Buddy System
| Buddy System | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chapter | 72 of 129 (list of chapters) |
| Published | August 17, 2012 |
| Page count | 1 |
| Major characters | Mike, Paulo |
| Minor characters | Ellen |
| Locations | Mike’s house |
| Collected in | Volume Four |
| Chapter navigation | |
| ← Just Beautiful | Ten Seconds to Midnight → |
| Read chapter | |
Paulo has spent a whole week as Mike’s houseguest, and the boys are getting along famously. Then a phone bill for two hundred and forty-five dollars arrives, and somebody has to answer for it. Naturally, the wrong cat ends up doing the answering.
Synopsis
Paulo and Mike are wrapping up a week of video games at Mike’s house, and the mood couldn’t be sunnier. Mike admits he’s genuinely enjoyed the visit, and Paulo, hand on his shoulder, assures him it’s “Anythin’ for my long-time bro.” Then Mike’s mom, Ellen, calls him downstairs.[1]
Ellen sounds friendly when she calls him downstairs, but she ambushes him by brandishing a phone bill for two hundred and forty-five dollars. She’s furious that her supposedly responsible son ran it up. Mike, trembling, protests that he’s barely made any calls, and he honestly hasn’t. Upstairs, Paulo is sprawled across Mike’s bed with Mike’s phone to his ear, cheerfully catching up with Jasmine: “No, no Jazz, tell me all about it.”[1]
Character dynamics
- Mike and Paulo: “Long-time bro” is how Paulo puts it, and he means it. A full week under one roof has suited them both, and Mike is genuinely touched to hear him say so. Paulo treats Mike’s belongings, phone included, as communal property, and he’ll happily let Mike take the heat for it. There’s no malice in him. It just never occurs to him that the bill lands on somebody.[1]
- Mike and Ellen: In her eyes, Mike is the responsible child, which is exactly why the bill lands so hard. Her fury is about the broken promise as much as the money, and poor Mike has no way to explain what he doesn’t understand himself.[1]
Trivia & observations
- The commentary under the page jokes that overspending phone credit is model-student Mike’s “one big flaw,” before correcting itself: “.. oh wait nevermind Mike continues to be a goody-two-shoes, THANKS PAULO.”[1]
- The same commentary confirms that “Jazz” is Jasmine, and that Paulo’s marathon calls are him keeping in touch while she’s away for the week.[1]
- Ellen has been around since Mike’s middle school days, but this is the first time she’s been shown telling him off.[2][1]
- Per Oliver, the original art for this page was later sold in the BCB store as part of a “Best Buds” pack, bundled with the first page of Wardrobe Malfunction and an Ask Roseville High answer.[3]
Related chapters
- Piece of Cake: Jasmine tells Paulo she’ll be spending Christmas week with her gramma in the country. That is the trip and the grandma Paulo has been phoning her about all week.
- Ten Seconds to Midnight: Jasmine comes home for the New Year’s party in the very next chapter, and Paulo breaks up with her there. These doting long-distance calls are the couple’s last easy stretch.
- Witch Hunt: Paulo helps himself to Mike’s phone again, this time on purpose. He leaves Sandy a furious voicemail while Mike screams at him to stop.