Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5A3Ih48ic
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GRZVblNXY
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvG5FIYl5yZ
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAYSdDR7qc
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuHLE2VDwK
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUOAYqUWra
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYbcVFOX5d
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxg7Gaox7II
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNOzvpcFCl
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBjRmJDsHV
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUg31FEXw5R
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWEA5ZXRr4
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTA9zE9WrM
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4zEwWmfZN
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RUusNcrsa
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ccKUNudKh
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0psfnBzvlT
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGm8RePGrK
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoY4wc4ehKC
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlJ105QftI
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiOydpLxE4
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfWs9ZksRz
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrD9zG3Zsp
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ619oQOx7gQ
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFZHYXrqiE
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2xqgNHU5x
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApnrNUIw6V
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymQ409XcgC
Jesse let289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK2muDWpPn
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KdnrSYZov
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wlfelaXeR
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23b26Qyduv
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdETjlrVXp
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiT81FEte2S
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGzb3Lbuni
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JX8NlBSJz
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLu1EkCEhf
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxe0eb8uMy
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxObHDg2yJ6
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXE05nrBrv
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEF0iqpT9X
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuO2vr7Bve
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMWTvXbRRz
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1chAPF6Wg
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8d0yvwZx5w
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUu1SVsJes
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaaVnqM35O
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWBninliag
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneDT82ECcU
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynsQpZqQFy
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCiQDf54Dc
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNUiFX0KKh
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOQc3gjQLy
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWdzeWMGwI
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmvmyMbpSj
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7drj4APG6
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HqpD3WdKD
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71YqtdgZLO
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2sUO7kYSb
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrirhMx1zyL
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31TIBuXj78
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBhP8vEQ94
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlSm8IsgTq
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbk2e9FW5pD
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVshbIBY9m
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxMIHcCxXo
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitJPRvTDfe
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnmXAX1mQG
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OLEA7xqih
slammed shut. 289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡme7kZ2oidV
289Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsq4I3UeKvv
