HAYDEN
Dr. Ellis's office smells the same as always. The faint smell of vanilla and chocolate, leather from the couch, and coffee from the mug she keeps forgetting on the side table. Normally the familiarity grounds me. Today it just makes the pounding behind my eyes worse.
I'm sitting on the edge of the couch instead of leaning back like usual. My elbows rest on my knees, my fingers laced tight. The pills I took this morning—two extra-strength ibuprofen chased with black coffee—might as well have been sugar cubes.
"…Hayden?”
Dr Ellis's voice pulls me out of my head, and I look up to see her staring at me worriedly.
“What’s wrong?”
"Blinding headache. It started yesterday.”
My voice sounds flat even to me. She sets her notepad aside completely.
"What's wrong, Hayden?"
I exhale thr
