Another December
 | This chapter is exclusively available to members of Bittersweet Club International. |
| Another December | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Published | March 16, 2015 |
| Page count | 11 |
| Major characters | Paulo, Lucy |
| Minor characters | Mike |
| Locations | Mike’s house, Paulo’s house, Roseville High School |
| Chapter navigation | |
| ← Baby Blues | Another Boyfriend → |
| Read in the BCI Members’ Library | |
Another December is a non-canon Bittersweet Club International-exclusive comic, and the second entry in the “Another Path” line of what-ifs. It imagines what would have happened if Lucy had gone to Paulo’s house after Mike tore into her in December, something the canon Lucy never did.
Partial synopsis
The comic restages Mike’s attack on Lucy in December. Mike calls Paulo a dumb rebound who does not love her, says nobody does, and calls her “a parasite”.[1] Lucy remembers Paulo treating her kindly and protests weakly.[1] Mike says Paulo will get sick of her too, just as he has. She runs through the door into the snow.[2]
Lucy finds Paulo alone on the couch. He answers her knock by yelling “FUCKIN’ MORMONS I’M NOT ..interested”.[3] He stops when he sees her standing blank-faced in the snow. After he invites her in, Lucy walks straight into him and buries her face in his chest.[3]
From there, the comic settles in for a long evening at Paulo’s place. Lucy walked through his door believing every word Mike said about her, and Paulo has never been shy about how he feels. Talking her out of it might take him all night...
Character dynamics
- Lucy and Paulo: In this timeline, Lucy and Paulo have already slept together[4] and faced a pregnancy scare.[5] Paulo promised to stay even if she was not pregnant.[6] In canon, their night in Another Shoulder ended with a kiss and Paulo promising to be there for her.[7]
- Lucy and Mike: Mike repeats most of his speech from December nearly word for word, including the parasite line.[1][8] This time, Lucy goes to Paulo’s house afterward.[9]
Trivia & observations
- The authors’ release post asks what would have happened “if she went to Paulo’s house afterwards. (She didn’t. But in this story she does.)”.[9]
- Mike’s “He’ll get sick of your shit just like I have” is new to this what-if. The preceding lines closely follow December.[2][8]
- In the later, separate BCI what-if Falling Back, Paulo repeats the missionary joke when Lucy visits him, grumbling “Those damn Mormons again.”[3][10]
- Asked about Paulo’s maturity after a fan cited this comic, Veronica replied, “Paulo isn’t completely immature, there’s some immature aspects of him but that’s not the whole package.”[11]
Related chapters
- December: In canon, Lucy walks home alone after Mike’s tirade.[12] She still finishes their shared essay and leaves it in his locker.[13]
- Another Path: Lucy and Paulo sleep together in its alternate version of Another Shoulder.[4]
- Another Shoulder: Lucy arrives heartbroken at Paulo’s door.[14] She spends the night, and they kiss but do not have sex.[7][15]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Another December, page 1 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Another December, page 2 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Another December, page 3 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Another Path, page 4 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ Another Path, page 14 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ Another Path, page 19 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 52: Another Shoulder, page 10
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 68: December, page 30
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 “Anime Boston and “Another December”!”. 2015-03-16.
- ↑ Falling Back, page 10 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ “Ask response on Paulo’s maturity”. 2015-08-21.
- ↑ Chapter 68: December, page 31
- ↑ Chapter 68: December, page 39
- ↑ Chapter 52: Another Shoulder, page 5
- ↑ Chapter 52: Another Shoulder, page 13