Test Drive
| Test Drive | |
|---|---|
| (Intermission) | |
 | |
| Chapter | “83.1” of 129 (list of chapters) |
| Published | June 25, 2014 |
| Page count | 1 |
| Major characters | Paulo, Mike |
| Minor characters | Rachel |
| Locations | Roseville neighborhood |
| Collected in | Volume Five |
| Chapter navigation | |
| ← Small Fry | Scenic Route → |
| Read chapter | |
Paulo is behind the wheel, Rachel is riding shotgun, and Mike is getting a very friendly offer of a lift. This one-page intermission covers the first thing Roseville’s newest driver decides to do with all that newfound freedom.
Synopsis
Mike is out enjoying a pleasant walk along the sidewalk when a grey car pulls up beside him. Paulo is at the wheel with Rachel riding shotgun, and he greets Mike like his best pal in the world: “Wanna ride?” Mike, surprised and honestly a bit impressed, starts to accept.[1]
Paulo bellows “WELL GOOD LUCK WITH THAT” right over Mike’s answer and floors it, cackling all the way down the road. Rachel’s eyes go wide — she clearly wasn’t warned either. Mike is left on the sidewalk in a cloud of exhaust, and his shock settles into a long, narrow-eyed glare at the departing car.[1]
Trivia & observations
- This is only Paulo’s second time driving on-panel, and the first time he’s the one running the show. His debut behind the wheel was a nighttime lesson at the drive-in in Small Fry, with Rachel coaching from the passenger seat.[2][1]
- Rachel doesn’t get a single line here. Her silent ride-along comes right on the heels of her biggest scene to date. At the end of Small Fry, the driving lessons lead to her confessing that she’s trying not to fall in love with Paulo. The two are explicitly not a couple at this point.[3][1]
- Getting ditched in a cloud of exhaust is becoming a Roseville tradition. At the opening of Local Area, two chapters earlier, Katie’s convertible speeds away from Stacy to a parting “Looooserrrrr”. Later in the chapter, Mike is left standing beside an exhaust cloud of his own.[4][5]
- The authors’ commentary under the page declares Paulo and Rachel “yo-yo supreme”.[1]
Related chapters
- Small Fry: Just before this, Rachel teaches Paulo to drive during a night at the empty drive-in. Paulo also boasts that once he has a car, his “snooty li’l friends” will totally have to rely on him. Mike gets to rely on him for roughly one second.
- Scenic Route: In the very next chapter, Paulo drives for real, chauffeuring the whole group out to a hiking trip. David proudly congratulates him on “Zero fatalities!”
- Fuel Economy: Much later, Paulo finally owns a beat-up car of his own and pulls the same “Wanna ride?” on Stacy, and this time he actually means it.