Bittersweet Candy Bowl

He did it. That fool.

OH NO NO NO

God damn it mike

Oh no… Oh no no no no no

HE BETTER BE LETTING SANDY DOWN EASY

This chapter is taking years off my life from the suspense.

I’m pissed

Ah, so Mike is being an absolute idiot again. What a surprise.

This has to be a bait and switch…

Miiiikkkkeeeee.

T-T T-T

MIKE NO!

I love this chapter so much, I’m getting a really good workout from jumping to conclusions continuously

Absolute poetry

I mean…the chapter is called eternal flame for a reason…dont mean I’m not mad from how toxic this relationship is. I’m more worried for Lucy. She’s literally gotten the bait and switch here.

My therapist will be hearing about this

If this kid took her back I am going to lose my shit.

Lucy in this page makes me so sad :( Please….don’t do this to her again….

Gosh darn it Mike, you hecking ding-dong

renaming this chapter Back and Forth 2: Mike Edition

>:(

Oh FUCK YOU MIKE

I hate how we have to wait till Monday to find out what is going on. But I swear to god if Mike took her back last night …

Watch bet we will only get a little dialogue on monday since it seems like class is about to start so we wont actually know what’s going on until Wednesday or friday ?

God FUCKING dammit

I need Monday to come swiftly

Oh you know he took her back. He can’t do anything without her

Oh not good, not good at all!

I did and will always defend you against Mike haters but you ARE pretty goddarn teenage cat trash rn Michael ??

Yeah, I never got the whole mentality of hating kids for being stupid and making bad decisions. I mean, that’s kind of a big part of BEING a kid, and OH BOY is the fact that Mike’s still a kid shining like an absolute BEACON this chapter.

this chapter has been a ROLLERCOASTER

I can see why vero said this was an important chapter ?

*the sound of my heart shattering into a million pieces* man, I lived this once myself, that HURTS

Chances are Sandy told Mike she would get better at communicating, and the process I’d going to start over again eith her growing distant over time..

Yeah, it really doesn’t sound like either party here is really suited to long-distance relationships, but neither really wants to let the other go. (this is, of course, presuming Sandy’s the one he’s texting)

I am experiencing a profound lack of viable tables to flip. PLEASE let this not be what it seems.

Imagine thinking Mike wouldn’t take the trashiest possible course of action

You TAKE Sandy back?! You take her back like the CHEAT she is!? Oh! Jail for Mike! Jail for Mike for one THOUSAND years!

Oh my god is the cycle happening AGAIIIIIIIIN I’m screaming

DUDE LMAO

Ugh so I see Eternal Flame is Mike’s devotion to Sandy

No clue what she said that got him to take her back… but cheating is pretty much a dealbreaker for more sensible folks

And just like that I have nothing left

Pleeeaaase be a bait and switch…. ?

It’d actually be really cute if it was his sister comforting him and giving him the confidence to talk to Lucy the following day. There’s uh… probably not a very high chance of that, but it’d be sweet, and a very clever way to toy with expectations.

I knew it are you kidding me.. look at the hope in Lucy’s eyes….

I wanna just keep my hope for this but I doubt it’s true, maybe they just became friends and are talking? Sandy is a bitch but hey, she has some brains. She might’ve known it was a bad relationship but didn’t want to lose a friend? I doubt that’s the case but I HOPE it is. As someone who is friends with a long distance ex I hope that’s all this is

It’s possible, but I’m not so sure that’d be better. Remember, even back when Mike was only friends with Sandy, he was still borderline ignoring Lucy. This page doesn’t exactly give me confidence that’s gonna solve many of his problems if that’s the case.

Okay, so Mike, I put a lot of hope in you and I kept faith in you even in the last two pages where I really believed that you were going to resist Sandy but obviously not, nevertheless you can talk to someone other than Sandy on your phone, and that all this is a big trap of Taeshi but honestly I find it harder and harder to believe. So don’t be a big, fat asshole to Lucy who, for her, seems really happy with what happened, see last page. And trust me, she might not be happy if she finds out that you’re back with Sandy, she might, one, not be happy and two fall into a depression because that kind of thing doesn’t have to be taken lightly. That’s not much else.

NOOO THIS IS HITTING WAY TOO CLOSE TO HOME

it CAN’T be Sandy he’s texting with, right? She’s soooo busy across the world and they needed her up early

It really can’t just be wishful thinking right, unless she was lying to have all morning with Francis that she just cancelled

Im really hoping this is a bait and switch but even if it isnt (which im expecting and dreading): i cannot believe sandy would do this. It is such an unhealthy relationship to an absurd degree that its good to remember mike is being manipulated. As much as im going to bash mike for this im just as, if not more, upset with sandy.

Tell me this is a double bait and he’s just texting someone else

Maybe it’s David xP

praying that he’s texting someone else or just very vigorously playing a phone game

Mike, you can’t pretend what happened with Lucy didn’t happen. It wasn’t just talking about the possibility and that he would sleep on it and consider it. There were actions and confessions and interest on both parts.

Oh Mike :(((

So close yet so far.

Oof just noticed Paulo is definitely still mad at Mike too ?

*Deep breath* *clap* Excuse me, I’m going to make myself coffee.

Well, that was expected.

Lucy really hurts to look at.

I don’t think Mike will just pretend Lucy doesn’t exist again now. But after he gave her hope for a relationship and dumps her the next day, there is no way to try to be just friends again

Yeah, if Mike actually did hook up with Sandy again, and now that he’s in direct contact with her more, is going to be completely ignoring his immediate friends to an even greater extent… this might be the last straw for the entire group. This might be the thing that drives Mike completely away from all his friends.

I don’t think he will start ignoring and alienating everyone right now. He always did it in a depressed state. Now he has not yet returned to this state.

BUT

Paulo and Daisy will surely notice the dramatic change in Lucy’s behavior. I think they will get to the bottom of the truth. This may be enough for Mike to start really losing friends.

Mike and Sandy have pretty much been emotionally cheating on each other this whole relationship LOL

I hope though that Mike finally hit the nail on the coffin that is their relationship and gave the both of them closure by giving a definitive “we’re over” but continuing to still be friends with her. Lucy and Francis can give much more than what Mike and Sandy can for each other. This is such wishful thinking though lmaooo

OMG LUCY IS BLUSHING FURIOUSLY IN THE FIRST PANEL WHEN SHE SEES MIKE THAT IS SO CUTE LOL

(…was cute)

No.. No no, no no no no no no noo!!

Okay Mike. I held out for you through this whole deal. If you blew this then I’m checking out, Lucy deserves so much more if you’re sitting there fixing things with Sandy.

My heart :‘c

If things are going the way I think it is, this is going to be the final nail in the coffin for Mike and Lucy’s friendship. There will be no going back. Lucy deserves someone whom isn’t going to completely disregard her feelings every single time.

I want to be surprised. I really do

Oh god Mike please don’t do what I think you’re doing…

Puhleeeeze let it be a phone game he’s just super into.

This mother fucker I swear, months of emotional stress after being ghosted by her and driving himself to nearly destroying God knows how many of his own friendships just to keep her on a pedestal just for her to drop him like yesterday’s news and he takes her back after one phone call. Geez how come he can have a back bone when dealing with anyone else in the world but he’s a whipped bitch when it comes to her? What is his problem!?

Please, let it be Mike not being used to great Lucy (and the other when she is around) in the morning anymore

…… *slowly raising pitchfork*

I hate this sooooo much…god, Sandy had the gall to actually CALL HIM BACK? AFTER SAYING SHE LOVES HER HAIRDRESSER DUDE!? Sandy’s awful for even calling him after essentially dumping him, and Mike’s a fool for falling for whatever Sandy said!

And what even DID SHE SAY?! I think that’s what the huge mystery is. Sandy called, but we not only know whether or not Mike actually answered, and if he did, what was even the conversation about? What was said, and what is Mike even saying right now via text?!

Oh cool, so he straight up used Lucy for momentary comfort just like I thought he was doing. I guess he’s learned a few tactics from his abusive “eternal flame”. Poor Lucy, she deserves so much better than Mike.

Lucy be like O.O

So if Mike actually got back with Sandy ALREADY I guess the chapter title is a double switcharoo. Man. I don’t like the implications here but let’s wait and see this play out first, who knows what’s going on.

YEARS OFF MY LIFE

This is why I’m a LucyxPaulo stan

Taeshi please say sike…. I am begging you….

Here’s an odd idea… what if, instead of going back to sandy, is just trying to keep up appearances? Granted that is dangerous after a breakup and all, but still is one of those things. Heck would be an even bigger surprise if he’s just doing like some people do and “Here’s an email to get this all off my chest,” then delete? Or maybe has contact with someone else so he’s catching up finally. But knowing how Mike is when the S subject comes up, hopes are not high.

I… actually like the keeping up appearances, not because he should, it’s a horrible idea but think about what Lucy said about how Daisy and Paulo would react. He didn’t like Paulo bullying hom before and had even admitted he didn’t like Daisy’s affection. He hasn’t been around them so he probably hasn’t seen there growth expecting them to be the same.

The biggest problem with that too, is that he would just be damaging his relationships further. Like Paulo sees the problem, and that he just got his hit of Sandy for the next couple months, and would just think he’s going to be just as insufferable in a little while so why bother reaching back out to him, or listening to him if Mike came back to him. He has alot of work to repair what friendships he has already, and keeping up that appearance won’t really help that situation at all. They know Sandy is a problem with him, and know that when he’s happy with the world, something happened that worked with sandy. So even if it’s just keeping up appearances, it’s not going to be good. But I guess we’ll find more soon enough, just was an idea of a possibility to what is going on that isn’t “He’s a kitten with a goldfish memory” as long as he’s happy.

Really, worst of all is that that look and behavior is going to hurt Lucy the worst, after that talk, and what he said would make her feel used by him again, that he pushed her buttons, got what he wanted, trying to feel better with the world’s fastest rebound ,only to go skipping back to his girlfriend after she suddenly came back. Because seriously, with those concerns and that little time, *Sandy would not have had time to sort out her feelings* so anything she said would have been very disingenuous. After all that suddenly going “Try again” just would seem like a bad direction. If it came to that bad of a conversation, there is something deeply wrong, and with Sandy not even attempting any sort of repair effort on her own. Welp that’s not even worth trying. He needs someone that can be there with him, and she needs someone who knows the world she is in more, and able to be with her more. So going back would be “All this character development and growth =>> Window = gone”

Beeerrrrrrgh *head thonk*

Paulo is me during this whole thing ?

If he’s back with Sandy after using Lucy I will never forgive him.

THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER WAS ONE BIG SIKE

Mike x Lucy is one big sike

Sagat from Street Fighter: MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!

Mike….what are you doing….

Paulo knows what’s good.

I’m still holding out hope that this doesn’t go the way we’re all thinking it’s about to, but Mike’s obsessive tunnel vision and the eye bags that imply he’s been up all night talking to someone is not a good sign. Unpopular opinion, but I’m going to be so disappointed in this chapter if the three major plot advances it brought—Mike and Sandy breaking up, Mike and Lucy reconciling, Mike and Lucy kissing—all end up getting squandered by the end and just reinforce exactly where everyone was at the start of it.

Well, this will more likely be an escalation of the conflict, and not just a return to the status quo

The Mike X Lucy Ship: [while playing Battleship] Ah, ha. B-3.

The Mike X Sandy Ship: Miss. G-6.

The Mike X Lucy Ship: Aw, you sunk it! [The Mike X Sandy Ship chuckles]

The Mike X Lucy Ship: Are you peeking?

The Mike X Sandy Ship: Hey, quit your whining and pay up. [The Mike X Lucy Ship pulls off one of his ears]

The Mike X Sandy Ship: No, no, not the ear. Gimme the nose.

The Mike X Lucy Ship: [pulls off his nose] How ‘bout 3 out of 5?

Don’t you dare Mike, Tell me you dumped her as soon as you got the call and now you are just browsing amazon looking for an apology gift for her. Or a new videogame console. Anything but what i think you are doing. PLEASE!!!

Mike, you better be getting some closure and not “trying again” with Sandy.

Or in which we find out Mike has become addicted to mobile games to keep his fingers busy now that he’s not blowing up Sandy’s phone with texts.

GODS PLEASE NO

Lucy’s face in the first panel lmao xD

Dude what

No no no no dude I swear you really better be trying to find a nice way of telling sandy to fuck off

Any redemption he could have had, just got screwed completely if this situation is as easily read as we’re all figuring. And deservingly. I’ll hold out hope that this is a misunderstanding, but by experience…

perhaps in a bait and switch? I hope

If Mike is doing what I think he’s doing any and all empathy I’ve ever had for him is DEAD.

I get why people are scrambling to think of things he might be doing on his phone other than texting Sandy, but either way the message is clear to me. When he left that tree, Lucy was on his mind, and now he clearly wasn’t thinking about how he was going to see her again after ‘sleeping on it’ and had to take a moment to even acknowledge she was there and speaking to him. He forgot all about her. Again.

On a character level it’s frustrating to see, but on a narrative level I’m almost relieved, because this feels totally real and fits with with Mike’s behavior so far perfectly. I’d have found it hard to swallow if things with him and Lucy really did work out this easily and all it took was Mike getting dumped. Those that read Fork in the Road know that Mike could have it in him to do this on an even bigger more serious level even as a grownup. Guy’s got issues!

Lol ‘sleep on it,’ doesn’t look like he got much sleep last night

…..if he went back to sandy have to be honest think I’m done.

it’s a drama comic about teenagers doing dumb teenager things. would you actually take it personally if Mike did something in-character