Waking up had a way of refreshing the day - even though Tyler rarely ever wanted to wake up. But this Sunday didn't feel like a new day.

Eventually, his mother fell asleep, and he sat there alone, holding her hand tightly and watching the clock change from 2:00 to 3:30 to 4:45, and eventually to 7:50, when his father usually woke up on weekends. He'd never had a migraine like this before. It had been a few years since his last one, and he'd forgotten how horrible it was. He wanted to curl up and close his eyes and pass out to escape the pain, but every time he moved, his stomach churned and he nearly threw up. It almost hurt more to close his eyes. He dug his knuckles into his temples and his eyes, desperate for something to drive the pain away.

For once, Clancy and Nico were completely silent. They didn't even get up and move around like they usually did. He was so grateful, and wanted to tell them, but he couldn't speak. His voice stuck in his throat like a fly on a bit of honey, and seemed to tear his flesh apart when it tried to free itself. All he could do was make a soft croaking cry.

His mother shifted at the sound and slowly straightened up, rubbing her neck. "Tyler?" she asked, yawning. "How do you feel?"

"Worse," he breathed.

"What can I get you?"

"Nothing."

"Headache?"

He just nodded slightly.

"Let's get you back in bed," she said softly.

Slowly, she climbed to her feet and helped him stand. The room tipped as his vision flashed white for a moment, and then his stomach lurched and bile rose up in his throat. "I have to throw up," he whispered. "I'm - I'm going to..."

"Can you make it to the bathroom?" his mother asked, taking a step with him. He nodded, even though he was pretty sure he wouldn't make it.

She wrapped her arm around his waist to brace him against her, and together, they staggered out of his room and down the hall to the bathroom. His heart was racing and he thought he'd pass out at any second. He kept his eyes shut tightly to try and block out the pain, but it was no use. It only allowed the tears to spill freely down his cheeks. He collapsed on his knees in front of the toilet and heaved, but nothing came up. His insides wrenched and twisted, but all he could do was cough and cry and wish he'd just vomit and get this over with.

He felt his mother kneel next to him and gently rub his back, sending comforting tingles down his spine, and he shivered violently. He lurched again, and this time, he managed to bring something up. And suddenly he couldn't stop. He threw up over and over again, sobbing until he couldn't distinguish the two disgusting sounds from each other.

His head was going to explode. His brain was going to burst past his skull and squeeze out his eyes and nose and ears. He couldn't take this any longer.

"I'm going to get some crackers and some water, and when you think you can eat something without throwing up, I'll get you some medicine, okay?" his mother said.

He tried to nod, but even that tiny movement hurt too much. He didn't think he'd be able to eat anything today, but his mother said it was too dangerous to his insides if he took his medicine without something in his stomach. He didn't think he'd make it through today without his medicine.

When she came back, he forced himself to nibble on a cracker, even though his stomach churned in protest and he was sure it wouldn't stay down. He couldn't even ask for his medicine. His voice didn't come out, and his brain jumbled all the words together.

His mother handed him the pill and he put it in the back of his mouth. He spilled most of the water down his shirt, but managed to swallow the pill without throwing it back up. Every time he swallowed, he almost gagged, but nothing came up.

"Do you want to go back to bed?" she whispered, and he nodded, even though he was terrified of sleep.

She helped him stand up, but he collapsed against the wall and slid to the floor again, sobbing and digging his knuckles into his eyes. Sobbing only made his agony worse, but he couldn't stop. It hurt so bad...

His mother wrapped her arms tightly around him and helped him to his feet, and then practically carried him back to his room. They passed Zack on the way, but he didn't even glance at them. Typical. She laid him in his bed and closed the blinds and shut the door as Clancy climbed up next to him. The imaginary boy curled up on his side, facing Tyler, and almost took his hand, but then hesitated and let his arm fall limp on the blankets instead.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, tears silently slipping down his face as well. Nico didn't say anything.

"Can I get you anything else?" his mother asked as quietly as she could.

"Ice pack?" Tyler breathed in between sobs.

"Of course," she said, and rushed out of the room.

"This is all my fault," Clancy whispered. "If I hadn't freaked out in the forest, maybe you would've slept and...and you wouldn't have this anxiety migraine. I'm so, so sorry, Tyler."

Tyler wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't, and he was sure Nico had noted his apology. Now, he thought he could feel him smirking to himself. He wanted to tell Clancy it was okay before Nico mentioned it, but they all knew it was far from okay.

His mother came back with an ice pack and a towel, and she helped him position himself so that he could lay on the ice pack without holding it. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked.

He shook his head, but then nodded a little. She sat down next to him and gently ran her fingers through his damp hair. He finally calmed down enough to quiet his crying, but he shuddered violently every time he breathed. "Momma?" he whispered.

"Yes? What can I get you, baby? What do you want?"

And an enormous burst of pain stabbed through his eyes, and he started to cry again. "I wanna die, Momma, I wanna die," he cried. "I can't take it anymore."

"It'll be okay," she said, though she didn't sound very sure. "Your medicine will work in a few minutes and you'll be able to sleep again."

"Can you hold my hand?"

"Of course."

He didn't know how long they sat there, but finally, his medicine started to kick in, and he started to relax as the pain slowly faded. A strange fog settled over his mind, one of the side effects, but it had been years since he'd last taken his medicine, and it felt weird and uncomfortable.

"Momma, I don't like it," he whispered.

"Like what, honey?" she asked, squeezing his hand.

"Everything feels..." He squinted at the ceiling, trying to think of the right words to say.

"Don't you dare," Nico hissed.

"Like jellyfish," Tyler said. "Like orange jellyfish."

"Confused," Clancy translated, though she couldn't hear him. Tyler nodded in agreement, but couldn't find the words to describe the jellyfish feeling.

His mother blinked in surprise. "Oh. Um...I don't know what that means."

"I know," he said, wincing as a spike of pain returned.

Someone knocked softly on the door. "Mom, the phone's for you," Maddy said.

"Okay, just a second." She squeezed Tyler's hand again and stood up. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay," Tyler said. His hand felt cold without her.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Nico pulled a nasty face. "I can't believe it."

"Believe what?" Clancy asked.

"He actually said it. He said one of his stupid metaphors to his mom."

"So?" Tyler mumbled, closing his eyes and turning onto his side to face the wall. He wanted to sink down into his bed and drown in his blankets. He cringed as the migraine flared up, and a few tears slipped down his face.

"Don't you understand how stupid it makes you sound?"

"Go away," Tyler grumbled, pulling the covers over his head.

"Didn't you see her face? She looked at you like you were a complete idiot."

"Go away," he repeated, trying to shrink into his shoulders.

"And believe me, no one wants to talk with a complete idiot. Can't you hear it? Her voice is higher with you, slower, exaggerated. Like she's talking to a three year old."

"Leave me alone," Tyler demanded, but his voice cracked pathetically and he started to cry again. He knew exactly what he was talking about. He'd noticed it years ago. She was different around him. She was careful and very deliberate, picking her words just right so she didn't set him off. Like he was a complete idiot. His father just got mad. His siblings ignored him completely or teased him endlessly. Even his teammates avoided him, and he often sat out during practice and games - even though he was one of the best shots they had. He was a burden, nothing else.

But did Josh think that?

And as soon as Josh was in his mind, he felt guilty. Josh was his friend because he wanted to be, not because they were family or on the same team. Josh understood him in a way no one else did. At least one person would miss him if he was gone.

Tyler found himself grasping Clancy's hand tightly, crying softly into his pillow. The imaginary boy's hand was cold and clammy and made him shiver, but he didn't let go. Clancy understood him, too, at least a little bit. And even if he wasn't real, he was the only thing Tyler could hold on to.

"Look what you did," Clancy muttered. "You made him cry."

"No, look what you did," Nico snapped, his voice sharp as a knife. "You're the one who freaked him out about the forest even more than he already was. And thanks to you freaking out like always, he had a nightmare that turned into a migraine. We wouldn't be in this situation if you would just learn to shut up."

"You just told him he's an idiot. The imaginary person he made up just called him an idiot."

"No, I just told him the truth. I didn't say he was an idiot. I said his mom thinks he's an idiot. Just watch her, listen to her for a minute, and you'll agree with me."

"Shut up," Tyler mumbled, smothering his face in his pillow.

"Listen to me, Tyler. Maybe if you stopped talking like a freak, she'd stop treating you like one."

"Shut up!" he shouted, his voice muffled by his pillow. Pain shot through his head as he rose his voice. "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Tyler, what's going on in there?" his mother called softly, keeping the door closed.

"Go away," he said, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth and trying to only think about Josh, because Josh was the only one who really understood him. He was the only one who'd care if he disappeared and never came back.