Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDYFmhKqRz
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8ieqvEasM
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuRpDNsRIG
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzCHT8VGrH
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj24p7i7oxM
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBOTtZ29R4
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOEvyjQK5T
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBai9BZfkWf
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgZkxQ8jjq
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNayWg5gQXJ
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Tfgu08Dmn
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwvv5ca2YV
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsH4V2g5gFf
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtWb4Un6nI
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3qkbe5uyl
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JqyvbFDlY
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyUUxuHSbx
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvx7PwTgZj
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWAgKxr0Xb
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjBQ1I25ss
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXokga5LgtS
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlUlytx6QS
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJ9OHTkBLa
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbv07EQ8p3
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAR9Syvnvr
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjmkcaLkM5
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdL4PFGBst
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rlTwZhChB
Jesse let371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Lwe3DqMnW
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMDnHPjk0a
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Q2vpS3zxC
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwXPhYv5Qw
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFf6ecipNt
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZd9uoNLtn
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXToOputujM
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkVdUJeXW7
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCV2UFytdv
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoKQ11ZJln
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPdM9megSD
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzG5bH6lgX
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnFhWGd5to
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mvzJL4cNG
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouwgVLueK5
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXGikJQczW
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHvnAXGhfn
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioYX7ToTTM
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwclksIvd59
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6yWLaKwS3
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RNE1drZtg
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7MGIA7DCu
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWO2N8B0w7
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFTZDBOSn4
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDaU9oxwah
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4GQwsEvvB
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTldzciF1ZJ
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY927cIS1fh
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ud1pNKvGc
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWI3s4b1xw5
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExBakMqZXx
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUQUQDpOyo
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKjc02TeiK
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHvDWWYmKN
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDF1jcsKxV
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hjQQm5Arn
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqhvnyYupE
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxep0jJkTSF
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKISCZCv62
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7lbtEUi63
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Jesse371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSGYlfbPA0
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeUt56G2cZ
slammed shut. 371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJd0oKi0WR
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM7YC67Yv1
