East Rutledge High School
| East Rutledge High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First appearance | College Material, page 1 October 28, 2019 |
| Related characters | Lucy, Augustus, Jordan, Daisy, Abbey |
East Rutledge High School is a large brick high school where Roseville High School juniors are sent to take their SATs. It appears in exactly one chapter, College Material, and nobody who visits has any connection to the building beyond a room assignment and a test booklet.
Description
The school is a large brick building with “EAST RUTLEDGE HIGH SCHOOL” lettered above its main entrance.[1] On test day its hallways are packed with students[2] and lined with row after row of lockers.[3] The testing happens in an ordinary classroom with rows of desks and a green chalkboard,[4] behind a door with a taped-up sign reading “Testing Do not Disturb”.[5]
Testing rooms are assigned by block and number, and Daisy’s “C block, room 14” is about all the internal geography the comic ever shares.[2]
History
Lucy, Augustus, Daisy and Jordan arrive here on SAT morning in a range of moods, from Daisy’s cheer to Jordan’s open despair.[1] Inside, the group splits up to find their rooms, and Daisy discovers she has been assigned to the same one as her ex-boyfriend Abbey. “Looks like we’re together,” he offers, and shows her the way.[6]
During the test, a proctor in a purple dress suit walks the rows and hands out booklets. A very nervous Augustus is steadied by a thumbs-up from Lucy,[4] while Jordan, in his own room, fares rather less well.[5]
Afterward, Daisy and Abbey compare answers giddily among the lockers. The real thing turned out easier than the practice test, and Daisy can hardly believe it: “That’s what I’ve been afraid of all year?”[3] The conversation drifts to the study sessions they shared while they were dating, and to the celebration they had once planned for this day, with Abbey insisting the perfectly-organized notes were all her doing.[7]
Then Abbey spots Augustus waiting with Daisy’s friends. He trembles with anger, gets hold of himself, and excuses himself with a calm smile instead of a confrontation.[8] “It’s not my business anyway,” he says on his way out.[9] The group leaves the school behind for Burger-Tron.[10]
Trivia
- Mike and Stacy were also assigned to East Rutledge, and Abbey leaves to go home with them, but neither of them appears on-panel at the school.[9]
- Veronica’s commentary mentions that she also took her SATs at an unfamiliar school and found it disorienting, though “probably not as disorienting as seeing your scary ex!!!!”[2]
- Oliver notes that inventing incidental dialogue like “C block” meant digging up plausible school locations from the days when a school timetable was still ingrained in his mind.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 106: College Material, page 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Chapter 106: College Material, page 3
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 106: College Material, page 7
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 106: College Material, page 5
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chapter 106: College Material, page 6
- ↑ Chapter 106: College Material, page 4
- ↑ Chapter 106: College Material, page 9
- ↑ Chapter 106: College Material, page 10
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chapter 106: College Material, page 11
- ↑ Chapter 106: College Material, page 12