Sunlight peeked through from behind Kaitlyn’s closed eyelids. It took her only a brief moment to come to full consciousness and shake off the last vestiges of sleep. Once she did, she wasted no time in flinging the covers off and rolling out of bed.

Day one of the new loop. Time to get to work.

Without hesitation, she strode confidently for the door and pulled it open. The familiar stack of three cardboard boxes met her at the threshold. Pulling them into the room, Kaitlyn set two aside for the moment and deftly sliced open the laptop box with a pair of scissors.

The small computer booted up on her desk, the logo of a stylized orange slice blinking onto the screen as it did. It didn't take long before Kaitlyn had all of her most important programs installing. By the time she'd finished washing up in the bathroom and pulled on fresh clothes, she saw that some of them had even finished.

Alright. I've got a bit of time before Heather gets here. I think I can at least get my resume typed up and ready to go before then.

With how long the interview process took, Kaitlyn wanted to get started on applying for software jobs as early as possible. Unfortunately, there were quite a few things for her to take care of first—recreating her resume, cover letters, application answers, and so on were the main ones. But if she used her time wisely, she was fairly certain that she could finish up most of that today.

Pulling out her Notes app, she began to reference the shorthand reminders she'd left herself about the application process. As she typed up the documents in question, she made a few changes to what they'd looked like in the last loop. Most notably, she made a conscious effort to omit the fact that she was a full-time college student. It had been one of the major sticking points for companies last time she'd applied, which made her genuinely curious about whether she'd be able to get any more offers this way.

It's not like it's really a lie. I mean, I haven't REALLY been going to college for a long time now, so there's that. I really just think it gives people the wrong idea about how much time and flexibility I have. If they ask me directly, I'll have to be honest about it, but otherwise…

Of course, she also had a lot more experience this time around. So maybe that would make a difference in itself. Either way, it would be interesting to see how things turned out.

After working for about an hour, a quick glance at the clock showed that it was almost time for Heather to arrive. She set the laptop aside and spent the last few minutes ordering equipment for Kate's Kitchen. Most of it she ordered secondhand at this point, simply because it was such an incredible deal. But there were a few items that she simply couldn't get without buying them new. Those, she'd pick up after her first paycheck.

Dang. With how long interviews take, my first check might come a little later than I'm used to… It'll be worth it, though. And besides, it's not like that's my only source of income. I'll still be bringing in money from selling meals.

A knock at the door marked the end of her morning's preparations. Kaitlyn's chair slid softly against the carpet as she stood and headed to answer it. After helping Heather move in, she'd go to brunch with her roommate's family, get her onboard with Kate's Kitchen, then spend the rest of the day finishing up those job applications. That, and stocking up on spices and ingredients at the campus general store.

Then tomorrow, I'll pay a visit to the cross country team and Professor Adams. And on Tuesday, I'll get started in lab and start prepping spice mixes at home…

With a smile on her face, Kaitlyn pulled open the door to greet her roommate and the new loop.

***

Setting up all of the various activities she'd planned for the loop kept Kaitlyn incredibly busy for the first few days, as usual. However, after that, she found herself left with a good amount of spare time to use as she saw fit. It was even more than usual, considering that she wasn't working at the restaurant this time around. Interviews and job applications helped to fill in that sudden void, but only in fits and bursts.

However, she didn't let herself think for a second that the situation was anything but temporary. In a few weeks, all of that spare time would evaporate. Working full-time would make sure of that.

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It was this certainty that kept her from picking up any additional hobbies or commitments to fill the time. Instead, she poured the extra time into her real priority—working in the lab.

I can't lose sight of the goal here. It's time for me to get back on track and start focusing on endings.

As exciting as the job search was, it was a side project. One that came with all sorts of benefits and conveniences, sure, but a side project nonetheless. Now that her rest loop was over, it was time for her to shift her attention back to romance endings once again. Which was why she began spending as much time as she could in the lab. More specifically, she made sure to do everything she could to help out with Elliot's projects.

Kaitlyn hunched over her bench, sliding another plate of plant seedlings in front of her. After snapping a picture, she quickly placed the plate back in its slot and pulled out another. The process repeated over and over with practiced movements until she'd finally taken her final picture.

With a nod of satisfaction, she called back over her shoulder. "Pictures done. I'll take the plants back and upload the pictures."

"Dang. That was quick." Elliot pushed back from his own bench, its surface littered with plant pots and seedlings. "What, were you going for a speed record or something?"

"I mean, not particularly. But why be slow if I can be fast?"

The ginger chuckled. "Guess you have a point. Don't worry about the plants, I've gotta take my own stuff over in a minute anyway. Thanks for the help."

"Sure! Let me know if you need anything else. I don't mind taking actual measurements if you need them, either."

"Nah. I'll take care of that part."

Shrugging, she flipped open her lab notebook and began writing out a detailed plan for her own day, week, and month. A few minutes later, she heard the telltale rumble of one of the lab's rolling carts behind her. Elliot scooped up the tray of plant plates at her elbow, setting it next to his pots before heading down the hall to the growth chamber.

Kaitlyn paused her writing to watch him go. His ginger ponytail swayed slightly as he walked, lab coat flapping loosely behind him.

So. I know I want to work on Elliot going forward. The real question is, how?

It was a question she'd been considering a lot recently. Practically, she had to admit that she did know a good amount about the guy. He was incredibly close with Esme, he was the bass guitarist for the Dream Lizards, and his father was a rich healthcare mogul. The problem was fitting all of those pieces of information together in a way that was useful.

It's pretty obvious I have a lot more to learn about him. There's a lot of holes I need to fill before I get a clear picture of what his whole situation is. But actually getting that information… well, that's gonna take a bit of planning.

Elliot had never been the easiest guy to talk to. Her conversation with him at the party last loop had been about as open as they'd ever been with each other, ironically enough. Even the tidbits of information she had managed to sniff out felt like matters of chance rather than evidence of them really being close. He wasn't rude or cold, per se, but it certainly felt like there was a barrier there that she would have to overcome somehow.

Kaitlyn let out a soft sigh. Well, the good news is that I've gotten his friendship ending before. So it's not like I'm completely in the dark, here. Maybe I should focus on figuring out how to do that more consistently and see what I learn, then worry about the romance part.

Becoming genuine friends with Elliot felt like a pretty surefire way to learn more about him. If nothing else, it might shed some light on the situation between him and Esme. That relationship in particular felt like it could be key. And now that she was doing cross country again, maybe she'd be able to make an Elliot encounter out of Vinny's party. It was as good of an idea as any.

Scribbling a few last sentences in her lab notebook, Kaitlyn slid it over to one side and stood. Her thoughts continued to whirl as she absentmindedly began collecting materials for her next assay.

One thing's for certain—I've gotta be careful this time. I have to really listen and pay attention. I can't just assume that I know what his problem is like I did with… with Ian.

She had her suspicions already, of course. Her bets were on some sort of situation where Elliot really wanted to be a musician, but felt like he had to follow in his father's massive footsteps to pursue science. But there was no way she'd let herself zero in on that explanation without a bit more evidence. Not this time.

A soft whumph echoed through the lab as she set her newly-filled icebox down on her bench. Checking over its contents one more time, Kaitlyn nodded to herself with satisfaction.

Alright. Time to get started. I've got a lot of ground to cover if I want to start getting into the new experiments I have planned. And I really do want to retest my protein's interactions with that new technique Christa mentioned last loop…

Cracking her neck, she settled back into her stool and got started.