Anathema

two - a lot of problems

"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.