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Chapter 1

    I cracked my eyes open slowly, momentarily blinded by the bright morning light that streamed through my window. Groggily, I groaned and rolled over, pulling my comforter tightly over my head, blocking out the sun.

    I didn’t have to know what time it was to know that it was far, far too early to be awake. Ever since I finally escaped the prison that was my high school, I had grown quite fond on sleeping in past twelve. There wasn’t really much point in waking up anyway. I couldn’t stand to be around people long enough to even think about getting a job, and I hadn’t made good enough grades to give two craps about going to college.

    Somehow, I managed to extend my summer after graduation from two months to two years.

    I wasn’t complaining.

    Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into a tight embrace. Smiling, a soft sigh escaped my lips as I fell into place with my head resting on Jerry’s chest. I could feel his warm breath rustling the black hair on the top of my head as I fell into the rhythm of how his chest rose and fell with each breath he stole from the early morning.

    “What a wonderful way to wake up,” I thought to myself as I hooked an arm under Jerry’s, pulling myself closer to his body and enjoying the warmth of his bare chest against my flesh.

    “Good morning,” he breathed in his raspy morning voice.

    I shook my head and groaned playfully. “Nope. Not yet. Nu uh. It’s too early.” My own voice cracked, sounding great a deal less attractive than Jerry.

    Then again, everything about me was something less than Jerry; he was perfection.

    In one swift movement, Jerry rolled over on top of me and smirked a cocky grin, his signature smile, as he locked his icy eyes to mine. “I bet I can get you up.” His voice was teasing.

    Arching an eyebrow, I shrugged and smiled, though I tried my best to keep a straight face.

    It was more difficult than I thought it would be. “Prove it,” I managed with a semi-flat tone that still hinted at the smile that continued trying to touch my voice.

    Jerry lowered his face, closing the distance between our faces and touching his lips to mine. It was a gentle kiss, a kiss that would always remind me how much Jerry loved me.

    I returned his kiss with added intensity, placing a hand on his bare chest and feeling the patch of fine blonde hair that rested between his pectoral muscles. Moments like these almost made it feel like everything in my world was ok; moments like these made me feel like I wouldn’t change a single thing in my life.

    Almost.

    “He’s not real,” whispered a cruel voice in my head, ripping me away from the serenity that cascaded over me.

    Furrowing my brow, I dropped my hand, pulled my lips from Jerry’s, and opened my eyes. A rush of sadness washed through my senses, sending a chill down my spine and leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

    Jerry kept his eyes locked to mine. His beautifully chiseled face twisted into one of worry. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he lowered his body next to mine, giving me room to breathe. “You’re pale,” he paused, “paler than usual,” he added, correcting himself.

    Blinking several times, I forced back the tears that clawed at the back of my eyes. I tried my best to smile as I rolled onto my side to meet Jerry’s eyes. “Sorry, I just got distracted.”

    “By what?” The worry remained adamant on his face.

    I shrugged. “Same old, same old.”

    Jerry closed his eyes and slumped back onto the bed, facing the ceiling. He sighed loudly. It was a sigh riddled with frustration.

    Jerry and I had been over our problem so many times. In fact, we had been over it so many times that Jerry refused to talk about it anymore. It didn’t bother him that no one else could see him.

    It wouldn’t bother me either if I didn’t have this nagging voice in my head constantly reminding me how fucking crazy I was.

    I fell to my back, staring up at the ceiling and let out a sigh that echoed the same feeling that Jerry was feeling. Truthfully, life had become exhausting, and I wanted so desperately to just suck it up and accept what I had.

    Part of me did accept what I had, a part that felt perfectly happy being in love with Jerry. I completely understood that part of myself. Who couldn’t be happy with Jerry? He was the model of perfection. Jerry was kind, caring, let’s not forget about breathtakingly beautiful, and completely in love with me.

    I didn’t, on the other hand, understood how anyone could love me. It wasn’t that I found myself particularly repulsive; however, I was well aware that no one in their right mind would want a super pale shut-in who is in a relationship with his childhood imaginary friend.

    People didn’t often find insanity quite that attractive.

    The other more reasonable part of me wanted to acknowledge that there was in fact something wrong with this situation. Imaginary friends make their appearance in our heads during our childhoods. By every means imaginable, it was perfectly healthy. The only difference was mine never went away.

    Another part of me wanted to believe that Jerry was real and everyone else around me was crazy. Somehow, that just didn’t seem possible.

    With all that said, Jerry was still undeniably real to me. I could see him, feel him, taste him, and hear him.

    I blew out a frustrated breath and closed my eyes. This time, I couldn’t hold back the tears that began to drip down my cheeks.

    I didn’t want to be crazy.

    God, I really didn’t want to be crazy.

    In a matter of seconds, Jerry scooped me into his arms and cradled me against his chest. “Shh, Tyler, it’s going to all be ok.” His voice was so smooth; all the tiredness had crawled away, returning his voice back to its smooth, robust self. With his thumb, he wiped the tears from under my eyes. “You have got to stop worrying so much about all this.” He kissed my forehead tenderly. “I thought we decided a long time ago that it didn’t matter who was real because this,” he tightened his arms around me and rested his cheek on the top of my head, “is as real as either of us could ever want.”

    Jerry’s sweet words eased the tension chewing at the bottom of my stomach, but it did little to the voice in my head calmly whispering, “He’s not real. He’s not real.”

    “Jerry,” I began as I lifted my eyes to meet his, “you don’t have any clue how much I love you.” Moving closer, I touched my lips to his. A spark ignited between us, making my lips tingle.

    Smiling, he cupped my face in his palm, brushing his thumb against my cheek softly. “I guess you will just have to show me.” His cocky grin was back.

    This time, his words erased every bit of doubt I had in my mind, and for this moment, I knew wholeheartedly that Jerry was real, he was right in front of me, and I loved him with every inch of my being.

    Our lips met in a heated tackle; each side pouring in warmth that seemed to spread through my entire body, chasing away the tendrils of cold that had nestled in my spine. Our tongues danced together in perfect concord, as I climbed on top of Jerry, wrapping my legs around his waist.

    His hands trailed up my back, one lingering on my hip, the other finding its grip in the curls of my black hair. His touch seemed to ignite my flesh.

    Yes, for this moment, Jerry was as real as any other man was.

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Implied sex with an imaginary friend. Woah. I think that Tyler Greer is the craziest character I have ever made, but I also love him to bits. What do you think so far? :D Vote and all that?

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