are the closest thing to a Big Bad in a High School setting are eventually revealed to have a Hidden Heart of Gold and they never actually do anything henious. The actual Big Bad is one of the protagonists but she ends up becoming sympathetic after she's revealed.

• Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The setting of the series is never properly pinpointed.

• Yandere: Jordan over Evelyn.

• Yank the Dog's Chain: After getting rejected by Evelyn, it looks like Asher is able to move on and starts liking Rose instead, and the two get some Ship Tease and even spend some time alone together. The finale makes sure they don't end up together by having Rose get killed by Jordan in a No Good Deed Goes Unpunished fashion. To say Asher is emotionally destroyed would be a massive Understatement.

• You Monster!: Evelyn calls Jordan a monster to her face when she faces her on the rooftop. The words manage to break Jordan down.

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I'm sorry, Jordan. No one ever wanted it to end this way.