HTBH is about a troubled schoolgirl attempting to overcome a past assigned to her by jealousy and aggression. Alongside her friends, she looks for reassurance and happiness. Will she achieve her goal of happiness and peace?
I woke up, but not in a bed I own. I try to speak but my words fall back into my mouth, I can't feel my limbs, almost as if I was strapped down to my bed. I feel my breath crawl back into my chest and never climb back up. It's too dark to see anything 5 feet in front of me and I feel so scared I wish I could just lay back down and stay asleep.
Suddenly, from that pitch dark blackness, I see something, is it an eye? No, it's two eyes, I think.
Oh my god..
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I wake up, this time with sweat dripping down my arms in a cold, almost unnerving fashion. I manage to turn my head to see the time: 5:00 AM. It's too late to start getting ready for school, because the train comes at 7:30. I look out my window to see a man, maybe my age, dressed in red and smoking a cigarette. I shouldn't get involved, he looks dangerous. But.. he looked oddly alone.. Ah what the hell! I put on my school uniform to look presentable and decided to go down the stairs and confront the Red Man.
"Hiya stranger! What brings you this house? If you're looking for directions I can sh-"
"You're different." He asserted himself in the middle of my sentence like how a knife inserts itself into butter. "Hey, you go to AAHS, right? I go there too, that's something we have in common, so don't think I'm a threat!" he reassured me. "How embarrassing of me, my name is Asu Rhed, just call me Rhed." He spoke cheerfully. Wait a second, I recognize that name, it's that scribbler's friend! I should ask him about the Scribbler! So I introduced myself. "My name is Yuki Shikaisha, I'm pleased to-" "What a beautiful name! I'm getting chills just hearing it! Especially from you, your voice is so soothing and relaxing I can fall back asleep just hearing it!" He said with such heartfelt wording. "Ok lets cut the bullshit. You're friends with Okawa right? He's been a little worried about you, so I decided it would change what schedule I have goin on right now, so lets go somewhere fun!" His words sounded repeated, like he's said this 1000 times over. But I left a memo and decided to go with him, trusting him with my life.
"So what's the Scribbler's real name? Okawa..?" "Okawa Shincho, same grade as you and I. He's normally drawing and writing. Its true what they say, the pen is mightier than the sword, but his voice is honestly pretty bone-chilling." Yeah, you don't say.. "He may seem like a dickhead, but if you talk to him enough you'll eventually grow on him. That's how I got here, at least." He said, confirming my progress.
I noticed out of the corner of my eye that he accidentally stepped on a 10,000 yen dollar bill, so I brought it up to him. "You stepped on a lot of money just now, Rhed." "Oh, the 10,000.. Damn it. It seems no matter where I go my luck tends to follow. I can't escape it." He spoke with such a regretful and sad tune, it interested me. "What do you mean? That's really really lucky! Don't-"
"That's the problem, I'm too lucky. Everything considered lucky that happens to me has happened 1000 times over, and it'll happen another 1000 before the days begin to change. As we climb the stairs there's gonna be 2 wallets filled to the brim with money and a bird will poop and miss us." I looked over at him, as he lost the light in his eyes.
But then.. everything played out exactly as he said. The wallets were there and the bird missed. I was in awe.. but has this really happened so much that he memorized it? Is luck really a curse? "We're going to the school. The bullet train is normally empty now, so I use it to get there without complaint." He said, while tossing away his cigarette, and it landed on ANOTHER 10,000?! What the hell?!
We got on the bullet train and I kept asking question, while also answering some as well. From what I got, Okawa normally wears glasses and has no family to comfort him, Rhed doesn't even know where he got his luck or who his parents are. Okawa and I share a favorite food, sushi. "We're here, c'mon." He said as he stood up and skipped out of the train into an empty train station. As he and I walked toward the school, he said something really strange.
"Have you seen this.. yellow guy? Everyday he goes to school in yellow, and he has a tendency to make fun and bully people at the school. He normally hangs out with this other guy.. forgot his name. But the yellow guy's nickname is Fruity." His words.. interested me. "Huh? Oh uh.. not that I remember, why?"
"No reason. Oh hey, looks who's been waiting for us! Not us, ME!" He pointed toward the entrance of out school, at him.
"Hi Okawa!" I said with a smile on my face. "Hmph, Rhed why'd you bring her?" He said, but I ignored it. "Don't lie to me man, I know how you've been talkin about her to me at the diner. You tend to be more of an asshole to those you're friendly with, and she's no exception." He said, and I looked over at him. Okawa turned.. red. I don't think he was mad, I think he was.. blushing? Maybe I should bring it up "Okawa? Are you alri-" "I'm ok, lets just get to class alright?" He spoke into my words. Anyway, Rhed ran ahead of us, so it gave me and Okawa some time to speak. Okawa spoke first: "Why did you go with Rhed? For all you knew he could've been trying to kidnap you, so why go with him?" He questioned me. "He said he was your friend, so I decided to go with him. Is that too weird for you?" I said, trying to guilt trip him. "Wha- wait wait wait, so you went with him because he was my friend? Is that the only reason?" "Yeah, why?" I saw him look away from me, but I could see it in his body language: he was blushing.
I got a feeling I won't be going away for a while now.
Credit: derrick_causing for drawing the nightmare monster thing. Thank you again man!
