History Literature / Tease

* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: By the start of the novel, Sara has gotten this told to her so many times by random strangers that she actively avoids going out in public.
** Inverted by Sara's mother, who tells Sara she's glad that it wasn't her.

* BittersweetSeventeen: The majority of the book takes place during Sara's junior year when she is seventeen years old. It is also mentioned that Emma committed suicide only a month before her seventeenth birthday.

* {{Lack of Empathy}}: Throughout most of the book, Sara doesn't really feel bad that Emma killed herself and thinks that she overreacted and took the easy way out, leaving her to deal with the fallout. [[spoiler: Her realization of just what she pushed Emma into doing is the CharacterDevelopment that occurs towards the end of the novel.]] UpToEleven with the legitimately sociopathic Brielle, who is never shown to feel any remorse, [[spoiler:even on her day in court, when she reads a statement that contains all the right words but is noted by Sara to be insincere]].

* AdultFear:
** Emma's parents find themselves scrambling to save their daughter from the constant harassment she faces at school, ultimately failing when their daughter commits suicide while they're away at work. As Dylan points out, the whole reason why they're going to court is because it's the only way they can get closure and justice for what happened to Emma, and make sure it never happens to anyone else.
** Sara's mother follows suit when she comes into Sara's room one day and confesses that she would be heartbroken if Sara ever considered following Emma's example and killing herself.

* RealityEnsues:
** All of the bullies charged have lawyers, and Sara is convinced they'll be like lawyers on television and get them off. This doesn't happen; the lawyers have to gather all of the evidence against Sarah and Brielle to see if they have a defense, and are forced to reveal they don't have one: with the roses prank, the mean sign, the social media accounts, and school records, there is no defense that would work. Sara's lawyer advises that if all the kids enter a plea deal to accept guilt and probation, it will save an agonizing court case and possible jail time.
** Brielle convinces Sara that if they brand Emma as a slut and make her transfer schools, Dylan will be Sara's boyfriend again. Sara thinks this a great idea. It is not; Dylan tells her off while Emma is alive, and outright stops speaking to her when Emma dies and he's initially charged as being a member of the bullying gang. And when Sara [[spoiler:talks to him one last time]], he makes it clear that what she did was unforgivable and maybe she ought to think about ''why'' harassing his current girlfriend would not win brownie points.

[[BasedonaTrueStory Inspired by the real-life suicide and bullying of Phoebe Prince,]] the book has faced mixed reviews for its unique portrayal of the effects of high school bullying as told from the bully's point of view.