50 Deaths

Chapter One

I sat there and stared at the clock. Mr. Woods would always keep us in his class until exactly ten-thirty. the minute hand was moving slowly around the clock until Mr. Woods finally let us out of class with a frown.

It was still early but I had two hours until my next class and I had told Paul I'd meet him at the cafeteria for lunch. We met up outside of the cafeteria and went in to pay. Then we fixed us a plate and found a table to eat.

Paul and I had tried to schedule the same classes because it was both of our first years on campus. We got lucky with three of the same classes a week and so after lunch we wandered around campus together looking for our next class. It was a huge school and there were so many people. Most of them were my age but they had a few that looked quite older. Even after being on campus for two weeks I still would get lost sometimes. We still had another half an hour until class so we didn't have to rush. on the way there, we met up with Mackenzie. Mackenzie and I have been dating for almost three years now and we've became really close. She even decided not to go away for college just so we could be at the same school.

"Hey Mack!" I said as I wrapped my arm around her.

"Hey," she replied with a smile. "Missed you!"

"I just saw you this morning," I said with a smile and jokingly rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, but that was almost five hours ago!" she stretched out hours as she spoke.

We were walking on the sidewalk with Paul right behind us. I turned my head and saw him shaking his head and laughing.

"I can't take all of this love talk. It's making me sick!" Paul said as I gave him a glare.

We walked like that for another fifteen minutes or so until we got to Mack's class. I gave Mack a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then caught up with Paul. My class was in the same building so Paul and I walked upstairs and entered the classroom.

That afternoon, I decided to take Mack out to dinner. I texted her at five-thirty telling her I'd pick her up around seven. So I went to the bathroom to take a shower. When I was done, I went to my closet to pick out what I was going to wear. It took me a while because my mom is usually the one to save me from the world of date clothes, but she wasn't home. I slipped on some khaki pants and a red collared shirt, and then threw on some black dress shoes. Then I went back to the bathroom to comb my hair and spray on my cologne.

I grabbed my car keys and opened the front door. I walked out to my car and drove to Mack's house. I walked up to her doorstep and rang the bell. Mrs. Aimee, Mackenzie's mom, opened the door.

"Hey, Cam! Mackenzie should be ready any minute now. Would you like to come in?" she asked politely.

"Yes, ma'am, thank you." I replied.

I walked into the living room, and after standing around for a few minutes, Mrs. Aimee called from the kitchen, "Make yourself comfortable, Cam, I would think Mackenzie should be finished by now, but you know girls!"

I sat down on the couch and Mrs. Aimee came into the living room.

"So how's school?" she asked.

"It's alright. I was pretty nervous at first, but I think I'm finally starting to warm up to it," I replied.

"That's good." We sat there for another few minutes, but eventually, Mrs. Aimee was beginning to feel as awkward as I was. "Mackenzie," she called as she walked down the hall.

"Coming," Mack replied as she walked out into the living room following her mom.

It was definitely worth the wait. She had on a beautiful red dress and some silver heels, and her dark brown hair curled like it usually was. Mrs. Aimee looked from my shirt to Mack's dress then said with a smile, "Did you plan this or something? You match perfectly. Ooh, let me get a picture, this is definitely photographic material!"

"Mom," Mackenzie complained.

"Oh, stop your whining, it will only take a second." her mom told her. Mack rolled her eyes.

Mrs. Aimee took a few pictures, and then after Mackenzie gave her mom a hug, Mack and I walked out to the car, hand-in-hand. I walked over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her. then I gestured for her to get into the car. Then I hopped in, and we drove off.

We got to the restaurant at about seven thirty. We walked into the building together and had to wait a few minutes before it was our turn at the counter.

"Table fore two, please," I told the guy at the counter.

He led us to a small table in the back of the restaurant and handed us some menus. Then he returned to the front of the restaurant. Mackenzie and I talked mostly about school, and then we ate when our food came. Once we were both finished eating, I pulled out the necklace from my pocket and got up from the table. I hid it behind my back and told her to close her eyes. She did as I told her and I walked behind her chair and gently hooked the chain around her neck. It had a beautiful silver chain with a silver heart locket. I had put a picture of us at a New Years party from a year ago in the locket earlier that day. It was her favorite picture of us together since we started dating.

She opened her eyes and placed her hand under the locket. She opened it and smiled. "I love it, Cam. I'll never take it off." She stood up from the table and wrapped her hands around my neck. "Thanks," she whispered and kissed my cheek. We left the restaurant and I dropped her off.

I went home that night and flipped through some old photo books of Mackenzie and I from a while back. I got undressed and put on a t-shirt. Then I lay down on my bed and watched TV until I fell asleep.