Panel 1: In
the title panel of this colour comic, we see, against a black
background, Barbara seated and crying as Marie passes by. The words
"West of Bathurst" and "by Kari Maaren" are in jagged red letters.
Marie: Barbara...?
Panel 2: Barbara
is sitting in her favourite squishy orange chair in the Davies College
Lower Library. Tears are running down her face. Her laptop is open on
the small table in front of her. Marie, who is carrying a red
cross-body bag, sits down on a nearby bench, which is built into the
wall between two bookcases.
Marie: Is everything all right?
Barbara: Oh, sure, everything's fine.
Panel 3:
Barbara: It's fine that I am sitting alone in a library on a Saturday night for the twentieth week in a row. It's great that all my acquaintances think of me as a sort of secondary, optional friend.
Panel 4:
Barbara: It's wonderful that people would rather not interact with me for more than two seconds at a time. It's brilliant that men are actually appalled by the thought that I might have crushes on them.
Panel 5:
Barbara: And it's bloody fantastic that
I'm so repellent to everyone I know that the only person who has
bothered to ask, any time in the last year, whether everything is all
right doesn't even like me!
Panel 6: Barbara buries her head in her arms as Marie watches her.
Panel 7: Marie digs in her bag.
Marie: I have chocolate.
Barbara [flings out a hand without raising her head]: I shall pretend that helps.
Alt-Text: Silly Barbara. Chocolate DOES help.
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