Original Commentary
The hand written sign says "REMEMBER SMILE... or else". Foreboding and yet effective. This was one of those comics where I knew it had to happen, but I really didn't have any idea as to what was supposed to happen... the entire script was thought up after drawing. Sometimes a comic's script can just fall out of me after being drawn, and as this comic didn't really have much information that was needed for the overall plot of the arc, it all worked out. -Isabel

Modern Commentary
Sofia could not have gotten Patrick to loosen up a little bit. She might have been able to help him a bit, but he wasn't going to relax while there was that much work to be done. She would've tried to distract him, failed, and tried harder. It would've gone so badly. - Terrence

Original Commentary
Jane's last line here has to be one of my favorites for her... she can be kind and loving as well as biting and sarcastic. She loves her brother and would gladly help him get past being so anti-social and bitter... but she knows there isn't much she can do (and yet... she can't help poking fun at him every now and then, as big sisters do to little brothers- only in this case their ages are reversed). Although, really, she is more the older sister, personality wise.

Is he telling the truth about not being interested in Sofia..? Yes and no- he always felt her out of his grasp and Patrick pretty much cements this in his mind. - Isabel

Modern Commentary
If it wasn't for Jane's friends, Jake wouldn't know any girls at all... - Terrence

Original Commentary
It was my goal to make this comic not seem too obvious, but at the same time to set things up so you can see it. Terrence told me it was just enough setup and foreshadowing... I do hope so.

Although Jane does seem a bit too mean in panel two... Jake is tough though, and takes everything Jane says with a grain of salt. -Isabel

Modern Commentary
Jane is just kidding, but also Jake probably has scared away a friend or two. Dude can get fixated and isn't as sociable as he thinks he is. - Terrence

Original Commentary
Right before I started working on this part of the script, I had a dream that I was a nurse/teacher, and I went looking for band-aides for a co-worker of mine (because, in reality, Terrence had picked me up a couple boxes, since I had a chunk of my finger ripped off by a S-Hook, so it was small, but deep- and as such I needed lots of them). Next to my class room was a small, cozy little cafe (that was basically a class room). I went in and asked if they had any aspirin... but they didn't have any, so I ordered some weird shrimp taco-rolls, till I remembered my co-worker. So I stuffed them in my backpack and the dream transitioned.

What does this have to do with this arc? Not too much... it's been one of my better dreams lately... but the idea about aspirin being Sandra's reason for going into the cafe, was all that dream. -Isabel

Modern Commentary
The cafe is in the middle of the store. Why is Sandra talking to Jane?

Because the store's greeter just gestured in the direction of the entire store, and the actual floor salesmen are slacking off in the break room again. Jane was the first helpful face she came across- Terrence

Original Commentary
And this comic, that moment, was the moment I've been waiting for since last Summer. It's always nice to see a long term plan come to bloom. Unfortunately, there really isn't too much to this comic, outside of the little shock moment... but sometimes no dialogue says more than any words could.

Terrence was helping me letter the YSIF lot, and when I opened this comic, I had a moment of annoyance because this one wasn't lettered... till I recalled there was nothing actually in the script for one. -Isabel

Modern Commentary
I know I've said it before, but I love how expressive Isabel's art is- Terrence

Original Commentary
And now the flashback begins... not much to say on that end, just yet anyway...

The background from panel three came from Cedric and Gabby's High School art class. I think I've used it other times, but I felt it was a good, obscure back ground to use. -Isabel

Modern Commentary
This is back in college. We've kinda kept the timeline vague at this point, in case we came up with a good idea that required something specific in Sandra or Jane's past. I'm pretty sure it's a local community college and Jake has an associates degree- Terrence

Original Commentary
For the longest time I had the tails though up, but not the means behind Jake and Sandra... it really wasn't until I sat down to write out the comics that the way came to me, thankfully. -Isabel

Modern Commentary
If Sandra is rich, why is she at a community college?

It was close by and she wasn't ready to leave home.

Besides, it's a good college. - Terrence