Bittersweet Candy Bowl

38. Rising Temperature, original chapter posted 5/27/07

Page 7 of 14

Transcript

[Caption: Hours later]
*A printer whirs on top of a desk, busily printing pages.*

*Paulo smiles blissfully, happily clasping his hands together.*
Paulo: Ahh.. like music to my ears~
*Abbey grits his teeth and glares at Paulo angrily.*
Abbey: You didn’t write a single word!

*Paulo clutches the papers and grins while Abbey stares sourly at him. Nearby, Mike smiles and scratches the back of his head nervously.*
Paulo: Yeah! And I’m super proud of it!

*Paulo throws himself at Abbey, arms around Abbey’s neck.*
Paulo: ♥ THANK YOU~! ♥

*Paulo hugs Abbey, smiling happily. Abbey glares at him.*
Paulo: I guess you’re not so useless after all, fruitcake!

*Abbey snarls, teeth bared and eyes narrowed, and shoves Paulo away with both hands.*
Abbey: GO AWAY!!
Paulo: Haha!

*Paulo grins over his shoulder at Abbey, flashing a victory sign.*
Paulo: Oh, you’re just too much, Abraham~! See ya ’round!

*Paulo waves enthusiastically at Paulo and Mike. Abbey stares at Paulo, unimpressed, while Mike smiles cheerily.*
Abbey: See you.
Paulo: A new life begins tomorrow!
Mike: Bye!!

*Abbey glances over at Mike, who smiles anxiously.*
Abbey: Are you leaving as well?
Mike: If you don’t mind, could I stay a little longer?
Abbey: Sure.

[Caption: And so..]
*Birds fly through the bright sky. Fluffy white clouds float by.*
Mike: Do you normally study out here?
Abbey: When the weather’s like this, always.

*Abbey and Mike sit side by side on the grass, smiling peacefully.*
Mike: It’s nice.. I wish I had a big backyard.
Abbey: Is that why I always see you in the park?

*Mike smiles.*
Mike: Haha, yeah..

*Mike looks away, nervously scratching the back of his head.*
Mike: Man, I hope Paulo has a good night with Tess tomorrow.. They seem like a cute couple.
*Abbey side-eyes Mike.*
Abbey: …

*Abbey looks away, frowning slightly.*
Abbey: Well, I hope Tessa doesn’t make the mistake of entertaining that worthless imbecile any longer than she needs to.
*Mike glances at him.*

*Mike looks at Abbey, slightly apologetic.*
Mike: Hey, give him a little more credit. Paulo’s not that bad.. Sure he can be a jerk sometimes, but he’s a great friend when you get to know him.

*Abbey scowls, looking ahead. Mike looks anxiously at him.*
Abbey: He hides his positives rather well.

Mike: Lucy’s the same, but once you put in the time to know her, it really pays off. I just don’t think you’ve given Paulo enough of a chance.
*Abbey jerks around to frown at Mike.*

*Mike’s eyes widen in shock as Abbey shouts angrily.*
Abbey: Oh, right! Like you’re one to talk about giving ANYONE a chance!!
Mike: ..?!

Author commentary

Veronica: It’s very interesting how early into the comic Abbey hates Paulo, like downright doesn’t get along with him. Paulo hasn’t really been too kind to Abbey, to be fair!

Panel five, for example, would go much differently for Mike. Abbey feels humiliated and taunted, Mike on the other hand would think it’s nice Paulo is hugging him even though he’s taunting, Mike sees through the bravado and sees genuine affection. I guess that’s where their perspectives differ..

Oliver: Careful, Mike, you’ve pushed the button!