15 used to be a good number, but now I can't stand to hear someone say it or see it written down, it may seem weird, but I have my reasons.

When I was in high school, I played football, and my number was 15. I liked it, but I didn't say it was a lucky number...at least until I met someone, her name was Merie, and she was beautiful. I didn't start talking to her until we were lab partners in science, she was funny and smart. We started to become friends throughout our freshman year. She told me that her lucky number was 15. "Why 15?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. "Well, I was born on April 15, at 3:15, which in military time is 15:15. I'm always lucky when that number appears," she explained, I thought it was pretty cool.

Ever since we became friends, she would always come to the football games. We usually would win, but when she started showing up, we started to do a lot better, it's like she was lucky. I always knew she was there because she always held a sign that said, "Lucky Number 15!" which I thought was cute and funny. 

When we became sophomores, I asked her to homecoming, I was sure she'd say no because she was so beautiful, someone had to ask her before me. "Of course! I'd love to go with you, John," (that's the narrator's name) she told me, which surprised me, and filled me with joy. I never thought I'd go to homecoming with someone so beautiful.

We had a blast at homecoming, and she told me that she wanted to go on more dates, so the next Friday, I asked her out, which happened to be October 15th, (I don't know when Homecoming usually is [I'm only a sophomore, alright?[) and it ended at 10:15, it was a great date.

We continued to date when we graduated, we both went to the same college, and I still played football, and Merie always had her "lucky number 15" sign, it was such a coincidence that I was 15 again.

After college, I became a football player, and Merie became a doctor, which was pretty cool, and we were still together. So on August 15th, I bought a ring and messaged Merie to meet me at the park that our houses were by. I waited a little while, after 5 minutes, I checked my phone, but no reply, it even showed that she hadn't seen it yet. It's 3:09, she's probably about to leave work soon I thought, knowing her shift was over at 3:15, coincidence right?

When I checked my phone, it was 3:16, still no answer. "That's weird..." I mumbled to myself, and tried to call her, but went straight to voice message. I was starting to get worried, so I drove over to her house and...saw her car was still parked in her driveway. 

I parked my car and used my spare key to go inside, there was no sign of her, and her phone was on the table. I knew something was wrong...she never forgot her phone. Ever.

I called some of her friends to see if they knew where she was, but...no one did, I even called her mom and dad and brothers, but they haven't seen her either. I had to call the police and report her missing.

The next day, the police started to look for her, and I did as well. I made Missing Poster flyers and put them all over town, even looked for clues at her house, only if I became a police officer because I didn't know what I had to look for, so I knew I had to leave it to the police.

15 years went by and she wasn't found yet, but I never gave up, I wanted to find her, I wanted to bring her home and see her beautiful face, and feel her soft, crimson red hair, and see her hazel eyes glisten whenever I looked into them...I missed her so much. 

One morning, I watched the news, thinking about Merie. As I was watching, I heard a knock on the door. It was a police officer. 

"Do you know Merie Licien?" he asked me. I was nervous and nodded. 

"Yes, is she okay?" I asked. The police officer sighed. 

"I'm sorry, she was found dead three days ago.  According to the medical examiner, she died on April 15th, at approximately 3:15. She was sexually assaulted, her throat was cut open and there was a carving on her body." My heart sank, she was...dead? The person I loved died? Did she seriously die...on April 15th? The officer showed me a picture, her shirt had been stripped off, but her bra was kept on. On her stomach, there was a message, someone carved it into her, it said,

 "Is 15 still lucky, John?" I felt sick, whoever did this...they wanted me to suffer... 

"Do you know who would do this, John?" the police officer asked, I shook my head. 

"No...I don't know..." I said, being on the urge of crying. 

"We'll find who did this to her, we're sorry for your lost."  The police officer said, then left.

The man was found 5 days later, it was Jackson Till, someone that I knew, and someone who lost to us in college when we broke his team's streak, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He may have been in jail, but...it didn't change what happened. 

I hate the number 15 because of him, but I always visit Merie at her grave on her birthday, April 15th, and I put my engagement ring there, so when I die, I can propose in the afterlife, and we can be together, forever.

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Idk why I chose 15, it was the first number that came to mind :p hope you enjoyed it.