[ WP ] Everyone has a number above their head , BUT wearing a hat hides it .

I was the only one who could see it. They all had it above their heads like a neon sign and none of them knew it. It happened so suddenly and at first, I did n't know what the numbers meant, but when my classmate's number dropped to 1 and the next day she died in a car accident, I knew. The numbers meant their doom, the inevitable that was literally hanging over their heads. I kept everyone at an arm's-length because the numbers were just staring me in the face. Everyone was dying and I knew before anyone else. Eventually, faces blended together and all I could see was the numbers. It was like a breath of fresh air whenever someone wore a hat because for some reason, wearing a hat hid the doom number. 
 
 It was 3 o'clock in the afternoon and I was getting ready to leave work. It was a dead end desk job that is not worth mentioning, but it paid well and contributed to my survival. I stood in the men's bathroom, staring in the mirror in front of me and trying to see what had been invisible for most of my life. There was no number above my head and it had been like that since this whole thing started. It seemed cruel that I could see others futures, but not my own. Eventually, one of my coworkers entered the bathroom and I was quick to wash my hands before leaving, but I caught a glimpse of the number above his head. 1066. He still had a few years on him. 
 
 I left the building and began to walk home in the cold. Everyday I took the same route because there was n't as many people on the route I took, and some days, the good days, I saw no one. I took my phone out of my pocket when it buzzed. A text from my mother, asking if I was going to fly home for my sister's birthday. It wasn ’ t likely, but I shoved the phone in my pocket without responding and adjusted the strap of the messenger bag on my shoulder. Like an idiot, I was n't looking where I was going and ran into something. Immediately, I was soaked by hot liquid and I looked down at my white button up, now covered in a large brown stain. 
 
 `` Oh, oh. Oh, gosh. Jeez, I am so sorry. I was n't looking where I was going!'' I looked up to see the most beautiful brown eyes. My breath was caught in my throat when I realized the woman in front of me was quite possibly the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her hair was long, flowing out from her hat and gently swaying in the wind like a field of wheat. She was still talking to me, but all I could do was watch her mouth as she spoke. The woman took off her scarf and began to gently dab my shirt, but I just stood there stupidly, watching her every move. 
 
 I finally cleared my throat and spoke. `` I'm fine. Thank you.'' The thing about her that was most beautiful was that the number above her head was unknown to me thanks to the yellow hat she was wearing. 
 
 She sighed, leaning back and holding her coffee soaked scarf in her hand. `` How about I buy you a cup of coffee?'' 
 
 `` Do you plan on dumping the next one on me as well?'' My humor was dry. I was rusty with my communication skills, but she laughed anyway. It made my heart soar. 
 
 `` No, I promise. Come on.'' 
 
 I followed her to the coffee shop she had just come from, a little fact she told me on the way. She told me her name was Samantha, `` but please call me Sam and do n't ever call me Sammy.'' I liked that it implied that we would know each other for some time and that this was n't just a passing moment between two strangers. I told her my name was Josh. 
 
 We entered the small coffee shop and immediately I was met by a sea of numbers. Some big, some little. It was depressing me so I looked back at Sam. She ordered us two simple cups of coffee and lead me to an empty table, all the while telling me the story of her day as if we had been friends for decades. I was n't really listening. Sometimes I forgot to listen to people because I was too focused on the numbers. 
 
 `` So, Josh, again, I am so sorry about earlier. I have just been so flustered today and I was looking at my phone while walking because I have an important client who has been incessantly emailing me. This woman is crazy! Seriously, she has changed her mind about the flowers at least six times. Brides, I ’ m telling ya, ” she sighed as she sat down at the table. I sat in front of her, not sure what to say but I watched as she took off her coat. She continued to speak about the client as she took off her gloves. I watched the adorable expressions on her face as she took off her hat and then I saw the number. 0. 
 
 My heart began to pound, violently thumping as if it were going to jump out of my chest. I swallowed and placed the coffee on the table. I did not know this woman and there was no reason to be upset, but I was anyway. She did n't know her fate, but I did. She was going to die today and there was nothing anyone could do about it. 
 
 “ Thank you, but I have to go. ” I stood up without waiting for her response and left the shop. 
 
 Everyone I knew and everyone I was going to meet, they were all going to die and I would know when. There was no point in talking to pretty girls or making friends. There was no point in visiting my family for my sister ’ s birthday. There was no point in chatting with my coworkers on our lunch breaks. This was my life. This was my curse.
