what makes us tic

chapter eight

i walked into my room and flicked on the light switch, the warm golden light creating a glow on the kitchen as i rummaged around the cabinet for something to eat.

my socked feet slipped along the tile as i threw my head back, causing me to fly backwards and land in my ass.

"fuck fuck fuck *oOoO*" i curled onto my side and hugged my knees into my chest as i tried to sit up and get to the couch, a soft surface so i wouldn't hurt myself.

i was finally able to sit up but punched myself in the jaw, an uppercut that left me successfully lying on the floor in pain.

my tongue clicked against the roof of my mouth, only stopping for the short twitter alert sound effect that i could mimic almost perfectly.

all of a sudden i punched myself again, my right eye throbbed and i knew at that instant i had just given myself a black eye.

tears streamed down my face and soaked my t-shirt, pooling on the floor as my entire body spasmed in different places at different times.

i had no idea how long it had been when i finally stopped, able to take a breath and sit up without my tourette's forcing me to the ground.

i crawled my way to the couch and collapsed, the mental toll almost as great as the physical pain i felt in my chest and face.

a knock at the door interrupted my thoughts as i laid on my back and rubbed my temples, without thinking i shouted "it's unlocked" and didng make an effort to move off the couch.

"hey drew you forgot- " dylan stopped dead in his tracks, his hands pausing on the rims of his wheels and looking at me with great concern in his eyes.

"are you okay?" he asked softly as he slowly dropped down from his chair and lifted himself up on his hands to swing himself over to the couch.

"i'm - you bitch, i'm - you bitch -" i couldn't finish my sentence without tics interrupting, my annoyance and frustration bottling inside me.

"eee fuck you" i showed him my middle finger and stuck my tongue out, the motion hurting my jaw.

"i'm just going to chill here" dylan said as he climbed back into his chair, wheeling over to the kitchen and pretending like nothing was happening as i turned onto my side and continued to tic violently.

"what time does your nurse come?" dylan asked as he pulled two bottles of water out of the fridge and sat them beside him.

"nin - justice! no peace, fuck you" i grabbed my hair and pulled it tight, arching my back in pain.

"nine? like an hour then but i can press the call button if you'd like"  dylan rolled over and uncapped a bottle of water, placing it on the table next to me but far enough away i wouldn't knock it over.

"don't" i grunted and slapped myself, my eye throbbing on the same side as my stinging cheek.

"i won't then, i'll just sit here. do you have cable?" dylan said as he grabbed the remote and pointed it at the small tv, turning it on and flipping to HGTV.

it must have been hard for him to watch the show as i ticked, all of them vocal currently and most of them vulgar.

"you're a cow! say mooo"

"london bridge"

"cumslut! cumslut"

"doing better?" dylan asked after about a minute and a half of silence, longer than in the past hour.

"yeah" i answered as i sat up and dropped my head into my knees, rubbing the back of my neck.

a knock echoed through the room, i shouted for them to come in and anna's smiling face peek around the corner.

"hi dylan, i didn't know you two were friends" anna said as she walked in the room and closed the door behind her, i kept my head down until she sat down on the couch next to me.

"drew!" anna said and tipped my chin upwards, examining the two bruises on my jaw and left eye.

"my bad (thwap)" i smiled and tried to joke it off, pulling my head away.

"when did this happen?" she asked as she got up off the couch and wet a cloth over the sink.

"maybe twenty minutes ago" i answered, dylan looked over and shook his head.

"an hour and a half" dylan's answer surprised me, i didn't know i had been ticking for that long. if he was right it was the second longest tic attack i've had.

anna held the cloth to my face and wiped away some of the blood that came from the scratches on my face i hadn't realized were there.

"dylan you should probably go back to your room to meet your night nurse" anna turned to him and gave him a firm look, something told me that he had done this before.

"okay, bye then" dylan obeyed without a fight, leaving my room quickly without a noise.

"how are you really drew?" anna asked, walking over to the sink and squeezing out the bloody cloth.

"tired, i'm so tired" i dropped my head backwards on the couch, wiping away a tear that slid down the side of my cheek.

"it's family day tomorrow, that might cheer you up" anna smiled as she sat down on the couch next to me and rubbed my shoulder gently.

"my family's not coming" i said, more silent tears falling from my unrelenting tear ducts.

"then you'll get to hang out, run around the hospital"  anna's face fell but then she slapped on a huge smile, grasping my hand in hers.

"what fun" i said sarcastically, running my hands through my hair before standing up off the couch.

"i'm *ahh* i'm- fuck, i'm going to (thwap) bed" i walked the three steps to my bedroom door and opened it was a squeak.

"goodnight drew" anna said softly as i closed the door, her footsteps quietly out of the room.