The Girl with the Forgettable Face

He had just stayed up beating the last level when the door flew open.

"Hide! Get your ass up! You're late!" His older sister shrieked at him.

"Ugh." He opened his eyes and rolled in bed to stare at the clock.

He only got five hours of sleep? Not bad... he's done worse.

He freshened up and hurried downstairs only to get lured by the smell of bacon. He headed towards the kitchen and was reaching for it when he got slapped in the hand by a ladle.

"OW!"

His Mom was frowning at him.

Normally she insisted on him eating something, what was with her today?

She pointed her ladle at the tv.

Mystery Meat Q is being recalled from grocery stores in droves as dozens of consumers have reported to have come down with a mysterious illness. The company has agreed to undergo inspection-

"Ugh."

"But this isn't mystery meat q, you never buy their meat..."

"It was shelved next to them at the store!" His mother said.

His eyes misted, "Mom...I'm hungry."

She pulled out some cash and slapped it in his hand.

"Buy a big lunch, you're late anyway."

His expression brightened.

"Thanks mom! Love. You!" He blew her a kiss as he frolicked towards the door.

It was three minutes to the bell and Hideyoshi was super late.

The disciplinary committee was at the gate, did he bring his ID with him? He couldn't remember.

He changed his course and scaled the brick wall fence, snuck through the courtyard to throw himself up a tree, he dragged his ass like a cat wiping it's butt after a shit across one of the thick branches stretching towards his classroom window.

Of all days it was locked. He waved to get his classmate's attention but no one seemed to be paying him any mind. He broke off a baby branch and chucked it at the window.

A person with their head down finally stirred and looked up to see them, they made their way over. As soon as they opened it up, he leaped in.

His friend, Namjoon laughed at him.

"What are you a frog?"

His ex-girlfriend, Jisoo curved her eyes in disgust. "When are you never not late?"

"Whatever, I know you guys all saw me." he turned towards the person who opened the window only to flinch.

"Thank-WAH!" He stumbled back onto his butt.

Disheveled hair was in front of her face, and she was pale as a ghost.

The girl brushed past him and went back to her seat in the middle row. She folded lifelessly back onto her desk.

Hideyoshi pointed. "Is she real? I'm not seeing things right?"

Namjoon nodded, he was in the same row horizontally"Sadako-chan? Aw yeah, she always has her head down."

"Sadako? Is that her real name?"

"Nah, no one can ever remember it so we just call her Sadako."

The boy huffed.

"Hey Sadako..." he called out.

He got no response. He walked over and knocked on her desk.

"Sa.Da.Ko!"

". . ."

He squatted down to glare at her.

"What are you doing?"

"..."

Namjoon knitted his brows. "... just leave her be."

Hideyoshi knitted his brows back. "No! I have to thank her!"

He squinted at the girl for a bit longer before finally standing with a huff. He pretended to walk away only to double back and pull her bag out from underneath her face, her forehead hit the table with a thud.

She slowly lifted her head in confusion.

It was just for a second but he noticed her clear blue eyes as well as the huge dark circles underneath them that reminded him of the time he went to his dead Aunt's funeral in America.

He held up a trembling hand.

"Yo Sadako!"

She eyed him in silence.

With her hair out of the way, and some sleep she wouldn't look that scary.

"...not." She said something.

"What was that?"

She slowly stood and looked around for her bag.

"...not...my."

She spotted it in his hand.

"What?"

"...not my name." it was barely there but he finally heard her.

He blinked a couple of times.

"Then what's your name?"

"Give it back..." she muttered. She reached for his bag but her hand was trembling.

He bent down to peer at her face.

"You don't look so good."

"My bag..."

"Your name," he repeated. "What was it then?"

She took an unstable step forward and with an amused expression, he waited before holding her bag up in the air, when she lunged he dodged bumping into a desk.

Haru, the desk owner, shot them a glare before straightening his desk, his pencil rolled off onto the ground in the process.

As Sadako fell her arm grabbed onto Hideyoshi last second, he stepped back only to slip on Haru's pencil. The two stumbled and spun as if in a waltz continuously downwards onto the ground.

WHUMP.

Everyone who wasn't paying attention before now craned their necks to see Sadako lying on top of him. Seeing her slowly get up with her long greasy hair had everyone holding their breaths.

Silence hung in the air.

Her head was bobbing up and down, gradually lowering towards Hideyoshi's face.

Jisoo got out of her seat. (Was she going to kiss him?!)

(Bite his face off?) Namjoon got up too.

Sadako suddenly opened her mouth wide and vomited.