Studying (with) You

Path 2: Sound of Silence

No bad nor good dreams haunt or embellish his night of rest as he awakes from his slumber roughly half an hour before the destined time but, since there is no other thing to do, he quickly grabs a few Bits and leaves his room, setting his goal on the table they met when all this started. He arrives at the cafeteria, which seems to be more busy than the last few days but not nearly as populated as it is during the normal school days. He can recognize a few ponies from his class such as Faint Breeze and Velvet Sky, who are sitting at a table talking. His mouth forms into a faint smile while grabbing a food tray and taking a look at today's menu.
Hmm... That apple pie looks delicious and something sweet sounds not bad.
The stallion places one of the slices on his tray and continues his search for something else until his gaze settles on a jug filled with delicious lemonade, which he carefully pours into an empty glass before placing it next to the pastry. As he prepares himself for paying his food he passes by the Griffonscones Gallus loves so much and an idea pops into his head.
I should buy one for him! He loves those and I'm sure eating one will cheer him up a bit. That's a great idea!
With now three items on his tray he gives Mrs. Frosting the Bits she requests before heading for his real destination, the garden. It is quite empty, as most of the students are either inside or not in the school at all, and he can't see any of his friends so he reserves the right for himself to pick one of the three free tables to sit down and wait until the others arrive. He picks the one closest to the garden's exit, which leads to a little path, that later runs into the main way connecting the dormitories and the school-building, and sits down in the middle of one of the two benches belonging to the table before placing the plate with the Griffonscone to his right, reserving this seat for the feathered male.

The first of his friends to arrive is Silverstream, who, upon seeing her friend, immediately raises to the air and rushes towards him to give him a big hug before sitting down across from him and greeting him with a big smile. She ordered herself a cupcake, which does not surprise Sandbar. Only a minute or two after her, Yona and Ocellus make their entrance, both equipped with a tray filled with something delicious to eat. The female yak filled her tray with several different treats which makes the Changeling's tray look emptier in comparison, only having a Peanut-Butter and Jelly Sandwich to show. Yona takes her seat next to Silverstream and gives her a bright smile. The female Changeling decides to choose the free spot to the stallion's left. She greets him with a nod and Sandbar answers it with the same motion. Smolder, the last female member of their clique, takes a bit more time to show up, about five minutes after the other two ladies with nothing in her claws.
"Smolder not hungry?", Yona asks and receives a head-shake as a response.
She sits down next to Silverstream and across from Ocellus. The group continues to wait so its final member can show up but that does not happen.
"He sure is taking his time", Ocellus comments the griffon's tardiness as she takes a look at her watch, proving him to be five minutes late.
Sandbar gets nervous as he also takes a quick look at the bigger clock above the door they all came through and confirming her statement.
It is not unusual for him to be late but I thought today would be different... Guess he overslept.
"I bet this lazygriffon is still sleeping. I will give him one wake-up-call he will never forget", the dragoness impends as she stands up and leaves the garden, aiming for Sandbar and Gallus' dormitory.
Oh... Smolder is gonna give him a piece of her mind... most likely with her fists. Now I am really glad I bought those Griffonscones. He will need them to get in a good mood again, the pale-green stallion predicts the future as he watches the dragon disappear from his field of vision.
It takes a few minutes before she returns but without the griffon and with her arms crossed in front of her chest as she heads for the table and sits down again.
"So... Where is he?", the Hippogriff asks confused, which gains a sigh from the scaled female before she explains.
"He said that he doesn't want to leave his room the next few days. He doesn't feel like himself and has a major head- and stomachache. I told him to get better or else and now I'm back here."
Sandbar hears a loud sound, like glass breaking, in his head as the image of him and Gallus finally making up and hanging out again begins to crack and, in the end, turns into nothing else but a pile of shards. Without really noticing it, his look moves away from the dragon and refocuses on the scones he placed next to himself on the bench.
Th...That can't be real... I bet its because of me... Of course it is! No wonder he doesn't want to come! Why did I even think it would work just like that? How can this get any worse!?
"I guess it can't be helped", Ocellus comments the griffon's condition and the others agree with her.
"But, I think, this is the first time I've heard him admitting being too sick to come. Like, ever!", Silverstream says and the orange dragon agrees with her.
"You're right!", she adds as she nods her head, "Usually he says its to boring or he's too tired to come but actually saying that he's sick is new. Sandbar! You've spend a lot of time with him lately, right? Do you know anything? Was he acting strange or looking sickly?"
Of course... I had to challenge my luck...
The pony, whose eyes were still focusing on the delicious treats next to him, finally faces his friends again and, without saying a word, he shakes his head.
"Pony doesn't know either?", the female yak asks again but Sandbar doesn't answer. He stays completely silent, not even his body-language grants any room for interpreting so they accept the situation and begin to talk about the exam and how they all did. They all think they passed but, of course, some have subjects they aren't as sure about. For Ocellus, it was PE as she knows she did really bad in one of the tasks. Yona had a few problems with Fluttershy's exam but, by far, not enough to fail it. And so the conversation goes on until a loud voice echoes from the various speakers scattered all over the school and the dorms, overshadowing any way of communication with its volume.