Emily didn't pack her belongings before breakfast. She wasn't going anywhere—not without the group.
She got lucky. Amanda and Star weren't morning people, and their walk to breakfast was blissfully silent. Emily wasn't in the mood for forced smiles or early morning banter anyway. Another upside—her hearing aids were still dead. No one expected her to follow the conversation.
Cole noticed her as soon as she walked in. His shoulders visibly relaxed. He gave her that goofy, familiar grin, and for a second, she let herself smile back.
The moment broke when she spotted the breakfast "spread"—a box of gas station donuts.
Before she could say anything, Star jumped into advocate mode. She asked Yates if there was a gluten-free option. Star knew how awkward Emily found it to speak up, especially when it came to allergens.
Yates nodded, said something Emily couldn't hear, and handed over a wrapped muffin.
Star handed it to her triumphantly. "You're good," she mouthed.
Emily gave a grateful smile and grabbed an orange and water before joining the others at the table.
"Hey, good morning," Cole said softly as she sat beside him.
"Morning."
"Have you—?"
"No. I'm going to find Ms. Higgins when I see her," she said quickly.
He nodded.
"How'd y'all sleep?" Matt asked.
"Your girlfriend kicked me in her sleep," Amanda huffed, glaring at Casey.
"You're dramatic," Casey replied. "We were basically sleeping on top of each other. I was just trying not to fall off the couch."
"Well, that sucked," Star yawned, throwing an arm around Emily and pulling her into a sideways hug. "But Em and I slept great."
"I think the coffee's kicked in," Emily joked. "I couldn't hear any weird motel sounds—or Star's snoring. It was peaceful."
"Hey!" Star nudged her, pretending to be offended.
"It's true," Emily signed with a smirk.
"Damn," Ian laughed. "She really said 'I slept great because I couldn't hear you.'"
"It's okay, I think it's cute," he added, winking at Star.
Star released Emily and blew Ian a kiss across the table.
"Matt broke our bed last night," Cole announced. "It's slanted now."
Casey gasped, laughing.
"The couch couldn't fit both of you? Try fitting two football players on one of those things."
"I can't even picture that," she added with a shake of her head.
Emily laughed but felt a sudden wave of dizziness. She gripped the edge of her seat.
Cole noticed. "Hey—are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said quickly, forcing a smile. "Just need to finish eating."
She took a bite of the muffin. Cole quietly peeled her orange for her and placed a wedge into her hand.
"Thanks," she whispered.
The others kept chatting about Keppel's, but Emily's focus shifted entirely to spotting Ms. Higgins. Her head throbbed. She felt nauseous. Maybe it was nerves, maybe something more—but either way, it gave her an excuse to delay the "trip."

YOU ARE READING
For The Sake of Science
Teen FictionEverything seems to be falling into place for Emily Blackwell, who joins her classmates for a highly anticipated Biology summer program in Tennessee. She finds herself in close quarters with her long-term crush, working with animals in exchange for...