(Un)Fortunate Me
is a novel published online on fictionpress by Susan Mesler-Evans, also known as troper Adele Potter. A sequel, (Un)Lucky Me, came out in April 2011.
Adele Becker thought that her life was fine. Until her parents decided to send her to boarding school. At Phoenix Boarding School for the Arts, the crazy, unusual, and just plain strange becomes the every day. To describe the funny little contradictions of life, she begins every chapter with something like this:
Fortunately, Sophia hasn't breathed a word about the Bathroom Incident.
Unfortunately, oh wait. She did.
This novel provides examples of:
- Academy of Adventure: If you consider Closet Shuffles, big, epic musicals, and regular face-offs with Sophia, Lyn, and Hannah to be adventure.
- Big Brother Mentor: Alec, an older-brother-like figure, is Adele's main source of help for getting through her first year of middle school.
- Big "SHUT UP!": In chapter 7 of the first book:Adele: (trying and failing to get the cafeteria silent enough to talk) Attention! Attention, please! Attention everyone!Delilah: (climbs onto table) HEY! PEOPLE! ADELE HAS SOMETHING SHE WANTS TO SAY! SO SHUT UP AND LISTEN!
- Book Dumb: Sophia doesn't do too well in school. However, she's a cunning Manipulative Bitch to Adele.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Delilah. She has no care for things that aren't video games, could probably apply herself better in school, and is rarely shown doing any type of work. And yet she's clever, a Deadpan Snarker, and appears to be the smartest out of all of them.
- Character Development:
- Delilah starts as straight up bitch and popular mean girl but she gets slowly less bitchy, though she's a Deadpan Snarker throughout.
- Adele. She gradually becomes more confident in herself and her abilities, and develops something of a wry sense of humor. In fact, Adele as the narrator becomes gradually more snarky as time goes on.
- Ditzy Genius: Brooke, who is actually very intelligent, but falls asleep in class every day, and can be painfully clueless at times.
- Eating Lunch Alone: When the entire 6th grade turns on her, Adele is forced to eat by herself at school. To add insult to injury, it's on the floor by the vending machines.
- First-Person Smartass: Adele is much snarkier as a narrator than she is as a character.
- Gamer Chick: Delilah, who regularly beats Adele's ass at video games and plays against Alec.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: He isn't my Boyfriend. Adele and Patrick have to say this. A lot. Naturally, no one believes them, especially not Brooke who wants them to be together.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: Implied with Alec. He comes across as gruff and a "bad boy", but underneath is compassionate, wise, and a surrogate big brother to Adele.
- If You Die, I Call Your Stuff: When Adele goes to tell off Sophia, Patrick asks if he should book the funeral and Delilah asks, "Can I have your CDs?" As she walks away, Delilah adds to Patrick, "Do you want her comic books or can I have them?"
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: Hannah, who Adele admits is "not that bad". Actually, the only thing that even slightly signals that Hannah may be a Alpha Bitch is the fact that she's best friends with The Rival, Sophia. Needless to say, Hannah is much Closer to Earth.
- Save the Villain: When they find out Sophia's been robbing the other kids, Delilah and Adele choose to cover for her.
- Spoiled Sweet: Fala Jean. Fala, who is mentioned to have a very big allowance, live in a mansion, have perfect clothes... and she's as sweet as can be. Even Delilah admits it. She has her ditzy moments, but is otherwise quite intelligent.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Patrick loves frosted strawberry Pop Tarts. In every lunchroom scene, if Patrick's in there, it's guaranteed that he'll be eating a frosted strawberry Pop Tart (and will usually offer half to Adele... and only Adele).
- Vitriolic Best Buds:
- Delilah and Aurora fight a lot, and while they're not actual best friends, they are still very good friends.
- Delilah's real best friend, Adele, tends to clash with her.
- Wham Line: The last line of Chapter 5 of Un Lucky Me. "There was a battle in the war. Patrick's dad was a casualty."
