Sugar Substitute

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Sugar Substitute
(Intermission)
Chapter“104.1” of 129 (list of chapters)
PublishedDecember 10, 2018 (2018-12-10)
Page count4
Major charactersJordan, Matt
Collected inVolume Seven
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SAT prep takes a back seat when Jordan casually mentions that Paulo hit on him. Matt handles the news with all the composure of a guy who knows exactly how it happened, and is keeping that part to himself.

Synopsis

SAT prep is going badly enough that Jordan starts the study session face-down on his books, groaning that he might as well become a gigolo since no university will have him. Matt pats his back, talks him down, and lays out a rule of no distractions. Jordan lasts about a minute before turning to him, casual as anything: “So Paulo hit on me.” Matt drops his book.[1]

Matt panics and asks whether Paulo was being a creep, but Jordan waves it off. Paulo hadn’t acted much differently from the way he carries on with girls. Jordan guesses it was probably a dare and admits the whole thing was pretty funny in retrospect. He also feels bad for Paulo. The guy strikes him as lost and confused about his feelings, and if Paulo is going to be a dumbass about them, Jordan would rather it be with him.[2] Matt admits there was indeed a reason he brought Paulo to Madison’s party. He’d hoped some time together would help Paulo figure things out in a healthy way, “.. and then he goes and harasses you in a public bathroom.” Jordan swears it was nothing but harmless sweet talk, and Matt elbows him back to the books to ace the SATs or die trying.[3]

After a quiet stretch of actual studying, Jordan sheepishly admits that before Paulo gave the game away, he’d thought about setting him up with Matt instead. Matt’s blush deepens as he takes this in, then he launches into objections. Paulo is not his type, Paulo is sixteen while Matt is graduating soon, and “Thirdly.. oh my god, PAULO?!” He grabs Jordan by the shoulders to ask if that was supposed to be an insult, and Jordan insists he only ever thought about it.[4]

Character dynamics

Jordan sticks his tongue out and winks, making a V-sign by his eye, saying "And c'mon, you think a face like THIS doesn't deserve a little sugar?"
Jordan chooses to take being hit on as a compliment.
  • Jordan and Matt: Jordan brings Matt the story of Paulo’s bathroom stunt. Matt has been nursing a hidden crush on Jordan for a long while,[5] already knows Paulo believes Jordan is straight,[6] and personally sent Paulo on the errand that led to the encounter.[7] Here, Matt immediately worries that Paulo was being a creep and later blushes behind his book while Jordan keeps teasing him.[3]
  • Jordan and Paulo: The two of them are only recently “sorta friends,”[8] and Jordan decides the bathroom stunt won’t change that. He’d rather forgive Paulo than resent him, reasoning that someone that confused is better off making a fool of himself with a friend who can take it.[2]
  • Matt and Paulo: Matt has been Paulo’s confidant about his questioning ever since the beach trip, where Paulo hugged him to see how it felt, insisting he was “just testing something out.”[9] Helping Paulo sort out his feelings is also the reason Matt gives for bringing him to Madison’s party, and he’s the one left feeling guilty about how the night actually went.[3]

Trivia & observations

  • Veronica’s commentary under page 1 calls the chapter “a cute little intermission” between the two longer chapters around it.[1]
  • Per Veronica’s commentary under page 3, Matt “let something incriminating totally slip” with his line about helping Paulo figure things out, and Jordan “just plain doesn’t notice it.” She calls him “A good-hearted boy.”[3]
  • This is the first time Jordan and Matt carry a scene entirely by themselves.[1]
  • Paulo is “like, sixteen,” while Matt is close enough to graduation that he considers a setup between them out of the question.[4]
  • Asked on Tumblr what Jordan would major in at college, Veronica answered that he doesn’t really want a major at all. “He just wants to play basketball!”[10]

Related chapters

  • Fair Game: The party this whole conversation is about. At Madison’s bowling birthday, Matt confesses his crush on Jordan to Paulo, and Paulo offers to find out for him whether Jordan likes guys. The resulting “sweet talk” at the bathroom sink ends with a panicked “SIKE!!”
  • Golden Hour: The beach trip where Matt first became Paulo’s confidant. Matt comes out to Paulo there, forgives his initial panic, and lets him test out a hug.
  • Test Dummy: Jordan once again struggles through SAT prep in a library, this time with Augustus as his tutor.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sugar Substitute, page 1
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sugar Substitute, page 2
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Sugar Substitute, page 3
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sugar Substitute, page 4
  5. ↑ Chapter 104: Fair Game, page 8
  6. ↑ Chapter 104: Fair Game, page 26
  7. ↑ Chapter 104: Fair Game, page 10
  8. ↑ Chapter 104: Fair Game, page 22
  9. ↑ Chapter 90: Golden Hour, page 44
  10. ↑ “What would Jordan’s major in college be?”. 2026-07-01.
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