what makes us tic

chapter seven

i walked down the empty hallways, taking in the silent atmosphere and cataloguing it in my brain for one of the rare times i actually feel calm.

the room came up on my right, i could hear voices inside laughing and could faintly smell weed from underneath the door.

i knocked once, intending to do it once more but instead knocking against my head instead and clicking my tongue.

dylan answered the door, opening it wider to reveal two other kids our age sitting around the room.

"welcome to the south side graveyard" dylan said as i walked in the door and dylan gestured to a grey beanbag sitting in the left corner of the room.

smoke blanketed the air and the heavy smell of marijuana was much more evident as i sat down. a girl was to my left with flowing brown hair, bright green eyes and looked like there was nothing wrong with her.

a boy was to my right who had a buzzcut, blonde peach fuzz just starting to grow. he had dark black eyes and a splattering of freckles over his nose and cheekbones. the boy had a walker next to him and appeared to be sitting comfortably.

"i'm nimue" the girl said and waved, smiling with her mouth closed and plump pink lips pressed lightly together.

"cass" the boy said, giving me a nod before taking another hit of the blunt he held in his left hand.

"drew" i said as dylan threw me a lighter and a blunt, they landed in my lap and i lit it quickly. i inhaled deeply and waited for the effects to start, craving the peace it gave me.

"why are you here drew?" nimue asked, her voice gentle and sweet while she watched me blow smoke out of the corner of my mouth.

"hmm?" i asked, not knowing if she meant why i was in this room in which case would be very embarrassing.

"in the school" nimue clarified, staying so still she looked like a plastic doll.

i was surprised she hadn't noticed, well she probably had but was too polite to say anything. currently the tic of the hour was jerking my head to the side and popping my tongue, annoying but not nearly as bad as it could be.

"tourette's" i said as i hit myself in the chest twice, nearly winding myself but playing it off as best i could.

"scoliosis" nimue said, i was confused as i knew what scoliosis was but i never knew it could be bad enough to land you in a full care hospital.

"brain tumour" cass said, his speech slurred but i didn't know if it was because of the weed.

—

the next two hours were a blur but the next thing i remember dylan was on top of me and we had our tongues down each other's throats.

soft music blasted through the speakers as our lips pressed together, his hair tickled my shoulder as he moved down to my neck and started giving me hickeys.

"hold on" i drew back slightly and dylan leaned backwards and out of the way of my arm moving up to my mouth like a sneeze, but it was just a tic.

"erm - I (thwap) have to *ahh fuck* go - go go" i said and dylan climbed off of me, lifting himself into his wheelchair and looking at me concerned.

"hey, are you okay?" Dylan asked as he rolled after me, my head was jerking repeatedly and quickly.

"are you okay?" I mimicked his tone in a tic, walking quickly down the hallway while gibberish fled from my lips.

"blow - blow - blow it, FUCK" i shouted and arched my back, causing me to fall to my knees and i quickly leaned my back against the wall.

Dylan quickly went to a call button on the wall and pressed it twice, then going over to me as i spasmed again and again.

Just as i got a break and could finally relax, i uncrossed my arms and ran my hands through my hair. I was about to stand up when I stared sniffing, quick bursts that happened so quickly I couldn't breathe.

I choked and took a deep breath in the slight moments I had, still sniffing in and not letting air out.

I started to get dizzy, my vision blurry as i swayed and fell to my knees once again still taking in quick bursts of air and choking.

Two nurses came around the corner running, placing a mask on my face and lied me on my back. My right hand turned to a fist and started hitting my chest, watching dylan out of the corner of my eye.