MACKENZIE SAMUELS

{twelve} MACKENZIE she has a few tricks up her sleeve.

Mackenzie Samuels – 5th March.   

Usually mornings in the Harrison house are filled with energy and shouts of encouragement and love. This morning the whole house is silent with the exception of the muffled sobs coming from Anna sitting in her bedroom. Today is the two year anniversary of Connor Harrison's death. He killed himself just days before my Dad died in the fire to say it was a devastating week for the whole town would be an understatement.

I'm making breakfast by myself in the kitchen usually I'm laughing with Scott about something stupid while we pour cereal and burn toast. But, it's just me today. I munch on my toast as I jog back upstairs to get dressed. While I get dressed I listen to music quietly and then pack my school bag.

My mind drifts to Connor as memories of the good old days run through my mind. He was the same age as Logan and they were like two peas in a pod just like Scott and I. We would go on family trips together and even as we got older we'd spend so many Summer holidays together. We would go to the beach, and go spend a week away in Queenstown. He brought out the adventurer in everyone.

It came as a shock to everyone when he died. Nobody saw it coming, I always thought he was the happiest person on the planet. His smile was infectious and he always knew how to make you laugh and cheer up. But, secretly he was miserable and so sad that he thought taking his own life was the answer.

I rummage through a pile of photo albums to find a picture of him and I. There's plenty. I slide a photo of me, Scott and Connor out off the album and put it in my jacket pocket. In the photo I'm sandwiched between the two boys, it was the day we went skydiving in Queenstown. It was a Christmas present from our parents, we drove down to Queenstown a few days after Christmas and we jumped out of plane one after the other. It was the biggest adrenaline rush ever. Just a few months later Connor died and then my Dad and my whole life was flipped and turned upside down.

I glanced at the photos in the album for a few minutes and sat at the end of my bed. A few tears raced down my cheeks usually I pride myself on keeping myself together today just isn't one of those days. There was a knock at my door and I quickly wiped my eyes with a tissue. "Come in." I say.

Scott came in very puffy eyed, his hair a mess and still in his PJs. "No school?" I ask.

"Not today. Mum said you don't have to go either." He says.

"I've already missed enough school." I say, despite wanting to lay in bed all day I'm going to put a brave face on and get it over with.

"Thought you might say that. Here are my keys." He says, and passes me his set of car keys.

"Thanks." I say, I put them in my pocket and start cleaning up my photo album mess.

"James is going to come over after school and we're probably going to order pizza and start The Walking Dead." Scott explains.

"Okay, cool. See you then." I say, I avoid eye contact with him because I know that if I looked into his eyes I'd start crying again.

It took me two seconds to accidentally look him in the eye. After that I crumble. I wrap my arms around Scott's torso and he wraps his arms around me also. I cry into his shirt rather embarrassingly. "I miss him." I mutter.

"Me too." Scott says and he kisses the top of my head, he rests his chin on top of my head from there.

We share a very tight and long hug for at least five minutes before we let go of one another. "Try not to spend the whole day crying." I tease.

"You too." Scott says and rolls his eyes at me.

When I get to school, the staring is just as much as normal but no-one seems to be whispering. School has a similar feel to home. It's very quiet with an exception of the younger kids running around like animals.