Fanfic / Bridge to Terabithia 2: The Last Time

"Jess... I don't know how to say this..." his mother said, her voice trembling, as she faced him, dried tears on her face.
"About what?" Jess asked, confused. They were seriously creeping him out.
His father stood up from the couch and then approached him.
"Leslie's alive."

Five years after the seeming demise of his best friend Leslie, Jesse Aarons, now a 17-year-old teenager, seems to have moved on with his life; on his way to high school, having his own girlfriend and with a bright career path ahead of him. But deep inside, he still cannot let go of his past. Then one day, an old friend of his past which he though he would never see again, comes back...

Bridge To Terabithia 2: The Last Time is a Completed Fic and Fix Fic written by Elle Fred, a massive fan of Bridge to Terabithia and the 2007 film adaptation, whom have written several separate AU stories related to the aforementioned Katherine Paterson classic novel.

The first chapter was posted on 2013. Four years later, the final chapter was posted - the entire story spans for 50 chapters, split into two online novellas, available for everybody to read.

Despite being fan-fiction based on a (mostly) family friendly story, Bridge To Terabithia 2: The Last Time occasionally - OK, fine, frequently delves into darker, more mature themes, including child trafficking and kidnapping, relationship affairs, in-family struggling, peer pressure, substance abuse, and other issues. Still, everything does work out in the end...

You can read both part 1 and part 2 online.

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This Work Provides Examples Of:

• Accidental Truth: Ellie Aarons, being oddly quiet, announced that she have a serious confession during family dinnertime. Maybelle cheekily asks if Ellie is pregnant. Maybelle is right... cue Maybelle doing the biggest Spit Take of the century.
• Actor Allusion:
  • Jess mentions that he probably should've watched The Hunger Games: Catching Fire instead of a romantic movie. Josh Hutcherson starred in both Bridge of Terabithia (2007) and the Hunger Games movies.
  • Prior to the story, Leslie managed to escape from being sold to human traffickers by forcing Jason Burke's vehicle to crash - this could be a reference to Have Dreams Will Travel, another movie starring AnnaSophia Robb.
• Affectionate Nickname: Caitlyn calls Leslie "Lassie".
• Alliterative Family: It appears that every male in the Aarons family have their names starting with "J"; there's Jess Aarons, his father Jack Aarons, Jack's brother which is Jess' uncle John... the trend is expected to continue with the Distant Epilogue revealing that Jess and Leslie have a son named Jake, while Maybelle and Dylan have a son named Jackson.
• Aloof Big Brother: Jess is this to Maybelle, frequently giving her advice on love, friendship and relationships.
• Alpha Bitch: Mandy Jenkins. Sonia Tyler is closer to being the Beta Bitch.
• Ambiguously Absent Parent: Dylan Hils' mom and dad doesn't seem to be around much, and he gets to spend much of his time with Maybelle. It turns out later that the boy's parents are going through divorce....
• Annoying Younger Sibling: Now that Maybelle is a teenager, the youngest Aaron sister, Joyce Ann is this.
  • Maybelle occasionally does bug Jess a bit though.
• Artifact Title: Bridge To Terabithia 2: The Last Time - Part 2 barely has any Terabithia in it. Justified though, because Jess and Leslie, the King and Queen of Terabithia, are moving away to university.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Between friends, siblings, family, this is a reoccurring trope throughout.
• Badass Biker: Jess became this during the Time Skip before Chapter 1. Later on there are several scenes of him cruising on his motorbike with either Sonia or Leslie behind him, arms around his waist.
• Belated Love Epiphany: Jess, near the end of Part 1 realizing how he nearly loses Leslie - again - after a brief misunderstanding. He vowed never to lose her a third time when they eventually made up.
• Berserk Button: Jess will not hesitate to attack anyone who picks on Leslie, Maybelle or Joyce Ann.
• The Big Damn Kiss: You know this will happen between Jess and Leslie sooner or later... it started becoming really repetitive in Part 2 though, with Jess and Leslie kissing happening practically Once an Episode.
• Big Brother Instinct: Jess is fiercely protective over Maybelle and Joyce Ann.
• Big Fancy House: The Burkes House in Arlington, where the elder patriarch and matriarch of the Burkes live. Jess thinks his own house feels like a cave in comparison.
  • In the epilogue, Jess, Leslie, and their children live in one.
• Bit Character: Some of the OCs are just there for a minimal amount of character development, before being pushed aside. Such as...
  • Gary Fulcher only shows up for a chapter. His eventual fate in the epilogue is actually left ambiguous.
  • Among the Alpha Bitch trio that consistently picks on Leslie, while Mandy Jenkins and Sonia Tyler are both reoccurring characters, the third girl, Amanda Fritz, is pretty much just a background prop.
  • John Gillard, another star athlete besides Jess, Scott and Gary; he reprimands Leslie for taking part in an all-boys race, and disappears from the story altogether after losing.
  • Wanda Kay shows up in less than 5 paragraphs in part 1 and disappears without a trace.
  • Arnold Bickerman is the class nerd who just sort of hangs around.
  • Jess' cousins who appeared during the Thanksgiving arc. The only one who gets any characterization is the family douchebag and established Grade-A asshole Nicholas Aarons, everyone else is just background filler.
• Blatant Lies:
  • Leslie claims that she's crying because she ran into a door. This is the day after her penultimate confrontation with Uncle Jason, and before she has to be a witness at his trial.
  • Jess insisting he didn't kiss Leslie... a few hours after doing exactly that.
  • We have this gem when Nicholas Aarons, Jess' obnoxious jerkass of a cousin, tries to make a move on Leslie...
    Nicholas: "Hey, Leslie..."
    Leslie: "No, I'm Emily."
• Book Ends: Part I and Part II both ends with Jess and Leslie embracing each other with a kiss, the only difference being in the first part they're teenagers finally admitting their true feelings for each other, in the second part they're a married couple sharing an intimate moment with each other at night after their children are asleep.
• Born Lucky: Caitlyn, she encounters literally NO obstacles throughout the story, and everything seems to go according to her favour. She suffers no bullying from Mandy due to being from an equally wealthy family, gets accepted as friends with everyone she meets, graduates with most of the main characters despite being a ditz, and when it seems like she would become Alone Among the Couples due to having never attempting to date any boys in her life, the equally friendly Jake Elliots conveniently gets dumped by his girlfriend and ends up with Caitlyn.
• Broken Bird: Leslie, poor, poor Leslie. Probably had something to do with being kidnapped by her own uncle and kept locked in a basement for 5 years.
• Butt-Monkey: Jess is noticeably more accident-prone in Part 2 - slapped by Sonia Tyler, having Maybelle walking into his room when he's making out with Leslie, reluctantly dragged into Sonia Tyler's affairs (resulting on him drinking desperately during a party to forget about it), throwing up after said party (embarrassing himself right in front of Leslie and Caitlyn), seduced by Amelia against his will (resulting in him having a sour mood for the rest of the day), suffering a nervous breakdown in front of Leslie, before getting into a fight with Nicholas Aarons.
• But We Used a Condom!: Ellie Aarons' pregnancy is completely unplanned. She and Justin used the necessary protection, but she still becomes pregnant all the same.
• Call-Back: Quite a few.
  • Remember the fallen tree that collapsed on their tree-house, nearly crushing Jess and Leslie? Its still there. Jess, Leslie and Maybelle promptly turns it into a slide.
  • Mandy trips over herself, and frames Leslie for the deed, much like what Janice did to Jess in the original story.
  • In turn, once again Leslie proposes to forge a romantic letter to prank Mandy.
  • Once again, Leslie took part in a foot race meant for boys only.
  • A trip to Terabithia between Maybelle and Dylan have Dylan noticing the broken rope above the creek which nearly claimed Leslie's life 5 years earlier, prompting Maybelle to explain to him the tragic events which made her brother Jess go through a complete change in personality since the past few years.
  • This bit of dialogue, when Leslie found some of Jess' old drawings of Terabitha, before her "death", which is lifted from the film version:
    Jess: "You told me that that time to take a picture cause it'd last longer."
• Cannot Spit It Out: Jess was like this towards his feelings for Leslie throughout part 1 until the very final chapter. They finally accepted each other as romantic companions in part 2.
• Casanova Wannabe: Nicholas, the douchebag cousin of Jess whose Establishing Character Moment is bragging about his girlfriend (nobody asked him), and later tried to flirt with Leslie. IN FRONT of Jess. Repeatedly.
  Maybelle: "We heard him (Nicholas) saying he'd have you (Leslie) fawning over him at the end of the day."
  Leslie: (*cough*) "He's a shithead."
• Clingy Child: The youngest Aarons sister, seven-year-old Joyce-Ann, is constantly shown clinging to her older siblings, mostly her only brother Jess, but also one scene during the botched Thanksgiving Easter Egg hunt scene when the Aarons' obnoxious cousin, Nicholas, is throwing a temper tantrum over some minor fault, and Joyce-Ann who is about to cry clings closely to her second sister Brenda.
• Cool Big Sis: Leslie is this to the younger key characters - Maybelle, Dylan and Joyce Ann.
• Cry into Chest: Leslie, meeting Jess for the first time in 5 years, does this. Until she loses consciousness. It hurts him like crazy seeing her like this.
• Cuddle Bug: Caitlyn likes to hug her friends a lot, especially Leslie.
• Dark Fic: Played with. While it has its share of dark moments, it manages to keep an overall lighthearted tone with a happy ending.
• A Day in the Limelight:
  • Sometimes in Part 2, with Jess and Leslie away in university, the story will shift back to Maybelle and Dylan to flesh out more details regarding their relationship.
  • While Scott Hoager and Gary Fulcher gets Demoted to Extra for most of the story, near the end of part 2 they finally get one single chapter dedicated to themselves.
  • Ellie goes from hanging in the background to finally getting more focus after she becomes pregnant.
• Deadpan Snarker: Pre-teen Maybelle have tendencies to talk like this sometimes, especially towards Joyce Ann.
  • From part 2, when Jess is moving away to California due to his studies...
    Joyce Ann:(teary-eyed) "Jess, you're leaving?"
    Maybelle: "Of course not. California's like 2000 miles from here. Jess can easily get there in like 30 minutes if he stays here. Yes, he's definitely not leaving town, Joyce..."
• The Ditz: Caitlyn is this. Full stop. A short exchange from the end of Part 2...
  Jess: "Coincidence, huh?"
  Caitlyn: (completely innocent) "What does coincidence mean?"
  Leslie: (internal facepalm) "How did you even graduate?"
• Demoted to Extra:
  • Scott Hoager and Gary Fulcher. They only made brief appearances in part 1, and didn't get their characterization fleshed out until the end of part 2.
  • Justified with Janice Avery, since she already graduated and left the story altogether.
  • Prince Terrien was barely around, and only mentioned in brief sentences.
• Distaff Counterpart:
  • Scott Hoager and Gary Fulcher are out of most of the story, but Mandy Jenkins and Sonia Tyler picks up the pace as the resident bullies.
  • Besides the Expy example, some of Dylan Hil's traits seems to be lifted from younger Leslie of the original story; he's a friendly and imaginative youngster who befriends a sibling of the Aarons family (Maybelle this time), change their personality for the better, hang out with his new best friend in Terabithia, and ultimately leave a lasting impact on their lives. And they both get separated from their best friends for a prolonged period of time before their eventual reunion made their bonds closer than ever; Leslie was presumed dead after falling into a creek before the revelation, while Dylan have to move away to Colorado with his mother after his parents' divorce.
• Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Sonia slapping Jess and receiving absolutely NO comeuppance for her actions.
• Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Amelia tried seducing Jess by shoving her lips onto his and then unbuttoning enough of her shirt to reveal her bra. She receives NO comeuppance for her actions either, while Jess became a shivering mess for the rest of the day.
• Dream Sequence: Jess had one early in part 1, the night after the evening finding out Leslie is actually still alive. Leads to a Catapult Nightmare.
• Drowning My Sorrows: This happens to both Leslie and Jess, in both parts. They take turns helping each other from being subjected to more embarassment though.
  • She did this in a party at Caitlyn's place in Part 1, due to the stress and depression of attempting to readjust her life back into society taking over her, and the added pressure of being publicly humiliated by Sonia.
  • He did this in part 2 in the Graduation party, after being reluctantly involved with Sonia's affairs after wanting to have nothing to do with her.
• Easy Amnesia: All it takes for Leslie to remember Terabithia is a knock on the head after a nasty fall.
• Enter Stage Window:
  • Jess does this early in Part 1 to get into Leslie's bedroom. He's just too eager to see her again for the first time after assuming she's been dead for 5 years.
  • He did this again in the final chapter of Part 1 for his ultimate Love Confession. In the middle of heavy rain.
• Fast-Forward to Reunion: The final chapter concludes with Dylan and Maybelle saying goodbye to each other when Dylan has to move away to Colorado with his mother after his parents' divorce. The succeding Epilogue immediately follows with a 13-year Time Skip depicting Dylan and Maybelle's wedding.
• Fell Asleep Crying:
  • Leslie does this when meeting Jess for the first time in 5 years, in his arms.
  • Its implied this happens to Maybelle too, on the night where the Aarons household got the news that Leslie was alive all along and is moving back next door. Jess finds her asleep on the couch when attempting to sneak out to the Burke's household, and tries to leave the house without waking Maybelle.
• Foil: Mandy Jenkins to Caitlyn Freece. Both characters are wealthy, popular girls among the top in social status and in the upper class of students. However Mandy is an Alpha Bitch, a bully who looks down on anyone lower in class to her, flaunts her wealth and power around, and repeatedly picks on Leslie whom have just started to get accepted back into society and is starting to become popular among her peers; Caitlyn on the other hand is kind, friendly to everyone she meets, willing to hang out with anybody regardless of status or wealth, and immediately becomes Leslie's closest friend and forming a sisterly bond with Leslie when she needs it the most.
• Food Slap: Sonia Tyler have a nasty habit of splashing water on people's faces. She did this to Jess when he broke up with her, and again to Leslie when Sonia found out Jess is dating Leslie.
• Forceful Kiss:
  • Jess receives two, from Sonia and Amelia. This is AFTER he pledges his love for Leslie, and sure enough he ends up badly shaken after both incidents.
  • Earlier on, this is Played for Laughs when Jess kissed Leslie in class, when a fellow classmate of his tried flirting with her. Mood Whiplash soon follows when Sonia starts assaulting Leslie over the kiss...
• A Friend in Need: Jess is willing to put the importance of all his friends before his own.
• The Friend Nobody Likes:
  • Among Jess' group in the university, Damien is a gamer who spends more time on his phone and video games than with his friends. Downplayed example though, they don't really mind him much.
  • Nicholas Aarons is The Cousin Nobody Likes. He's pretty much an ass in human form whose existance proves that NOT all members in the Aarons household is perfect; among a huge band of cousins there's bound to be a black sheep nobody wants to be associated with.
• Friendship Trinket:
  • Jess got two bracelets, one for him, and one for Leslie. His with "Terra" written on it; hers with "Bithia".
  • She later gave him matching lockets with each others' names engraved on it, but that's only after they went through a Relationship Upgrade.
• Genre Shift: The story delves into high school Slice of Life territory after around 12 chapters.
• Get a Room!: Jake said this trope word-for-word near the end of part 2, to Amelia and Damien whom are kissing in front of him, shortly after he got dumped.
• Girliness Upgrade: Leslie, even more so in Part 2, compared to the original story or the film; she's described as having long hair that goes past her shoulders (she occasionally dons a Tomboyish Ponytail however), wears perfume and is more ladylike when around Jess.
• Graduate from the Story: The second-to-last chapter before the Epilogue.
• Graduation for Everyone: Well everyone except Sonia Tyler. Its hard not to chuckle at her misfortune as punishment for her actions as a Manipulative Bitch.
• Gray Rain of Depression: The last few chapters of Part 1 are set during the rain season, and coincides with Jess and Leslie giving each other the cold shoulder after a misunderstanding.
• Green-Eyed Monster:
  • Sonia Tyler, Jess' ex-girlfriend who refuse to leave him alone and repeatedly tries to screw over his life for dumping her. Until the epilogue.
  • Maybelle briefly becomes this in part 2, when Dylan becomes a little too close to another girl in class. Too bad Dylan is hilariously Oblivious to Love until Leslie comes to the rescue...
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold:
  • Leslie Burke, as per usual, but Dylan Hils, Maybelle's new friend-turned-love-interest and one of the nicest new characters in the story, is specified to be a blond as well. At one point Jess wonders if the Aarons siblings have a thing for blondes...
  • Inverted with Sonia Tyler and Mandy Jenkins. Both of the bullies are blondes, and are among the nastiest new characters.
• Hate Sink: The original story by Katherine Patterson and the Disney film adaptation doesn't really have any characters that are despicable enough to qualify under this trope, so ElleFred decides to make up by cramming as many utterly despicable, disgustingly horrible new characters, to the point of being rather jarring...
  • Mandy Jenkins can't stop bullying and taunting Leslie on the grounds that Leslie is slightly tomboyish; especially harsh considering the poor girl is a former human trafficking victim and has been locked in her uncle's basement for the past 5 years. For the Evulz, perhaps?
  • Sonia Tyler keeps on harassing Jess after breaking up with him, forcing a kiss on him, slaps him across the face, and did everything to drive a wedge between Jess and Leslie's relationship. Subverted in the epilogue though, Sonia Took a Level in Kindness after marrying Scott Hoager.
  • Uncle Jason Burke, being a human trafficking scumbag, easily fits into this trope by default. Being an outcast expelled from the Burke family, and holding a grudge against Bill Burke, Jason Burke is easily the most hateful character in fanfiction history, with zero redeeming qualities whose actions are a reminder of how this pathetic excuse of a human being is a horrific waste of oxygen; kidnapping his own 12-year-old niece, keeps her a prisoner and attempting to sell her, and showing absolutely no remorse afterwards. His eventual comeuppance of being sentenced to 15 years in prison seems more like a Karma Houdini, considering the real-world consequences given to child traffickers these days
  • Nicholas, Jess' obnoxious, rude cousin several years older than him, who appeared only in a few chapters in part 2, but his short presence is enough to make everyone around him miserable. He calls people names, picks on younger relatives unprovoked, thinks too highly of himself, behaves like a snobbish lout, tried to flirt with Leslie, and bullies Joyce Ann before instigating a fight with Jess. For Terabithia's sake, he even managed to draw the ire from both Leslie and Dylan, two of the nicest characters in the story...
• Heal the Cutie: The first half of Part 1 revolves around Jess helping Leslie regain her old life back and re-adjust herself into society after being cut off from the world for 5 years. Its easier said than done - there's barely any traces remaining from that happy, cheerful 12-year-old kid she used to be...
• Held Gaze: Sometimes Jess and Leslie would do this before kissing.
• Heroic BSoD: Jess have one of these when Leslie found out he's still meeting Sonia Tyler. He ends up having a momentary nervous breakdown as his mind flashes back to several years ago when he found out Leslie "died".
• Hidden Depths: Caitlyn may be the resident ditz, but she's actually smart enough to pass her exams (when Sonia Tyler failed). Also, she's later revealed to have a keen fashion sense and a talent in design - what Caitlyn lacks in brains and common sense, she made up with creativity.
• Hourglass Plot: In the original story Leslie is the one who gave Terabithia its name, shows Jess the importance of a whimsical imagination and tells him to "keep his mind wide open". Early on in this fanmade sequel, Jess is the one who shows an amnesiac Leslie Terabithia, trying to make her remember the past through her imagination, and telling her to "keep her mind wide open". Also overlaps with Now, Let Me Carry You, because this time its his turn to help her when she needs it the most.
• Injured Limb Episode: Leslie sprains her ankle rather badly near the end of part 1, which lasts for a few chapters afterwards. This allows for several scenes detailing Jess taking care of her, and for a proper Relationship Upgrade to a more intimate level.
• Interrupted Intimacy: Jess' and Leslie's attempt to kiss in Jess' room was abruptly cut short when Maybelle barged in without knocking.
• Ironic Echo: Jess' reactions early in part 1, when he found out that Leslie is alive:
  Jess: "You're lying! I know you all are! She wouldn't have just left me!"
• Immediate Sequel: The first chapter of Part 2 takes place roughly 20 seconds after the final chapter of Part 1.
• Junior Counterpart: Dylan Hils closely resembles the younger Jess Aarons from the original story; they're both creative, artistic and talented boys who started an awkward friendship with a girl (Maybelle/Leslie), before developing romantic feelings for each other.
• Lap Pillow: Leslie lies down on Jess' lap after they made up near the end of part 1.
• Late to the Realization: Caitlyn, always always Caitlyn.
  • She excitedly told Leslie the rumors that Jess have a new girlfriend which may be permanent this time... unaware of the fact that that girl is Leslie. This is after several months where Caitlyn hangs out with the two.
    Caitlyn: "Wow, you two act like you're such a lovey-dovey couple!"
    Leslie: "Uh, Kate? We are dating."
    Jess: "We, Leslie and I, are dating."
    Caitlyn: (Realization Intensifies) "OHHHH!!!!"
• Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone:
  • A movie night outing between 6 characters ends with Amelia, Damien, Jake and Sally quickly splitting away - so that Jess and Leslie can spend some intimate moment together with each other.
  • Later on when Jake and Caitlyn started becoming acquainted with each other, Leslie thoughtfully retreats from the scene.
  • Even little Joyce Ann had the decency to leave Maybelle and Dylan alone when they started kissing, before Dylan moves away to Colorado.
• The Matchmaker: Jess Aarons helps Jake hook up with Caitlyn.
• Megaton Punch: In a subtle Call-Back to the original story, Jess did this again, to Uncle Jason and cousin Nicholas. Two Asshole Victims who deserves a beatdown more than anyone else.
• Moment Killer: Jess finally decides to confess his feelings to Leslie in his bedroom. The feeling was mutual, they've spent month and months together and are more than ready to be each other's soulmate, as their lips got closer and closer... unfortunately Jess forgot to lock his bedroom door. Cue Maybelle strolling in.
• Morton's Fork: Spoofed near the last arc of Part 2. Jess and Leslie intends to give Maybelle and Dylan a lift to a party, but Jess isn't sure that Bill Burke - Leslie's father - is willing to lend them his expensive sports car. She thinks her father would say yes, but Jess thinks otherwise.
  Leslie: "Wanna bet?"
  Jess: "Sure. If he says yes, I'll kiss you. If he says no, you'll kiss me."
  Leslie: "Where's the fun in that?"
  Jess: "We kiss!"
• My God, What Have I Done?: During the last few chapters of Part 1 when Jess and Leslie aren't on speaking terms due to a small misunderstanding, Jess decides to retaliate by kissing Sonia Tyler. And ends up invoking this trope when he realized Leslie can't hold back her tears anymore when she saw him kissing Sonia, and that he have potentially flushed what's left of their friendship down the toilet.
• Mythology Gag: Maybelle's new best friend (and later Love Interest) is named Dylan Hils. Probably a reference to Lisa Hill, the real-life inspiration behind Leslie Burke.
• Never Found the Body: How Leslie's demise was retconned. Turns out that although she lose consciousness after hitting her head, she was pulled out of the creek before she drowns. Unfortunately, Leslie's rescuer is Jason Burke, her human-trafficking scumbag of an uncle....
• Never My Fault: Yes, Sonia, go ahead and blame Leslie for your breakup with Jess. Pretty sure it has nothing to do with you being a selfish, ill-tempered, psychotic Manipulative Bitch, right?
• New Baby Episode: Ellie Aarons, the eldest sister of Jess and Maybelle, reveals that she has been impregnated halfway through part 2 after a one-night stand with her boyfriend Justin, despite the precautions taken, but they decide to keep the baby anyways. For much of the remainder of the story, Ellie is shown progressively pregnant until the final chapter, when she gave birth to a girl. In the Distant Epilogue depicting a 13-year-later Time Skip after the finale, Ellie's 13-year-old daughter is one of the bridesmaids for Maybelle's wedding.
• Nice Guy: Dylan Hils, Maybelle's new boyfriend. Also Jake Elliots. Caitlyn Freece on the other hand is a Nice Girl.
• The Nicknamer: Caitlyn. Here's a series of nicknames she's given to other characters close to her...
  • Leslie - Lassie
  • Jess - Jess-see
  • Jake - Blake
  • Amelia - Amy
  • Sally - Sammy
• The Not-Love Interest: Caitlyn have plenty of guy friends (notably Jess) but she never actively pursues any relationships with them, only considering them as close friends. She did end up with Jake Elliots in the end.
• Not So Stoic: The prison visit ends with poor Leslie crying in a fetal position after uncle Jason taunts her about her kidnapping...
  • On a lighter note, the Epilogue briefly reveals that Leslie, during her wedding day, suddenly have a nervous breakdown due to the excitement and have to hide herself in the toilet for 20 minutes to re-compose herself, leaving Jess, the groom, rather embarrassed...
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Invoked in Part 1, when Jess and Maybelle can hear Leslie's father - the usually calm and patient Bill Burke, shouting from across the neighborhood, at which point they realize something's wrong.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted, some characters have names that overlaps due to the ever-increasing character roster.
  • Brenda's boyfried is called Nick, which is partially shared with the douchebag cousin, Nicholas Aarons.
  • Speaking of which, there's also two Brandons, one which is Sonia and Scott Hoager's son.
  • There's a John Gillard in Lark Creek High, and then there's Jess' Uncle John Aarons.
  • There are also two Justins, a popular kid in school and Ellie's boyfriend/ later husband.
  • There's a nerd in Jess' class called Henry Runst, and Jess' eldest cousin Henry Aarons.
  • Maybelle have a scuffle with a romantic rival of hers named Riley, which is also the name of Jess and Leslie's daughter in the epilogue.
  • Deliberately averted with Jake Elliots, Jess' new best friend (Leslie has been Promoted to Love Interest at that point) - Jess and Leslie's son in the Epilogue is also named Jake, and was even explicitly referred to as Jake the 2nd.
• Operation: Jealousy: Occurs during the University Arc in part 2, after Jess playfully kissed Amelia right in front of Leslie in an outing. Leslie retaliates by getting Amelia to continue flirting with Jess, but Amelia took things too far when she attempts to seduce Jess into having sex with her...
• Pair the Spares:
  • Sonia, after breaking up with Jess, ends up with Scott Hoager, of all people!
  • The recently-dumped Jake ends up hooking with Caitlyn, whom have never dated any boys in her life.
• Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: In addition to the lingering emotional trauma from getting imprisoned for 5 years in a basement, Leslie also had a huge scar on her back from years of abuse. Just in case you don't feel sorry for her enough...
• Piggyback Cute:
  • A few times, with Jess carrying Leslie.
  • Maybelle tries to get Dylan to do this for her when seeing how sweet Jess and Leslie are doing this... only resulting in Dylan hilariously losing his balance and nearly falling over on Maybelle.
• Pink Means Feminine: The most feminine character, Caitlyn Freece, has an all-pink bedroom, with pink carpets, bed-sheets, walls, ceilings, and clothing.
• Platonic Kissing:
  • Sometimes Jess and Leslie would kiss each other's cheeks or forehead instead of the lips.
  • A short arc in part 2 have Maybelle becoming jealous due to another girl in class constantly kissing Dylan on his cheek. The fact about Dylan's naivety and obliviousness to other girls having feelings for him doesn't really help.
• Playful Pursuit: Jess and Leslie, after admitting they truly have feelings for each other while becoming college roommates, frequently chases after each other in a playful manner, hugging and grabbing while trying to kiss each other, including one rather intimate bonding scene in their childhood fantasyland of Terabithia... which is witnessed by Jess' younger sisters, Maybelle and Joyce Ann. Both the little girls thought their flirting is rather disgusting, to be honest.
• Please, Don't Leave Me: In Part 1, when Jess meets Leslie for the first time in 5 years, Leslie, still recovering from whatever trauma she suffered in the past few years, very weak and frail having being recently discharged from hospital, implores Jess to stay by her side.
  • Jess said this trope almost word-for-word when he had that Heroic BSoD moment. In his mind's eye, he saw Leslie "dying" again, and begged her not to leave him.
• Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: A short arc near the end of part 1 had Jess suddenly losing his temper while in a sour mood and yelling at Leslie, causing her to ignore him for months. They made up in the end when Leslie badly injures herself and Jess made up by taking care of her and spending all his time with her.
• Plucky Girl: Caitlyn Freece. The pluckiest and most happy-go-lucky among the many new characters.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: Caitlyn is present anytime the story needs to become Lighter and Softer.
• Porn Stash: Turns out Jess had a set of these, uncovered by an inquisitive Maybelle who dragged Leslie into snooping around his bedroom. They never mention this again for the remainder of the story.
• Precision F-Strike: Sometimes.
  Jess: (During Graduation Party) "FUCK SCHOOL!"
• Prone to Tears: Leslie is this in Part 1 because of what happened in the past. Thankfully she got better in Part 2.
• Put on a Bus: Ms. Julia Edmunds is completely absent in Part 1.
  • The Bus Came Back: She came back in Part 2, but only for a short arc.
  • Also related; Caitlyn is out of the story roughly one-third through Part 2 due to Jess and Leslie moving away to California, but she comes back in the Post-graduate arc at the very ending and rejoins Jess and co.
• Really Gets Around: Jesse states that he has cycled through 6 girlfriends during Leslie's absence. And thats NOT including Caitlyn, which he only considers like a sister.
• Reformed Bully:
  • Played with; Jess and Leslie spoke to Scott Hoager and Gary Fulcher after some time, and while the latter two starts the conversation by calling names, they quickly apologized for what they did in the past. The quartet ends up chit-chatting like old friends for a while.
  • Played straight with Janice Avery, now a senior in university. Jess mentions that before her graduation where she's still around, Janice would actually protect him from bullies like Scott or Gary.
  • By the Epilogue, Sonia Tyler is this.
• Remember the New Guy?: Uncle Jason Burke literally comes from out of nowhere. The narration implies that he's been stalking the Burkes for a while...
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Guess who turns out to be alive after five years?
• Rescue Romance: Maybelle started hanging out with Dylan after he saved her from some bullies in gym.
• Rule of Pool: Happens to Leslie in the pool party scene. Followed shortly by...
• Sexy Soaked Shirt: Leslie spends much of the party scene like these, until Jess removes his jacket and wraps it around her.
• She Is All Grown Up:
  • Leslie at age 17 is this. The narration frequently mentions her long, flowing hair, unintentionally seductive smile and her looking more beautiful than cute by now.
  • Maybelle also counts though, being more slender, having lost her baby fat and is more spunky and adorable as a pre-teen.
  • Jess is the male version of this; one chapter even states that he had abs now.
• Shower Scene: Leslie had one at Jess' place, signifying how they've become closer after the years they spent apart.
• Shout-Out: A few.
  • Caitlyn's nickname for Leslie is Lassie.
  • Leslie said her favorite series of books are The Chronicles of Narnia.
  • The main characters chose The Spectacular Now for movie night. They even discussed that movie afterwards, unintentionally spoiling The Spectacular Now for readers who may not have seen the movie.
  • Jess states that he couldn't stand The Notebook, because Ellie and Brenda watches that movie all the time.
• Sins of Our Fathers: Jason Burke, Bill Burke's half-brother, is a sworn enemy of the Burke family and Bill's nemesis because of a love triangle gone wrong. Unable to approach Bill directly, what does he do? Conduct a Revenge by Proxy by abducting Bill's only child, fake her death, and keep the Burke family in years of mourning as he attempts to sell her off, that's what!
• Sleep Cute: Leslie sometimes leans on Jess like this when they're sharing a more intimate moment. Inverted in the graduation party; Jess, having passed out from drinking too much, lies on Leslie's shoulders while they're in the backseat of Caitlyn's car.
• Spit Take: Happens to some characters in Part 2.
  • Maybelle spills water out of her nose after the Accidental Truth scene.
  • Leslie nearly throws up on her glass of milk when her friend Amelia confesses that she had seduced Jess earlier on, oblivious to the fact that Jess and Leslie are still romantically involved at that point despite Leslie's reluctance to admit it...
  • Happens a third time to Jess in the Epilogue, during family dinnertime; when he found out his ex-girlfriend Sonia Tyler eventually married Scott Hoager.
• Spoiled Brat: Mandy is revealed to be this.
• Spoiled Sweet: Jess and Leslie's classmate Caitlyn, who lives in a mansion, has her own swimming pool, can throw a massive pool party for all her classmates, but is really a sweet and friendly girl.
• Staying with Friends:
  • Jess does this frequently in the 5 year time skip before the relevation that Leslie is still alive.
  • A short arc in Part 1 has Leslie staying in the Aarons' household for a month because Bill and Judy Burke has to leave for a trip to New York for a month. Unfortunately she's staying in Ellie and Brenda's room (much to Jess' chagrin).
  • Dylan Hils stays in the Aarons' house for quite a while, especially with Maybelle. Its later revealed that his parents are going thorough stages of divorce.
• Stoic Woobie: Leslie is this, especially when being picked on by Mandy and Sonia.
• Suddenly Shouting: The Moment Killer example above leads to this from the usually quiet Maybelle, who barged into the wrong place at the wrong time...
  Maybelle: "MOM! DAD! JESS IS MAKING OUT WITH LESLIE IN HIS ROOM!
• Those Two Girls:
  • Sally and Amelia are hanging out together most of the time.
  • Earlier in the end of Part 1 when Jess and Leslie aren't on speaking terms, Leslie would hang out with Caitlyn instead.
  • Jess' older sisters, Ellie and Brenda Aarons, hangs out a lot too, despite frequently arguing with each other.
  • Sonia and Mandy, the two bullies.
• Token Lesbian: Sally, whom flirted with Jess, before showing her true colours and kissing her girlfriend.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: Scott Hoager is one of the most despised characters from the original story, being a bully towards Jess even after Leslie's (supposed) death. Here, he did eventually turn over a new leaf, and even gets a happy ending like most of the characters.
• Time Skip: Chapter One took place five years after the events of the original novel. And another thirteen plus five years in the epilogue...
• Token Houseguest: Dylan Hils spends much of the story staying at Maybelle's house, especially in a later story arc after Jess leaves to further his studies in California. This includes celebrating Easter and Thanksgiving with Maybelle's family instead of his own. The last chapter reveals that Dylan's parents are divorced and are too busy fighting a custody battle to care for their son.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Leslie and Caitlyn. Downplayed example though, with Leslie taking a further Girliness Upgrade, but she's still an athletic tomboy compared to the pink-loving Caitlyn whose wardrobe consists entirely of dresses. The two girls still remain as close friends despite differences in personality.
• Took a Level in Badass:
  • Jess, 5 years after losing his best friend made him tougher and stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. He started becoming more outgoing and sociable, until he's eventually the most popular kid in school.
  • Scott Hoager eventually joined the army, and was known as Sergeant Hoager in the epilogue.
• Trying Not to Cry: Leslie does this the day after the prison visit. She eventually hid herself in a washroom to bawl her eyes out.
• True Companions: Jess may be the coolest teenager in school, constantly surrounded by hordes of fangirls and having every guy wanting to be like him, but deep down inside Jess knew his "friends" are just there to leech on his popularity. The only people he consider as real friends are Leslie and Caitlyn, especially the former.
• Verbal Tic: Caitlyn is quite prone to this.
  Caitlyn: "Everyone's like there tonight, like seriously everyone, and their like saying its the coolest party like ever."
  Leslie: (cringing internally)
• Vomit Discretion Shot: Jess threw up from drinking too much at a party, but the writer thankfully spares us the details.
• Weddings for Everyone: Although Maybelle and Dylan are the only main characters whose wedding scene is shown, it turns out that every couple destined to be together, indeed ends up happily together. Including...
  • Jess and Leslie.
  • Justin and Ellie.
  • Nick and Brenda.
  • Scott and Sonia.
  • Damien and Amelia.
  • Jake and Caitlyn.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite coming back for a few chapters, Janice Avery seemed to have disappeared completely mid-story.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The very final chapter, which is creatively titled "Epilogue." It details the fates of all characters, new and old, after several years...
  • Maybelle, now 26, is engaged to her long-time childhood sweetheart, Dylan Hils. Five more years down the road, they have a 3 year old son.
  • Jess and Leslie has been married for years, and have two children, a feisty little girl who seems to take after her mother, and an inquisitive little boy. Leslie is a successful writer, while Jess became famous for his artworks, and they're wealthy enough to own various mansions besides donating a large sum of money to renovate their former school.
  • Sonia ends up with Scott Hoager, with whom she had a son, and became a much nicer person. Scott joins the army, and is now a sergeant.
  • Former Alpha Bitch Mandy ends up a drug addict, and has been going in and out of rehab.
  • The Aarons and the Burkes have retired, now that they're grandparents. However they still regularly have tea together and visits each other in their spare time.
  • Ellie Aarons, Jess' oldest sister, have 5 children, which she had to take time off from work to raise.
  • Caitlyn is happily married to Jake; they have a successful career in the entertainment industry, with a son, and Caitlyn is pregnant with her second child.
  • Terabithia had sadly fallen apart, overgrown with weeds and plants. Jess and Leslie Aarons might have plans to rebuild it someday, maybe...

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