Morning

8:00 AM
*Sound of feet* *Hushed giggling* *Door opens a crack* “What?” *Door immediately shuts*…*Door opens a crack* “What?” “Come up so you can say goodbye and have pancakes” “Agh. Fine.” *Door closes*
Your left nostril is completely stuffed with snot, your right one barely less so. Your throat feels constricted and full of phlegm. Your eyes hurt horribly. You are tired. You know you should drink water, but that’s the last thing you want right now. You stumble around your room and throw some clothes on. You wait around for what seems like an eternity until they leave. You go outside. Warm. Hot. Good. You turn around to go back inside as you hear the van accelerate as it leaves the driveway. Sleep. Sleep. That’s all you can think about right now. You go straight to your bedroom and resume the same sleeping position you had. Almost instantly, you fall asleep.
12 PM.
You open your eyes. They still hurt. Your nose and throat are still full. Your head pounds. You figure you should probably start getting up. With much effort, you pull yourself up out of your bed. You grab your hair gel bottle and any others that you use. You make your way to the bathroom. Everything in your head seems to pound. You turn the shower on and gingerly step in. Hot. Steamy. Wet. Good. You know you will now face the inevitable. You shut one nostril, close your eyes, and blow. Nothing. The back pressure makes your head pound even more. You stop. Try the other one. This time, you are rewarded with a small pile of snot and mucous. You try the other one again. An even bigger pile. You feel dizzy and brace yourself against the wall until your equilibrium returns. Repeat. Repeat.
Your throat still feels constricted so you take a deep, halting breath. You cough. It sounds like something’s in there. The cough is wet. You cough, and cough, and cough again. Finally, you hurl out a wad of phlegm, mucous, and saliva. Your lungs ache, but there is more. Repeat. Repeat.
Hot. Too hot. Your eyes still feel terrible. You turn up the cold water. Better. You finish your shower, interrupted by frequent hacking and blowing. You wonder how it is possible for your nostrils and throat to be so full of the stuff. You stumble out. Hot. Moist. Bright. Your eyes reel from the light. You try not to look at it. You cover your face with shaving cream. Again, interrupted by hacking into the sink. Cough. Cough. Spit. Sniffle. Sniffle. Spit. You miss and your putrid glob of human sickness hits the rim instead. You quickly clean it up. You shave. Seems good enough. Rinse. The water is hot. Hot. Good. Too hot to touch for any period of time so you slip your hands through. Slip. Slip. Rub. Slip. Slip. Rub.
You weave gel through your hair and style it as you always have. Seems good. You feel sniffly again and reach for the nearest paperlike substance. Blow. Blow. Rub. Blow. Blow. Rub.
You look at the door. You open it and step out. Cold. Cold. Not good. You slip back into your bedroom and throw your jeans on. The cold material brushes against your still wet legs. Cold. You reach for your socks and start putting one on your foot (Your left foot, because you’re left handed) but forget that you have a small hangnail on your pinky toe. Agh. You slowly, carefully slip it on. The other sock goes on much quicker. You reach for your jacket, put it on, and zip it up. You don’t care about how boiling it is outside. You’re cold. Not good.
You stand in the middle of your room. You close your eyes. You breathe.
The day has just begun.s