"It's just an illness." The boy forced a slight smile as he faced the people gathered around his bed.

A shorter boy with chocolate-brown hair put his hand to the back of his head as he spoke up in slight realisation. "Oh. Is that why you always miss days off schoo— ACK!"

"Ehem, we're sorry to hear that..." His cousin — a girl in glasses and sporting a medium-length, black, wolf cut — jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow before continuing. "We can leave your stuff here and leave if you need to rest..?"

"No, no, it's okay. It's just a chronic illness, like I said. I don't even need to be in bed, to be honest. I can move around just fine." She must've thought she was helping, and he appreciated that, he really did, but she was kind of making him feel worse...

"What do you mean?"

"The nurses are just afraid of me overexerting myself."
In fact, I might as well prove it to you...I can move around just fine. The boy thought, moving the covers and slipping a socked foot out of his bed.

"It's what happened last month, actually," A girl with short brown hair and an elastic green headband spoke up, immediately sticking her hand out in a panicked signal for him to stop. "I was there when it happened and it was so scary...after he collapsed like that...I don't even know how to explain it but you know..."

The boy halted and sighed, irritated that they wouldn't listen to him, but nevertheless felt bad for this newfound revelation of how he scared his sister's friend so much. "Ah...I'm sorry."

"Oh I see..."

"I see...that's too bad. So...the doctors say it's getting worse now, for some reason..?"

"Yeah, we hardly see you anymore!"

"It's nothing, really..."

"I...uh...I guess you can't come then —"

No, it's just an illness!

"Yes, I guess so; it's probably better if he didn't come..."

Wait, no — I want to come...

"But —"

"If he's unstable then it'd be dangerous for him to be around so many chaotic people at a party like that."

'Unstable'?! What the hell —

"What? Like I said, I can move around just fine..."

"Guess it can't be helped then."

Are you guys even listening to me..?

"'T's only a few hours so I should be fine. The doctors'll pro'lly let me anyway —"

"Why are you speaking like that all of a sudden?"

Stab.

"He's probably tired, right..?

No — I was just trying to speak quickly to get my point across because you all wouldn't listen to me!

"D'you need to rest...?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though."

They're just trying to look out for me, right? Right...?

"I guess he does..."

What?

"Alright, so we'll be leaving now then, make sure you finish your tea."

Wait, no, I only just woke up before you came; I don't need more sleep...Please stay.

"Wai —"

"Oh, we've left you some choco' 'n' stuff on the windowsill over there if you can eat it, by the way. Bye bro!"

"Bye-bye!"

"See you at school whenever you come."

Oh, I see now. I see how it is...You guys don't really care about me like you say you do, right? It's like that...I see...

"I'll come by tomorrow too," A freckled boy with sandy, brown hair finally spoke after being silent for almost all of the visit. "We can play some games I bought for you...! So see you tomorr...Wai — wait, what's wrong?"

"What's the point in coming to visit a sick person when you won't even listen to what they have to say."
It wasn't a question.

"Sorry, um, what did you say...? I couldn't hear you because you were mumbling..."

"...Never mind."

Just leave me alone.