Visual Novel / High School Story

Welcome to high school!

One of the books in Pixelberry's Choices: Stories You Play series, Book 1 was fully released on September 7, 2017 for the first anniversary of the app.

Based on their App Game High School Story, your character is the new student at Oliver M. Berry High School in the fictional town of Cedar Cove, Oregon. They will join one club among the football/basketball/baseball team, cheerleading squad, and marching/concert band, but they will get involved in almost every situation in this new environment. There are three books in the original series.

A sequel series, High School Story: Class Act, was released on October 8, 2018, shifting the focus to the school's theatre club and featuring a new group of protagonists (though the characters from the original trilogy remain as supporting characters). Book 2 of Class Act was released on February 11, 2019, and Book 3 on October 30, 2019. The final chapter was released March 11, 2020, bringing the High School Story saga to a close.

Find the character page here.

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High School Story and High School Story: Class Act have the following tropes:

A-M

• Adaptation Expansion: This version of High School Story provides the last names of all the characters, even the ones from the original game, as well as introducing Caleb as Ezra's younger brother, and Myra as Nishan’s cousin, who were never mentioned having other relatives in the game.
• Adults Are Useless: Most of the main conflicts are resolved by the teenagers, while the adults are either dorky (Dad), completely clueless (Principal Hughs) or don't do anything determinant.
  • Subverted in Book 2, since one of Maria's dads is a police detective, and he and Ms. Hughs end up helping the students catch Principal Isa before she escapes. Jordan and the gang are the ones who discovered who she really was, and it was because of the hall monitors that she didn’t get away.
  • Coach Shaw is also another exception in Book 3 Chapter 13, when she rules out bringing Brian back as pitcher after he threw a baseball at Myra.
• Air Vent Escape: Subverted in Class Act Book 1 Chapter 6. Bailey and Ajay are locked in the theater and they try this method, only for Bailey to get stuck and need Ajay to pull them out when a spider crawls toward them.
• Arc Villain: Each book has at least one.
  • Book 1 has Brian Crandall as the closest person the book has to one, as he was the Token Evil Teammate at Berry High before his transfer to Hearst, and even after transferring, he continues to cause trouble for his former schoolmates.
  • Book 2 has Principal Isa, who imposes a tyrannical regime at Berry High after replacing Hughs as principal, appoints her brother as the basketball coach, and diverts all funding from the band and cheerleading squad to the basketball team. It is later revealed that she has been embezzling funds from Berry High and various workplaces.
  • Book 3 has Max Warren and Kara Sinclair, a couple of Hearst bullies competing against Jordan for the title of Prom King and Queen depending on their gender. Brian is also back, and this time he's creating trouble by continually harassing Myra.
  • Book 1 of Class Act has Danielle, who continually causes trouble for Bailey because she sees the latter as her rival for Rory's affections.
  • Book 2 of Class Act has Lorenzo Toro, who campaigns to have all school resources diverted to throwing parties, with his girlfriend Amber Hutchinson serving as The Man Behind the Man.
  • Book 3 of Class Act has Rodger and Loretta Crandall (parents of Brian and Skye) who fund the theatre club's trip to the Spotlite Festival in Europe but then insist on all sorts of ridiculous changes to the show (including removing all the music despite the show being a musical) and put Skye through hell in the process.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In Book 1 Chapter 2, Aiden says he hates parties because of the "blaring music, the uninteresting small talk, the... unique decorations".
• Artifact Title: Book 2 of Class Act revolves around the election for class president and does not involve a theatre production at all. It does go back to the theater in Book 3.
• Artistic License – Education: Two major extracurricular activity groups (the cheerleading squad and the band) are allowed to meet completely unsupervised. In reality, even if the group is student-led, virtually any public school would require a staff member to be present at on-campus meetings of extracurricular groups for liability reasons.
  • Though not entirely impossible, it would be very unusual for an underclassman (Jordan and Rory both being sophomores) to even be allowed to run for prom king or queen. In most schools, only upperclassmen are eligible for these positions, and some schools restrict it even further to only seniors.
• Artistic License – Music:
  • When everyone sings "Happy Birthday" to Maria, Aiden conducts in 4/4 time, but the song is in 3/4 time.
  • Cameron hopes to get the saxophone solo in part because there aren't many of them... except there are, especially in jazz bands.
• Artistic License – Sports:
  • If Jordan joins the baseball team in Book 3, a major plot thread revolves around the team having tryouts for cleanup hitter, which isn't an accurate depiction of how baseball teams are assembled. Teams have tryouts to determine roster spots and fielding positions, but positions in the batting order are determined by the manager, coach, or captain based on players' individual skill sets. (Although this could theoretically be something that this specific coach put into place despite it being non-standard.)
  • The fact that the baseball team has only two pitchers - one starter and one reliever - is also problematic. High school teams typically play around three games a week, sometimes more if weather forces games to be rescheduled, and there are mandatory pitch count limits that determine how long an individual pitcher can go. Most high school teams carry at least three starting pitchers along with multiple relievers, and smaller programs will often have a few position players who can pitch if needed.
  • The football game in Class Act seems to get the positions confused, as it has Casey, a defensive player, on the field at the same time as Caleb, who is a wide receiver, an offensive position.
  • If Jordan joins the cheerleading squad, there are several instances where a round-off is placed in routines as though it was a variation on a cartwheel. In reality, a round-off is a transitional or preparatory element, not a skill that's performed for its own sake. And you certainly wouldn't do two in a row, the way Emma does in her Book 3 promposal if Jordan is dating her — for one thing, just the mechanics of that would likely be more trouble than it's worth.
• At the Opera Tonight: Class Act Book 3 Chapter 12 has a premium scene of Bailey and Rory getting invited at Spotlite to see a production of La Bohème.
• Awesome Moment of Crowning: Paying many of the premium choices allows Jordan to become the Prom King/Queen.
• Battle Rapping: A premium choice in Class Act Book 3 Chapter 4 has Bailey, Rory and Casey getting into a rap battle against the Statton kids.
• Beach Bury: In Class Act Book 3 Chapter 9, in a premium scene after Ajay passes out while talking to Bailey, they have the chance to do this to him.
• Behavioral Conditioning: In Class Act Book 2 Chapter 4, if you adopted Biscuit in Class Act Book 1 Chapter 6, he'll bark at Erin's timer, thinking it's feeding time.
• Berserk Button: Invoked in Book 3 Chapter 9 as a way to get the Gamers' attention by shouting “The Legend of Zelda IS OVERRATED!” Sakura threatens to carve Jordan with the Master Sword for saying that.
• Birthday Episode:
  • Book 2 Chapter 7 focuses on Maria's birthday.
  • Class Act Book 2 Chapter 5 has the second half take place at Skye's birthday.
• Birthday Party Goes Wrong: Book 2 Chapter 7 has this happen to Maria. First it seems like only Jordan, Emma and Luis came to the party, until the other guests belatedly show up. Her next trouble is that the restaurant doesn't have her favorite flavor of birthday cake, red velvet. That can solved in a premium scene in the same chapter.
• Bottle Episode: Class Act Book 1 Chapter 6 has Bailey and Ajay stuck in the theater overnight, with the ordeal taking up most of the chapter.
• Bridal Carry: In Book 3 Chapter 12, if Jordan is dating Emma when she tries on shoes for prom, they can offer to carry her around like this. She then asks if their arms would get tired, and Jordan suggests switching to a fireman's carry, making Emma realize it's getting less romantic.
• Bullet Time: Played for laughs in Class Act Book 3 Chapter 1 when Casey describes getting dressed for school.
  Casey: "I never knew I could get dressed this fast. I had a, like, Matrix moment where everything was moving in slow motion."
• California University: Graduating characters are stated to be going to colleges like Hollywood U and Terman U.
• Call-Back:
  • Shane’s catchphrase “Take out the trash” gets said by Frank, even calling it this trope if Jordan tries to hide in the trash in Book 2 Chapter 10.
  • In Class Act Book 1 Chapter 1 in a premium scene with Rory, Bailey can say they were hoping to take down an evil principal like Isa by now.
  • In Class Act Book 2 Chapter 3, Morgan gets called out on her hypocrisy wanting to be an anarchist class president despite having been one of Principal Isa's hall monitors. This makes her drop out of the race to Skye and Michael's disappointment.
• The Cameo:
  • Book 2 Chapter 12 has cameos from Martin and TJ from #LoveHacks.
  • A premium choice date between Caleb and Jade in Book 3 Chapter 8 has Alex and Elena on the Kiss Cam at a baseball game.
  • Class Act Book 2 Chapter 8 has Josh Morello making an appearance for the premiere of his latest movie, The Show MUST Go On.
  • Class Act Book 3 Chapter 1 has a premium scene of the theatre club taking stage fight lessons from Brock.
  • Class Act Book 3 Chapter 11 features Lancelin St. Claire helping the kids find prom outfits.
  • In Class Act Book 3 Chapter 14, an airport newstand tabloid features Chris Winters, Chadley Fortnum, and Pippa Majors from Red Carpet Diaries.
• Cassandra Truth: If Max starts hitting on Jordan in the Hearst uniform, one of the options is to admit to being a Berry student, which he won't believe.
• Cerebus Syndrome: While Class Act generally maintains the overall positive, idealistic tone of the original trilogy, it does contain some noticeably darker subject matter, including plots revolving around child abuse, the effects of parental divorce on children, and loved ones with cancer.
• Cheaters Never Prosper:
  • Jordan discovers during the football game against Hearst that Brian stole the coach's binder and memorized all the plays. By doing the right choices, Berry High can win the game despite the disadvantage. Also played straight with Zoe, who attempts to get back with Caleb right before the game (it's left ambiguous whether she sincerely wants him back or is simply trying to distract him from the game), resulting in her losing both him and Brian, who had overheard her asking Caleb to take her back.
  • Max and Kara, in their quest to become prom king and queen, show they are not above resorting to dirty play. They try to take Jordan out of the running by starting false rumors about them and framing them for sabotaging someone else's club tryout in whatever activity the player has chosen to pursue, and when that fails, they spend prom night trying to intimidate anyone out of voting for Jordan. Whether or not Jordan wins is dependent on player choices, but Max and Kara lose regardless.
  • During the class president election in Class Act Book 2, Lorenzo and Amber boost the former's campaign by staging a video of him rescuing a kitten and having it go viral. However, Rory or Casey (whoever the player has chosen to support) ends up winning anyway.
  • Class Act Book 3 has the Statton kids send a horrific video to intimidate the theatre group in addition to stealing an important prop. If you make the right choices, Berry wins at Spotlite despite their meddling.
• Continuity Nod: If you win the ice cream eating contest with your activity of choice, you’ll mention having free ice cream for a year and offer to take Emma out for milkshakes after she confides in you about her part-time job.
• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: The first protagonist transfers into the school as a sophomore but quickly gains a large circle of friends. The second protagonist enters the school as a freshman with a few established connections but is more shy and awkward.
• Cosmetic Award: If the player sticks with the same activity (sports, cheerleading, or band) across all three books in the original trilogy, Jordan is rewarded by being named junior captain of that activity for the third book. However, this does not affect the plot or Jordan's role in the story in any noticeable way.
• Crossing the Burnt Bridge: Brian is temporarily transferred back to Berry High in Book 3 after leaving for Hearst in Book 1 after pretty much destroying his friendship with Caleb because of Zoe and bullying and/or pissing off almost everyone else at Berry.
• Curbstomp Battle:
  • The football game against Statton School in Book 1 is a blowout in Statton's favor with Brian trying to run the ball even when Caleb is wide open.
  • Class Act Book 1 Chapter 3 has Berry doing this to Hearst when Casey subs in for Frank, running the ball in time after time.
• Cute Kitten:
  • In Class Act Book 2, practically the entire school falls in love with the kitten that Lorenzo rescues.
  • In Class Act Book 3, one of the suggested prom venues is a cat cafe. The group dismisses the idea of having prom there but still enjoy playing with the cute cats.
• Defiant Stone Throw: After the food fight in Book 2 Chapter 9, Caleb, having had enough of being hated by his friends and orders by Principal Isa, throws spaghetti at her.
• Demoted to Extra:
  • All of the characters from the original trilogy have their roles reduced in Class Act. Jordan and Sydney become supporting characters, while the other characters, including all the love interests, are relegated to occasional cameos. The seniors (Julian, Wes, Autumn, etc.), who had already graduated, don't appear at all except in premium scenes. Jordan and the love interests do become more prominent in Book 3 when they all take part in the production of The Tempest but their role remains a secondary one.
  • Danielle plays a major role in Book 1 of Class Act but has only a couple of brief appearances in Book 2, and her only appearances in Book 3 are two very quick cameos.
  • Amber and her boyfriend Lorenzo have major roles in Books 1 and 2 of Class Act, but in Book 3, Lorenzo has only a couple of brief appearances while Amber is completely absent until prom.
• Denser and Wackier: Book 2 plays a little fast and loose with realism. Principal Isa pulls a comically exaggerated Tyrant Takes the Helm with the school, and Jordan and their friends pull much wackier shenanigans in response. Towards the end, it turns out the whole thing was a front for a complicated criminal scheme by Principal Isa, an exaggerated scenario that climaxes with Jordan chasing Isa to the parking lot and having her arrested, all of which seems much more cartoonish than the more low-key climax from Book 1. Book 3 and Class Act return to a more grounded tone in line with the first one.
• Department of Redundancy Department: Bailey's second grade yearbook message to Rory was that they want to be "BFF frends 4evr", which Rory points out means "Best Friends Forever Friends Forever".
• Developer's Foresight:
  • In Book 2 when you become official with someone, if you try to make Jordan's nickname Boy Scout or Princess, the game tells you this isn't Endless Summer. Trying to name Michael Boy Scout gets this reaction.
  "No way are you calling me something that stupid."
  • In Class Act Book 1, if you choose to play Corporation at the cast party, you get to choose the name of your company. If you choose Pixelberry, you get an achievement called "Nice Name", with the caption "I see what you did there."
• Disturbed Doves: Well birds in general, but in Book 3 Chapter 6 during a premium date with Caleb, Jordan bites down on a ghost chili. One reaction makes a flock of birds scatter.
• Dolphins, Dolphins Everywhere: Class Act Book 2 Chapter 6 has a premium scene of Bailey and Rory going to see a dolphin show and getting to join in.
• Down to the Last Play: At the end of the football game against Hearst in Book 1, with Berry one point behind and only seconds left on the clock, Caleb and Michael attempt a two-point conversion. They make it and Berry wins.
• Election Day Episode: Book 2 of Class Act is about the election for class president.
• Engineered Heroics: In Class Act Book 2 Chapter 10, Bailey and whichever love interest they went in the pool with find out Amber set up the kitten for Lorenzo to rescue to bump up his popularity in the class election.
• Executive Meddling: In-Universe in Class Act Book 3, the Crandalls do this for Ajay's production of The Tempest by having Prospero be a duke again and keep his magic, suggesting cutting Casey as Ariel, and removing most of the singing from the show.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Played for laughs in Class Act Book 2 Chapter 7 when Rory brings up snow painting. Bailey can say people are just gonna draw butts in the snow, which makes Rory realize that people will indeed do so.
• Face–Heel Turn: In Book 2 Chapter 8 at the basketball game, the cheerleaders and the band go over to Hearst's side when Principal Isa won't let Aiden attend the game. You have the option of joining them in protest even if you're on the team.
• Ferris Wheel Date Moment: A premium choice date in Book 3 Chapter 8 allows you to have one with your love interest.
• Fetch Quest:
  • In Book 1, Michael's plan to get revenge on Hearst consists of stealing "The Stick", which requires Jordan, Caleb, Emma, Michael, Aiden and Julian to sneak in there and take it.
  • In Class Act Book 3, the theatre group must retrieve Prospero’s staff, a prop that had been stolen by the Statton kids while they were in Paris. This requires sneaking into Cory’s room and finding the right hiding place.
• Fire-Breathing Diner: In a premium date with Caleb in Book 3 Chapter 6 at the Farmer's Market, you get a “taste of flavortown,” aka a ghost chili. Jordan can either let out a Big "NO!" or find it not so bad despite the burn.
• First Day of School Episode: The first chapter of Book 1 and Class Act Book 1 have the main characters begin their first day at Berry High.
• Foodfight!: One of these breaks out in Book 2 Chapter 9 due to rising tensions between the Cheerleaders and Band vs the Hall Monitors. Wes and Michael even warn Jordan before it happens with the premium option to get a second tray for defense.
• Food Slap: In Class Act Book 3 Chapter 8 after taking the premium scene to unleash a "The Reason You Suck" Speech at the Crandalls, Bailey can finish it by throwing a glass of water at Loretta.
• Frame-Up:
  • In Book 3, a subplot centers around clearing Jordan's reputation after it's suspected that they were responsible for sabotaging Jade, Kieran or Cameron's (depending on the selected club) tryout. The only people who believe Jordan are their closest friends and Bethany.
  • In Book 1 of Class Act, Bailey is accused of having sabotaged Jordan's theatre audition by substituting a wheeled theatre cube for one without wheels. The only people who believe them are Erin and Skye.
• Framing the Guilty Party: In a premium scene in Class Act Book 3, Chapter 4, Rory suggests that the group prank call Mr. Crandall telling him that Brian broke his restraining order against Lilith Vidal so that Brian and his parents will be forced to leave the party in order to sort things out. Ajay questions if it's okay to get Brian in trouble for something he didn't do, but Skye argues that he's harassed countless other girls and gotten away with it so he still deserves it. After placing the phone call, they find out that Brian actually did break his restraining order by harassing Lilith at a party.
• Frothy Mugs of Water:
  • Since there’s no alcohol involved, Payton’s party in Book 2 Chapter 14 has mocktails being made.
  • If you take the premium scene to go to a club with Skye in Class Act Book 3 Chapter 2, Bailey enjoys a colorful drink and acts like they are intoxicated, only for Skye to inform them it's a mocktail and contains no actual alcohol.
    Skye: It's okay. I, too, enjoy getting drunk on guava juice and Sprite.
• Fundraiser Carnival: Book 2 Chapter 4 takes place during one as a way for the cheerleading and band programs to raise funds once Principal Isa cuts them off. The winter carnival is held again in Book 2 of Class Act, with Erin saying that the first one was so popular that it was decided to bring it back.
• Gaming Clan: Nishan, Sakura, Myra, and Luis form one of these. A premium option allows Emma to join their Lookout party.
• Garbage Hideout: If you don’t buy the janitor uniform in Book 2 Chapter 10, you have to sneak past the hall monitors. Jordan can try to hide from Frank in the trash, but gets caught and you start over.
• Gay Option: Since Jordan's gender is customizable, all five love interests (three guys and two girls) are available. The same applies to Bailey in Class Act with their three potential love interests (one guy, one girl, and one whose gender is determined by the player).
• Gene Hunting: A subplot in Class Act Book 3 involves Bailey and Casey trying to find their only known living biological relative, an aunt who lives in London.
• Graduate from the Story: The characters from the original app graduate at the end of the third book, although Jordan and their friends remain for cameo appearances in Class Act.
• Grand Finale: Book 3, Chapter 16 of "Class Act" is this for the entire High School Story series.
• Gratuitous Italian: Class Act Book 3 Chapter 12 has Bailey and Rory watch a production of La Bohème in a premium scene. All the dialogue relating to the opera is in Italian.
• Green Aesop: Book 2 of Class Act gives heavy focus to environmentalism and environmentalist themes.
• Hero of Another Story: Characters from the original game (like Julian, Mia, Autumn, Wes, Ezra, Nishan, Payton, Sakura, Koh, etc.) don't get the focus here that they did in the original game. Instead the plot revolves around Jordan and his batchmates.
• High School: It revolves around the students of Oliver M. Berry High and the ongoing rivalry with Hearst High.
• High-School Dance:
  • The main event of Book 1 is Homecoming party. The right choices throughout the game allow Jordan to win Homecoming King/Queen with Julian or Mia winning the other spot depending on your gender. If Jordan doesn't make the right choices to win, then Julian or Mia gets it instead.
  • Book 2 doesn't have an official school dance (the winter formal gets cancelled thanks to Isa), but Payton throws a party which serves the same purpose. There's no king or queen, but Payton does name a guest of honor (it will be Jordan if school spirit is high enough; otherwise it will be Michael and Maria).
  • In Book 3, Jordan competes for Prom King/Queen against Kara and Max. Jordan will win if the player makes enough correct choices throughout the game, with Tucker or Bethany winning the opposite spot. If Jordan doesn't score high enough to win, then it will be Tucker and Bethany getting the crowns. Kara and Max lose no matter what the player does.
  • Homecoming occurs again in Class Act Book 1, only this time it takes place in the middle of the book and isn't the overall focus of the story. Jordan is named Homecoming King/Queen regardless of player choices (it isn't revealed who the other winner is).
  • Book 3 Chapters 15 and 16 of Class Act take place at prom. Rory is Prom King or Queen depending on their gender; the other winner is either Maria or Lorenzo.
• High School Rocks: High school is portrayed as great and fun where diverse students can come together and make friends.
• Improv:
  • A premium scene in Class Act Book 1 Chapter 15 has the group playing an improv game called “Corporation” where two employees make up a story for why "George" is late and then the person playing George has to guess the excuse.
  • Class Act Book 3 Chapter 12 has a blackout happen during Berry's production of The Tempest. A premium choice allows the actors to incorporate the blackout into the scene.
• I Never Said It Was Poison: In Book 3, Jordan confronts Max and Kara about sending Jade/Cameron/Kieran a fake email telling them tryouts had been cancelled. Max replies that they had no reason to hack Sydney's account. Problem is, Jordan had never mentioned Sydney's account being hacked.
• Instant Web Hit: Class Act Book 2 Chapter 9 has this happen with Lorenzo's Big Damn Heroes moment of rescuing a kitten from Mia's carriage ride be this by having over 100k hits at the end of the day, getting him a jump in the class president polls tying him with whoever you weren't helping between Rory or Casey.
• Interface Spoiler:
  • In Class Act Book 2, text boxes reveal that your choices will influence the election for class president, indicating that the player's preferred candidate will win if certain choices are made.
  • In Class Act Book 3 Chapter 8, the Crandalls pull out of funding the trip to London, making it appear that the theatre club won't get to compete at Spotlite... except we know they will, because of all the text boxes that have appeared after certain choices indicating that certain action will improve your chances of winning at Spotlite.
• I Regret Nothing: In Book 3 Chapter 6 in a premium date with Caleb after biting into a ghost chili, Jordan inverts the trope because of how hot it is.
• Janitor Impersonation Infiltration:
  • A premium choice in Book 2 Chapter 10 allows Jordan to wear a janitor uniform to slip past the hall monitors.
  • A premium choice in Class Act Book 3 Chapter 12 allows Bailey to dress as a hotel cleaner to infiltrate the Statton kids' penthouse when they steal Berry's prop staff for the play.
• Just Friends: Caleb not getting over Zoe immediately and friendzoning Emma. Caleb telling Emma to be simply ordinary friends is understandable because 1. He is just out of a breakup, 2. He is developing feelings for Jordan, and 3. Just because the suitor is a good person, it doesn't mean he's obligated to reciprocate her feelings. Additionally, if Jordan ends up dating Emma, Caleb will tell Jordan that he noticed Jordan's reaction to Emma asking him out, suggesting that he recognized Jordan had feelings for her and didn't want to get in the way.
• Kids Play Matchmaker: In Book 3, Jordan and Emma discover that her mother and Jordan's father had mutual crushes on each other in high school. They plot to bring them together.
• Kids Prefer Boxes: In Class Act Book 1 Chapter 4 in a premium scene with Rory, they and Bailey can talk about how they pretended an old refrigerator box was a spaceship and that the neighbor's cat was an alien.
• Knight of Cerebus: While the entire series is usually idealistic in tone, Class Act takes a serious turn whenever Mr. and Mrs. Crandall are concerned because of the abuse they inflict on their daughter Skye.
• Late To School: Class Act Book 3, Bailey and Casey have to rush to school due to oversleeping.
• Look Behind You: In Class Act Book 3 Chapter 10 in a premium date with Rory, Bailey can pull this on them over the last crumpet by saying "Look behind you! The Queen of England!"
• Losing Horns: If you're in the band in Book 1 Chapter 7, after Caleb fumbles the ball and Statton gets it back, you have the option to play this just as Myra was thinking the same thing.
• Lost Food Grievance: In Class Act Book 3 Chapter 8 after delivering a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to the Crandalls, you can finish it by stealing the entire basket of breadsticks.
  Mr. Crandall: You'll pay for that!
  Bailey: I won't! Breadsticks are free!
• Love Triangle:
  • Wes, Autumn, and Julian are involved in this, to the point even Isa documented it in her files. Starts as a Type 10 when Wes and Autumn were still dating, while Julian was on the sides as the Hopeless Suitor, and by Book 2 this changes into a Type 3 after Wes and Autumn break up, and she and Julian kiss in a Spin-the-Bottle round.
  • Book 1 of Class Act features one of these between Bailey, Rory, and Danielle which is either a Type 4 or Type 5 depending on whether the player is pursuing Rory or not. Danielle is in love with Rory, but Rory is only interested in Bailey, while Bailey may or may not be interested in Rory depending on player choices.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: In Book 2 Chapter 9, you have the premium option of picking up another tray to shield your friends during the food fight.
• MacGuffin: The Hearst stick becomes this after the Fetch Quest. Whether Jordan succeeds in taking it or drops it (the bad luck curse when touching the ground never comes into play), the result won't affect the game.
• Mega Meal Challenge: Every January 9th, the Golden Griddle has the Cedar Cove Challenge, which celebrates its anniversary with a 20-scoop sundae, and any group who finishes theirs first wins free ice cream for a year. It's considered a rite of passage for natives of Cedar Cove. Taking it on is a premium option in Book 2 Chapter 2. In Class Act, Bailey (whose parents own the restaurant) refers to it as the single worst day to be at the restaurant all year.
• Method Acting: In universe. Class Act Book 3 Chapter 5 has a premium choice to do this with Rory and Casey so the latter can better get into character as Ariel by speaking like the characters from the play in modern times. If Bailey keeps it up, Rory breaks character when their mother calls.
• Misplaced Kindergarten Teacher: Principal Hughs is this to some degree — somewhat literally, since her previous assignment was an elementary school, so she's still adjusting her mindset to working with teenagers. Because she's genuinely kind and treats the students with respect, most of them eventually come to accept it as just one of her quirks; this is especially true if the player chooses to bring her back following Isa's departure, since the experience with Isa makes Hughs that much more appealing by comparison.
• Mistaken for Cheating: Class Act Book 3 Chapter 11 reveals Martin had been in a support group with Ms. Maddox for families of cancer patients when the kids, and even his wife, thought he was cheating on her.
• My Name Is Inigo Montoya: In Book 2, Chapter 13, Jordan can say this when confronting Principal Isa.
  Jordan: My name is Jordan Lee. You killed my school. Prepare to die!

N-Z

• Narrative Profanity Filter: In Book 2 Chapter 2:
  Aiden: Besides, Morgan finally got in-school suspension for telling a teacher to, ahem, 'fudge' off.
• Non-Indicative Name: In Book 2 Chapter 2, during Bring Your Pet To School Day, Caleb and Ezra bring in a pet goldfish named Rover since both brothers are allergic to fur.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Emma has a story about this in Book 1 Chapter 5 involving camping and having her hair catch fire.
  • Whatever Wes did to get himself banned from that bakery in Book 2 Chapter 7.
  • “Bring Your Pet to School” day becomes this if you don’t pay for the premium scene.
• Not What It Looks Like: In Book 2 Chapter 2, Jordan hears Koh on the phone telling someone about something with 325 milligrams and thinks she's making a drug deal. It's actually the medication dosage for her grandmother who's in the hospital for a stroke.
• Official Couple:
  • Book 2 Chapter 15 allows Jordan and their love interest to finally become a couple or remain friends.
  • Bailey has the opportunity to make it official with their love interest in Book 2 Chapter 14 of Class Act.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Class Act Book 2 Chapter 4 has this with Casey realizing that in making the brownies and peanut butter cookies for the bake sale, they forgot to make cupcakes.
  • Class Act Book 3 Chapter 1 kicks off with Casey barging into Bailey's room.
  Casey: "Bailey, oh god! WE BOTH OVERSLEPT!"
• Pair the Spares: Invoked in Book 3 Chapter 15 by achievement name in hooking up many of the possible couples. To get the “Master Cupid” achievement, you must successfully set up Emma and Luis, Caleb and Jade, Cameron and Aiden, Mia and Sydney, and Frank and Payton, assuming you aren't dating any of them. If Emma, Caleb, or Aiden is your love interest, you can still get the achievement by setting up all the other couples.
• Parental Favoritism: In Class Act, the Crandalls blatantly favor Brian over Skye.
• Pet the Dog: Zoe gets a few moments of this type in Book 3, including giving Brian a "The Reason You Suck" Speech for his harassment of Myra and warning Jordan that Max and Kara are trying to sabotage them in the prom election.
• Police Are Useless: Subverted. Maria's father Stephen is a police detective and gets to arrest Principal Isa and her brother, but it's the gang in the end the ones who discover and expose her crimes.
• Poor Communication Kills: Well, injures, anyway. In Book 2, while running a sled race, Aiden complains that the pressure on him is just "go, go, go!" Luis, who is waiting at the top, mistakes this for Aiden telling him to go and starts the course before it's clear, and ends up losing control of his sled in his attempt to avoid hitting anyone, crashing and breaking his wrist.
• Prank Call: Class Act Book 3 Chapter 4 has a premium scene where the Theatre Club pretends they're the Vidals saying Brian broke his restraining order on Lilith so they can get him out of the house for their party with the Statton kids. Turns out he actually did that by stalking her, but it still works anyway, getting the parents and Brian out.
• Precious Puppy: In Class Act Book 1 Chapter 6, after finally getting out of the theater after being locked in with Ajay, Bailey runs into a stray dog that follows them home. It's a premium choice to adopt the dog, who has the default name of Biscuit.
• Previous Player-Character Cameo: In Class Act Book 1, Jordan makes their first cameo when they break their leg in an audition while Bailey watches in horror. Jordan is mentioned frequently throughout the rest of the series, and there are even some premium options for Bailey to hang out with Jordan and their old gang.
• Prom Is for Straight Kids: Averted for Homecoming. If Female!Jordan takes Emma or Maria, or Male!Jordan goes with Caleb, Michael, or Aiden, people even comment how cute they look together.
  • Jordan also has an option to convince Mia to ask Sydney to dance at homecoming, and Mia will ask Sydney to prom regardless. None of this is treated as anything but completely normal.
  • Tucker and Kieran going to prom together is treated in a similarly nonchalant fashion.
  • Also averted in Class Act if Female!Bailey goes with Skye or Female!Rory, or if Male!Bailey goes with Ajay or Male!Rory. Skye can also attend prom with Lilith if Bailey is not dating her.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: While the cliques at Berry High are well defined, the groups formed during Book 1 are very varied.
  • The Homecoming committee is the most varied group, consisting of Jordan, Caleb, Maria, Michael, Morgan, Payton, Sydney, Koh, Wes and Autumn.
  • When looking for Caleb, Jordan gathered Julian, Emma, Maria, Aiden and Michael.
  • The mission team to steal Hearst's Spirit Stick consisted of Jordan, Caleb, Julian, Emma, Maria, Aiden and Michael.
  • Starting in Book 2, Jordan's core friends consist of Emma, Michael, Maria, Caleb, Aiden, Sydney, Luis, and Myra.
  • Class Act focuses on the theatre club, whose members include Bailey, Rory, Ajay, Skye, Erin, Danielle, Clint, and Natalie.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • In Book 3 Chapter 12, after Brian utterly humiliates Myra on stage for his promposal, you have the premium choice to lay into him about what an awful person he is.
  • Zoe gives Brian one during the baseball game, telling him how horrible he is and that Myra doesn't deserve what he's doing to her.
  • Book 3 Chapter 8 of Class Act gives Bailey the chance to join Skye in a premium scene delivering one of these to her parents for the horrible way they have treated her.
• Remember the New Guy?:
  • The theatre club, which the entire Class Act series revolves around, is never mentioned once in the original trilogy (apart from the teaser at the end of Book 3).
  • It is confirmed that Rory was a Berry student during the events of the original trilogy yet, before Class Act, they only get a single mention in the closing moments of Book 3 despite supposedly being one of the most popular kids in school.
• Retool: The novel is a remake-sequel of the original game with a new story and both characters from the original game and new characters.
• Safecracking: Book 2 Chapter 11 has you breaking into Principal Isa’s safe by listening to the tumblers. Getting it open increases school spirit.
• School Club Stories:
  • In Book 1, Jordan (along with Emma) is given the option to join either the football team, the cheerleading squad, or the band, and Book 1 will showcase the most of the chosen club, while the others are shown briefly. The only obligatory club is the Homecoming committee.
  • In Book 2, Jordan can choose between the basketball team, concert band, or the cheerleaders. Also, Maria and Michael form the news broadcast until Isa forces Maria out. Later, Isa creates the hall monitors to take charge of the school security.
  • In Book 3, Hearst students temporarily transferring to Berry High join the baseball team, cheerleading squad, or band, and some of them are accusing the leaders of the respective clubs of favoritism.
• School Clubs Are Serious Business: Maria is obsessed with the Homecoming committee doing the perfect party. In Book 2, Isa forces her to give up all her leadership positions just to break her spirit so she won't fight back against Isa.
  • In Book 2, the main conflict revolves around Principal Isa cutting the funding for the band and the cheerleaders to give it to the basketball team, and later closes all the clubs with the exception of the basketball team and the hall monitors.
  • In Book 3, much of the conflict centers around conflict between Berry and Hearst students in cheerleading, band, and the baseball team (whichever one the player chooses will be the primary focus), as well as (to a lesser extent) on the prom committee.
• Second Year Protagonist: Jordan transfers to Berry High as a sophomore. This distances them in age from the original app's main cast, who are mostly seniors, while ensuring they are not entirely new to the high school experience. The spinoff, Class Act, takes place in the following year, so Jordan is distant in age from Bailey, the new (freshman) main character, but still not ready to graduate.
• Sequel Escalation:
  • While Book 1 focuses on Jordan adapting to school, raising the School Spirit and the rivalry against Hearst, Book 2's level of drama escalated by inserting the conflict between the basketball team and the hall monitors vs. the rest of the school, shattering many of the established friendships, and the revelation that all of this is because Principal Isa is using the school's money for her embezzlement scheme.
  • Class Act Book 1 is a fairly straightforward story revolving around the production of the school play and various personal drama. Book 2 shifts focus to the election for class president, with the resulting friction putting strain on the group's friendships and threatening to tear the group apart. Book 3 has the theatre group invited to perform at the prestigious Spotlite festival in Europe, but in addition to the competition itself, the group has to deal with their sponsors, Skye's parents, ruining the show by forcing unhelpful changes upon it as well as trying to rescue Skye from being abused by them.
• Sequel Hook:
  • Book 1 ends with Principal Hughs resigning and Vice Principal Isa taking over.
  • Book 2 ends with the announcement that Hearst is closed and all Hearst students living west of Interstate 98 transfer. Jordan asks if they know anyone like that, and he does: Max, Kara, Zoe... and Brian.
  • Book 3 ends with a series of texts between a future protagonist (default name of Bailey) and their friend Rory, discussing Bailey starting at Berry the following year.
  • Class Act Book 1 ends with class president elections coming up and Skye becoming horrified upon discovering that a particular unnamed person is running.
  • Class Act Book 2 ends with Bailey and Erin talking about prom. Mr. Olsen then reveals Berry High has been invited to perform at the Spotlite International Theatre Festival in Europe.
• Shirtless Scene: In Class Act Book 3 Chapter 4, Brian is shirtless when he greets the theatre club at the door, which makes them extremely uncomfortable.
• Shout-Out: Has its own page.
• Slice of Life: The story focuses on High School students, their daily lives, school clubs, the feud with the rival school and teenage romance.
• Slumber Party: There's a premium option for Bailey to host one in Class Act Book 3 Chapter 8.
• Snowball Fight: Class Act Book 2 Chapter 1 has the Theatre Group getting into one after getting hit by Jordan's love interest.
• Social Deduction Game: Book 3 Chapter 15 has the gang playing "Mafia" after the prom. Maria was the mafia.
• Static Role, Exchangeable Character:
  • By Book 3, the principal of Berry High can be either Principal Hughs (gained through a premium option in Book 2) or Principal Rivera.
  • Also in Book 3, the Hearst student Jordan is competing against for the lead role is Jade, Kieran, or Cameron for the baseball team, cheer squad, and band, respectively.
  • In Class Act, both the male and female customizable characters appear. Whichever one the player chooses is the shy, theater-minded protagonist, and the other is the outgoing, sporty twin.
• The Team Benefactor: The Crandalls, of all people, are revealed to be the private donors funding the theatre club's trip to the Spotlite Festival at the end of Class Act Book 3 Chapter 1.
• Tempting Fate: In the first chapter of Class Act, Jordan's love interest tells them to break a leg before the audition. It only takes a few minutes for those words to come true.
• "Test Your Strength" Game: A premium date in Class Act Book 2 Chapter 7 has Bailey and friends go to an arcade. One of the games they play is this and no matter what Bailey imagines, they come in dead last while Skye shows she's a Pintsized Powerhouse by hitting the bell, surprising the rest of the group.
• Took a Level in Badass: Book 3 Chapter 12 reveals that Kepler's baseball team finished dead last the previous year. They're now in first place because of their ace pitcher, Fastball Finn.
• True Companions:
  • After being betrayed by both his girlfriend and best friend, Caleb realizes that Jordan, Emma, Maria, Aiden, Michael and Julian are his true friends for taking the effort to find him and cheer him up.
  • In Class Act, Skye tries to run away from home when her family life blows up, but the other theatre kids find her and bring her back, reassuring her that they truly care about her no matter what her parents do. Skye decides that the theatre kids are her true family, thereafter referring to them as "the family I chose".
• The Unfavorite: Skye. Her parents don't even attempt to hide the fact that they favor her brother over her.
• Valentine's Day Episodes: Class Act Book 2 Chapter 14 takes place on and around Valentine’s Day. It allows Bailey to have a Love Confession with their love interest.
• Wag the Director: In universe. In Class Act Book 3 Chapter 7, Bailey can go against the Crandalls' order to sing and do just that, even getting into Loretta’s face about it.
• We Were Your Team: Everything fell apart after the protagonist of High School Story graduated.
• We Will Meet Again: If Berry wins the basketball game against Hearst, Max says there's always baseball season.
• Wham Shot:
  • Class Act Book 3 Chapter 1 end with the reveal that the Spotlite trip is being funded by the Crandalls.
  • Class Act Book 3 Chapter 7 ends with the group seeing Skye has had a makeover.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: An in-universe and literal example as Nishan lost his pet rat, Einstein, at Bring Your Pet To Work Day.
• Worst. Whatever. Ever!: In Book 2 Chapter 7, one of the icebreakers during Maria’s birthday is about worst movie. Sydney begged her parents to go to the midnight screening of The Last Airbender and hated it. Aiden’s story has him on a charter bus being forced to watch Bee Movie... twice.