Falling Back
 | This chapter is exclusively available to members of Bittersweet Club International. |
| Falling Back | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Published | August 1, 2025 |
| Page count | 22 |
| Major characters | Lucy, Paulo, Mike |
| Minor characters | David, Daisy, Abbey, Tess |
| Locations | Roseville High School, Paulo’s house, Roseville neighborhood |
| Chapter navigation | |
| ← All or Nothing | Open Fire → |
| Read in the BCI Members’ Library | |
Falling Back is a non-canon Bittersweet Club International-exclusive comic set in an alternate sophomore year, one where (in the authors’ words) David never distracted Paulo from “his ultimate prize” and a heartbroken Lucy ends up his girlfriend.
Partial synopsis
The comic opens at the Roseville High lunch table, where Paulo and Lucy are laughing so hard that their classmates exchange flat looks. David asks to speak with Paulo in private and uses “I’m menstruating” as his pretext.[1] Daisy says the two have grown more intimate lately, while Abbey says it isn’t normal for Lucy to be so happy around Paulo. At the end of the table, Mike sits with his chin in his hands and silently grimaces.[2]
On the walk home, Mike accuses Lucy of staying over at Paulo’s and shouts, “It hasn’t even been a MONTH!”[3] Their argument ends when Mike says they should stop speaking to each other.[4]
That night, Lucy turns up at Paulo’s door and buries her face in his chest, crying.[5] She kisses him, and he kisses her back. He then pushes her away and asks what Mike did. Lucy responds by asking, “You wouldn’t leave me, right?”[6] What Lucy finds she can promise him in return is something the rest of the comic takes its time working out.
Character dynamics
- Paulo and Lucy: In the main comic, Paulo comforts Lucy at his home and promises her, “No matter what I’m doing or where I am, you got me.”[7] In this timeline, Mike tells Lucy they should no longer speak.[4] Lucy kisses Paulo afterward. He kisses her back before she asks him not to leave.[6]
- Mike and Lucy: Mike rejects Lucy’s confession in A Distance Apart.[8] In this timeline, he grimaces as Lucy laughs with Paulo, confronts her over staying at Paulo’s, and finally tells her they should stop speaking.[2][3][4]
Trivia & observations
- Mike’s outburst on the walk home dates the story to less than a month after he rejected Lucy.[3] In the main comic, Mike rejects her in A Distance Apart.[8]
- Paulo answers Lucy’s knocking with a grumbled “Those damn Mormons again.” The same door-answering gag appears when Paulo answers Lucy’s knock in Another December.[5][9]
Related chapters
- Back and Forth: “Falling Back” opens by restaging this chapter’s lunch scene nearly word for word, including David’s “I’m menstruating.”[1][10] In canon, Paulo later dates Jessica, Rachel and Jasmine. This alternate timeline branches before that run begins.
- Another Shoulder: In this canon chapter, Lucy arrives at Paulo’s door in tears shortly after Mike rejects her.[11] Paulo comforts her, promises to be there “no matter what”,[7] and refuses her advances.[12] In this comic, Lucy returns after Mike tells her they should stop speaking, and she and Paulo kiss before she asks him not to leave.[4][5][6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Falling Back, page 1 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Falling Back, page 3 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Falling Back, page 6 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Falling Back, page 9 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Falling Back, page 10 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Falling Back, page 11 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 52: Another Shoulder, page 10
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 50: A Distance Apart, page 14
- ↑ Another December, page 3 🔒 (members only)
- ↑ Chapter 54: Back and Forth, page 2
- ↑ Chapter 52: Another Shoulder, page 5
- ↑ Chapter 52: Another Shoulder, page 12