Northern Highway
| Northern Highway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First appearance | Clean Slate, page 5 May 18, 2016 |
| Related characters | Abbey, Jasmine, Dylan |
Northern Highway is a rural highway outside Roseville. It is the stretch of road the Roseville High Environmental Club is assigned to keep clean of litter,[1] and the Old furniture place sits along it, near what Augustus believes is exit 14.[2]
Description
The stretch the comic shows is a two-lane paved road with a wide, sandy shoulder, no guardrail, and dense forest starting right at its edge.[3] Cans, wrappers, and other trash collect thickly along the shoulder and the grass, courtesy of passing motorists — some of whom are happy to add more by throwing soda cans out their windows at the volunteers.[3][4]
The comic hasn’t shown any exit signs or ramps. Augustus tells a 911 dispatcher that the old furniture place is near what he believes is exit 14.[2]
History
In Clean Slate, the Environmental Club’s teacher assigns the club to pick up trash along Northern Highway, “ALL YEAR LONG”.[1] Jasmine works the roadside in the heat while Dylan and his red-hatted friend crack trash-bag jokes at her expense.[3] Passing drivers pelt her with soda cans, and Abbey quietly memorizes each car’s license plate before planting himself between Jasmine and the traffic so she can work in peace.[4][6]
Sheltered behind him, Jasmine apologizes for the pranks she pulled on him back in freshman year, and Abbey forgives her, suggesting they “just call it a.. learning experiment!”[7] The two bond over dueling Paulo impressions,[8] and Jasmine turns Dylan’s own trash-bag joke back on him, making the whole club laugh.[9] Abbey puts those memorized plates to use a little later, away from the highway. Katie finds a note on her parked car urging her to reduce, reuse, and “RECYCLE”, signed by “the trash ghosts”.[10]
In Love Again, after Lucy’s suicide attempt at the old furniture place, Augustus calls 911 and gives the dispatcher the building’s location: “The old furniture place along Northern Highway. I think it’s.. exit 14?”[2]
Trivia
- Dylan’s friend Red Hat guy makes his first appearance among the students working the roadside.[3] His laughing face at Jasmine’s comeback later became a custom emoji on the Discord server.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 95: Love Again, page 41
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 5
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 6
- ↑ Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 7
- ↑ Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 7
- ↑ Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 8
- ↑ Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 10
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 11
- ↑ Chapter 93: Clean Slate, page 12