Elementary School Sweethearts
 | This chapter is exclusively available to members of Bittersweet Club International. |
| Elementary School Sweethearts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Published | April 13, 2020 |
| Page count | 14 |
| Major characters | Mike, Sandy, Katie, Daisy, Lucy, Yashy |
| Minor characters | Paulo, Stacy |
| Locations | Mike’s house, Roseville neighborhood |
| Chapter navigation | |
| ← Merry Christmas, Roseville! | Ships Ahoy, Season Four → |
| Read in the BCI Members’ Library | |
Elementary School Sweethearts is a non-canon Bittersweet Club International-exclusive comic that asks what would have happened if Sandy had never moved away from Roseville. Mike gets to keep his childhood sweetheart, and the teaser warns readers up front. “Life would be awfully different… Well, maybe just awful.”
Partial synopsis
The comic opens with Mike and Sandy’s childhood goodbye. Little Sandy says her daddy “got a better job way far away” and that she has to change schools. They promise to write, say they love each other, and Mike walks home through falling leaves before crying himself to sleep.[1]
The next morning, Sandy runs up the sidewalk in happy tears. Her father’s job fell through, so she is no longer moving away.[2] On the next page, the children beam amid flowers as she declares, “Now we’ll be together forever!!”[3]
Years later, a wordless montage follows teenage Mike as he wakes, brushes his teeth, pulls on his striped scarf and walks to school with the same tired expression. Behind him, unnoticed, Lucy walks the same route with Yashy in her arms.[4]
At school, Paulo flirts with Sandy at her desk until Daisy drives him off. Daisy then asks Sandy to spend the evening with her.[5] Sandy asks whether a test is coming and says she can ask Mike instead. She warmly greets her “Maishul” as disappointed admirers leave her desk.[6] Mike has a front-row seat to all of it. Being the boyfriend of the school’s darling is turning out to be a much lonelier job than his eight-year-old self ever imagined.
Character dynamics
- Mike and Sandy: In the main comic, Sandy’s father accepts the far-away offer, separating her and Mike as children.[7] Here he does not get the job, and teenage Sandy remains openly affectionate toward Mike.[2][6]
- Daisy and Sandy: Daisy drives Paulo away from Sandy’s desk, then blushes as she asks Sandy to spend the evening with her.[5] Sandy asks whether there is a test and says she can ask Mike instead.[6] In Model Girlfriend, canon Sandy likewise remembers Daisy mainly as her Math and English tutor.[8]
Trivia & observations
- When a fan asked how Abbey, Jasmine, Augustus and Rachel would get along with Sandy, Veronica called the idea “kind of boring”. Oliver joked that this comic “is the ONLY one about this subject and it is ALL you get!”[9]
Related chapters
- Unfulfilled Fantasy: The opening page restages this chapter’s goodbye nearly word for word, including the “biggest bestest letter”.[1][7] In canon, Sandy leaves after her father accepts the far-away job.[7] Here, he does not get the job.[2]
- Model Girlfriend: Paulo flirts with Sandy during her canon visit, and Sandy remembers Daisy mainly as her Math and English tutor.[10][8] Here, Paulo again flirts with Sandy at her desk, while Sandy responds to Daisy’s invitation by saying she can ask Mike about the test.[5][6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elementary School Sweethearts, page 1 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Elementary School Sweethearts, page 2 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ Elementary School Sweethearts, page 3 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ Elementary School Sweethearts, page 4 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Elementary School Sweethearts, page 5 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Elementary School Sweethearts, page 6 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Chapter 17: Unfulfilled Fantasy, page 9
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 94: Model Girlfriend, page 11
- ↑ “Ask response on how the rest of the cast would get along with Sandy”. 2020-06-25.
- ↑ Chapter 94: Model Girlfriend, page 10