“The Mural” is a young adult book written on the story sharing website Wattpad. You can read it for free here
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Peyton is a closeted lesbian aiming to keep her sexuality a secret. But when Jamie, a new girl from Chicago, arrives at her high school, Peyton faces increasing challenges hiding her identity.
The Mural provides examples of:
- Affectionate Nickname: Jamie is called “Chicago” by her friends.
- Alpha Bitch: Jacki. She’s very popular and uses her power to hurt and bully Peyton.
- Bedmate Reveal: After passing out from being drunk, Peyton wakes up and finds out she shared a bed with Jamie.
- Coming-Out Story: The plot revolves around Peyton coming to terms with revealing her sexuality.
- Drowning My Sorrows: As Peyton falls into depression, she gets a strong habit of drinking.
- Foe Romantic Subtext: There’s a lot of subtext that Jacki likes Peyton, and the way she flaunts that she’s dating Jamie could be seen as an attempt to make Peyton jealous.
- Forced Out of the Closet: Peyton is outed by her friend Gwen and Jacki. Also Jacki was outed as a younger child by a parent.
- Freudian Excuse: Jacki was forced through conversion therapy when she was younger due to Peyton accidentally outing her, which is why she bullies Peyton.
- Rousseau Was Right: All of the characters are good in their hearts and understand each other in the end. Peyton explicitly talks about how everyone has a story and deserves compassion in her graduation speech.
