Non-Cliches (Mostly)
10 stories
For Those Who Don't Believe in Love Songs by david_hull
For Those Who Don't Believe in Love Songs
david_hull
  • Reads 227,465
  • Votes 15,792
  • Parts 38
GROUNDHOG DAY mixed with SIXTEEN CANDLES and a splash of DOCTOR WHO. A boy forever reincarnated as himself meets his soulmate for the 200th time, but can she solve the puzzle and break the curse to make herself his last? ***** Martha Beckett's life is over, or so it feels after her father moves her from California to Illinois in the middle of her junior year of high school. But on her first day in her new school, she finds a peculiar boy waiting for her. James is cute, friendly, and obviously too good to be true. Her skepticism proves justified after he confides in her his secret: after he dies, he is reincarnated as himself to live his life again and again and again... Retaining all knowledge and skill acquired in his previous lives and with a general understanding of future events, James is effectively superhuman. And while Martha enjoys the inherent perks of associating with such a boy, she comes to learn of the despair and exhaustion underneath it all. With no permanent consequence or hope of release, James struggles to stave off nihilism with Martha his one tether to humanity. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN LOVE SONGS is, in fact, a love story, albeit a complicated one. Can Martha reconcile with the fact that James has loved hundreds of other Marthas before her and will most likely love hundreds thereafter? Is James' choice to engage and confide in Martha irresponsible and selfish? Would she be better off living her life unaware of the cosmic freak who has loved her for millennia? [[Winner of Watty's 2020 in Literary Fiction]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: brief sexuality, brief violence, mild language, brief focus on suicide. cover by @JELyrica
The First Rule | ✓ by dracaarys
The First Rule | ✓
dracaarys
  • Reads 100,243
  • Votes 9,314
  • Parts 45
• highest ranking | #47 in mystery/thriller Trinity Academy is a school for social elites and high-class nobles, therefore it is rather convenient to have a social ladder within the premises. In the middle of the food chain, is Isla Reynolds with her boyfriend and only friend. The problem in that equation, is that said friend and boyfriend's friendship seems to be brewing into something more behind Isla's back. Isla creates a plan to make her last year in Trinity, a year to be remembered. With a sharp tongue that hides a web of lies, Isla doesn't open up to people. But when she devices a strategy for love, what happens when it all crumbles beneath her feet? Putting her trust in a boy makes her realize that opening up to people is a big mistake. And Isla is mad. Feeling like there's no way out, and fueled by fury, she turns to a sheet of paper. She creates a list that her lips can not utter aloud. So, who wants to know the first rule of killing somebody and not getting caught? cover: florral
Games We Play by Radhavi
Games We Play
Radhavi
  • Reads 167,816
  • Votes 7,623
  • Parts 33
Victore Academy boarding school is a lot of things. To the outside world, it's the heaven of schools. For some students, it's an experience they'll never forget. For others, it's the place to start their careers. And maybe for a few, it's the peak of their lives and really as good as it's going to get for them. And for me... well, I'll need a bit more than this to talk about that. But before you step in, here's a few things that everyone makes note of: 1. The students have secrets. And money. It's hard to tell what more of, honestly. 2. Don't get a room on the West Side of the girl's dorms. The birds around that private property lake house downside from campus don't stop chirping at 5AM. It's unpleasant, to say the least. 3. Avoid Mr. Labadee's classroom at all costs outside of lessons, especially past fifth period. It's better off if you're left in the dark with this one. 4. That asshole from Spain that terrorizes all the young freshmen is not hot. However, girls do make note of the fact that he works out post seventh period and right before first, near the track field. 5. The Victor's Tournament happens every year for all the senior year students. It's a pretty big deal. 6. And I think Armin Rivers is probably going to kill someone before he wins it (and it's probably gonna be that Spanish asshole). cover by soundthealarm
Serial by BLGielen
Serial
BLGielen
  • Reads 2,270,820
  • Votes 65,771
  • Parts 33
Emmy's life is going just as she'd planned: She's living in her own apartment, dancing every day and is just leaps away from being named her company's next Prima ballerina. And she's only 17. But all of Emmy's plans come to a screeching halt when the FBI shows up at her door to let her know that she's being stalked by a serial killer. Suddenly, the safe, insulated world she created for herself is riddled with violence, fear...and a growing pile of dead bodies. At first Emmy wants nothing more than to forget her chilling new reality - but her admirer isn't finished with her yet, and before she knows it, Emmy's stuck in a nightmare she can't dance her way out of. Content and/or trigger warning: This story contains detailed scenes of murder, rape, torture, sex and stalking, which may be triggering for some readers. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]]
I Can't Eat Love by Avaleon
I Can't Eat Love
Avaleon
  • Reads 3,149,780
  • Votes 177,461
  • Parts 38
Lenora did not have a wonderful life. After her engagement to Prince Ronan is broken, she loses everything... her reputation, her home, and her family. Starving on the streets, she dies angry and bitter at how her life unfolded... Only to wake up in her old bed, fifteen again, five years before she died. Now she must struggle to change her fate, and the fate of those around her. This time she won't trust in something as flimsy or changeable as love. No, this time she'll have the power and the money to protect herself. Lenora has already lost everything once. She's not going to lose again. No matter what the cost. (Cover submitted by @QueenHelmer)
Storm and Silence by RobThier
Storm and Silence
RobThier
  • Reads 117,156,110
  • Votes 5,215,105
  • Parts 102
"It is your choice," he said, stepping so close to me that our lips were almost touching. "Either do what I say - or get another job." My heart stood still as I gazed up into his deep, dark, dangerous eyes... In a world where women's only role in life is to sit at home and look pretty, Lilly is determined to fight for her freedom. There's only one problem: a powerful man blocking her way.
Looks That Kill [on hold] by dreaminghly
Looks That Kill [on hold]
dreaminghly
  • Reads 58,073
  • Votes 2,584
  • Parts 14
❝The truth hurts but secrets kill.❞ Everyone has a secret. Scarlett Hill kept many secrets, but her death was not one of them. Scarlett's death rocks the small town of Stonewalls, Virginia, and everyone involved, including her seven best friends. © Miranda/ Dreaminghly 2018-2020 [cover by @worldcry ]
[sic] by ScottKelly
[sic]
ScottKelly
  • Reads 1,405,217
  • Votes 26,220
  • Parts 35
Six teens are devoted to a game with one rule: If a player gets tagged, they must change their life within the next fifteen minutes. The better the player, the bigger the change. One might give their car away, or punch the school bully. Another might change identities or sacrifice their virginity. Anything to keep evolving, to avoid fitting into a label or caring about the junk they own. But their quest for enlightenment has taken a rotten final turn - one of the players has murdered the game's creator, the teen prophet (cult leader?) David Bloom. Our narrator is being framed for the crime; can he clear his name and discover which of his lifelong friends is the murderer before he takes the fall? [sic] is a gritty teen murder mystery that delves into the psychology of enlightenment among the criminally dysfunctional.
T.M.I. by Wimbug
T.M.I.
Wimbug
  • Reads 303,388
  • Votes 33,111
  • Parts 46
When Adrienne's app TMI is a resounding success, she can't wait to reveal the dirty secrets of the glamorous "it" crowd of her prestigious school, but soon, lines begin to blur and she might find herself being the one who falls. *** Adrienne's plans have come to fruition. Her app, TMI, has taken Petraka Academy by storm, with its promise to reveal and confirm the juiciest gossip. It is also endorsed by the shiny "it" crowd who can't wait to ridicule the fallen. But they have no clue that Adrienne is coming for them, ready to push them off their pedestals one by one. Because she knows something no one else would believe. She knows that top-of-the-food chain Rosie Geld killed Audrey Hart. And once the truth hits TMI, everyone will know, and the guilty will finally pay. [[Watty Award winner in Mystery/Thriller]] Content warning: This story contains themes of bullying, sexual assault, eating disorders, drug use, abuse, violence and suicide. *** Cover designed by Holly Thurston
Adaline by titaniaverse
Adaline
titaniaverse
  • Reads 11,483
  • Votes 472
  • Parts 24
Adaline West did not want to come back to Dalton High, but she did. And she definitely did not want to sleep with her ex-boyfriend's best friend, but she did that too. _______________________________________ "Just finished! Your writing is absolutely breathtaking- loved Adaline, Loved the boys. thank you so much" -@jemima708 "I... have no words. Wow. Did NOT expect this." -@warmcocoa "I love your character development. The plot is so far really good. I'm definitely looking forward to read more." -@buttercup_cameo © titaniaverse