For The Sake of Science

Chapter Four - Donuts & Departures

Emily didn't pack her belongings before breakfast, there was no way she was leaving unless it was with the group.

She got lucky, Amanda and Star were not morning people and everyone was silent during their walk to breakfast. She was nowhere prepared for the early morning banter, forced laughs and smiles. Another plus was her hearing aids were still dead, so her friends didn't expect her to be attentively listening and jumping in on the conversation.

Cole seemed relieved, his shoulders relaxing as she entered the room. He greeted her with his goofy grin. She found herself relaxing, even pressing her lips into a soft smile as she passed by him on her way to the counter. The momentary butterflies perished when she saw the assortment of donuts someone had picked up from a gas station for their hearty morning meal.

Before Emily could say a word, Star immediately jumped into advocate mode. She asked Yates if they had a gluten-free option. She knew communication with others could be hard, especially when it came to allergens.

Yates nodded and said something to her before handing over a presumably gluten-free muffin they had set aside for her. Star thanked him and handed it over to her best friend. Emily was relieved for the muffin, but also for avoiding any interaction with Yates. She grabbed an orange and a bottle of water before heading to the table.

"Hey, good morning." Cole greeted her as she sat down next to him.

"Morning." She smiled.

"Have you...?" He started.

"No, I plan on grabbing Ms. Higgins when I see her," She replied.

He nodded.

"How did ya'll sleep last night?" Matt asked.

"Your girlfriend kicked me in her sleep," Amanda raised a brow in Casey's direction.

"You're so dramatic, it's literally a pullout couch Amanda. If we weren't on top of each other I would have rolled off the bed."

"Well that sucks," Star stretched dramatically, resting an arm around Emily and hugging her tightly, "But Em and I slept great."

"I think the coffee has kicked in," Emily laughed, "I can't hear any weird motel sounds—or Star snoring—without my hearing aids. So it was very restful."

"Hey!" Star nudged her and scoffed.

Emily took a bite of her muffin and shrugged, "It's true." she signed.

"Damn. She really just called you out," Ian chuckled, "It's okay, I think it's cute." He winked at Star.

Star let go of Emily and blew a kiss in his direction.

"Matt broke our bed last night, so now it's slanted to one side." Cole outed Matt.

Casey gasped, and let out a chuckle.

"The pullout couch was too small for ya'll? Try fitting two football players on one of those things."

"I can only imagine." Casey said in a condescending tone and shook her head.

Emily chuckled. But quickly began feeling a bit light headed, and gently gripped her seat.

Cole noticed the shift in her demeanor and placed a hand on her back, "You okay?"

She nodded, giving him a small smile, "I just need to finish my breakfast."

She finished her muffin and he peeled her orange for her.

"Thank you." She smiled.

The group went on talking about their excitement for Kepples, but Emily was focused on finding Ms. Higgins. She wasn't feeling well, she felt a headache coming on and started getting nauseous. It seemed like the opportunity to put off her trip to the institute.