My Two First Loves is one of the many books in Pixelberry's Choices: Stories You Play collection. Unlike most books which release new chapters once a week, this one released new chapters daily. Of note, this is by far the longest book in Choices history, with an even 100 chaptersnote .
A high school senior finds herself torn between her Boy Next Door childhood friend and the misunderstood local bad boy... and possibly someone else as well.
My Two First Loves includes examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Emma's father is of the emotionally abusive variety. It takes very little to set him off, from his daughters expressing their opinions to outright refusing to pick them up from the police station, leaving them in jail overnight. Mason's father isn't much better, continually pushing him to follow in his footsteps, and calling him a disappointment if he so much as goes against his wishes.
- Alpha Bitch: Lauren, who is constantly nasty towards Emma and everyone else.
- Bait-and-Switch: The cover and plot leads readers to believe that Mason and Noah are the "two first loves". It isn't until the very end when the "two first loves" are finally revealed: your chosen love interest and photography.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Lauren, Elijah, and Principal Jennings.
- Betty and Veronica: The book has clean cut childhood friend Mason as the Betty and bad boy Noah as the Veronica, with Ava coming in as Cheryl Blossom.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: In a premium option Emma can admit Lauren really is a talented cheerleader but points out that she’s so lazy she doesn’t bother to learn the routines.
- Childhood Friends: Emma and Mason, who have been best friends ever since they were little kids.
- Coming-Out Story: A subplot of the book is Ava’s gradual discovery that she’s a lesbian and has feelings for her best friend Emma.
- Content Warning:
- The beginning of the book warns that the story explores themes of sexual orientation, racial tensions and violence.
- A warning pops up in Chapter 41 saying that there is violent police brutality and offers readers the chance to skip the scene in question. This marks the first time in Choices history where you are given the option to skip a triggering scene.
- Disproportionate Retribution: In Chapter 58, Principal Jennings destroyed Mason's model airplane collection and nearly evicted him when Mason snuck out at dawn to help Emma take pictures for her photography project.
- The Ditherer: Emma, in spades. Much of the book is taken up by her indecisiveness regarding her feelings between Mason, Noah and Ava, turning the book into one big
Romantic Plot Tumor. At one point, Ava even tells her that she needs to pick someone before she loses her chance to be with anyone. - First Person Narration: The story is told by Emma (or whoever you're playing as).
- Gay Option: Ava, Emma's best friend who realizes she's into girls.
- Heel–Face Turn: Subverted, maybe Double Subverted. It turns out that Elijah was only faking turning over a new leaf after he steals the money raised in the silent auction, and then gives it to his mom so she can take her family on vacation.
- Hate Sink:
- Principal Jim Jennings is a Dean Bitterman who forces his son Mason to follow in his footsteps and calling him a disappointment after he refused to, and later destroyed Mason's model airplanes and threatened to evict him for sneaking out at dawn to help Emma with her photography project. By the end of Chapter 72, he has royally pissed off Emma, Noah, Ava, Emma's father, and even his own son to the point where it's hard to feel bad for him when he has a heart attack. From around Chapter 80 or so to Chapter 91, he goes further and further into this territory with every chapter; he bribed the Air Force to get Mason in (not for Mason's benefit, but his own), as it's revealed that he's been accepting bribes from rich parents to get undeserving students into college for years. When Emma and her friends try to dig up dirt on him, he brutally and gleefully punishes them all, before planning to have Noah (and later, the rest of the gang, including his own son) expelled to save his own skin.
- Lauren Young is an Alpha Bitch in spades, mocking Emma for being "in zombie mode" for most of her freshman year (during which time her mother had died from cancer), acting rude and catty to pretty much everyone, being lazy while still bossing people about, and flirting with boys despite their noticeable uncomfortableness. Much like Principal Jennings, she gets worse as the story goes on, recording Emma and Mason's Accidental Kiss and uploading it online (resulting in Emma and Ava having a fallout), deliberately dropping Emma during the cheerleader routine and blaming her for it, treating Emma and her friends like slaves while in charge of Winter Wonderland, locking them in the gym overnight when they call her out on this, smashing Emma's camera after forcing her to beg for her not to, and gloating about how she will be getting into college despite her poor grades and laziness in her extracurriculars, due to her parents' bribery of Principal Jennings. Even when struck with Laser-Guided Karma, she refuses to admit any wrongdoing, instead blaming Emma and her friends for "ruining her life".
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: The names you edit for the Main Character, Childhood Crush, Best Friend, and Bad Boy respectively are Emma, Mason, Ava, and Noah. The only thing that's set in stone is their last names. With that, their canon names are Emma Price, Mason Jennings, Ava Lawrence, and Noah Harris.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: Lauren, who is implied to have locked Emma, Mason, and Noah in the gym overnight to set them up for embarrassment. She is punished by Principal Jennings when Elijah points out that it was negligence on her part since she was in charge.
- Also occurs in the case of Jennings, who is exposed for his corruption in a case he started himself to expel your character and friends.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Principal Jennings goes from wealthy and influential man who’s nearly untouchable to imprisoned due to his crimes with his assets frozen.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Justified. The high amount of Eastridge seniors getting into prestigious colleges despite low grades and mediocre extracurriculars is due to Jennings’ corruption.
- I Know What You Fear: Noah realizes that the reason Principal Jennings looks down on him for his poor situation is that Jennings is terrified of being in his position.Noah: "Because you realized that all the money in the world couldn’t save you from what happened to me if you got caught.'
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: The other two love interests don’t hold any grudge against your character when you make a permanent choice on who to end up with, citing this as the reason.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Elijah, who is shown to be putting in a lot of effort to win back his brother’s trust. It turns out he’s only after the money raised in the silent auction.
- Laser-Guided Karma: By the end of the story, Principal Jennings has been arrested for his crimes and Lauren has had her college acceptance revoked. Elijah may also be in prison if you chose to turn him in.
- Love Triangle: Between Emma, Mason and Noah. Later chapters add Ava into the mix.
- Missing Mom: Emma’s mother passed away when she was a freshman, leaving the family’s relationships in disarray.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Noah points out that this is exactly why Principal Jennings looks down on him.Noah: "You were right. We are exactly the same."
- Parental Fashion Veto: On the first day of school, Emma plans to wear an off-the-shoulder crop top and a tight miniskirt. Her dad makes her change, but she can sneak it out as a diamond option.
- Police Brutality: Chapter 41 not only contains a realistic depiction of police brutality, but also has altered dialogue if Mason and/or Noah are not white.
- Sibling Rivalry: Subverted with Emma and Mackenzie. It at first seems like they might be this with their dad constantly putting the two against each other and hailing Emma as a golden child. However, the two get along well and eventually call him out on it.
- Switching P.O.V.: We get to play as Noah for the first time in Chapter 40, Mason in Chapter 41 and Ava in Chapter 51.
- Totally 18: After Pixelberry received backlash for possibly portraying minors in a 30-diamond scene, they revised chapter 55 so Emma states that she, Mason, and Noah are all eighteen after Elijah claims they are minors.
- Wham Episode:
- In Chapter 91, Principal Jennings is exposed for all of his crimes (during a tribunal he intended to have the main characters expelled in, no less). The following chapter shows that he has been arrested, removed from his position as principal, all the punishments he gave Emma, Mason, Noah, Ava, and Mackenzie have been reversed by the new principal and Mason disowns him.
- Chapter 95. After a Love Triangle storyline lasting for months (both in-universe and out), Emma finally gets to pick who she wants to be with. The decision she makes in this chapter will be permanent, preventing the other two love interests from being romanced from this point forward.
