"Hey, Tyler. How'd you sleep?" his mother asked as he shuffled into the kitchen.

"Hardly at all," he said, rubbing his eyes and glaring at Nico when his mother wasn't looking. As usual, the other boy stared silently back at him, lingering in the corner of the room like he always did.

"I'm sorry. Don't forget we're going over to Grandpa's this afternoon."

Tyler thought he heard Nico growl softly. "Okay," he said, ignoring him the best he could. He enjoyed his grandfather's company, so it was no surprise Nico didn't like it. It seemed like he purposefully hated the things that made Tyler happy.

He wandered to the counter and put a piece of bread in the toaster. He wanted to say something to his mother, maybe tell her about the strange conversation about killing sheep, but Nico's soulless stare made him reconsider. He scowled at him and turned back to the toaster.

"What are you looking at?" his mother asked.

Three years ago, he told her the truth. She'd thought he was crazy, especially since he was thirteen then, and much too old for imaginary friends. He wouldn't go through that humiliation again. "Nothing," he muttered, a sick feeling settling in his stomach.

"Probably shouldn't eat that if you feel sick," Clancy's timid voice came from behind him.

Tyler jumped in surprise, and thankfully, the toaster popped, giving him an excuse if his mother asked about it. "Don't do that," he hissed under his breath.

"Sorry," Clancy mumbled, ducking his head, and Tyler felt a stab of guilt.

Clancy had been there the longest, but he wasn't nearly as annoying. He didn't mind his company most of the time. Tyler couldn't even remember how they met, or how he'd figured out he wasn't real, either. He just remembered talking with him as a kid, and he remembered the strange, nervous feeling that always followed him around.

Nico, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.

"You're thinking about me again, aren't you?" the other boy said from across the room. His monotonous voice somehow felt more hostile today. "How you hate me and want me gone."

"I don't want you gone," Tyler said.

His mother paused at the stairs. "What was that?"

"Nothing," he said, buttering his toast very deliberately to try and avoid more questions.

"You've been acting a little strange recently," she said slowly. "Is everything okay?"

Again, he felt that urge to tell her the truth, but a rush of anxiety took hold of him as Clancy grabbed his arm. "What if she takes you to an insane asylum?" he whispered, his voice shaking.

"She'll think you're a freak," Nico said. "You're better off staying quiet."

"Everything's fine," Tyler told his mom, cringing slightly. The lie tasted bitter on his tongue. "Just...a little stressed."

"About what?"

He knew he was lucky to have such good parents who loved him and cared about him, but sometimes he wished they wouldn't ask those kinds of questions. His mind frantically searched for something to say. "Just...the game in a couple days," he said. "I'll be outside practicing." He suddenly felt rushed and sick, like writhing green worms had burrowed in his stomach, so he left his toast on the counter and hurried upstairs to change. His mother watched him go without another word.

Clancy was quick to follow him up to his bedroom, while Nico took his sweet time trudging up the stairs. Tyler slammed the door and pulled off his pajama shirt. "Make sure he doesn't come in," he told Clancy, though he knew that it was his nature to let him in at the first knock.

Only a few seconds passed before the demand came. "Let me in."

"Tyler said no," Clancy said, his voice shaking.

"It wasn't a request. Let me in. He needs me."

Tyler sighed as the door slowly opened and Nico shoved Clancy out of the way. He tightened up and braced himself for the oncoming insult, cringing as it came.

"You look practically homeless," Nico said, circling him like a vulture. "Try a beanie. That'll at least hide the mess that's your hair. A hoodie would be nice."

"He can't practice in a hoodie," Clancy said softly from the back of the room.

"Shut up." Nico pointed forcefully at him without even looking. "I'm just trying to help you, Tyler. People already think you're weird. We're your only friends. If you can get people to like you, maybe you'll have a shot at life."

"People don't think I'm weird," Tyler grumbled, but he pulled the red beanie on anyway.

Nico laughed almost sarcastically. "Yeah, they do. Every time someone in our neighborhood drives by, they stare at you. You spend hours in the yard shooting hoops alone. Nobody spends their time alone like that. You need friends, Tyler, and let's face it. Your team members think you're that weird homeschooled kid who doesn't know how to talk to people. You have to make them like you. If they don't like you now, you have to change."

"But change is scary," Clancy mumbled.

"I said shut up. You need to spend more time figuring out what people like. Then you can make sure you fit into that category."

"I also need to practice," Tyler said, though he knew he wouldn't be able to argue his way out of this. Nico always had the last word. "If I don't get good at basketball, I won't get a scholarship, and I won't get into college."

"Then he'd be a disappointment," Clancy added unhelpfully, nervously tucking and untucking one side of his wrinkled button-up.

"You won't get anywhere without connections," Nico said, sitting on the edge of his bed and making a show of examining his fingernails. "Nobody cares how good you are. They just care about who you know."

"But he can't talk to people," Clancy said.

"Yeah, I can," Tyler insisted, though he knew he struggled socially. The words just never came out quite like he wanted to, and - whether he wanted to admit it or not - Nico had a point. When he struggled to hold a decent conversation, people thought he was weird.

"No, you can't. That's the whole problem." Nico stretched out on his bed, acting very casual. Tyler knew that whenever he acted overly casual, he was about to say something he knew they wouldn't like. "And who's the cause of your anxiety?"

"Me."

"Yes and no." He chuckled again. "Who's the one who always brings up ten things to be afraid of at night? Who always makes sure you think about the worst possible scenario just before a big event? Who refuses to leave your side?"

Tyler glanced at Clancy instinctively, and the other boy seemed to shrink down into his shoulders. He quickly brought his attention back to Nico. "Yeah, but you're the one who won't stop talking about how much better life would be if we were all dead."

"Wouldn't it, though?" Nico sighed in mock regret. "I'm tired of beating around the bush. You know who I'm talking about."

"But I -" Clancy started, but Nico glared at him, and he went quiet.

"But he hasn't done anything," Tyler protested, though he knew that wasn't exactly true.

"That's a lie and we both know it."

Nico sat up and held his gaze steadily. Tyler always looked into a mirror when he met Nico's eyes. He saw himself - but he only saw everything wrong with him. He saw every flaw and every failure, and he hated himself more with every second he spent looking into them.

"You need to get rid of him," Nico said in a monotone, as if they were talking about an old stuffed animal instead of a person.

Was he a person? Tyler wasn't sure. Did an imaginary friend count as a human being? Even if he wasn't a real person, Tyler didn't know what he'd do without him. Clancy had been around for everything. He'd been there for every important moment of his life, and even though he wasn't exactly the most helpful person around, and even though he'd caused his share of problems, Tyler didn't want him to leave.

Nico picked up on his hesitation almost instantly. "Oh, come on, Tyler. He's completely useless. He's never done anything to help you."

"Neither have you." Tyler wanted to believe that was true, but at the same time, Nico often made good points. He wasn't usually this mean, either.

"We both know that's not true."

"You're being a jerk."

Nico shrugged. "Sometimes the truth hurts."

"Stop being mean," Clancy mumbled.

"Name one time you've actually been helpful," Nico said, leaning back against the wall with his fingers laced behind his head. He almost blended into the shadows with his black clothing, and his pale face almost made him look like some sort of ghost. Had his hands always been so dark?

Clancy shifted his weight uncomfortably and stared at the floor, his hands behind his back. "Well...one time he played really well after I talked to him."

"The only reason he played well was because you scared him into proving you wrong. That doesn't count. Give me another time."

Tyler didn't want to hear where this was going. Nico could be very convincing, and he didn't want to lose Clancy. "Alright, that's enough. Both of you calm down. A friend doesn't have to be helpful. I don't have to take advantage of his usefulness to enjoy his company."

"He's the one who keeps you up all night."

"You contribute a whole lot. You're acting weird, Nico, and honestly, I don't really like it. Don't be mean to Clancy. He didn't do anything wrong." Tyler grabbed his basketball out of his closet and swept out of the room, brushing shoulders with Clancy. The other boy flinched as they came in contact, and only hesitated a second to glance over his shoulder before he followed Tyler downstairs and out to the yard. Nico stayed where he was, staring after them with empty eyes and a cold smile.