For The Sake of Science

Chapter 1 - The Breakdown

**IMPORTANT NOTE:  Monologue signed will be in italics, and normal dialogue won't be. Some characters both sign and voice at the same time, also known as SimCom. Not all signed dialogue will be in ASL grammar, but what the characters understand the signing to be. This is so the dialogue flows and all readers are able to easily understand. All caps means it is presented in grammatical order and is probably important for tone purposes. Happy reading! <3

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Emily pressed her thumbs to her temples, trying to fight off the oncoming headache. Her first all-nighter, and already a mistake. She glanced at the pink flower wall clock which read 2:24 a.m. Her best friend Star applied the final glob of blue dye to Emily's already-overbleached hair. Star beamed proudly at her masterpiece.

"I don't know about this Star, dad is going to lose his mind if he sees this," Emily voiced and signed–also known as SimCom.

"Relax!" Star signed with a chuckle, "It'll wash out before we come home."

"This was a fun idea while scrolling on my Pinterest board, now I'm not so sure,"

"You act like this is permanent. It will fade in a few weeks and then we can trim it like nothing ever happened."

Star, with her emerald eyes and rainbow-tipped hair, was always a little chaotic in the best way. A quick box dye was a normal occasion for the Alexandria household. Even her seven-year-old sister had pink streaks in her hair.

Star had been begging Emily for weeks to dye her hair before the trip, as she had done an array of colors at the tips for hers. There they were, at 2 a.m. trying not to wake her stepfather.

"Now, we wait." Star leaned back on the bed, reaching for the remote.

She turned on the captions for her season four box set of The Vampire Diaries and waited for their timer to go off.

After an episode and a half, Star rinsed the dye and shampooed Emily's hair. They snuck downstairs to the basement so they wouldn't wake everyone sleeping on the second floor. Star's older sister was still up playing video games and drinking a Monster and just let out a sigh as they commandeered her bathroom. Star refused to let Emily turn around until her hair was completely dried and styled.

"Okay, are you ready to see?" Star handed Emily a handheld mirror.

Emily slowly raised the mirror and gasped.

Stars eyebrows furrowed and signed "Good, bad–which? You like?"

Emily smiled as she surveyed the front and back, "I'm true biz obsessed," Emily signed with a squeal.

She put the mirror on the counter and leaned in to give Star a huge hug. She then reached for hearing aids that were deep in her PJ pockets and put them back in now that her hair was finally dry.

"Cole is gonna Love it!" Star giggled as she simcommed.

"He won't even notice," Emily replied, rolling her eyes, "Neither will Ian. You two have been dating for like what, four months? Boys never notice after the first few weeks."

"Mood killer." Star huffed.

"Whatever at least you have a boyfriend," Emily sighed.

"Cole seems interested," Star adjusts a few strands of Emily's hair at the front of her face, "He waits for you after class so you can make small talk."

"It's been five years and he still hasn't asked me out,"

"Don't worry, you're fifteen now, he will probably ask you to homecoming this year."